Breguet-Dorand Gyroplane Laboratoire
Breguet/Dorand · France · first flew 1935 · helicopter
The Gyroplane Laboratoire was an early helicopter designed by the Frenchman Louis Breguet with René Dorand as technical director. It was a prototype built for experiment.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.92 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two contra-rotating coaxial twin-bladed metal rotors
- Open steel tube framework containing the engine, fuel tank, controls and pilot
- Mainwheels on outriggers with an additional small wheel at the front
The coaxial rotor design cancelled torque between the two rotors, which have cyclic and collective pitch control. The tail assembly has plywood tail surfaces and a tailwheel landing gear.
Specifications
- The Breguet-Dorand Gyroplane Laboratoire has a length of 8.92 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.89 m (52 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 120 km/h (75 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Breguet announced patents on rotorcraft stabilisation in 1929 and created the Syndicat d'Etudes de Gyroplane with Dorand in 1931. The aircraft was finished in 1933, and after ground tests and an accident the first flight took place on 26 June 1935.
Variants
Only one prototype was built; destroyed in 1943.
Where you'll see it
Pilot Maurice Claisse set records with it, including a 500 m diameter closed-circuit flight on 14 December 1935 and a flight of 1 hour 2 minutes 50 seconds on 24 November 1936. A hard landing in June 1939 ended development, and the prototype was destroyed in an Allied air attack at Villacoublay in 1943.
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