It was a great aircraft but the government of the time canceled it because it was said to be too noisy for city center use and having seen it as a kid, yes it was very noisy! Alas this was just after they had cured the noise problem by changing from round burner tip jets to slots in the blades that just used compressor air from the Eland engines.
@@randomrazr The top rotor is not powered during a normal flight, but only during take off and landing. During a normal flight it spins solely by autorotation and it can land safely and softly without any power.
@@randomrazr If the rotor jammed for some reason it would not fly. It's an autogyro design where the rotor spins on its own, without power, while it is in forward flight.
What an amazing machine! I've known about it since I was a young boy, but it was already a museum piece even then. Didn't we make some incredible things in days gone by? What a great country this was.
Quite and it would be a great deal safer than the V22, a tragedy worse than the TSR2. An updated version with modern materials and equipment IMHO be better than the V22.
When I first saw the Osprey I did think of the Rotodyne and I did wonder why the Americans did not go for something similar. I always thought the Osprey was much more complicated then it needed to be.
@@bigblue6917 The Osprey was about as good as you could do with eighties technology (which it was). Take a look at the new Bell V-280, which is being touted as the Osprey's replacement. Also, the military would not have wanted an autogyro. Even with the tip jets on the Rotodyne, they would only grant VTOL capability, not the true "loiter" ability the military would want.
I can remember reading about the Rotodyne in an old aviation-related book in my elementary school library's reference section, nearly twenty years ago. What a strange machine it was. It's unfortunate that the design didn't receive more support. It seems as though it could've been quite successful.
Fabulous to watch. I have been an aviation buff since the early 1960's and seeing this kind of footage is amazing. I used to think the Rotodyne worked more like an autogyro. Seeing footage of it taking off and landing vertically is a delight to watch.
+John Konkin It works like an autogyro only in forward flight. It's tip jet system makes it able to hover without the need of contra rotation. Once it reaches enough speed the tip jets are shut down and then it flies like an autogyro even if the wings ensure a part of the sutainability while in flight.
+Moonstalker Thanks for the clarification. I had assumed it took off and landed like an autogiro. Seeing footage of it taking off vertically was amazing. I forgot about the tip jets.
+John Konkin It's amazing indeed, I saw a nice documentary about that wonderful machine, and I saw there was a lot of thought and genius behind its design. Too bad that machine only stayed as a prototype...
+Moonstalker Agreed, too bad it did not go any further, it was quite the machine. In a book I have called "Jane's Pocket Book Of Record -breaking Aircraft", published in 1981 (1978?) it had a record for speed over a 100km closed circuit for convertiplanes (Jan. 5, 1959). Fairey also built another amazing aircraft, the "Delta 2", in 1954. It was the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 MPH without the use of an afterburner. With the Delta 2's droop nose and delta wing design, the Concorde used a number of design elements from this advanced aircraft..
+John Konkin Yeah and even nowadays we don't have any civil supersonic craft since the last Concorde flight :( I didn't knew about the Delta 2, but thanks for telling such useful information :), the only thing about the Concorde is that it was a French-British collaboration, and pretty much the only mach 2 civilian airliner ....
@Barnaby Grant Actually the Tip jet design prevented torque,since torque occurs at a drive shaft between motor and rotor, which the rotodyne didn't have.That's why the rotodyne did not require any tailrotors/torque counter balancing rotors whatsoever.
Its everything the V-22 Osprey wishes it could be. I'm sure that Lockheed-Martin or British Aerospace could built these now with all the modern bells and whistles. Well they could in 12-16 years and for only $50 million a piece. Love this video. British tech at its best; Kit-Kat bars, Steak and Kidney Pie, Afternoon Tea, the Vulcan Bomber, the Blackburn Buccaneer, BSA Motorcycles and the Rotodyne! And the Fairy Delta 2 the Plane that Dassault stole!
While I agree with your sentiment, 50 years ago it was on a par with anything else out there for effciency. The reason it went bye bye was nothing to do with it inefficiency, it was politics pure and simple. The reason given for cancellation was that as a vehicle designed to land in the middle of cities the tip jets were too loud, well Fairey had silencers in development that would have solved that issue.
Old concepts like these that were actually well ahead of their times were rejected due to obvious unforeseen circumstances not because the concept had its flaws, but there were other priorities for the investors to look after first. I wonder if such projects could be brought back to life now that I guess the hindrances may have been passed.
Nice bit of mental gymnastics to get past the obvious fact this tool of democratized vertical point to point air transport was simply quashed, shattered and buried completely and thoroughly for reasons you could never let yourself admit to no matter how much proof was shoved under your nose.
To jaf5691: Prototype engines were Napier Eland (turboprop) not RR Nene (turbojet). Bleed from Eland compressors fed the tip-jets at end of rotor. Tip-jets lit for take-off & landing. Sounded like a steam train on take off - see my earlier comment.
1960's aviation marvels: Creates a hybrid plane/heli that can land anywhere and travel faster than helicopters 2010's aviaton marvels: Creates a new variant of the same old 737 that is grounded indefinitely, after hundreds die from shotty technology (737 max)
It’s 1980’s tech but ye I get your point. Although we are trying new propulsion systems, wing designs, and radical new aircraft designs, although many of which are for military purposes
No tail rotor or ducted exhaust to counteract the single rotor torque during vertical flight. They must be using the main engines to do this. Clever & simple! This simple design should be reconsider.
Another situation, when a video doesn't get recommended for 13 years to anyone, and suddenly the TH-cam algorithm decides: Why not 2019? It's like they take a video and run a random number generator to see when they want to recommend it... It's still funny though :)
I wish we had thousands of these flying across the us constantly with jumbo jets only flying off the coasts for international flight..a rotodyne could fly you to your aircraft at the coast then you hop a 747 to whatever country you want. Plus flights to Mexico, Canada and Alaska could be done on rotodyne and maybe even Hawaii, Newfoundland, and the Caribbean islands
They should have stuck with thie and developed it. I'm sure the noise problem could have been overcome in time and the Rotodyne would have been a far better proposition than the Chinook for military applications.
They were working on that when the program was cancelled; and they had already improved it quite a bit. The jet tips were not inevitably going to be ridiculously noisy; they're basically just mini jet engines as far as noise goes.
@Nexgcs wikipededia says it was 113 db but had noise reduction down to 96db but was cancelled regardless. They were going further to create silencers as well so it would have been quiet for 1950's aircraft. A shame i reckon if the project went on and these were built, we'd still be seeing them in active service today, or modernised variants
It would have. But when the british government stepped in to deal with the issue of too many air companies existing that it couldn't afford to support, the companies had to be merged and split about in various ways to make things more economical. The Rotodyne unfortunately was a victim in this chaos, and was ordered to be destroyed to ensure no more funding would go into that project.
I used to work in a hanger at White Waltham UK, building car assembly automation some 38 years ago. The rotadyne heli-lift blades were stored in the roof of the building. I also supposed the Rotadyne was stored there.
Yeah, and one question that sticks in my mind: Suppose you mounted the roto-jets nearer to the hub, rather than the tips; how much better would the power application be?
Dreaded88 I know it’s been 11 years but the answer is that you would need more power if the engines were at the centre. Putting them at the tips is the best location.
@CanadianCountryBoy98 Autogyro/Gyrocopter to be precise, the jets on the blade tips were to help takeoff and landing. The main lift in forward flight came from autorotation of the blades in the forward air flow... so not really a helicopter (or for the most part anyway) :)
For rolling take off or landing. Look at the the original Autogiro pictures of the Cierva with stub wings and rotor. Rotordyne rotor operated as helicoptor for take off / landing and autogiro for forward flight with supplemtal lift from stub wings.
YES WE WOULD.2nd you on that.Hopefully good sense will bring this or an even better version back.I think this makes more sense than that deathtrap v-22 Osprey.
That is such a fantastic machine. Now, I'm going to have to go out and by the re-release of the Revell model of the Rotodyne. Maybe I'll fit it out with Virgin Airlines decals just for a "what if".
If this was the video that was shown to showcase the Rotodyne I can see why some would not like it. This concept though in todays tech would be phenomenal.
Grate design !!! Is very sad that such projects like Fairy Rotordyne and Kamov Ka-22 was closed. May be todays rotorcraft world would looking very diferent.
I think this thing was ahead of its time. I did catch a glimpse of it flying, yes, it was loud but in these days of double-glazed city centres is it unreasonable?
Even if it is not practical costwise this could be useful for the military. They would be used to carry large amount of supplies to and from Carriers. It can carry much more then a helicopter but could still land like one. It could bring supplies to remote areas and land on the Carriers with ease.
@HanaNoTenjin while it would be completely beat out on say london to paris or longer flights, i think it would be a big win for services between smaller airports, usually the domain of twin turboprop planes. Also for resupply of oilrigs, assuming thier pads were big enough. Maybe even building a few inner city pads so that passengers could be shuttled from major airports directly to the city center, rather than having to catch busses or trains. I suppose it all depends on running costs v profits
Yes, but just suppose they mounted a second blade-set for contra-rotation, how much more survivable would it now become? Would it's total lift increase?
I understand that its biggest problem was from the noise from the jets used in the tips of the rotors. But as these were only used in take off and landing it was no different from a standard turbojet aircraft of the time. There was plans for a more advanced version where the rotors folded away into a compartment in the top of the aircraft once in forward flight, which would have made it much faster.
I think the design was ahead of its time. I think it would be great for small airports where big airlines cannot land. with newer technology, it would be ideal for today.
@Atomicskull Thanks for the headsup on the BA609, looks simple and rugged. If you have any other tips on aircraft that are a bit different send them to me.
Further refinement of the jets made them quieter but the decision was already made. And, don't forget, that the jets were only active for a short time, in vertical take off. As soon as forward motion was achieved, the tip jets would be shut down.
From what I read the tip jets were only needed for takeoff and landing. I wonder what good they could possibly do for forward flight? Nothing I suspect since all they do is help to generate lift when the aircraft is moving slowly. For this reason noise in the cabin is unlikely to be a problem either because they only have to experience it for a few minutes. Newer tip jet designs would probably be quieter too.
This is my favourite aircraft, I think it's such a shame that the project lost funding. The face of aviation today could be completely different, hat the Rotodyne been manufactured.
Rotor jet technology became suspect when it was discovered that there were high levels of cockpit noise. Without the rotor jets the speed records would have been impossible and speed would have dropped down to the neighborhood of 100 mph. There should be a market for something like this for island hopping or some other short distance travel over difficult geography.
I remember the Rotodyne flew over our house just north of Reading. I was youngl- we left the house in Nov 1962 it was probably 1961. It was quite noisy and caused a stir. I have a feeling that it featured on some Lyons tea cards at the time- airliners. Could have had a great future if it hadn't been a British idea- we're great on ideas rubbish on fulfilment. Much better to concrete over the world than go up in a vertical plane.
"The project was eventually canceled, and the Rotodyne destroyed, doomed for being too beautiful to exist in a world such as ours." Haha, this thing rocks! Cracked
Because the rotor is powered by ramjets at the tips no tail rotor is required to counteract torque. (Or is is bypass air from the main engines?) One of the Discovery/History/whatever shows had a gocart sized helicopter with a self powered rotor. I think this principle could be applied to a flying car.
Dammit science! Make us one of these again! I'm sure it could get some design touchups to make it more attractive and aerodynamic. I'll agree with capnjonas in saying it could own the V-22.
A correction to my prior comment. I just discovered for vertical flight the Rotodyne rotor is powered by no-torque jet engines on the rotor tips and no counter torque is required.
I used to take the New York Airways helicopter from LaGuardia to the top of the PanAm building. It was wonderful. Five minutes, no traffic, cheaper than a taxi. Then they said, Oh, its not safe. Oh, it pollutes the air. Oh, it's too noisy, etc., etc., blah blah blah. So they shut it down. I never flew on the Concorde but I used to see them at Kennedy Airport. 3 hours across the Atlantic. Same story. They shut that down too. What a world.
The Citroën « Art-Déco » building in Brussels, Belgium, in front of which the Rotodine lands, still exists and is currently converted in a modern art museum. BTW, the current high speed train Thalys time between Brussels and Paris is 1h25 and certainly much cheaper, quieter and environmentally friendlier than what the Rotodine would have been.
Of course it wouldn't be of any use on intercontinental flights, but there are plenty of uses for a short=range aircraft. Its another example of an innovative idea from British minds, now we follow not lead in so many fields.
With the news of conventional helicopters crashing in the North Sea due to rotor failure recently, would this type of hybrid not be the sensible way to go?
Funny I just watched a video from Mustard, then this showed up in my recommendation
Lol. Just gonna comment who else is here after Mustard.
yep. his videos are the best
Same was just about to comment this he the goat
TH-cam Algorithm : Coincident ? *I T H I N K N O T*
Same here, fellow mustardeer
And it went to sh*t
Mustard, 2019
this got recommended after i watched mustard's video
Me too
@@galaencarino1874 and me
Mikele Connor same
Yep here too
After mustard, I'm seeing this in my recommendations
Same here, mate.
The Mustard pilgrims venturing to lands of old
Yaa
Lol same here
I have a feeling that after the Mustard video this is about to blow up!
It was a great aircraft but the government of the time canceled it because it was said to be too noisy for city center use and having seen it as a kid, yes it was very noisy! Alas this was just after they had cured the noise problem by changing from round burner tip jets to slots in the blades that just used compressor air from the Eland engines.
Typical British government and civil service - clueless about engineering. Still - this design idea is there to be rediscovered.
would the aircraft sitll fly if the top rotors failed ?
@@randomrazr The top rotor is not powered during a normal flight, but only during take off and landing. During a normal flight it spins solely by autorotation and it can land safely and softly without any power.
@@randomrazr If the rotor jammed for some reason it would not fly. It's an autogyro design where the rotor spins on its own, without power, while it is in forward flight.
@@virtueofhate1778 i ment like what if it broke off . could the plane still fly
What an amazing machine! I've known about it since I was a young boy, but it was already a museum piece even then.
Didn't we make some incredible things in days gone by? What a great country this was.
The oldest comment I found .....11 years old .....and I came from mustard
OMG! It's straight out of a Gerry Anderson production! Gorgeous!
That thing looks ridiculously awesome! Damn I wish we still had those.
This could have been a British Osprey. Years before the Americans had their expensive version flying.
Quite and it would be a great deal safer than the V22, a tragedy worse than the TSR2. An updated version with modern materials and equipment IMHO be better than the V22.
I think theres some combat reason for why the americans didnt make an autogyro.
When I first saw the Osprey I did think of the Rotodyne and I did wonder why the Americans did not go for something similar. I always thought the Osprey was much more complicated then it needed to be.
@@bigblue6917 The Osprey was about as good as you could do with eighties technology (which it was). Take a look at the new Bell V-280, which is being touted as the Osprey's replacement.
Also, the military would not have wanted an autogyro. Even with the tip jets on the Rotodyne, they would only grant VTOL capability, not the true "loiter" ability the military would want.
That’s ironic
I can remember reading about the Rotodyne in an old aviation-related book in my elementary school library's reference section, nearly twenty years ago. What a strange machine it was.
It's unfortunate that the design didn't receive more support. It seems as though it could've been quite successful.
Fabulous to watch. I have been an aviation buff since the early 1960's and seeing this kind of footage is amazing. I used to think the Rotodyne worked more like an autogyro. Seeing footage of it taking off and landing vertically is a delight to watch.
+John Konkin It works like an autogyro only in forward flight. It's tip jet system makes it able to hover without the need of contra rotation. Once it reaches enough speed the tip jets are shut down and then it flies like an autogyro even if the wings ensure a part of the sutainability while in flight.
+Moonstalker Thanks for the clarification. I had assumed it took off and landed like an autogiro. Seeing footage of it taking off vertically was amazing. I forgot about the tip jets.
+John Konkin It's amazing indeed, I saw a nice documentary about that wonderful machine, and I saw there was a lot of thought and genius behind its design.
Too bad that machine only stayed as a prototype...
+Moonstalker Agreed, too bad it did not go any further, it was quite the machine. In a book I have called "Jane's Pocket Book Of Record -breaking Aircraft", published in 1981 (1978?) it had a record for speed over a 100km closed circuit for convertiplanes (Jan. 5, 1959).
Fairey also built another amazing aircraft, the "Delta 2", in 1954. It was the first aircraft to exceed 1,000 MPH without the use of an afterburner. With the Delta 2's droop nose and delta wing design, the Concorde used a number of design elements from this advanced aircraft..
+John Konkin Yeah and even nowadays we don't have any civil supersonic craft since the last Concorde flight :(
I didn't knew about the Delta 2, but thanks for telling such useful information :), the only thing about the Concorde is that it was a French-British collaboration, and pretty much the only mach 2 civilian airliner ....
awesome British entering,should have Thunderbirds music in the background !!!
!
Thought the same thing before seeing your thoughtful comment.
one of the first youtube videos....from 2006...to be revived thanks to mustard in 2019
It's ancient videos
@Barnaby Grant
Actually the Tip jet design prevented torque,since torque occurs at a drive shaft between motor and rotor, which the rotodyne didn't have.That's why the rotodyne did not require any tailrotors/torque counter balancing rotors whatsoever.
Interesting. Thanks.
dudewhosaysarrh very interesting.
@@chrisroos5081 wow you are replying to a comment 5 years ago.
Amazing engineering with a clazzy jazz soundtrack! A lethal combination!
This is better than a helicopter purely because it goes faster and makes more noise - the only two true performance measurements,
Yea
Its everything the V-22 Osprey wishes it could be. I'm sure that Lockheed-Martin or British Aerospace could built these now with all the modern bells and whistles. Well they could in 12-16 years and for only $50 million a piece. Love this video. British tech at its best; Kit-Kat bars, Steak and Kidney Pie, Afternoon Tea, the Vulcan Bomber, the Blackburn Buccaneer, BSA Motorcycles and the Rotodyne! And the Fairy Delta 2 the Plane that Dassault stole!
Mustard brought me here
While I agree with your sentiment, 50 years ago it was on a par with anything else out there for effciency.
The reason it went bye bye was nothing to do with it inefficiency, it was politics pure and simple. The reason given for cancellation was that as a vehicle designed to land in the middle of cities the tip jets were too loud, well Fairey had silencers in development that would have solved that issue.
Thank you.
And because of Mustard... people would want this back on the air badly!
It's a damn shame that these things never caught on. That's an amazing thing, the rotodyne.
Old concepts like these that were actually well ahead of their times were rejected due to obvious unforeseen circumstances not because the concept had its flaws, but there were other priorities for the investors to look after first. I wonder if such projects could be brought back to life now that I guess the hindrances may have been passed.
Nice bit of mental gymnastics to get past the obvious fact this tool of democratized vertical point to point air transport was simply quashed, shattered and buried completely and thoroughly for reasons you could never let yourself admit to no matter how much proof was shoved under your nose.
To jaf5691: Prototype engines were Napier Eland (turboprop) not RR Nene (turbojet). Bleed from Eland compressors fed the tip-jets at end of rotor. Tip-jets lit for take-off & landing. Sounded like a steam train on take off - see my earlier comment.
The problem wasn't the noise, the problem was corporate politics. They had already almost solved the noise issue when it was cancelled.
Nobody :
Rotodyne while taking off and landing : [Helicopter Noises]
Unless you sound like a BBC presenter who went to school at Eton and has a nanny....
1960's aviation marvels: Creates a hybrid plane/heli that can land anywhere and travel faster than helicopters
2010's aviaton marvels: Creates a new variant of the same old 737 that is grounded indefinitely, after hundreds die from shotty technology (737 max)
It’s 1980’s tech but ye I get your point. Although we are trying new propulsion systems, wing designs, and radical new aircraft designs, although many of which are for military purposes
It's like all our cool Jetsons future dreams died in the 60s and we just wanted to make small computers
No tail rotor or ducted exhaust to counteract the single rotor torque during vertical flight. They must be using the main engines to do this. Clever & simple! This simple design should be reconsider.
You don't need to know anything to truly appreciate AWESOME like this.
Boa tarde !!!!
Aeronave fantástica.
Uma pena não existir mais.....
Muito obrigado pelo vídeo e parabéns pelo canal.
Abraço do Brasil.....
Absolutely amazing aircraft!
I know what I want for my birthday.
A comment that came before the Mustard fans invaded,
unfortunately I'm one of those fans,
I don't regret it.
Another situation, when a video doesn't get recommended for 13 years to anyone, and suddenly the TH-cam algorithm decides: Why not 2019?
It's like they take a video and run a random number generator to see when they want to recommend it...
It's still funny though :)
I wish we had thousands of these flying across the us constantly with jumbo jets only flying off the coasts for international flight..a rotodyne could fly you to your aircraft at the coast then you hop a 747 to whatever country you want. Plus flights to Mexico, Canada and Alaska could be done on rotodyne and maybe even Hawaii, Newfoundland, and the Caribbean islands
They should have stuck with thie and developed it. I'm sure the noise problem could have been overcome in time and the Rotodyne would have been a far better proposition than the Chinook for military applications.
They were working on that when the program was cancelled; and they had already improved it quite a bit. The jet tips were not inevitably going to be ridiculously noisy; they're basically just mini jet engines as far as noise goes.
If the Brits had followed up on this amazing aircraft, they'd be world leaders in multi-rotor helos AND commercial V/STOL by now.
@Nexgcs wikipededia says it was 113 db but had noise reduction down to 96db but was cancelled regardless. They were going further to create silencers as well so it would have been quiet for 1950's aircraft. A shame i reckon if the project went on and these were built, we'd still be seeing them in active service today, or modernised variants
The era when Britain did not rely on any country for aviation innovation!!
No,the wing tip jets were only ducted from the main engines and were very reliable.They were only in use in take offs and landings.
saw the rotodyne at farnborough airshow.never forgotten.another great idea comes to nothing.great to see it again.dave
you would have thought this aircraft would have been a winner ??
It would have. But when the british government stepped in to deal with the issue of too many air companies existing that it couldn't afford to support, the companies had to be merged and split about in various ways to make things more economical. The Rotodyne unfortunately was a victim in this chaos, and was ordered to be destroyed to ensure no more funding would go into that project.
and here comes our test pilot.. yes folks its virgil tracy from international rescue. that thing is well cool, and the louder the better i say.
A ramjet in the tip of rotors?
I used to work in a hanger at White Waltham UK, building car assembly automation some 38 years ago. The rotadyne heli-lift blades were stored in the roof of the building. I also supposed the Rotadyne was stored there.
Any solution to keep the noise down?
Yeah, and one question that sticks in my mind: Suppose you mounted the roto-jets nearer to the hub, rather than the tips; how much better would the power application be?
Dreaded88 I know it’s been 11 years but the answer is that you would need more power if the engines were at the centre. Putting them at the tips is the best location.
@CanadianCountryBoy98 Autogyro/Gyrocopter to be precise, the jets on the blade tips were to help takeoff and landing. The main lift in forward flight came from autorotation of the blades in the forward air flow... so not really a helicopter (or for the most part anyway) :)
Who got this recommend after watching mustard video?
For rolling take off or landing. Look at the the original Autogiro pictures of the Cierva with stub wings and rotor. Rotordyne rotor operated as helicoptor for take off / landing and autogiro for forward flight with supplemtal lift from stub wings.
YES WE WOULD.2nd you on that.Hopefully good sense will bring this or an even better version back.I think this makes more sense than that deathtrap v-22 Osprey.
At 1min54 : landing on heli-airport Brussels near interbellum Citroën-'cathedral' Yserplaats/Sainctelette.
That is such a fantastic machine.
Now, I'm going to have to go out and by the re-release of the Revell model of the Rotodyne. Maybe I'll fit it out with Virgin Airlines decals just for a "what if".
If this was the video that was shown to showcase the Rotodyne I can see why some would not like it.
This concept though in todays tech would be phenomenal.
I hope with new technology some company will revive this project and produce a new marvel, just like it was when it first came out.
A rotor, twin props and selectable tip jets on the rotor? That's awesome!
Grate design !!!
Is very sad that such projects like Fairy Rotordyne and Kamov Ka-22 was closed.
May be todays rotorcraft world would looking very diferent.
I think this thing was ahead of its time. I did catch a glimpse of it flying, yes, it was loud but in these days of double-glazed city centres is it unreasonable?
Even if it is not practical costwise this could be useful for the military. They would be used to carry large amount of supplies to and from Carriers. It can carry much more then a helicopter but could still land like one. It could bring supplies to remote areas and land on the Carriers with ease.
TH-cam algorithm strikes again.
@HanaNoTenjin while it would be completely beat out on say london to paris or longer flights, i think it would be a big win for services between smaller airports, usually the domain of twin turboprop planes. Also for resupply of oilrigs, assuming thier pads were big enough. Maybe even building a few inner city pads so that passengers could be shuttled from major airports directly to the city center, rather than having to catch busses or trains. I suppose it all depends on running costs v profits
The ability to fly city center to city center is actually a good concept.
Yes, but just suppose they mounted a second blade-set for contra-rotation, how much more survivable would it now become?
Would it's total lift increase?
I understand that its biggest problem was from the noise from the jets used in the tips of the rotors. But as these were only used in take off and landing it was no different from a standard turbojet aircraft of the time.
There was plans for a more advanced version where the rotors folded away into a compartment in the top of the aircraft once in forward flight, which would have made it much faster.
I think the design was ahead of its time. I think it would be great for small airports where big airlines cannot land. with newer technology, it would be ideal for today.
It was the years of GREAT Britain. Or the GREAT Great Britain ?
Something wrong with this world, we want this back!! Thumbs up if we want!!
@Atomicskull Thanks for the headsup on the BA609, looks simple and rugged. If you have any other tips on aircraft that are a bit different send them to me.
Further refinement of the jets made them quieter but the decision was already made. And, don't forget, that the jets were only active for a short time, in vertical take off. As soon as forward motion was achieved, the tip jets would be shut down.
From what I read the tip jets were only needed for takeoff and landing. I wonder what good they could possibly do for forward flight? Nothing I suspect since all they do is help to generate lift when the aircraft is moving slowly. For this reason noise in the cabin is unlikely to be a problem either because they only have to experience it for a few minutes. Newer tip jet designs would probably be quieter too.
This is my favourite aircraft, I think it's such a shame that the project lost funding. The face of aviation today could be completely different, hat the Rotodyne been manufactured.
I love that the rotors are powered by mini jet engines. Just imagine the torque!
JRaero01 Get ready for your 15mins of fame thanks to Mustard!
Rotor jet technology became suspect when it was discovered that there were high levels of cockpit noise. Without the rotor jets the speed records would have been impossible and speed would have dropped down to the neighborhood of 100 mph. There should be a market for something like this for island hopping or some other short distance travel over difficult geography.
I remember the Rotodyne flew over our house just north of Reading. I was youngl- we left the house in Nov 1962 it was probably 1961. It was quite noisy and caused a stir. I have a feeling that it featured on some Lyons tea cards at the time- airliners. Could have had a great future if it hadn't been a British idea- we're great on ideas rubbish on fulfilment. Much better to concrete over the world than go up in a vertical plane.
"The project was eventually canceled, and the Rotodyne destroyed, doomed for being too beautiful to exist in a world such as ours." Haha, this thing rocks! Cracked
Because the rotor is powered by ramjets at the tips no tail rotor is required to counteract torque.
(Or is is bypass air from the main engines?)
One of the Discovery/History/whatever shows had a gocart sized helicopter with a self powered rotor.
I think this principle could be applied to a flying car.
When Britain was still Great
This is a wonderfull flything machine!
It's too BEAUTIFUL!!!
TH-cam knows i have watched that one mustard video and then recommend me this old video
Dammit science! Make us one of these again! I'm sure it could get some design touchups to make it more attractive and aerodynamic. I'll agree with capnjonas in saying it could own the V-22.
A correction to my prior comment. I just discovered for vertical flight the Rotodyne rotor is powered by no-torque jet engines on the rotor tips and no counter torque is required.
I used to take the New York Airways helicopter from LaGuardia to the top of the PanAm building. It was wonderful. Five minutes, no traffic, cheaper than a taxi. Then they said, Oh, its not safe. Oh, it pollutes the air. Oh, it's too noisy, etc., etc., blah blah blah. So they shut it down. I never flew on the Concorde but I used to see them at Kennedy Airport. 3 hours across the Atlantic. Same story. They shut that down too. What a world.
The Citroën « Art-Déco » building in Brussels, Belgium, in front of which the Rotodine lands, still exists and is currently converted in a modern art museum. BTW, the current high speed train Thalys time between Brussels and Paris is 1h25 and certainly much cheaper, quieter and environmentally friendlier than what the Rotodine would have been.
2019!!!! ANYONE
NO
Me ...ho are you im samy from israel ...hi ✋
It would've been interesting to see how it handled the N. Sea oil platforms 1 1/2 decades later.
Of course it wouldn't be of any use on intercontinental flights, but there are plenty of uses for a short=range aircraft. Its another example of an innovative idea from British minds, now we follow not lead in so many fields.
Lets get Rotordyne to 1mil views and help make massive autogyros great again 👍
I just recently heard about the Rotodyne and it's a shame that it was cancelled! I wish I could have went for a ride!
With the news of conventional helicopters crashing in the North Sea due to rotor failure recently, would this type of hybrid not be the sensible way to go?
Absolutely awesome, why the hell didn't we build these?!
Why not retry to make these again? It’s 2019 I’m sure we have the ability to now
The small jets, watch Mustard's video on it
@@Bruhmoment-dv4fp well not quite be said it was also because of funding. It could also be great for military
@@aldenroswell8504 Ah, the engineers tried to reduced the small jets even further but it didn't happened
Totally agree!
I would love to find that Airfix kit! That, and the Heller 1/48 scale SNECMA Coleoptere.
It is really a very interesting vid. Thanks for posting that.
And thanks to all serious comments in this side ; )
One of the most innovative aircraft ever landing just in front of the most innovative car brand ever (Citroën, at that time)
Why the fuck did we ever make the Osprey if this exists?
what exactly was wrong with the rotor?
En fascinerande trippelkorsning mellan flygplan, helikopter och auto-giro!
Why are we not funding this?!
Because every one in 60's dont want this
@@marlinamarpaung2499 they are so stupid
recommended?