Helicopters: Books - History, Types and Construction (1/3)

From Autogiro to Gyroplane - The Amazing Survival of an Aviation Technology

Charnov tells the 80-year history of the Autogiro, a rotary-wing aircraft that predated the helicopter by two decades and that was almost lost to history before its resurrection as the gyrocopter in the 1950s and 1960s.

Predating the invention of the helicopter by two decades, the Autogiro was the world's first rotary-wing aircraft. The helicopter had the advantageous ability to rise straight up, while the Autogiro/gyroplane could only taxi. Yet the gyroplane was safer and more stable; both aircraft should have had value in market. Why did the helicopter survive and prosper, while the Autogiro became a nearly forgotten historical footnote? Why didn't the Autogiro catch on, and why is it being revived today?

This is the first book to tell the fascinating 80-year history of today's gyroplane and its antecedent, the Autogiro. Charnov explains that the near-eclipse of the Autogiro was caused by a potent combination of bad luck, the impact of the Great Depression and World War II, and egregious business decisions.
Only by understanding the amazing manner in which this aviation technology has persisted and evolved can one fully understand the basis for its future. In contrast to the fate of the Autogiro, the gyroplane's unfolding story is characterized by successful business models, effective decision making, and the emergence of cutting-edge technology. The survival of the gyroplane may be a paradigm for the persistence of earlier, less complex technologies, and its future relies on grasping its colorful history.

Tilt Rotor Aircraft - An Illustrated History

Describes in superb pictures and text the fascinating genre of tilt rotor airplanes. Since the first helicopters flew, attempts have been made to create a link between the mobility of the rotorcraft and the speed of the winged airplane.

At first these attempts failed simply because of constructive difficulties, since the technology had not advanced far enough. The progressive development, though, created in the past decades new possibilities, and thus led to the V-22 "Osprey", which has meanwhile been produced in series and is used by the U.S. forces.
A civilian model, the Bell-Agusta BA 209, will soon be introduced commercially.

Transporthubschrauber - seit 1945

Kurz nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg entwuchsen die Hubschrauber ihren Kinderschuhen. Somit entstanden immer leistungsfähigere Maschinen - anfangs noch mit Kolbenmotor doch immer öfter auch mit Turbinentriebwerken.

Schnell wurden die Hubschraubertypen immer grösser und leistungsfähiger und wurden demzufolge auch immer häufiger zum Transport von schweren Lasten eingesetzt.
Der grösste und stärkste in Serie gebaute Hubschrauber der Welt - die russische Mil Mi-26 - hat einen Rotordurchmesser, der der Spannweite einer Boeing 737 entspricht.

Diesem spannenden Segment widmet sich dieser Band der Typenkompass-Reihe.