David, go to the YouTube comments of this video and read how the British gave away their advanced aviation technology and nearly destroyed their aviation industry.
They could have been a contender.
Also, yes, the aircraft was described as 'Thunderbird-esque'.
What a terrific aircraft, plus it has that great "Rotodyne" name going for it, I expected to read that it suffered a Comet or R101 moment, but it looks like it was a complete success. Other than the no orders thing.
Yet another example of politicians and civil servants who canno understand that setting fixed time limits on revloutionary development is a stupid idea.
Government support for the Rotodyne's development was contingent on companies placing firm orders within a certain timeframe. Naturally companies were reluctant to place orders for what was a good concept until such a time as the teething troubles had been ironed out.
Result: an incredibly promising project died.
Ironically, the British government wasted 10 million quid (the r&d cost of the Rotodyne) a couple of years later by placing then cancelling an order for the far less capable Chinook.
5 comments:
Because the rotor is powered by ramjets at the tips no tail rotor is required to counteract torque.
One of the Discovery/History/whatever shows had a gocart sized helicopter with a self powered rotor.
I think this principle could be applied to a flying car.
David, go to the YouTube comments of this video and read how the British gave away their advanced aviation technology and nearly destroyed their aviation industry.
They could have been a contender.
Also, yes, the aircraft was described as 'Thunderbird-esque'.
PS: My first two comments were 26 hours apart, not 2.
Why is the time of a comment displayed but not the date?
What a terrific aircraft, plus it has that great "Rotodyne" name going for it, I expected to read that it suffered a Comet or R101 moment, but it looks like it was a complete success.
Other than the no orders thing.
Yet another example of politicians and civil servants who canno understand that setting fixed time limits on revloutionary development is a stupid idea.
Government support for the Rotodyne's development was contingent on companies placing firm orders within a certain timeframe. Naturally companies were reluctant to place orders for what was a good concept until such a time as the teething troubles had been ironed out.
Result: an incredibly promising project died.
Ironically, the British government wasted 10 million quid (the r&d cost of the Rotodyne) a couple of years later by placing then cancelling an order for the far less capable Chinook.
Politician, rope tree - some assembly required.
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