Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960) - io9 Comments

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

Pouncer — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:18:39 PDT

Anything used in Road Warrior is a-okay with me.

Pouncer

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

okeribok — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:19:50 PDT

Rrrrrotorcycle, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrotorcycle.

I like it!

okeribok

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

Taed — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:51:58 PDT

You can see those in real life at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, CA. It's a pretty good museum, and right off 101 -- worth a visit.

Taed

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

codydog — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:43:44 PDT

@RayCeeYa: There are old pilots, and bold pilots...

You are right.. But i did like one model that had little pulse or ram jets on the rotor tips..

I used to play with hand gliders as a mechanic, and my bosses never wanted me to fly.. They are both dead, flying gliders.

codydog

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

dbriannelson — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:37:01 PDT

"Titan" engines of that family are still in production and are now used to start about a dozen different military helicopter models and fifteen or twenty fixed wing aircraft models, military and commercial. A lot of improvements have been made, but small radial gas turbine engines are a great way to get a lot of power out of a small light package.

Fuel efficiency sucks. And that thing that looks like a propane tank is actually the combustor, where the fire happens. The curvy tube below that is the exhaust duct. Should be about 1000 degrees F while under load.

Small engine production was broken off from Solar into a company next door called Turbomach. Turbomach was bought by Sundstrand Corporation, which was bought by United Technologies Corp. and combined with Hamilton-Standard (the air systems folks) creating Hamilton-Sundstrand Power Systems, still right there in San Diego.

dbriannelson

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

Bal-Cleric — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:06:44 PDT

Pah! I spit at your whirly birds.

Now this gentlemen, this is how you fly gentlemen. I long to own one, my heart aches for you!

[en.wikipedia.org]

Bal-Cleric

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

MiltonAerope — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:22:06 PDT

Comment on Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960) A few years back, that helicopter was pulled out of storage, cleaned up and painted. The engine, a small hand-cranked single-stage radial gas turbine, hasn't been run in decades, and probably won't be run again. Repair parts aren't available and few are fool enough to want to fly it anyway. The controls of the rotor are primitive, all cables and pulleys and levers. I understand it's now been sold to a collector, but can't confirm that.

MiltonAerope

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

RayCeeYa — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:47:05 PDT

I remember reading something about these small helicopters and other personal flying vehicles in a book back when I was a kid. The book was one of those large coffee table numbers with lots of big flashy pictures about strange planes. It's been too many years to remember it exactly but it went something like,

"Anyone skilled enough to fly one of these knows better not to."

RayCeeYa

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

russdanger — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:42:21 PDT

How's that thing on gas?

Looks like a propane tank stuck to the side there...

russdanger

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

Dr. Futurity — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:34:02 PDT

I'm pretty sure I sent off for one of these after clipping the ad out of Boys Life when I was 8 or so. It should be here any day now...

Dr. Futurity

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

EBone — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:20:57 PDT

Don't forget its use by James Bond in the original "You Only Live Twice."

EBone

Not Quite a Jetpack, But the Rotorcycle Is Still Pretty Cool (1960)

Miranda Kali — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:02:07 PDT

I used to ant one of those deathtraps sooo bad.
My grandfather got me hooked on the aviation bug when I was little. All the magazines he got had ads for "build your own Bensen Gyrocopter!" I thought it would be sooo cool to fly one to school. (and then you get a ten mile an hour cross-wind and never have to worry about school again.)

Miranda Kali