Gadfly HDW-1 Aircraft

Gadfly HDW-1, RV Smith from British Built Aircraft

Production Details

Design Company:

Thruxton Aviation & Engineering Co Ltd

First Flight:

Failed to fly 1968

HDW-1:

1 - Thruxton Aviation & Engineering Co Ltd

Type Specification

Applies to:

Gadfly HDW-1

Type:

Two-seat general-purpose light autogyro

Rotor System:

Two-blade rotor. Blades of laminated spruce and balsa

Fuselage:

Welded square-section steel tube

Tail Unit:

Twin fin and rudders on tail booms

Landing Gear:

Non-retractable tricycle type

Power Plant:

One 165 hp Rolls-Royce Continental IO-346-A four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine, driving a two-blade pusher propeller

Accommodation:

Two seats side-by-side in fully enclosed cabin

Rotor Diameter:

37 ft 0 in

Length:

22 ft 0 in

Height:

9 ft 6 in

Max Take-off:

1,600 lb

Max Speed:

125 mph

Rate of Climb:

1,500 ft/min at sea level

Service Ceiling:

14,000 ft

Range:

400 miles

Preserved in British Museums

Gadfly HDW-1:

G-AVKE - The Helicopter Museum, Weston-Super-Mare - Stored

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