Gyro-Boat ►
One of Benson’s most innovative designs was the Gyro-Boat This craft could only ‘fly’ while being towed by a normal boat.
◄ Flying Scooter
The ‘Sky Skooter’ was one of many Benson aircraft. Little is known about this ingenious but apparently unsuccessful design.
A VTOL ‘shopping trolley’
The strange twin-rotored ‘Prop-Copter’ resembled something from tho supermarket.
▼ Star Autogyro
Gyrocopters were used tor a variety of different roles. This heavily modified example appears to have been used for filming purposes.
FACTS AND
>• When Its flight testing was completed Spirit of Kitty Hawk was donated to tho Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC.
>■ The original Bensen Autogyro, first soon In 1959, was known as the B-7M.
► Neither machine evaluated by tho USAF was adopted by the service.
FIGURES
► From his oxporience at Kaman Aircraft Bensen built a one-off truo helicopter which featured twin co-axial rotors.
>■ A single gyrocoptor flow non-stop from California to the Catalina Islands.
► In 1987 Bensen Aircraft said it was coasing tho production of autogyros.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Type: nngto-seat lightweight autogyro
|
|
 |
|
-Above; Recreation was a popular advertising theme in 1950s America and signified a new age of optimism. Bensen Aircraft was quick to appreciate the trend.
|
|
|
Right: Hovering in tho only true Bensen helicopter.
which incorporated co-axial rotors, company founder Igor Bensen demonstrates tho relay winch.
|
|
|
THE BENSEN BIRD EXPERIMENTS
|
|
|
Wooden rotor biodoti лот taondard fitments tor Serpen B-fiMu, though totme-cowrod зіее» ones coiid be specified OucWy dntoctsabte Wade supports pornuitcrl Vomyn n smrU зрасез and enabled the craft lo bn transoocted on pubtic roods.
|
|
|
|
|
Two Benson aircraft, о B-8M Gyro-copter and an unpowered B-8 Gyro-glidor, were acquired by the USAF in 1968. Known ns X-25s, they were used for research into tho uso of controlled parachutes.
|
|
|
Powermg the B-8M was и НЗОО-сс McCulloch hortfontftfy epposod tuur-cytrder nngne ong»vey duatjned I» unmanned drone Uvgets. Tt*S very fgtil cngwi was powerful for Is size und gave Ию autogyro м/pnsng performance
|
|
|
FSghi heiumi-rits cri Iho В ОМ v. w |i – njdmci-,ir. consebng i>1 <i j»o<ie4e»-dfrven І лг-ціемі ndesrer. аіікпиіл» xxi rrmpass.
I *flh – m e»Jr*mey crurk» nnilcial horror fncunted – il>:vo tl>? rKiiuTient panel.
|
|
|
|
|
К Bose flgtn eoraraa consisted ot a Lvge, Centre-rruxu-iso stick with ІІЧ! Bvcdtlo ftcaied totheright of и* Gentre ‘i|x)y On therrigna – the ГТІІМ1 ccntmi column w.» enachea ИЗГ** •WC’ ftMn ®hti rx»y down
aomu «опч-tes hod the чиж relocated to a •тот wrvomcnot рмікт nixi the rughtr
^vontrob re – • -:~кі iq, ,.,4-,-ir fta-cjmg rt the ar.
|
|
|
For dreotKVuil alaobty one vortical nnd twin horizontal иоЬпяог* wore •ttoo Tim utter ware fixed, but if-’ cortical suHaco fealuiwi a turgu rudder to ad control in fight
|
|
|
|
|
|
■ RUSH HOUR IN THE BENSEN: Negotiating a busy lunction, especially in a craft as srhaf as the 8-8 Gyro-copter, was no easy task.
|
|
|
■ SUPER BUG: Two man vnnants of Ow powered B-8 Gyro- Copier wore. Tvntabto, tbo B-8M and B-8V The V ctaagnubcri почтой lo И» Мтеяі of a mow or less standard ібООсс ar – cooted flat-toi# itofcswagsn engno
|
|
 |
|
The end result: Ttur wm mo out сети ел а ССЛтоп B"d яткео лег», aixl «ПК era а tenon» huwd Л»ищ naimal iivcratl оретіют It Inn* »га*П СОиИ suffer nitvom dnmoge nflr* *u£h a common, then a small autogyro would fare even were» Bensen took it# rrunor reoousty and the tests we* *дІ»хлтв As can bo mw from me photo. Hie lian-.ioo ocuafly done to the Wade* wae mineral. Mappiy such ocoderes did not occur frequently
|
|
Boeing Helicopters
