Gyroplane Laboratoire

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Gyroplane Laboratoire

Gyroplane-Laboratoire, 1933
Type	Prototype helicopter
Manufacturer	Breguet/Dorand
Designed by	Louis Breguet
Maiden flight	26 June 1935
Status	Destroyed
Number built	1

The Gyroplane Laboratoire is considered by some to be the first, practically applicable helicopter of the world. The frenchman, Louis Breguet, had already experimented with rotorcraft in 1909, however, he chose to concentrate on airplanes until the end of the 1920s. In 1929 he announced a set of patents which addressed the flight stabilization of rotorcraft. In 1931, Breguet created the Syndicat d'Etudes de Gyroplane, together with Rene Dorand as technical director. Their goal was the development of an experimental helicopter, which was called "Gyroplane Laboratoire".

The aircraft consisted of an open steel tube framework, within which the engine, tank, controls and pilot were situated, supplemented with a tail assembly with plywood tail vanes. The landing gear was installed on outriggers, with a tail wheel and an additional small wheel in front, to avoid nosing over during landing. Power was provided by a 240 HP Hispano radial engine which propelled the two contra-rotating, coaxial rotors. The coaxial rotor design was chosen because the rotors turning in opposite directions canceled out the torque produced by each of the rotors.

The two, twin-bladed rotors made of metal were shaped like arrows. Above all else was the employment of cyclic and collective blade control, with which the movement around the pitch and roll axis as well as climbing and descending at this time (see swash plate).

The Bréguet Dorand aircraft was finished in 1933, after ground tests and an accident. The first flight took place on 26 June 1935. Within a short time the pilot, Maurice Claisse, was setting records with the aircraft:

14 December 1935: Closed-circuit flight with 500 m diameters
26 September 1936: Height of 158 m
24 November 1936: Flight duration of 1:02:05 hours over a 44 km closed circuit at 44.7 km/h
Maximum speed 120 km/h

The amount of attention received by the German FW-61 from experts and the public, even though it came several years later, has detracted from the historical prestige of the Gyroplane Laboratoire, which, until the outbreak of World War II continued to fly and conduct further experiments. The only prototype was destroyed in 1943 during an allied air attack on the airport Villacoublay.