New England Air Museum
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Gyrodyne XRON-1 'Rotorcycle'
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Gyrodyne, under contract from the U.S. Navy, produced a simple ultra-light, one-man co-axial (counter-rotating) rotor portable helicopter known as the XRON-1 "Rotorcycle." It was also selected by the U.S. Marine Corps for evaluation as a reconnaissance and one-man assault helicopter. An unusual feature of the XRON was the use of small rotortip-mounted drag brakes as an approach to the directional control and stability of coaxial rotor helicopters. The brakes turned the fuselage by unbalancing the torques of the counter-rotating rotors. The XRON was also designed to be flown by personnel with a minimum amount of training and it was extremely maneuverable. The Navy then awarded Gyrodyne a contract to pursue modifications necessary to drone the XRON. This led to the development of the QH-50 "DASH" drone, of which the museum has an example. The Museum's XRON-1 is one of only a handful of examples that is known to exist. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any information or comments on, or recollections of the Gyrodyne Rotocycle.  Specifications
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