Fairey Rotodyne Compound Gyroplane VTOL Airliner Family

The Fairey Rotodyne combined helicopter-style vertical lift with gyroplane and fixed-wing features for intercity transport research. Rotor-tip jets powered vertical takeoff, landing, and hover, while wing-mounted turboprops provided forward propulsion. The sole Rotodyne Y demonstrator first flew in 1957 and conducted a four-year concept-proving programme through 1961. It was a 33,000-pound, 40-seat prototype, distinct from the larger 65-seat Rotodyne Z proposed for production. It set a convertiplane speed record over a 100-kilometre closed circuit. The project was cancelled in 1962 and the prototype was dismantled; surviving major components are preserved by The Helicopter Museum.