high-quality documentaries and get access to Nebula by using the link in

您可以觀看數千部高品質的紀錄片

the description. This is a Rotodyne. And it might look like a helicopter and

並可由下方影片說明中獲得 Nebula 的使用連結

an airplane mashed together, but it's neither. It's a lot more revolutionary.

這是 Rotodyne

Because when it debuted over 60 years ago, the Rotodyne was going to be a new

看起來像是直升機和飛機結合在一起

form of mass transport. The quickest way to move from one city center to the next.

但其實都不是，而且更具革命性

Landing on downtown rooftops and heliports, but flying much faster, further

因為當 60 多年前問世的時候

and more economically than any helicopter. And airlines were interested.

Rododyne 被認為將會是新的大眾運輸形式

But then, as the Rotodyne looked set to revolutionize intercity transport, it just disappeared.

從一個城市中心轉移到另一個城市最快的方法

To understand why this machine was so revolutionary, consider that it doesn't

降落在市中心屋頂的直升機場

work like a helicopter. A helicopter uses engine power to spin a rotor blade, which

但飛行速度更快、航程更遠，比任何直升機都更經濟

forces air down to create lift.Tilting the rotor is what allows the helicopter

航空公司對此感興趣

to move in a given direction. That's the basic idea. But that's not how Rotodyne

但是就在 Rotodyne 看起來即將徹底改變城際交通之際

works. On a Rotodyne, the large rotor isn't powered. It isn't even connected to

就突然消失了

a motor. Instead, as air passes naturally through the rotor blades, it causes the

要了解為什麼這台機器是如此革命性

rotor to spin around like a pinwheel. And this creates lift. The Rotodyne still has

要先知道這架飛機和直升機的工作原理不相同

wings and a pair of turboprops, much like an airplane. But in forward flight, the

直升機利用發動機轉動旋翼葉片

un-powered spinning rotor lifts more than half the aircraft's weight. With this

迫使空氣向下以產生升力

unique design, the Rotodyne flew faster than any helicopter of the era. And it

改變旋翼角度可以讓直升機向特定方向移動

was far more efficient. And even though the rotor wasn't driven by a motor, the

這是基本原理

Rotodyne could still hover and take off and land vertically just like any helicopter.

但這不是 Rotodyne 的工作原理

That's because at the end of each rotor blade were small tip jets. During

Rotodyne 上的大型旋翼沒有動力

takeoff and landing, fuel and compressed air supplied by the turboprops would

甚至都沒有連接到引擎

ignite to spin up the rotor. Once in forward flight, the tip jets were shut

相反，隨著空氣自然通過旋翼葉片

off and the rotor would once again spin freely. By 1959 the Rotodyne was

從而可讓旋翼像風車一樣旋轉

attracting worldwide interest. Because for one thing, it promised to

進而產生升力

revolutionize the way we traveled between cities. In the 1950's and 60's,

Rotodyne 仍然有機翼和一對渦輪螺旋槳發動機

intercity air travel was on the rise. But while a trip from New York to Boston by

非常像一般飛機

airplane might only take about an hour, you'd also need to get to and from the

但是在向前飛行中

airport. And in many congested cities, that was beginning to take longer than

無動力旋翼可以提供的舉升能力超過飛機重量的一半

the flight itself. One solution was to use helicopters.

有了這個獨特的設計

In April, the new helicopter service is due to open from the top of the Pan-Am building.

Rododyne 比那個時代的任何直升機飛得更快

If the service does come about, you'll be taking off from the fourth highest building in New York.

而且效率更高

59 storeys up. it's hoped that eventually the service will carry 5,000 passengers a day.

即使旋翼不是由發動機驅動

5,000 passengers who would otherwise be condemned to this.

Rotodyne 仍然可以懸停並像任何直升機一樣垂直起降

By the 1960's helicopter airlines had cropped up in major American cities.

那是因為在每個旋翼葉片最尾端有個小噴嘴

Letting passengers and skip the traffic by flying right over it. The problem was,

起飛和降落時，渦輪引擎提供的燃料和壓縮空氣

none of them were actually making money. Because helicopters were simply too

會點燃使旋翼轉動

inefficient, operating anywhere from 20 to 30 cents per seat mile. And the only

當進入向前飛行裝態時，噴嘴關閉

way helicopter Airlines like New York Airways could even exist was through

旋翼將再次進入無動力自由旋轉狀態

government subsidies to offset operational costs. But the Rotodyne was

在 1959 年時 Rotodyne 曾引起全世界的關注

going to change all that, bringing costs down to as little as 4 cents per seat

因為一方面，它承諾會改變我們在城市間移動的方式

mile, which would make helicopter airlines profitable. And the Rotodyne

在 1950 和 60 年代

wasn't just a better helicopter. With vastly improved speed and range, it would

城際航空旅行正在增加

be a new way to travel between cities, linking one city center to the next.

雖然搭機從紐約到波士頓的行程可能只需要一個小時

The concept behind the Rotodyne dates all the way back to the early 1920's, when

您還需要往返於飛機場

a pioneering Spanish inventor set out to build a safer plane. By adding an

而在許多擁擠的城市，這段時間的花費比飛行時間還長

un-powered freely spinning rotor, his planes could fly slowly without stalling,

一種解決方案是使用直升機

making them inherently safer than airplanes. In fact, without any forward

從 4 月開始，新的直升機服務

motion, the planes would simply glide back to earth, slower than a parachute.

將從曼哈頓島中央的 Pan-Am 大樓的頂部開放

They were called autogyros. Over the years, they were used in military reconnaissance and

如果這項服務能夠實現 您將從紐約第四高的建築物起飛

even to deliver mail. But by the 1940's, helicopter technology improved and autogyros

樓高 59 層的頂層 希望最終該服務每天能運載5,000名乘客

largely fell out of favor. But decades later, British aircraft

除非有 5,000 名乘客，否則將無法獲利

manufacturer Fairey aviation still saw enormous potential in the autogyro

到1960年代，直升機航空公司 在美國主要城市如雨後春筍般出現

concept. If the vertical takeoff and landing capability of a helicopter could

讓乘客飛過上空來避免交通阻塞

be combined with the speed and efficiency of an airplane, Fairey would

但問題是沒有一家能夠真正賺錢

have something truly special on their hands. With the help of funding from the

因為直升機的效率太差

British government, the first Rotodyne prototype took to the skies in 1957.

每個座位一英里的操作費用需要20到30美分

It could carry 40 passengers 700 kilometers and reach speeds of over 300 kilometers per hour.

紐約航空這樣的直升飛機航空公司 之所以可以生存的唯一原因

All while being able to land and take off on a space not much larger than

是因為政府提供補貼抵消運營成本

the aircraft itself. And after 350 successful test flights, the Rotodyne

但是 Rotodyne 即將改變一切

proved to be safe and capable. But of course, it all went to [expletive].

將每個座位一英里的操作費用降低至4美分

For one, the Rotodyne's tip jets made a lot of noise.

這將使直升機航空公司有利可圖

And that was going to be a problem right in the middle of a city. From the start,

而且 Rotodyne 不僅僅是一架更好的直升機

there were doubts about whether the public would tolerate it. And noise is

由於速度和航程都大大提高

often believed to be the reason why the Rotodyne failed. But that's not the whole

將會成為在城市之間旅行的新方式

story. After proving their prototype, fairy moved on to develop a production

可將城市中心連接到下一個城市中心

version. A larger more capable Rotodyne that could carry up to 75 passengers. And

Rotodyne 背後的概念可以追溯到 1920 年代初

it promised to be quieter. Ferry spent years developing noise suppressor

西班牙的一位開創性發明家建造出更安全的飛機

technology for the Rotodyne's tip jets. And while progress was slow, by 1960

藉由加裝無動力自由旋翼葉片

the engineering team had reduced noise by over 15%. And airlines were interested,

他的飛機可以緩慢飛行而不會失速

with small orders coming in from around the world. Not bad for an entirely new

使它們本質上比一般飛機安全

kind of transport. But to get the production version built, Fairey still

實際上，在沒有向前推力時

needed about £10 million more in funding from the British government. And it was

飛機會慢慢的滑降到地面，比降落傘慢

money they'd never get. Because at the start of the 1960's, Britain's aviation

他們被稱為旋翼機

industry was a mess. Too many aircraft builders were building too few planes

多年來，它們被用於軍事偵察和傳遞郵件

and relying heavily on government sponsored projects. The solution was to

但是到了1940年代，直升機技術得到改進

force these companies, including Fairey Aviation to merge. And the Rotodyne got

旋翼機在很大程度上失寵了

caught in the shuffle, competing with a number of other helicopter projects.

但幾十年後，英國飛機製造商 Fairey Aviation

progress was also slowed by difficulties sourcing more powerful engines. And the

仍然看到旋翼機概念的巨大潛力

need to reduce tip jet noise even further. When it became clear that the

如果垂直起飛和直升機的著陸能力

Rotodyne wouldn't be delivered to Airlines on time, and the eventual cost

可以結合速度和飛機的效率

of each Rotodyne would have been too high,

Fairey 手上的東西真的很特別

one by one orders were cancelled. In 1962, the British government, facing economic

藉由英國政府的資金協助

pressures, suddenly pulled funding for Rotodyne. And the half

第一個 Rotodyne 原型於1957年升空

helicopter, half plane, once promising to revolutionize intercity travel... just

可載 40 名乘客飛行 700 公里 並達到每小時300多公里的速度

disappeared. The working prototype and technical research were quickly

同時能在不大於飛機本身空間多少的地方降落

destroyed. Leaving only a few small pieces for museum display

經過 350 次成功試飛之後

The Rotodyne failed to change air travel and only a single prototype was ever

Rotodyne 被證明是安全和達到設計目標

built. But not all ambitious leaps forward in engineering lead to such

但是當然，這一切都遇到了 [消音]

failure. Take the DC-3. A machine that in its time, revolutionized air travel and

其中之一是 Rotodyne 的翼端噴嘴會產生很大噪音

earned a legendary status in wartime. Over 16,000 DC-3 variants were built.

要在城市中間起降那將是一個問題

This remarkable plane took the skies just three decades after the Wright

一開始就有人懷疑公眾會容忍這噪音

brothers first flight. And yet, hundreds of DC-3's are still flying today. Learn

噪音問題是通常被認為是 Rotodyne 失敗的原因

about this plane's incredible story on CuriosityStream. A streaming service

但這還不是故事的全貌

with thousands of full-length documentaries by some of the best film

在證明了他們的原型之後，Fairey 繼續研發量產版本

makers in the world. From history and nature, to engineering and design. You can

一架更大性能更好的 Rotodyne 最多可容納 75 位乘客

get an entire year of CuriosityStream for just $19.99. But if you sign up using

並承諾會更安靜

the link in the description, you'll also get a subscription to Nebula, an exciting

Fairey 花了數年時間開發噪聲抑制器

new platform built by some of YouTube's top educational creators. Nebula is where

替 Rotodyne 噴嘴噴射技術降低噪音

creators make content for their audience without worrying about YouTube's

儘管進展緩慢

recommendation algorithm and annoying ads. Get a year of CuriosityStream and

到 1960 年工程團隊降低了超過15％的噪音

access to Nebula by going to

航空公司很感興趣

curiositystream.com/mustard and using the 'mustard' when you sign up.

來自世界各地的小量訂單