Rotordyne.. What could have been
General characteristics- Crew: two
- Capacity: 40-48 passengers
- Length: 58 ft 8 in (17.88 m) of fuselage
- Wingspan: 46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) fixed wings
- Height: 22 ft 2 in (6.76 m) to top of rotor pylon
- Wing area: 475 sq ft (44.1 m2) [47]
- Airfoil: NACA 23015[48]
- Empty weight: 22,000 lb (9,979 kg)
- Gross weight: 33,000 lb (14,969 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 7,500 lb (3,402 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Napier Eland N.El.7 turboprops, 2,800 shp (2,100 kW) each [49]
- Powerplant: 4 × rotor tip jet , 1,000 lbf (4.4 kN) thrust each [50]
- Main rotor diameter: 90 ft 0 in (27.43 m)
- Main rotor area: 6,362 sq ft (591.0 m2) Rotor aerofoil: NACA 0015
- Blade tip speed: 720 ft/s (219 m/s)
- Disc loading: 6.14 lb/ft2 (30 kg/m2)
- Propellers: 4-bladed, 13 ft (4.0 m) diameter
Performance- Maximum speed: 190.9 mph (307.2 km/h, 165.9 kn) speed record [51]
- Cruise speed: 185 mph (298 km/h, 161 kn)
- Range: 450 mi (720 km, 390 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
The larger Rotodyne Z design could be developed to take 57 to 75 passengers which, when equipped with the Tyne engines (5,250 shp/3,910 kW), would have a projected cruising speed of 200 kn (370 km/h). It would be able to carry nearly 8 tons (7 tonnes) of freight; cargoes could have included some
British Army vehicles and even the intact fuselage of some fighter aircraft that would fit into its fuselage.
[30] It would have also been able to carry large cargoes externally as an aerial crane, including vehicles and whole aircraft. According to some of the later proposals, the Rotodyne Z would have had a gross weight of 58,500 lb, an extended rotor diameter of 109 ft, and a
tapered wing with a span of 75 ft.
[31]
Comparison
Chinook
- Crew: 3 (pilot, copilot, flight engineer or loadmaster)
- Capacity:
- 33–55 troops or
- 24 stretchers and 3 attendants or
- 24,000 lb (10,886 kg) payload
- Length: 98 ft (30 m) [150]
- Fuselage length: 52 ft (16 m)
- Width: 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m) (fuselage)[150]
- Height: 18 ft 11 in (5.77 m)
- Empty weight: 24,578 lb (11,148 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 50,000 lb (22,680 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Lycoming T55-GA-714A turboshaft engines, 4,733 shp (3,529 kW) each
- Main rotor diameter: 2× 60 ft (18 m)
- Main rotor area: 5,600 sq ft (520 m2)
- Blade section: root: Boeing VR-7 ; tip: Boeing VR-8[151]
Performance- Maximum speed: 170 kn (200 mph, 310 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 160 kn (180 mph, 300 km/h)
- Range: 400 nmi (460 mi, 740 km)
- Combat range: 200 nmi (230 mi, 370 km)
- Ferry range: 1,216 nmi (1,399 mi, 2,252 km) [152]
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,522 ft/min (7.73 m/s)
- Disk loading: 9.5 lb/sq ft (46 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.28 hp/lb (0.46 kW/kg)