21-461: The Hafner H.8 Rotachute was a British 1940s experimental one-man rotor kite designed by Raoul Hafner . The Rotachute was the eventual development of a concept devised by Raoul Hafner, an Austrian engineer who specialised in rotary wing design, and who had moved to the UK in 1933 to continue his research and development work. In 1940, he proposed the use of a single-place strap-on rotor kite in place of
42-462: A "Discretionary Descent Vehicle", to provide a more controllable alternative than a parachute for a pilot ejecting from a stricken aircraft. RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet Sherburn-in-Elmet Airfield ( ICAO : EGCJ ) is located 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) east of Sherburn in Elmet village and 5.5 NM (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) west of Selby , North Yorkshire , England. In
63-470: A Humber car at Ringway, after starting the rotor by hand. The pilot was Flt Lt I.M. Little, who had experience flying Avro/Cierva C.30 Rota autogiros on radar calibration duties; he was later awarded the Air Force Cross (UK) . On that and on a subsequent trial, the machine rolled over after landing, sustaining damage to the blades but not to the pilot. A tethered test beneath a barrage balloon and
84-655: A Jeep, with tow rope lengths up to 300 ft (91.4 m). From 9 June, successful inflight releases and landings were achieved while under tow. From 17 June 1942, a Rotachute Mark III was air-towed behind a Tiger Moth on a 300 ft (91.4 m) tow line. After two towed flights, the Rotachute was released at an altitude of 200 ft (61 m) and made the first manned free flight and controlled landing. Further free flights were made from altitudes up to 3,900 ft (1,189 m). On 1 July 1942, AFEE moved its main base from Ringway to RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet . Additional directional stability
105-665: A conventional parachute, to deliver a soldier accurately to a battlefield. The proposal was made to the Air Ministry in the light of a shortage of silk for parachute manufacture. Hafner was briefly interned as an alien, but was released to pursue the feasibility of the idea at the Central Landing Establishment (CLE) located at RAF Ringway . In October 1940, work began on design and construction of rotor systems and scale models of rotor kites. The first models were made of wood and fabric, ballasted to represent
126-633: A follow-on project, the Hafner Rotabuggy , an air-towed land vehicle with autogiro capabilities. The fifth aircraft (P-5) was a Rotachute Mark III, converted in 1943 to the Mark IV configuration, and is displayed at the Museum of Army Flying , Middle Wallop , in England . Data from Jarrett 1991 General characteristics Performance Rotor kite A rotor kite or gyrokite
147-766: A longer test flight at RAF Snaith were both more successful. The flexible tail section evidently offered inadequate directional stability, and the consequence was the Rotachute Mark II, that had a longer tail section braced with wooden formers, plus two landing wheels mounted below the centre of gravity. On 15 February 1942, the unit was again reorganised, to form the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE), still based at Ringway. The rotary wing section of AFEE continued to conduct tests on longer runways during detachments at RAF Snaith and RAF Chelveston . On 29 May 1942,
168-544: A pilot, and had a rotor span of about 3 ft (0.91 m). They were tested successfully by hand launching, but suffered buffeting and lack of autorotation when launched from aircraft at height. The third evolution, designated "M.3", had metal rotor blades, and after further modifications made the first successful launch and descent from a De Havilland Tiger Moth . Further developments and tests continued into February 1941. The tenth evolution scale model (M.10) had mass-balanced wooden rotors, ballast of 100 lb (45.3 kg), and
189-500: A pivoting rig mounted on a Ford flatbed truck, and full-size unmanned airframes were used in ground-based and inflight trials. In January 1942, trials of the Rotachute Mark I were conducted to assess the aerodynamic characteristics while on the truck-mounted rig, with pilot control of the aircraft in forward motion. On 11 February 1942, the prototype Rotachute was first manually flown from a wheeled trolley while under tow behind
210-594: A rotor span of 10 ft (3.05 m). On 14 March 1941, the M.10 model was successfully air-launched from a Boulton & Paul Overstrand . The design of the man-carrying machine known as a Rotachute, also known as a Hafner H.8, evolved from November 1940 and throughout 1941. In September 1941, the Central Landing Establishment was renamed the Airborne Forces Establishment. The Rotachute Mark I design initially comprised
231-592: A series of such aircraft, dubbed "gyrogliders" by Bensen. These were marketed as plans or kits for building at home, beginning with the B-5 and culminating with the B-8 by the end of the decade. The Bensen designs became so ubiquitous that the term "gyroglider" is sometimes used to refer to any rotor kite, regardless of manufacturer. In the 1960s, a B-8 gyroglider was evaluated by the United States Air Force as
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#1732787189041252-501: A soldier's weapon, such as a Bren gun . The control column offered two-axis control, rolling and pitching, with turns made via controlled rolling movement. Air Ministry Specification No. 11/42 was issued retrospectively to describe the outline requirements. The Ministry of Aircraft Production sub-contracted construction of parts to specialist firms including F. Hills and Sons, Airwork General Trading, Dynaflex, Dunlop, and H. Morris & Co. Some full size rotor trials were carried out using
273-400: A tubular steel framework with a single seat, rubber-mounted rotor hub, hanging control column, skid undercarriage, and a self-inflating rear fairing made of rubberised fabric with integral tailplane. The two rotor blades, of wooden construction, could achieve flapping and coning characteristics via hinges on the rotor hub. Fixed footrests were provided, plus fittings below the seat to accommodate
294-470: Is an unpowered, rotary-wing aircraft . Like an autogyro or helicopter , it relies on lift created by one or more sets of rotors in order to fly. Unlike a helicopter, gyrokites and rotor kites do not have an engine powering their rotors, but while an autogyro has an engine providing forward thrust that keeps the rotor turning, a rotor kite has no engine at all, and relies on either being carried aloft and dropped from another aircraft, or by being towed into
315-637: The Rotachute as a means of deploying paratroops , and a larger version, the Rotabuggy , was trialled as a means of air-dropping a jeep , but neither of these aircraft progressed past the experimental stage. Plans to similarly equip a tank never left the drawing board. During the 1950s, rotor kites were developed as recreational aircraft, largely due to the efforts of Dr. Igor Bensen in the United States, whose Bensen Aircraft Corporation produced
336-547: The 1920s, the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club began operating here. The novelist, pilot, and aeronautical engineer Nevil Shute was a member, and on the club's management committee. At the time, the club was flying de Havilland Moths . In his memoir, Slide Rule , Shute records that ". . . the Yorkshire Club quickly attracted a fair cross-section of young Yorkshire men and women, so that a Sunday spent at
357-577: The Club was a merry Sunday." He also met his future wife, Frances Mary Heaton, a physician, at the club. After establishing Airspeed Ltd. , an aircraft manufacturing firm, he personally flew the first two test flights of the company's first aircraft here. It was a glider, known as the Tern , and was launched using a "very old Buick car" pulling a steel cable. During the Second World War the airfield
378-557: The air behind a car or boat or by use of ambient winds for the kiting. As of 2009, no country in the world requires a license to pilot such a craft. Research into rotor kites or gyrokites was deepened during World War II , and one type in particular, the Focke Achgelis Fa 330 , reached active service, being towed behind German U-boats as an aerial observation platform. In the United Kingdom, Raoul Hafner designed
399-529: The first flight of the Rotachute Mark II was achieved while under tow behind a Jeep, and several more towed flights were also successful. Meanwhile, the Mark III had been produced, with a tail section comprising a wooden framework covered in doped linen fabric plus a rigid tailplane. Starting on 2 June 1942, the Rotachute Mark III was flown at heights up to 100 ft (30.5 m) while under tow behind
420-535: Was achieved in the Rotachute Mark IV, that introduced endplates onto the rigid tailplanes. Although the Rotachute concept had proved to be practical, the operational requirement for such a machine never materialised. About eight Rotachutes were constructed, most being progressively converted to Mark III and then to Mark IV specifications. They continued to be flown in ground-based and inflight trials until late 1943, to help research flight characteristics for
441-688: Was used as a Royal Air Force station. From 1940 Blackburn Aircraft used a Ministry of Aircraft Production factory here to build 1699 Fairey Swordfish naval torpedo aircraft. The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE) was moved from RAF Ringway to Sherburn on 17 June 1942. It was charged with developing the means to deploy allied airborne forces and supplies on operations by Military glider , Parachute and other means. The AFEE moved to RAF Beaulieu on 4 January 1945. The following units were also here at some point: Post-war, Sherburn has been used by private pilots and by aero clubs for training and leisure flying. The Yorkshire Aeroplane Club
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