90 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE JULY 2018the worst of the tendency to
roll and a third upper fin was
later added. Adding ailerons to
the wings and directly linking
them to the lateral-cyclic
control produced normal
aeroplane rolling control.
In June 1958 the Rotodyne
made its first public
appearance at the Helicopter
Association Garden Party at
Ripley, Surrey and, according to
The Aeroplane, it created an
“outstanding impression”. It
represented, the magazine
reported, “a significant step
forward”. But financing the
project was recognised as a
problem. “There are doubts
that government funding will
continue”, it continued. But the
journal quoted Fairey chairman
G. W. Hall as vowing that he
and his board would push
ahead with the Rotodyne “to
the best of our ability.”
The main points of the
required flight envelope had
been achieved by the end of
1958 and the flight test
programme continued to make
good progress after that. Ron
Gellatly revealed that although
the Rotodyne Y had been
designed to cruise at 150mph
(240km/h), flight-testing
showed that the aircraft could
cruise economically at 170mph
(270km/h).
Fairey approached the world
governing body of aviation, the
Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI), with a
request to recognise a new
category of rotorcraft, the
convertiplane, and to accept an
official attempt by the
Rotodyne to establish a world
speed record in this class. It
was decided to make the
record bid over a 60-mile
(100km) closed circuit as it was
considered to best reflect the
aircraft’s cruise ability.
In January 1959 the
Rotodyne duly set a world
speed record in the new class
E2 at 190.9mph (307.2km/h).
The course comprised long out
and return legs connected by a
two-mile-radius turn at the
outer end and a tight
completing turn over White
Waltham. A light 14mph
(22km/h) wind was blowing
from the north-west. Mean
height was 1,000ft (300m). In
addition to Gellatly andMorton, powerplant observer
Dr D. B. Leason and strain
gauge operator E. J. Blackburn
were on board. The record
stood until October 1961 when
it was beaten by the Soviet
twin-rotor Kamov Ka-22
convertiplane.
The Rotodyne had exceeded
the current absolute speed
record for helicopters by
30mph (48km/h). This
demonstration of its capability
left Fairey cock-a-hoop.
Company advertising declared,
“It confirms Fairey’s claim that
the true VTO airliner is here
now for city-to-city centre
journeys needing no expensive
airfields, wasting no valuable
time.”
This was probably the
Rotodyne’s finest hour. “To
report that a six-engined VTOsection more than 100ft (30m)
long was lifted from White
Waltham, transported three
miles (5km) and positioned
accurately over a river. It was
considered a significant
demonstration of the aircraft’s
military potential.
A visit to the Paris Air Show
— via Brussels where it was
demonstrated to NATO officers
— enabled Fairey to claim that
the aircraft had completed the
flight between the two capitals
in 58 minutes. This compared
with a scheduled service time
of three hours 15 minutes. It
had cruised at 200mph.
Progress was being made in
other key areas. During a
Parliamentary debate on the
aviation industry in July 1959,
aviation minister Harold
Watkinson revealed that his
officials were seeking suitable
operating sites for the aircraft.
He described the Rotodyne as
“a winner”, capable of
city-to-city transit with 50-60
passengers. It might, he
added, be “another Viscount.”
Fairey remained optimistic
about the Rotodyne’s sales
prospects. George Hislop was
convinced that an economical
VTOL aircraft able to cruise at
250mph (405km/h) in all
weathers was something no
operator “could possibly afford
to ignore.”
But it seemed they could. No
firm orders were forthcoming
despite the interest. Okanagan
Helicopters of Vancouver —
then the world’s biggest
rotary-wing operator — said it
wanted three, Japan Air Lines
was interested in operating the
aircraft on its domestic routes,A comparison of the operating economics of the Rotodyne and
Vickers Viscount. AEROPLANEOver an urban environment in 1959, during one of the aircraft’s overseas proving flights. AEROPLANEairliner is now flying in Britain is
to report no more than the
truth”, a Flight editorial stated.
“By so describing the Fairey
Rotodyne we may hope to
direct a true measure of
attention to an aircraft having
unique capabilities and
excellent commercial
prospects.”
Despite the Rotodyne’s
obvious versatility the journal
acknowledged that it would be
judged by its success on the
London-Paris route. “The
fixed-wing journey time,
including surface transport to
and from airports, is four-and-a-
half hours — a time which the
Rotodyne might reduce to an
hour-and-three-quarters.”
The Rotodyne was also able
to demonstrate impressive
load-carrying ability. A bridgeFLIGHT-TESTING FAIREY ROTODYNE
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