Gyrodyne RON Rotorcycle
Gyrodyne Company of America · United States · first flew 1955 · helicopter
The Gyrodyne YRON-1 Rotorcycle was a tiny single-seat coaxial helicopter developed for the US Navy as a compact one-man reconnaissance and rescue vehicle.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 3.8 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- coaxial counter-rotating rotors
- single-seat open frame
- no tail rotor
Unmistakable by its extreme compactness — essentially a seat, an engine, and two stacked rotors. No tail rotor is present, and the open tubular airframe means the pilot sits almost entirely exposed.
Specifications
- The Gyrodyne RON Rotorcycle has a length of 3.8 m (12 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed to be packed into a container and deployed by submarine for rescue of downed aircrews, the Rotorcycle used coaxial counter-rotating rotors to eliminate the need for a tail rotor and minimize the overall footprint. Several prototypes were evaluated by the US Navy in the late 1950s.
Variants
The XRON-1 was the prototype designation; the YRON-1 was the pre-production evaluation variant.
Where you'll see it
Evaluated by the US Navy but not adopted for operational service; the logistical complexity of submarine-deployment proved impractical.
Related aircraft
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