| Fl 185 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Autogyro/helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Flettner |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1936 |
TheFlettner Fl 185 was an experimentalNazi Germangyrodyne developed byAnton Flettner. It was unique in its operation, which could fly both as ahelicopter and as agyroplane.
This aircraft was developed in 1936 with support of theKriegsmarine. It was powered by a 160 horsepower (120 kW)BMW-Bramo Sh 14 A radial piston engine withforced-air cooling, mounted at the nose. The engine drove a 12 m diameter main rotor and two auxiliary propellers mounted on outriggers attached to the fuselage.
At take-off or when hovering, the auxiliary propellers worked in opposition to each other and served to cancel the torque of the main rotor,[1] a function handled by a single, variable-pitch tail rotor on contemporary helicopters. In forward flight, however, both propellers worked to provide forward thrust while the rotorautorotated, as in a twin-engined autogyro.[1] The landing gear consisted of a nose-wheel, two smaller stabilising wheels under the outriggers and a tail skid. Only one prototype was constructed.
Data from[2]
General characteristics
Performance
