Fairey Jet Gyrodyne
Fairey Aviation · United Kingdom · first flew 1954 · helicopter
The Fairey Jet Gyrodyne is a British experimental compound gyroplane that incorporated helicopter, gyrodyne and autogyro characteristics. It was built by the Fairey Aviation Company.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Alvis Leonides radial engine in the middle of the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-blade rotor driven by blade-tip pressure jets
- Stub wings with a pusher propeller at the tip of each
- Alvis Leonides radial engine in the middle of the fuselage
It has a two-bladed rotor and an empennage, with a pusher propeller on each stub wing tip. The airframe survives at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation.
Specifications
- The Fairey Jet Gyrodyne has a length of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.77 m (52 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 225 km/h (140 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was a modification of the second prototype FB-1 Gyrodyne, G-AJJP, and was built to develop the pressure-jet rotor drive system used on the later Rotodyne. The first free flight was in January 1954.
Variants
There were no variants: only one was built. It was developed from the Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne and led to the Fairey Rotodyne.
Where you'll see it
A full transition from helicopter to autogyro flight was achieved in March 1955. By September 1956 it had completed 190 transitions and 140 autorotative landings, and it was retired in 1961 once Rotodyne ground testing began.
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