The was a

gyrodyne A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing only, and includes one or more conventional propeller or jet engines to provide forward thrust during cruising flig ...

(compound autogyro) designed by Shiro Kayaba and prototyped by

Kayaba Industry is a Japanese, Tokyo-based automotive company. Among KYB's main products company are shock absorbers, air suspensions, power steering systems, hydraulic pumps, motors, cylinders, and valves. It is one of the world's largest shock absorbe ...

in Japan during the early 1950s.

Design and development

In March 1952, Kayaba Industry began the development of the Heliplane, a

Gyrodyne A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing only, and includes one or more conventional propeller or jet engines to provide forward thrust during cruising flig ...

, which combines the advantages of

autogyro 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 ...

and

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

. Kayaba took advantage of experience producing the Ka-Go Ka-1 and Ka-2 autogyros, intended for reconnaissance, artillery-spotting and anti-submarine use, developed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Kayaba received a subsidy of 2 million yen from the government of Japan for the development of the aircraft, as well as 1.2 million yen from Ishikawajima Heavy Industries (IHI) for development of the rotor-tip ramjets. The aircraft was modified from Cessna 170B. The wing was removed, and a three-blade main rotor with support structure was installed on the upper part of the fuselage. In addition, short-span fixed wings were fitted to either side of the lower fuselage. For initial testing the fixed pitch wooden propeller of the Cessna 170 was retained, but a 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller was to be fitted for flight testing. Ishikawajima had developed the Ne-0 ( ja, 石川島ネ-0) ramjet during the war and tested it in flight beneath a Kawasaki Ki-48-II. A development of this ramjet was envisaged as the power source for the rotor drive. At takeoff, the rotor was to be started using the tip mounted ramjet engines, then transition to an autogyro powered by the propeller engine after the ramjets were stopped. One prototype unit was produced and almost completed in March 1954 (Showa 29), but was damaged in July 1954 during tie-down testing. Further development was cancelled before the aircraft was flown. Kayaba Ramjet 02

Specifications (Heliplane)

References

External links

Helicopter half-century in Japan (1945-50s) - Japan Helicopter Technology Association official website.
Viewed on December 5, 2002, Retrieved February 10, 2017.

1999, November 26, 2015. Retrieved February 10 2017. * ttp://hamadayori.com/hass-col/tech/JetEnjine.htm　The birthplace collection / The birthplace of the jet engine in Japan.�� Retrieved February 11 2017.
Gas turbine gallery _ Public benefit organization The Japan Gas Turbine Society.
Retrieved February 11 2017. {{Gyrodyne Kayaba aircraft 1950s Japanese civil utility aircraft Tipjet-powered helicopters Compound helicopters Gyrodynes Single-engined tractor autogyros Rotorcraft VTOL aircraft