1950's VTOL airliner movie

Sorry guys, test post of a very interesting clip. clearly I do not know what I am doing here, oops



the link works though if you want to see it. fascinating that this was built and flown half a century ago and we still haven't got anything like it in service. I suppose a civil V-22 or the BA 609 are the most likely these days.

[edit on 28-1-2007 by waynos]

Nice video, it would be neat to see a modernized version of this design, like replace the turboprops with turbofans and what not. I wonder why this style of aircraft never really took off? (no pun intended).

I've never seen anything about that. Thanks for the link


It looks like the dodgiest thing I've ever seen, though. At the end, when it lands, you can see the wheel struts flex to one side and then another as the pilot brings it the final foot down. If one of those were to break, then the props would slam into the ground, snap off, and kill anyone they hit inside the fuesalage and out, plus who knows what the main rotor would do.

One thing I was wondering about, how can the aircraft not spin around in circles? Helicopters have tailrotors to coutner the mai rotors torque, but that had nothing. I'm guessing the two propellers spun at different speed to offset that?

But otherwise, one very nice aircraft. I loved the voice overs of the cockpit/tower comms. Classic.

so why was it cancelled, by the politions again.
its amazing that poms love to cancell projects especially when
you usually have the lead on design,engines etc

Thanks for the feedback guys, here's a couple of answers to the questions;

The biggest problem the design had was noise, you don't get any impression of it in the film but every time this thing took off and landed it sounded like the end of the world was upon you.

The reason for this, and also the reason that the fuselage didn't counter rotate, was that the rotor was driven purely by tiny jets in the tips of each blade, there is a segment near the end when you can see the smoke from them as they are relit for landing. in forward flight the jets are switched off and the rotor just rotated freely like an autogyro, there is no mechanical drive in the rotor at all and therefore no torque. Genius! Except for the bloody noise!

I too winced at the bouncy landing, but in fairness it was just a prototype, look how the P.1127 bounced around in the early days.

The Rotodyne really was expected to be the inter city transport of the future but the noise issue was insurmountable even in those days where Spey engined Tridents and One Elevens were perfectly acceptable, which is hardly believable in itself these days.

[edit on 29-1-2007 by waynos]

Rotors that use tip jets to propel them just don't compute in my mind. It just seems to weird. I'm amazed that they could get the thing to spin fast enough.
Also, could you imagine how delicate a joint that has to rotate at high speeds but also must let gasses pass would be? I wouldn't be trusting it too readily.

That is incredible!!!

I've never seen anything like it! I mean imagine if they had those taking off from city centers like it says in the film.

True the noise factor.. if they could get silent rotors on it, you could be in with a winning design there. Specially for short flights.

Think of all the time that would be cut, instead of taxing and long runways. ALso the environmental benefits.

Im quite surprised that never really got taken on board. Ok, i mean the speed would be slower than jet. But still.. i wouldn't like to be in it if the other properllers failed, it would just spin round and round out of control wouldn't it?

I think normal properller planes are a lot safer.. i like the idea though. Great find waynos!!!

Good find Waynos! This is a very intresting aircraft design. If I remember correctly, it was an early atempt to create a hybrid of an airplane and a helicopter (something like today's tilt-rotar designs).

As for why it failed, unfortanatly, I don't have an answer. I don't know that much about the design and its developmental history!

Tim

Cost probably had a factor in it. Though if i was in the 50's and i had to put my money on which would be around in say 20 years.. I'd pick this one rather than concorde.