Picking up on Herod’s dismissal of the option of being able to land in case of separation from the sub, it should be noted that these were of course early gyrocopters and not helicopters. I am pretty sure you could still put the stick forward to maintain airspeed and thus rotor speed while descending as in a modern gyro with engine failure and a bit like a glider with a cable break. You would though have to react pretty quickly to maintain blade energy. I don’t think it would have made much difference to the end outcome however, just delayed the inevitable.
Last edited by lederhosen; 16th Apr 2022 at 11:40.