# Hafner Rotabuggy - Flying Jeep



## horseUSA (Mar 8, 2004)

Was watching History Channel about the history of jeeps in the military and they covered this little experiment on the jeep in WWII. Never took off (both the ground and the idea  ). But none the less a good read and a neat idea.

Check these links:

http://unrealaircraft.com/content.php?page=r_rotabuggy

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/aircraft/WWII/fly-jeep/info/info.htm



Credit said:


> Unreal Aircraft
> 
> 
> > The work of the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment at Ringway, Manchester, on the Rotachute from 1940 onwards led to the suggestion that the free-wheeling autogyro principles employed could also be applied to larger loads. The designer, Raoul Hafner, suggested the Rotabuggy, a Jeep (or "Blitz Buggy") with rotors, and the Rotatank, a similarly modified Valentine tank. A development contract was placed with the M.L. Aviation Company at White Waltham in 1942, covered by specification 10/42.
> ...


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## Crazy (Mar 9, 2004)

That's just interesting


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 9, 2004)

sure is 8) haha, ilke your siggy crazy


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## Samu (Mar 10, 2004)

incredible...


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 10, 2004)

well i wouldn't call that signature incredible, that's going a bit far


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## Samu (Mar 10, 2004)

Ok, ok, I will change it  , but I like more the old biplanes than the monoplanes  .


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 11, 2004)

nowt wrong with biplanes 8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 13, 2004)

my fave biplane is the swordfish..........................


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 13, 2004)

nah, i prefer the gladiator


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 13, 2004)

"you would"


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## Samu (Mar 13, 2004)

Oh  , no, please, don't begin another time


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 13, 2004)

ha, jokes on you, my saying is "you wouldnt"


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 14, 2004)

hehe, joke's on you, my saying's "you would"


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 20, 2004)

joke? you dont know any jokes 8) good ones anyways.......


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 21, 2004)




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## cheddar cheese (Mar 21, 2004)

8)


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## jj1982 (Mar 22, 2004)

thanks horse....sure makes damn good reading!


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Mar 24, 2004)

hello, i'm back................


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## jj1982 (Mar 24, 2004)

uh oh


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## cheddar cheese (Mar 24, 2004)

cue the ride of the valkyrie music


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 11, 2004)

so this is a bad thing?.......................


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## jerome (Aug 27, 2004)

Dear Horse,

I found your post searching the net for Hafner Jeep. 

I found the information on the History Channel show very interesting. Was the flying jeep section long and did it include actual images? I will try to buy the tape from HC. 

Besides the two links you provided would you by chance have any other source of information. I would like to transform a jeep into to rotobuggy and would welcome any information.

Thks in advance for you help

J Stevens


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 27, 2004)

> I would like to transform a jeep into to rotobuggy



do you mean a model??


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## jerome (Aug 30, 2004)

No, not a model, I would like to transform one of my jeeps to look like the rotobuggy. It's for an antique car show in Paris. Obviously, I don't plan to fly it; not after reading the story about the pilot remaining montionless on the floor for half an hour after fighting with the jeep's controls for his life. Although the experience must be quite unique.

Last year, I made a copy of Half-Safe, the amphibian jeep that sailed around the world. I was looking for something fun and unusual for this year's car show, I tought about the rotobuggy.

By the way, did you know the military in 1942 thought about an amphibian jeep version of the rotobuggy (with fixed wings actually). Blue prints were developed, with a plan to tract 10 flying GPA behind a Dakota !!! The project was cancelled after Horsa gliders were made available. Can you imagine flying in a flock of 10 amphibious jeeps, those guys were crazy. The project even mentionned the need to carry oxygen in the GPAs. This is not a joke, I will send you the research document with references of all firms and army committees involved.

Cordially

Jerome


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## Gemhorse (Sep 15, 2004)

You may all want to check-out about the 'Skycar' at www.moller.com


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 28, 2005)

ok this thread aint been posted in since september '04, so i'm kgiving it the kiss of life............

there, it's back not the front page...........

you can all thank me for pushing what was proberly a more interesting discussion onto the second page later...........


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## cheddar cheese (Apr 29, 2005)

Just how BORED were you?


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 29, 2005)

you obviously aint seen my boored thread in the misc section......


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## cheddar cheese (Apr 29, 2005)

I have actually.


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## mosquitoman (Apr 29, 2005)

I've actually a real one of these, it's at the Museum of Army Flying in Cornwall/Devon I think


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 30, 2005)

we have a museum of army flying


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## mosquitoman (Apr 30, 2005)

Try Googling it, it's in an army base and you need some ID to get the pass to get in.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 30, 2005)

well is it open to the general public basically?? because i've seen comprihensive lists of aviation museums bown here but not seen that one...........


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## mosquitoman (Apr 30, 2005)

Yes it is, it's probably in Devon, not Cornwall


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Apr 30, 2005)

even if it was in devon i should know about it............


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## c1951 (Feb 7, 2009)

The flying jeep was a dog in the air. Where the positive quote concerning its flying qualities came from is unbelievable and unknown. It nearly killed Squadron Leader Little and there is an account of him collapsing after a flight in the jeep. They reckon it made about 7 flights and its handling was appalling
Its genesis was the Rotachute developed by Doc Bennett, formerly of Weir/Cierva at Ringway. The Rotachute was a single man autogiro designed to be dropped by a Wellington bomber. Then Marcel Lobel came in and took over all development when Bennett went to America. Lobel was formerly with Fairey in Belgium and their chief designer - hence "ML Aviation" he owned the Malcolm Company. They built around 26 Rotachutes-again it was a dog in the air and development was not worth it.Though the design went to America in 1946
Eisenhower wanted the flying jeep for the Rhine crossing and then Hafner got involved. The blades were called the R35 blade and they were made here in Glasgow by the Morris Furniture Company. They made all the Weir helicopter blades and the blades for the Rotachute all these blades had the NACA aerofoil section and were made of moulded wood.
The Malcolm Jeep, for that is what it was always known as, was ably replaced by the glider. The R35 design went with Hafner to Bristol Helicopters and found its way into the Bristol Sycamore. Seems that myth generate more myths


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