Like cursed penguins, a whole barrage of helicopter designs has failed to make it. From advanced stealth helicopters that cost billions, to sleek gunships and vast flying cranes that proved too much, ...

The Fairey Rotodyne looked nothing like a normal aircraft. With a bulky fuselage, stubby wings, and rotor blades the length of a tennis court, it fused helicopter, airliner, and bus into one machine.

Like cursed penguins, a whole barrage of helicopter designs has failed to make it. From advanced stealth helicopters that cost billions, to sleek gunships and vast flying cranes that proved too much, ...

The Fairey Rotodyne was Britain's audacious post-war attempt at creating a revolutionary hybrid rotorcraft. With vertical take-off powered by tip-jet rotors and forward propulsion from twin turboprops ...