Rotor Flight Dynamics Inc was an American
aircraft manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry.
...
based in
Wimauma, Florida
Wimauma is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,373 at the 2010 census, up from 4,246 at the 2000 census.
History
Wimauma was founded by Captain C.H. Davis in 1902. Davis ...
and owned by Ernie Boyette. The company was founded in 1986 and specialized in the design and manufacture 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 ...
s in the form of plans and kits for
amateur construction.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 185-186. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 330. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ]
The company seems to have gone out of business in 2020.
Boyette started his company to produce his Dragon Wing rotorblade designs. Constructed of
bonded aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
and employing a custom
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
section, they were first marketed in 1989. He used the money made from that successful venture to fund the development of his
Dominator series of autogyro designs.
In 2006 the
Rotor Flight Dynamics LFINO
The Rotor Flight Dynamics LFINO (''Leap Flight In Normal Operations'' and pronounced by the designers as "ell if I know") is an American experimental autogyro that was designed by Ernie Boyette and Dick DeGraw, with a single prototype produced ...
(Leap Flight In Normal Operations and pronounced by the designers as "ell if I know"), was displayed at Bensen Days. First flown in February 2006, the innovative design was constructed by Boyette and Dick DeGraw as a technology demonstrator and incorporates an enclosed cabin along with a vertical take-off capability.
Aircraft
References
External links
Official website archiveson
Archive.org
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{Rotor Flight Dynamics aircraft
Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Autogyros
Homebuilt aircraft