The Bréguet-Richet Gyroplane was an early

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

experimental

quadcopter A quadcopter or quadrotor is a type of helicopter with four Helicopter rotor, rotors. Although quadrotor helicopters and convertiplanes have long been flown experimentally, the configuration remained a curiosity until the arrival of the moder ...

rotary-wing aircraft developed by

Bréguet Aviation The ''Société des Ateliers d'Aviation Louis Bréguet'' also known as Bréguet Aviation was a French aircraft manufacturer. The company was set up in 1911 by the aviation pioneer Louis Charles Breguet. Bréguet Aviation was extremely active durin ...

Design and development

The Gyroplane No.I was one of the earliest attempts to create a practical rotary-wing aircraft. It was designed by the Bréguet brothers with help from Professor

Charles Richet Charles Robert Richet (25 August 1850 – 4 December 1935) was a French physiologist at the Collège de France known for his pioneering work in immunology. In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "in recognition of his work on ...

. The aircraft had an uncovered open steel framework with a seat for the pilot and a

powerplant Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived from ...

at the centre. Radiating from the central structure were four wire-braced tubular steel arms, each bearing a superimposed pair of four-bladed rotors. To eliminate the

torque effect The torque effect experienced in helicopters and single propeller-powered aircraft is an example of Isaac Newton's third law of motion, that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." In helicopters, the torque effect causes the ...

, two rotor sets were driven clockwise and two counter-clockwise.

Operational service

On 29 September 1907, the Gyroplane No.I was flown for the first time, albeit to an elevation of only .Young 1982, p. 28. It was not a free flight, as four men were used to steady the structure. It was neither controllable nor steerable, but it was the first time that a rotary-wing device had lifted itself and a pilot into the air. It later flew up to 1.52 m (4.99 ft) above the ground. The design was improved and the Gyroplane No.II appeared the following year. No.II had two two-blade rotors of 7.85 m (25.75 ft) diameter and also had fixed wings. Powered by a 41 kW (55 hp) Renault

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

, it was reported to have flown successfully more than once in 1908. No.II was damaged in a heavy landing and was rebuilt as the No.IIbis. It flew at least once in April 1909 before being destroyed when the company's works were badly damaged in a severe storm.

Specifications (No.I)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Young, Warren R. ''The Helicopters''. "The Epic of Flight". Chicago: Time-Life Books, 1982. . * * {{Bréguet aircraft

Gyroplane An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...