Don't know why they cut up the prototype ~ typical. Surely we must have had some museum space? Wasn't 'being shot up' at Shoeburyness the fate of some other British classic aerodesigns. Noise didn't stop 707s etc heralding in the jet passenger age either.
@web2student That was actually one of it's benefits, it was cheaper to run than conventional helicopters. The lack of a rotor gearbox and lack of tail rotor made it inherently more reliable. In terms of noise, they were already working on noise reduction, and equivalent fixed wing jets at the time were horrendously noisy.
@Nexgcs wikipededia says it was 113 db but had noise reduction down to 96db but was cancelled regardless. They were going further to create silencers as well so it would have been quiet for 1950's aircraft. A shame i reckon if the project went on and these were built, we'd still be seeing them in active service today, or modernised variants
Why doesn't this exist anymore? This is genuinely a good idea, and with just a bit of 21st century technology, it would be the best, not to mention most awesome, form of air travel. And it can even be used as a crane? THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!
@MRkallek91 No retard. Not compressed air. Thats not enough. The engines on the wings coupled to compressors which sent compressed air into the tips of the wings. THEN, the air was mixed with fuel via injectors in the chambers at the tips of the props. Hence, ROCKET tips. ROCKETS. Thats what liquid fueled rockets are. AIR + FUEL + IGNITION = thrust.
@MRkallek91 No retard. Not compressed air. Thats not enough. The engines on the wings coupled to compressors which sent compressed air into the tips of the ROTOR BLADES. THEN, the air was mixed with fuel via injectors in the chambers at the tips of the props. Hence, ROCKET tips. ROCKETS. Thats what liquid fueled rockets are. AIR + FUEL + IGNITION = thrust.
@heatherandpaul2@heatherandpaul2 nope. These are not rocket tips. They are jet tips. Rockets don't breathe air, they include an oxidant. In a way, this is similar to a standard jet engine. Air is compressed, mixed with fuel, and burned. Throwing the word retard around pretty readily. "4× rotor tip jet burning compressed air/fuel, 4,453 N[11] () each"
Its everything the V-22 Osprey wishes it could be. I'm sure that Lockheed-Martin or British Aerospace could built these now with all the modern bells and whistles. Well they could in 12-16 years and for only $50 million a piece. Love this video. British tech at its best; Kit-Kat bars, Steak and Kidney Pie, Afternoon Tea, the Vulcan Bomber, the Blackburn Buccaneer, BSA Motorcycles and the Rotodyne! And the Fairy Delta 2 the Plane that Dassault stole!
@Atomicskull Thanks for the headsup on the BA609, looks simple and rugged. If you have any other tips on aircraft that are a bit different send them to me.
This is my favourite aircraft, I think it's such a shame that the project lost funding. The face of aviation today could be completely different, hat the Rotodyne been manufactured.
This is an extremely interesting idea for an aircraft. It was just too far ahead of its time when it was released. I think it'd be one hell of an interesting plane to rebuild as a historical replica.
@QuantumInteger The noise problem actually got solved after the demonstrations, they added sound dampeners to the engines. Unfortunately the project still lost all its funding by then. A damn shame.
The only downfall is the top speed, I think. Average speed of commercial airliners now is about 600mph or so, I think. If the speed problem could be overcome, I would love to see these commercialized now.
@HanaNoTenjin while it would be completely beat out on say london to paris or longer flights, i think it would be a big win for services between smaller airports, usually the domain of twin turboprop planes. Also for resupply of oilrigs, assuming thier pads were big enough. Maybe even building a few inner city pads so that passengers could be shuttled from major airports directly to the city center, rather than having to catch busses or trains. I suppose it all depends on running costs v profits
@DancingJesus94, and a quick check of Wikipedia tells me it was canelled not because of any sort of flaw, but because they couldnt get enough interested parties to buy it.
Now, I'm going to have to go out and by the re-release of the Revell model of the Rotodyne. Maybe I'll fit it out with Virgin Airlines decals just for a "what if".
It takes off as a helpcopter, and tip jets were (vey unusually) the motive power for that: there was no drive to the rotor shaft.
Once in the air, the forward speed was provided by conventional piston engines and propellers, and the tip jets were then shut down, allowing the rotor to move over to Autogyro mode (powered by upward airflow through the rotor). The blades still give left (they are deflecting air molecules downward all the time). A wonderful aircraft: see also: CarterCopter
i understand that after being operational for 3 years without a single delay or accident, the company was bought by an airplane manufacturer... and padlocked so it wouldn't compete with its own original product line.
I feel like this, while amazing, wouldn't be efficient for anything. As a military aircraft, there are just so many vulnerabilities. I mean, first, it's huge, second the propeller column is huge.
As a passenger craft it certainly can't move as fast as a plane can.
But god damn if I couldn't just buy one and fly it around town and land it in my back yard.
I am getting a little bit sick of coming across amazing historical machines which never made it into production, purely because of stupid politics and incompetence! :(
I used to take the New York Airways helicopter from LaGuardia to the top of the PanAm building. It was wonderful. Five minutes, no traffic, cheaper than a taxi. Then they said, Oh, its not safe. Oh, it pollutes the air. Oh, it's too noisy, etc., etc., blah blah blah. So they shut it down. I never flew on the Concorde but I used to see them at Kennedy Airport. 3 hours across the Atlantic. Same story. They shut that down too. What a world.
I can remember reading about the Rotodyne in an old aviation-related book in my elementary school library's reference section, nearly twenty years ago. What a strange machine it was.
It's unfortunate that the design didn't receive more support. It seems as though it could've been quite successful.
"Take-off was from London airport because, at present, there is no suitable heliport at the centre of London" - what a damning indictment indeed to make of any capital city.
Where is my local Rotodyne service from Salford to Leeds? Seriously, people are worried about building new runways and the carbon output of jets, ban intercity flights and replace them with Rotodynes going from city centre heliports, green, economical and looks badass.
@CanadianCountryBoy98 Autogyro/Gyrocopter to be precise, the jets on the blade tips were to help takeoff and landing. The main lift in forward flight came from autorotation of the blades in the forward air flow... so not really a helicopter (or for the most part anyway) :)
I believe the wings gave lift during level flight, and the blades were set flat to the airflow for less resistance. Then used to generate lift as airspeed slowed, that's why it reaches fast level flight, that's what I read somewhere anyway.
I think this thing was ahead of its time. I did catch a glimpse of it flying, yes, it was loud but in these days of double-glazed city centres is it unreasonable?
according to Cracked, this thing sux. seeing as how they have legal custody of my mortal soul and will only allow me to visit every other weekend, i have no choice to agree to get a chance at full custody.
It was the noise (109 db) of the tip jets that were the main draw back to this fantastic machine. Tip jets in general are noisy and every time the idea has been implemented the result is an extremely noisy design.
Even if it is not practical costwise this could be useful for the military. They would be used to carry large amount of supplies to and from Carriers. It can carry much more then a helicopter but could still land like one. It could bring supplies to remote areas and land on the Carriers with ease.
@mrwick60 Because the people who fairey commisioned it to decided it was a stupid idea, and that it was too loud for use as a passenger aircraft, and it was unsafe.
@mrwick60 The Labour government decided to nationalise the UK aerospace industries. Since it didn't understand the nature of gyrocopters, it merged the Fairey company with Bristol helicopters, and cancelled their order for an RAF squadron of Rotodynes. Bristol then shut down the project.
@mrwick60 The noise issue has been cited as the reason for the cancellation of the project. There was no denying the Rotodyne was noisy. Development had continued and Fairey had reduced the decibel level to 96 db at a distance of 600ft. At the time of cancellation, further modifications were in hand that would have reduced it further into the 80s db.
I remember the Rotodyne flew over our house just north of Reading. I was youngl- we left the house in Nov 1962 it was probably 1961. It was quite noisy and caused a stir. I have a feeling that it featured on some Lyons tea cards at the time- airliners. Could have had a great future if it hadn't been a British idea- we're great on ideas rubbish on fulfilment. Much better to concrete over the world than go up in a vertical plane.
very curious hybrid aircraft/helikopter. Weird it is to know that during flight the rotor isn't actually powered. Some weird machines those autogyro's but in fact safe machines.
Dammit science! Make us one of these again! I'm sure it could get some design touchups to make it more attractive and aerodynamic. I'll agree with capnjonas in saying it could own the V-22.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
For all its technical merits, that thing is hideous-looking. Appearence really does count, and I don't think any one would want to travel as a passenger on one. It just wouldn't have caught on.
Also, airports are kept out of city centers for a very good reason.
Easy, so when it's on the ground, it can be moved to a hangar easier to keep it out of the weather & for maintenance. Plus a 'Rolling Takeoff' is more efficient.
I just wanna know how fuel went to the engines w/ all the spinning at the rotor hub. It pwns the V-22 Osprey!
For rolling take off or landing. Look at the the original Autogiro pictures of the Cierva with stub wings and rotor. Rotordyne rotor operated as helicoptor for take off / landing and autogiro for forward flight with supplemtal lift from stub wings.
This would have been better transformed into a fireman's vehicle. looks like the storage capacity and the ability to stop in air would make it quite useful, and I doubt people will complain of noise while THEIR FUCKING HOUSE WAS ON FIRE
it actually doesn't look that bad, especially considering its not that recent, so, the design, at the time, would probably have been new, and futurisitc, LOL
neat idea though, but, now we have more effective things to do the same thing. . .
It would've been interesting to see how it handled the N. Sea oil platforms 1 1/2 decades later.
K1w1scot 3 weeks ago
Same fate as the Avro Arrow
Bar1noYee 1 month ago
"Well, I don't think we should make it."
--"So lets put it in a museum or something"
"Forget that, lets destroy it instead."
--"Yea, who wants to see this crap."
greedyfoot 1 month ago
Don't know why they cut up the prototype ~ typical. Surely we must have had some museum space? Wasn't 'being shot up' at Shoeburyness the fate of some other British classic aerodesigns. Noise didn't stop 707s etc heralding in the jet passenger age either.
SuperNevile 1 month ago
this looks.. amazing 0.o
KristianCramer 2 months ago
That thing looks ridiculously awesome! Damn I wish we still had those.
JACEH123 3 months ago
I'm guessing it's just too expensive to run and maintain.
Looks like one hell of a gas guzzler.
web2student 3 months ago
@web2student That was actually one of it's benefits, it was cheaper to run than conventional helicopters. The lack of a rotor gearbox and lack of tail rotor made it inherently more reliable. In terms of noise, they were already working on noise reduction, and equivalent fixed wing jets at the time were horrendously noisy.
Zadster 3 months ago
So does anyone know how many decibels was coming from it?
I read that the noise + politics was involved in it's demise.
Nexgcs 5 months ago
@Nexgcs wikipededia says it was 113 db but had noise reduction down to 96db but was cancelled regardless. They were going further to create silencers as well so it would have been quiet for 1950's aircraft. A shame i reckon if the project went on and these were built, we'd still be seeing them in active service today, or modernised variants
kineticdeath 3 months ago
Looks like something an old-school Bond villain would travel in.
RageSorrowAnger 5 months ago
A wonderful British aircraft that became a victim of a useless British government. Just like TSR2.
scarlebloke 5 months ago
Something wrong with this world, we want this back!! Thumbs up if we want!!
Kitfugl 5 months ago 4
We should bring these back. :)
innocentdevil601 6 months ago
look up the Eurocoopter X3
Leaveningonline 7 months ago
Oh man, to fly in one of those things..
biowon 7 months ago
This is why Ospreys were invented.
letsgetsomeshoes1239 7 months ago
Why doesn't this exist anymore? This is genuinely a good idea, and with just a bit of 21st century technology, it would be the best, not to mention most awesome, form of air travel. And it can even be used as a crane? THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!
CptnMoosingle 8 months ago
We don't have these why?
Spiritplumber 8 months ago
@Spiritplumber Noise.
Muad420 7 months ago
@Spiritplumber Too noisy, tip motors were ear wrecking.
tvfilmglamdirector 6 months ago
This design is much more sensible than the osprey.
light24bulbs 10 months ago 4
It has rockets in the tips of the props
heatherandpaul2 1 year ago
@heatherandpaul2 compressed air nozzles to be precise.
MRkallek91 1 year ago
@MRkallek91 No retard. Not compressed air. Thats not enough. The engines on the wings coupled to compressors which sent compressed air into the tips of the wings. THEN, the air was mixed with fuel via injectors in the chambers at the tips of the props. Hence, ROCKET tips. ROCKETS. Thats what liquid fueled rockets are. AIR + FUEL + IGNITION = thrust.
heatherandpaul2 1 year ago
@MRkallek91 No retard. Not compressed air. Thats not enough. The engines on the wings coupled to compressors which sent compressed air into the tips of the ROTOR BLADES. THEN, the air was mixed with fuel via injectors in the chambers at the tips of the props. Hence, ROCKET tips. ROCKETS. Thats what liquid fueled rockets are. AIR + FUEL + IGNITION = thrust.
heatherandpaul2 1 year ago
@heatherandpaul2 @heatherandpaul2 nope. These are not rocket tips. They are jet tips. Rockets don't breathe air, they include an oxidant. In a way, this is similar to a standard jet engine. Air is compressed, mixed with fuel, and burned. Throwing the word retard around pretty readily. "4× rotor tip jet burning compressed air/fuel, 4,453 N[11] () each"
light24bulbs 10 months ago 2
Its everything the V-22 Osprey wishes it could be. I'm sure that Lockheed-Martin or British Aerospace could built these now with all the modern bells and whistles. Well they could in 12-16 years and for only $50 million a piece. Love this video. British tech at its best; Kit-Kat bars, Steak and Kidney Pie, Afternoon Tea, the Vulcan Bomber, the Blackburn Buccaneer, BSA Motorcycles and the Rotodyne! And the Fairy Delta 2 the Plane that Dassault stole!
Papi1960R 1 year ago
@Papi1960R Osprey is just a bad design, check out the BA609 for an example of a tilt rotor done right.
Atomicskull 1 year ago
@Atomicskull Thanks for the headsup on the BA609, looks simple and rugged. If you have any other tips on aircraft that are a bit different send them to me.
Papi1960R 1 year ago
This is my favourite aircraft, I think it's such a shame that the project lost funding. The face of aviation today could be completely different, hat the Rotodyne been manufactured.
SolarGranulation 1 year ago 3
This is like the future dude
dashin999 1 year ago
This is an extremely interesting idea for an aircraft. It was just too far ahead of its time when it was released. I think it'd be one hell of an interesting plane to rebuild as a historical replica.
Thatevilmidget 1 year ago
This is actually not a bad idea for an airplane...if we could put with the noise.
QuantumInteger 1 year ago
@QuantumInteger The noise problem actually got solved after the demonstrations, they added sound dampeners to the engines. Unfortunately the project still lost all its funding by then. A damn shame.
Azzuren 1 year ago
Holy Jeebus this looks like my Elementary school doodles
flyingace1234 1 year ago
"I'm an aristocrat, and I'm talking about VTOL"
mrkyussman 1 year ago
The only downfall is the top speed, I think. Average speed of commercial airliners now is about 600mph or so, I think. If the speed problem could be overcome, I would love to see these commercialized now.
HanaNoTenjin 1 year ago
@HanaNoTenjin that's also modern day, these are fairly old.
blepinblopin 1 year ago
@HanaNoTenjin while it would be completely beat out on say london to paris or longer flights, i think it would be a big win for services between smaller airports, usually the domain of twin turboprop planes. Also for resupply of oilrigs, assuming thier pads were big enough. Maybe even building a few inner city pads so that passengers could be shuttled from major airports directly to the city center, rather than having to catch busses or trains. I suppose it all depends on running costs v profits
kineticdeath 1 year ago
I want one of those marvellous contraptions. Would I need a helicopter license or a aeroplane license?
Zoomy 1 year ago
OMG! It's straight out of a Gerry Anderson production! Gorgeous!
Mooncity1 1 year ago
The ability to fly city center to city center is actually a good concept.
JamesB21a 1 year ago 2
Thumbs up if you came here from Cracked.com
electric926 1 year ago 236
Wait, this shit actually worked?! Why was it cancelled?!
DancingJesus94 1 year ago 3
@DancingJesus94, and a quick check of Wikipedia tells me it was canelled not because of any sort of flaw, but because they couldnt get enough interested parties to buy it.
We need to rebuild this shit
DancingJesus94 1 year ago
That is absolutely amazing. Why isn't it around anymore?
OutlawRebel117 1 year ago
That thing looks dangerous.
Dinosorable 1 year ago
That is such a fantastic machine.
Now, I'm going to have to go out and by the re-release of the Revell model of the Rotodyne. Maybe I'll fit it out with Virgin Airlines decals just for a "what if".
barkon 1 year ago
It takes off as a helpcopter, and tip jets were (vey unusually) the motive power for that: there was no drive to the rotor shaft.
Once in the air, the forward speed was provided by conventional piston engines and propellers, and the tip jets were then shut down, allowing the rotor to move over to Autogyro mode (powered by upward airflow through the rotor). The blades still give left (they are deflecting air molecules downward all the time). A wonderful aircraft: see also: CarterCopter
flyingchap 1 year ago
i honestly dont care how well it works. it looks fucking badass. and there are jet engines on the rotors. nuff said.
Squar3z666 1 year ago
Why don't we have these?!
Dillweed9001 1 year ago
@Dillweed9001
i understand that after being operational for 3 years without a single delay or accident, the company was bought by an airplane manufacturer... and padlocked so it wouldn't compete with its own original product line.
polarox66 1 year ago
@polarox66 Well it seems that private corporations are once again halting human progress
DHUTCH911 1 year ago
@polarox66
Go Go Capitalism!
donfolstar 1 year ago
I feel like this, while amazing, wouldn't be efficient for anything. As a military aircraft, there are just so many vulnerabilities. I mean, first, it's huge, second the propeller column is huge.
As a passenger craft it certainly can't move as fast as a plane can.
But god damn if I couldn't just buy one and fly it around town and land it in my back yard.
farragatish 1 year ago
'World speed record of 191 miles an hour'
ShadowXII 1 year ago
I am getting a little bit sick of coming across amazing historical machines which never made it into production, purely because of stupid politics and incompetence! :(
rock3tcat 1 year ago
another amazing British invention that the government screwed up!!
fairclought7 1 year ago 2
@fairclought7 don't you hate it when politics get in the way of amazing feats of aerospace engineering?
skyller2s 10 months ago 11
I used to take the New York Airways helicopter from LaGuardia to the top of the PanAm building. It was wonderful. Five minutes, no traffic, cheaper than a taxi. Then they said, Oh, its not safe. Oh, it pollutes the air. Oh, it's too noisy, etc., etc., blah blah blah. So they shut it down. I never flew on the Concorde but I used to see them at Kennedy Airport. 3 hours across the Atlantic. Same story. They shut that down too. What a world.
safetychoice 1 year ago
I can remember reading about the Rotodyne in an old aviation-related book in my elementary school library's reference section, nearly twenty years ago. What a strange machine it was.
It's unfortunate that the design didn't receive more support. It seems as though it could've been quite successful.
pennsyr1 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Good news, everyone! Groen Brothers Aviation is currently developing a modern version of the Gyrodyne!
KoronofHearts 1 year ago
Good news, everyone! Groen Brothers Aviation is currently developing a modern version of the Gyrodyne!
KoronofHearts 1 year ago
"Take-off was from London airport because, at present, there is no suitable heliport at the centre of London" - what a damning indictment indeed to make of any capital city.
jBrereton 1 year ago
*WANT*
ZauberParacelsus 1 year ago
Absolutely amazing aircraft!
MrKevfischer 1 year ago
never seen any footage of this amazing plane, how cool would this beast be with armament!?
Paddymcwhoop 1 year ago
my great grandad was one of the ones responsible for the design of this aircraft :)
123phil12 1 year ago
With James Bond in the cockpit..
Battery9876 1 year ago
Where is my local Rotodyne service from Salford to Leeds? Seriously, people are worried about building new runways and the carbon output of jets, ban intercity flights and replace them with Rotodynes going from city centre heliports, green, economical and looks badass.
JapeUK 1 year ago
This is a horrifying piece of engineering.
ShadowXII 1 year ago
So, it's a jet-powered helicopter. Everything about this machine is the best idea forever. I'd give my middle testicle for one.
CanadianCountryBoy98 1 year ago
@CanadianCountryBoy98 Autogyro/Gyrocopter to be precise, the jets on the blade tips were to help takeoff and landing. The main lift in forward flight came from autorotation of the blades in the forward air flow... so not really a helicopter (or for the most part anyway) :)
GerbilEssences 1 year ago
@GerbilEssences
I believe the wings gave lift during level flight, and the blades were set flat to the airflow for less resistance. Then used to generate lift as airspeed slowed, that's why it reaches fast level flight, that's what I read somewhere anyway.
canisfamilliaris 1 year ago
What a fucking lunatic device. I want six of these.
ShadowXII 1 year ago
way ahead of its time
scrapperCCrunner7 1 year ago
Is it just me, or does it look like something from thunderbirds
tempestjonny 1 year ago
a masterpiece of engineering !!
atreewithnolife 1 year ago
haha never seen before such aircraft
marquis0r 1 year ago
I think this thing was ahead of its time. I did catch a glimpse of it flying, yes, it was loud but in these days of double-glazed city centres is it unreasonable?
PontiusKak 2 years ago 2
according to Cracked, this thing sux. seeing as how they have legal custody of my mortal soul and will only allow me to visit every other weekend, i have no choice to agree to get a chance at full custody.
sux.
MajorMotionStudios 2 years ago
It was the noise (109 db) of the tip jets that were the main draw back to this fantastic machine. Tip jets in general are noisy and every time the idea has been implemented the result is an extremely noisy design.
pythos1 2 years ago
awesome thanks for posting
StuckinFoner 2 years ago
Some of the principles from the rotodyne are being taken up again, don't know what the new ones will be called.
Kasarii 2 years ago
v22 osprey
pandawaste123 2 years ago
=o that sounds awesome
midgetsow 2 years ago
This thing is FUCKING AWESOME!
Futzyy 2 years ago 2
Jet engines on the tips of all four rotor-blades doomed this monstrosity from the getgo
eqtworld 2 years ago
No,the wing tip jets were only ducted from the main engines and were very reliable.They were only in use in take offs and landings.
ashbaume 2 years ago
Even if it is not practical costwise this could be useful for the military. They would be used to carry large amount of supplies to and from Carriers. It can carry much more then a helicopter but could still land like one. It could bring supplies to remote areas and land on the Carriers with ease.
jman3267 2 years ago
WHY DON'T WE HAVE THESE BEAUTIES?
mrwick60 2 years ago 96
@mrwick60
Could have somthing to do with having a high fuel consumption. But with nowadays new tech i bet that aircraft could come back.
G777GUN 2 years ago
@mrwick60 Because the people who fairey commisioned it to decided it was a stupid idea, and that it was too loud for use as a passenger aircraft, and it was unsafe.
123phil12 1 year ago
@mrwick60 The Labour government decided to nationalise the UK aerospace industries. Since it didn't understand the nature of gyrocopters, it merged the Fairey company with Bristol helicopters, and cancelled their order for an RAF squadron of Rotodynes. Bristol then shut down the project.
neuralwarp 1 year ago 2
@mrwick60 it was a brilliant (but flawed) answer to a question nobody asked
it was far too loud for city centres aswell
eatthisvr6 7 months ago
@mrwick60 The noise issue has been cited as the reason for the cancellation of the project. There was no denying the Rotodyne was noisy. Development had continued and Fairey had reduced the decibel level to 96 db at a distance of 600ft. At the time of cancellation, further modifications were in hand that would have reduced it further into the 80s db.
tvfilmglamdirector 6 months ago
@mrwick60
Because they're too awesome for this world.
maxman1602 6 months ago 2
I remember the Rotodyne flew over our house just north of Reading. I was youngl- we left the house in Nov 1962 it was probably 1961. It was quite noisy and caused a stir. I have a feeling that it featured on some Lyons tea cards at the time- airliners. Could have had a great future if it hadn't been a British idea- we're great on ideas rubbish on fulfilment. Much better to concrete over the world than go up in a vertical plane.
NickRatnieks 2 years ago
very curious hybrid aircraft/helikopter. Weird it is to know that during flight the rotor isn't actually powered. Some weird machines those autogyro's but in fact safe machines.
soiswa1 2 years ago
Dammit science! Make us one of these again! I'm sure it could get some design touchups to make it more attractive and aerodynamic. I'll agree with capnjonas in saying it could own the V-22.
PsychoGemini 2 years ago 2
The reason that this was cancelled is that the rotor on the top was powered by FUCKING ROCKETS ATTACHED TO THE END!
anobscenelyoldman 2 years ago
Comment removed
Gruntol5 2 years ago
you know jack shit - sonny..............
spottydog4477 2 years ago
It's a damn shame that these things never caught on. That's an amazing thing, the rotodyne.
nosebreaker1 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
For all its technical merits, that thing is hideous-looking. Appearence really does count, and I don't think any one would want to travel as a passenger on one. It just wouldn't have caught on.
Also, airports are kept out of city centers for a very good reason.
DavidTheCatMedia 2 years ago
I WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT!!!!
XxGofigurexX 2 years ago 2
Dowantdowantdowantdowantdowantdowantdowantdowant
canipe1 2 years ago 3
Holy SHIT.
I wish I knew enough about aerodynamics to appreciate this.
Ronaldo748 2 years ago 5
You don't need to know anything to truly appreciate AWESOME like this.
nosebreaker1 2 years ago
What a beautiful aircraft...
it could have so much potential for military and travel..
too bad the project was canceled and the plane was destroyed...
yapms1 2 years ago 3
She was a beautiful bird, she was...pity she was just too loud for her own good.
106 decibels of screaming tipjets.
RRVCrinale 2 years ago 3
AWESOME
h2oPoloGuy666 2 years ago
Beautiful.
unchartedexe 2 years ago
WHY did they stop making these?!
SilencerLX 2 years ago 3
I love that the rotors are powered by mini jet engines. Just imagine the torque!
BarnabyGrant 2 years ago 3
But WHY does it have wheels?????
BoboBanJovi 2 years ago
Trying flying it into the hangar then.
zeratul1986 2 years ago
Easy, so when it's on the ground, it can be moved to a hangar easier to keep it out of the weather & for maintenance. Plus a 'Rolling Takeoff' is more efficient.
I just wanna know how fuel went to the engines w/ all the spinning at the rotor hub. It pwns the V-22 Osprey!
ALL HAIL BRITTANNIA!!!
capnjonas 2 years ago 4
For rolling take off or landing. Look at the the original Autogiro pictures of the Cierva with stub wings and rotor. Rotordyne rotor operated as helicoptor for take off / landing and autogiro for forward flight with supplemtal lift from stub wings.
ANDYT8 1 year ago
That is the silliest looking VTOL.
Breadcleaner 2 years ago
dose it come with GUNS!!!1!!
nicholasscafidi 2 years ago 20
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Faggot.
Domura 2 years ago
Most Aeromechanical contraptions lack any identifiable sexual orientations, sorry.
Xanderkish 2 years ago 2
agreed.
Jisamaniac 2 years ago
DO WANT
FearOfSinking 2 years ago 2
Is it me or does the voice-over guy sound a bit like a young Tim Brooke-Taylor?
DdlyHeadshot 2 years ago
Why did we spend so much money building the V22. This craft can do the same thing but much safer and at a fraction of the cost.
jasmine547 2 years ago 3
How wonderful it would be to see these things flying about.
I agree with the previous commenter, these would kick ass as fire fighting vehicles.
ruphia 2 years ago 3
This is the kind of vehicle we were SUPPOSED to have in 2009.
Coyote027 2 years ago 2
This would have been better transformed into a fireman's vehicle. looks like the storage capacity and the ability to stop in air would make it quite useful, and I doubt people will complain of noise while THEIR FUCKING HOUSE WAS ON FIRE
poengrafficane 2 years ago 2
The British canceled the project because people complained about how loud it was.
It hasn't stopped, either. They banned the Cessna 337 / 0-2 Skymaster from Heathrow for the same reason.
Frightfully sorry, chappies.
canidcritter 2 years ago
it actually doesn't look that bad, especially considering its not that recent, so, the design, at the time, would probably have been new, and futurisitc, LOL
neat idea though, but, now we have more effective things to do the same thing. . .
replicator666 2 years ago
its like a winged aircraft had a bastard child with a helicopter...
wiseye61 2 years ago
cracked! and yes "viodien" you are the only one here who masturbates while thinking of paladins.
mrmoe18 2 years ago
Amazing engineering with a clazzy jazz soundtrack! A lethal combination!
levanteIRL67592 2 years ago
It's too BEAUTIFUL!!!
MacLOUD150 2 years ago
I guess it was doomed for being too beautiful to exist in a world such as ours...
JiminyKracker 2 years ago 2
Heh. Bucholz, right?
angryscotsman93 2 years ago 4
Too bad this was cancelled it looks awesome.
Saiko47 2 years ago
at 3:36, when the "tip jets are re-lit," am I the only one that thought of a holy paladin's divine storm?
viodien 2 years ago
Yes.
Vamped23 2 years ago
cracked cracked cracked!
1wps3694 2 years ago
WANT!
col235555 2 years ago
cracked told me to go here or they would kill me. can anyone let me know if they were lying or not. im quite scared
lokijuhytgrf 2 years ago
Cracked does not lie 0_o
keepwhistlingbob 2 years ago
Cracked sent me here, and is great stuff as usual
ixum 2 years ago
I've learned all kinds of (weird, disgusting, frightening) stuff going to Cracked.
ArcaneThingOfBeauty 2 years ago
sweeeet. how do the people at cracked find all this stuff?
chickenofsoul 2 years ago
cracked.
I just imagine its terrible in the fuel efficiency department, would be impossible to get produced today. but man I would want a ride in one.
drewjustforyou 2 years ago
W00T CRACKED
nonnypoo 2 years ago
damn thats cool
AZ24guy 2 years ago
CRACKED 4 LIFE
thebigm07 2 years ago
WOOO CRACKED MOFO!
domrobotdom 2 years ago
if it operated so well then why did they discontinue it
porqtevasjuan 2 years ago
cracked
porqtevasjuan 2 years ago
Man, I wish they hadn't pulled the plug on that!
zebulanebula 2 years ago
crack-ed
karivig 2 years ago
CRACKED
SHITTYmaKITTY 2 years ago
nobody cares if you came from cracked damn it
SHITTYmaKITTY 2 years ago
cracked bitchez
dukesonmario 2 years ago
You mean you DIDN'T come from Cracked?!
masterofhobbiton 2 years ago
i did =P
SHITTYmaKITTY 2 years ago
CRACKEEEEEEEEEEEEED
edseiya 2 years ago
wooot CRACKED
pikachu625 2 years ago
cracked
Nukulr 2 years ago
CRACKED!!!!!!!!!!
sonyponyphony 2 years ago
Is there really any advantage using this design over the standard/modern planes other than the obvious hovering takeoff? If so, why did it fail?
pangolini 2 years ago
yeah, the advantage of being fucking badass as all hell.
TheRealFatassFilms 2 years ago
Bloody awesome !
BikerSpike 2 years ago
cracked
loaiwafa 2 years ago
.....wh.....wh.....WHY DON'T WE HAVE THOSE?!
neurohazzard 2 years ago
it was too good for this world.
Stairmaster9068 2 years ago
ingeneous!
those british fucks gave up too easily
marioman1004 2 years ago
It's... it's glorious!
tehSnark 2 years ago
cracked..lol
lenzomaru 2 years ago 2
cracked
AnAnDsInHa93 2 years ago
cracked
phillup17 2 years ago
Bucholz is homo. Child endangerment jokes aren't funny, they're just evidence of your mommy issues.
halfmanhalfmetal 2 years ago
I hate your children
jonthesmith 2 years ago