Fairey Jet Gyrodyne
| Fairey Jet Gyrodyne | |
|---|---|
 Fairey Jet Gyrodyne
| |
| Typ | Experimentalflugzeug |
| Entwurfsland | |
| Hersteller | Fairey Aviation Company |
| Erstflug | Januar 1954 |
| Stückzahl | 1 |
Die Fairey Jet Gyrodyne war ein britischer experimentelle Verbindung Tragschrauber, gebaut durch die Fairey Aviation Company, die Hubschrauber, Flugschrauber und Autogiro Eigenschaften kombinierte. Der Jet Gyrodyne war Teil eines Forschungsauftrag des Ministry of Supply (MoS), um Daten für das zukünftige Design, der Fairey Rotodyne zu sammeln.
Konstruktion und Entwicklung
The Jet Gyrodyne was a modification of the second prototype FB-1 Gyrodyne aircraft registered G-AJJP. The Jet Gyrodyne was built specifically to develop the pressure-jet rotor drive system and operational procedures used on the later Rotodyne.
The Jet Gyrodyne utilised the fuselage, undercarriage and engine of the FB-1 Gyrodyne. The Alvis Leonides nine-cylinder radial engine was situated in the middle of the fuselage and drove a pusher propeller at the tip of each stub wing and two Rolls-Royce Merlin engine superchargers. The original three-blade tilting hub rotor system was replaced by a two-blade rotor controlled with swashplate-actuated cyclic and collective pitch controls. An empennage provided the necessary stabilization about the pitch and yaw axes.
For takeoff, landing, and low-speed flight, the rotor was driven by air delivered by the superchargers and burnt with fuel in blade-tip mounted pressure-jets. This zero-torque rotor drive did not require a compensating anti-torque system, though the collective pitch of the wingtip-mounted propellers was controlled by the rudder pedals to provide yaw control. As airspeed was gained, the rotor drive system was shut down, allowing the rotor to autorotate while the propellers provided the necessary thrust. For low-speed flight and landing, the rotor drive system was restarted to provide hovering capability.
Geschichte
Tethered flights at White Waltham were followed by the first free flight in January 1954, but a full transition from helicopter to autogyro flight was not achieved until March 1955, piloted by John N. Dennis. System proving continued and by September 1956, 190 transitions and 140 autorotative landings had been completed. Development of inflight rotor drive restart procedure resulted in several power-off autorotational landings until the method was perfected. The Jet Gyrodyne was underpowered and could carry sufficient fuel for only 15 minutes of flight; on occasion external fuel tanks were carried to increase endurance.
The Jet Gyrodyne was retired once ground testing of the Rotodyne rotor drive system commenced.
Erhaltenes Exemplar
Obwohl die Verschrottung im Jahre 1961 geplant war, blieb die Jet Gyrodyne (Seriennummer XD759 später XJ389) erhalten und ist heute im Museum of Berkshire Aviation als Leihgabe aus dem Royal Air Force Museum ausgestellt.
Technische Daten (Jet Gyrodyne)
- Länge:7,6 m
- Rotordurchmesser:15,8 m
- Höhe:3,10 m
- Leergewicht:1.600 kg
- Gewicht:2.200 kg
Antrieb: 2 x Flügelspitze Druckluft / Brennstoff-Verbrennung, (), die jeweils 1 × Alvis Leonides 9-Zylinder-Sternmotor Propeller: 3-Blatt- Druckpropeller
- Maximale Geschwindigkeit:224 km/h
Siehe auch
Einzelnachweise
- ↑ "Fairey Gyrodyne". British Aircraft Directory. 13 August 2006. "Fairey Gyrodyne." British Aircraft Directory. Retrieved: 18 August 2006.
Literatur
- Charnov, Dr. Bruce H. The Fairey Rotodyne: An Idea Whose Time Has Come – Again? (Based on Charnov, Dr. Bruce H. From Autogiro to Gyroplane: The Amazing Survival of an Aviation Technology. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2003. ISBN 978-1-56720-503-9.) Detailed History.
- Green, William and Gerald Pollinger. The Observer's Book of Aircraft, 1958 edition. London: Fredrick Warne & Co. Ltd., 1958.
- Taylor, H.A. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1974. ISBN 0-87021-208-7.
- Winchester, Jim, ed. "Fairey Rotodyne." Concept Aircraft (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2005. ISBN 1-84013-809-2.
