Register

Fairey Rotodyne: An eVTOL Ancestor

Innovative 1950s design succumbed to some of the obstacles that air mobility projects face today

Fairey Rotodyne [Credit: Fairey Aviation]

Some of the recent news in aerospace has me asking aloud, “Didn’t we already do that 50 years ago, give or take a deceased or two?”

Whether developing supersonic airliners, planning space missions to the moon, or flight testing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to serve as urban shuttles, many of today’s airborne projects seem like déjà vu to observers of a certain age.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot and lifelong aviation enthusiast who has been a reporter, writer and columnist for 35 years. His career includes stints with the Wall Street Journal, Flying Magazine and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He recently returned to Firecrown to lead Aviation Consumer.