The FAA describes a "gyrodyne" as a "rotor wing" aircraft that powers its rotor for takeoff and landing, but en route, flies in autorotation, like a gyroplane, without power to the rotor. Forward thrust is provided by engine driven propellers. Being able to fly in autorotation gives the gyrodyne all of the advantages and simplicity of a gyroplane.

More than fifty years ago, a British aircraft manufacturer, Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd., developed a revolutionary new aircraft called the Rotodyne. The Fairey Rotodyne was a 44 passenger "gyrodyne" which used rotorblade tip jets to power its rotor for vertical takeoff and landing, and the ability to hover. Following take off and accelerating to forward flight, the tip jets were shut down and the aircraft flew in "autorotation" as a propeller driven gyroplane for the remainder of the flight. This 200-mph VTOL airliner was, in its day, the fastest way to get from downtown London to downtown Paris. If it existed today, even without modern improvements, it would still be the fastest, safest, method of travel between those two city centers.

Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc. (GBA) has developed a plan that can rapidly bring the gyrodyne into the modern age. Implementing this plan would enable the design, development, production and delivery of safe, fast, vertical takeoff and landing, long range high payload rotorcraft. These aircraft will have the ability to hover and be economical, reliable and easy to maintain. This can be accomplished using a tiny fraction of the cost and time that normally would be necessary.

Gyrodyne components and flight control systems can be incorporated into certain existing production high wing airplanes with only small modification to the airframe. The time and cost savings benefits of using an existing production airplane are possible because neither the airframe nor most of its systems will need to be designed, engineered, developed, structural loads measured, analyzed, tested, redesigned and engineered, tested again and then prepared for production. And, since the technology is simple, engineering risks are low.

Groen Brothers Aviation has also developed proprietary mission adaptive rotor blade technology. This technology allows GBA's rotor systems to be optimized for hover flight and then during transition from hover to forward flight it can change to be optimized for high speed. Load sharing between the rotor and the aircraft's fixed wing, adds to the high speed capability of GBA's gyrodyne aircraft designs.

Using an airplane that is already in production also means that the production plan, materials management system and massive supplier chain, quality assurance system, tooling, and production line are already in place and do not need to be designed, developed and paid for again, nor will there be a production learning curve to overcome. The only components that will need this development are the tip-jets (which have no moving parts), rotorblades, rotor head, mast and flight control system. Since the airframe is suspended from the rotor exactly from where it is suspended from its wing, in-flight loads to the airframe should be virtually unchanged.

This concept was successfully tested by Groen Brothers Aviation through modifying a Cessna Skymaster airplane. It's two piston engines were removed. The forward engine was replaced with a Rolls-Royce model 250 gas turbine engine, and the aft engine was replaced with a large clam-shell cargo door. The wings were clipped and the existing twin boom tail was inverted to give rotor clearance. The rotor system from one of GBA's Hawk 4 Gyroplanes was directly connected to the high wing attach points that were already carrying the Skymaster's fuselage. This conversion, using minimal assets, took less than one year from first conception to first flight. This aircraft demonstrated its exceptional stability and ease of flight, characteristic of a well designed gyroplane.

The same process would permit the quick and economical introduction of VTOL GyroLiners in the 19, 35, 50, and 75 passenger sizes. These runway independent airliners could provide safe and reliable, regional point-to-point transport and alleviate the continued congesting of air travel systems, a topic of major concern for the airline industry as growth begins to return. Much larger gyrodynes can also be developed at a fraction of the cost of developing similar helicopters, vectored thrust aircraft, tiltrotor or tiltwing aircraft, even if the gyrodyne is entirely designed new from the ground up. This is so because of the elegant simplicity of the gyrodyne.

Using an adaptation of its same technology, GBA is offering a gyroplane solution to meet the US Army’s need for a vertical take-off and landing heavy lift transport. GBA’s concept was originally in response to a Department of Defense study contract announced in 2003 to examine different concepts for meeting the Army’s need for an Advanced Maneuver Transport (AMT). In July of 2005, GBA joined the Georgia Institute of Technology Team in a Joint Heavy Lift Proposal for the US Army. The GBA Heavy Lift GyroLifter concept is based on the successful flight characteristics of the Fairey Rotodyne. The proposal, extensively researched by Georgia Tech, was not, regrettably, awarded one of five contracts worth roughly $3 million for Concept Design Analysis development. However, in the debriefing by Army and NASA personnel following the decision, we were encouraged by the reception our proposal had received and by the potential for future participation in the project. The proposal called for using a C130 Hercules as a test vehicle, fitting it with a tip-jet powered rotor designed by the Team. GBA continues to promote the gyrodyne concept and is pleased to have had the support of Georgia Tech, Shafer Corporation and Dancila LLC. Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the Hercules, and Rolls-Royce, manufacturer of the engines in the C130 had pledged support had the proposal been chosen.

The GBA GyroLifter could rapidly be made available as an interim fast, long range VTOL transport capable of carrying large loads of troops and equipment long distances without the need for runways at either end of the mission. This aircraft would, in speed, range, economy, reliability, mission readiness, and cargo/troop hauling capacity, be unequaled by any aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically (and able to hover) that is now available, could timely be made available, or is planned. A variant of this design could be the critical multi-role aircraft necessary for an effective seabasing strategy for the military service. Other military variants of this gyrodyne technology can also be developed, including: large two man gunships; small, light observation and courier aircraft; and VTOL UAVs.

In addition to its uses as proposed for an AMT, the GyroLifter could also serve in a wildfire suppression role. Using this aircraft in a “dual use” role as an aerial fire fighting vehicle was first suggested by William B. Scott, Rocky Mountain Bureau Chief for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine (AW&ST). Mr. Scott, in his article from the November 3, 2003 issue of AW&ST, notes that the fast moving fires in Southern California underscore the importance of a timely “initial attack” to preclude heavy losses of life and property. Because of its high speed response time and ability to fly low and slow safely, the GBA GyroLifter fitted with a water cannon could fight fires day or night as an initial attack aircraft. Its 3,000 gallon tank provides ample water/retardant for accurately and quickly dousing spot-fires before they become large uncontrolled burns.

The GBA GyroLifter Monsoon™ would give the organizations charged with fighting fires in our national forests what they prefer: the “on site” quick-turnaround capabilities and low speed water/retardant drop accuracy of a helicopter, with the reliability, load carrying capacity, high speed deployment, and low operating cost of a fixed wing fire bomber.

The GBA Monsoon™ could land on the scene, close to fire fighting operations, to refill with retardant, or hover over nearby lakes and other available bodies of water, drop a snorkel line, re-supply itself with water, then quickly return for the next run. The high speed pumps can load its capacity of 3,000 gallons of water in 90 seconds. Round trip sorties would take a fraction of the time that fixed wing options now need. Since the water drop apparatus can be easily removed and reinstalled, the GBA Monsoon™ can double as a personnel carrier for inserting or extracting large numbers of firefighters and their supplies, at virtually any location. This also makes the aircraft available for other cargo/passenger operations when not needed in its fire fighting roles.

With its water cannon, this aircraft would also be useful in fighting fires in high rise office buildings. In the case of the World Trade Center disaster, two GBA Monsoon™ with water cannons could have sprayed 6,000 gallons of water into those fires every seven minutes, refilling from the Hudson River.

GBA’s GyroLifter concept has garnered much attention in many of the world’s top aviation magazines including: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Air International, Defense & Public Service Helicopter and Flight International. Popular Mechanics and New Scientist magazines have also published articles on the potential of the GyroLifter.

In November, 2005, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected a GBA-led team to design a proof of concept high speed, long range, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft designed for use in Combat Search and Rescue roles. This modern rotorcraft, named the “Heliplane” by DARPA, could be the next generation rotor wing aircraft, meeting economy and performance goals not considered achievable by any other type of VTOL aircraft.

GBA’s contract, a $6.4 million award to develop the preliminary design and perform key technology demonstrations, is Phase One of the potential multi-year $40 million four phase program. The Heliplane is designed to exploit GBA’s gyrodyne technology, offering the VTOL capability of a helicopter, the fast forward flight of an airplane, and the safety, simplicity and reliability of a GBA gyroplane.

GBA and DARPA recently completed a system requirements review on the rotor and are now involved in meeting the Milestone 5 objectives in Phase One of the project. The GBA team includes Georgia Tech, Adam Aircraft, Williams International and a highly renowned team of aerospace consultants. On the Government Team under DARPA, the GBA team is receiving important support from NASA Ames and the Army’s AFDD team at NASA Ames Research Center in addition to leading Rotorcraft Technologists who for decades led much of this nation’s advanced rotor-wing aircraft development efforts.