Fairey Rotodyne

Undoubtedly one of the most spectacular products of the post-war British aviation industry, the distinctive Fairey Rotodyne was a revolutionary large compound gyroplane which held great promise for both worldwide inter-city medium air transportation, in addition to possessing numerous military applications during the late 1950s.

The impressive looking Rotodyne featured jet powered main rotor tips which operated during vertical take-off and landing, hovering and transitioning to forward flight, before a pair of Napier Eland turboprops were engaged for forward flight.

Despite successfully completing over 350 test flights, just a single prototype aircraft would be built, before the withdrawal of government funding tragically consigned the Fairey Rotodyne to the aviation history books.