Two unique helicopters, developed to use high grade hydrogen peroxide and a silver catalyst chemical reaction to create high pressure steam driving the rotor system, arrived at the Helicopter Museum on July 19, for restoration and display. The aircraft, a single-seat Dragonfly DF.1 and a two-seat Atlas, had their origins in a 1950/60s U.S. military project to help downed airmen escape from enemy territory by parachuting a foldable helicopter that could be assembled and then flown to safety.
The two examples donated to the museum were last seen in public at the Farnborough Air Show in 1998 and then “disappeared” and have only recently been rediscovered in storage in Surrey, United Kingdom. Following discussions, the owner agreed to donate them to the Helicopter Museum and they were collected by volunteers.
“These two helicopters are quite unique and represent a completely new strand of rotary-wing development not represented in the collection,” said chairman of THM trustees, Elfan Ap Rees. “Today, the use of high grade 95 percent H2O2 is banned due to its volatile nature, so the story behind this development is especially interesting to engineers and others interested in rotorcraft history.”
Both aircraft will now be rebuilt in the museum’s restoration facility, which welcomes applications from new volunteers to assist in the work being carried out. Interested applicants should contact Mark Service at the museum or email helicollections@btconnect.com.
The Helicopter Museum is a registered charity and home to the world’s largest dedicated rotorcraft collection including two aircraft of the Queen’s Royal Flight.
