Bevan Brothers

History

After WW2 Italian Vittorio Isacco, creator of the Helicogyre, came to England from France to work with Bevan Bros. Aeronautical Engineers Ltd., Rettendon Common, Chelmsford, Essex. His first design was a rotating wing parachute featuring telescopic blades, ground testing of which was completed at Boreham Airfield on 15 April 1947, though the company was only formally established on 8 August 1947.

Capt. R.N. Liptrot (Roger Norman Liptrot, OBE, b. 17 April 1889 in Bolton, Lancashire, d. 1965 in Durban, South Africa), who had studied and written about rotating wing activities in Germany during the Second World War, harboured a desire to build a small helicopter based on the Rotorchute and he suggested the firm should submit a proposal for a ramjet-powered helicopter. The company would develop the rotor which would be fitted to an Fa-330 or a Rotachute airframe following ground tests. The RAE felt the project was feasible but had doubts an inexperienced firm would be able to make early success and advised a step-by-step development programme.

Two Fa-330 airframes were assigned to Bevan Bros. and serialled VX259 and VX266. Work continued during 1949, it seems at least low-speed tests on the ramjets were undertaken and a wind tunnel was built but the project was cancelled on 24 Feb 1950, although a third Fa-330 was assigned to Bevan Bros. on 18 April 1951, serialled VX850.

Bevan Bros was dissolved on 23 November 1999.

Company References

1. Aeroplane, 25 April 1947
2. http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6555.msg283341.html#msg283341