The Jet Gyrodyne, as the Fairey Gyrodyne was redesignated, was the subject of a Ministry of Supply research contract. Its function was to continue testing the tip-jet principle and develop procedures for the convertible helicopter, as represented by the Rotodyne. While the Jet Gyrodyne retained the basic appearance and engine of the earlier model, it had a two-bladed main rotor with pressure burners at the tips in place of the conventional three-bladed rotor, and at the end of the stub wings were two Fairey variable-pitch pusher propellers. These were driven by the Leonides engine which no longer drove the main rotor; instead, two Rolls-Royce Merlin compressors pumped air under pressure to the rotor tips.

Tethered flights at White Waltham were followed by the first free flight in January 1954, but a full transition to horizontal from vertical flight was not achieved until March 1955. System proving continued and by September 1956, 190 transitions and 140 autorotative landings had been made.

Although scheduled for scrapping in 1961, the Jet Gyrodyne was rescued and after a somewhat chequered history has been preserved.

D.Donald "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft", 1997

The second Gyrodyne was radically modified to become the Jet Gyrodyne. The existing tractor propellers were changed to pusher configuration with variable-pitch propellers and the Leonides engine was altered to drive two centrifugal compressors fitted inside the rotor pylon which fed compressed air to fuel-burning jet units at the tips of the lengthened two-blade rotor. In this form, the Jet Gyrodyne made its first transition flight on 1 March 1955. Subsequent testing of the aircraft laid the ground for Fairey's major project, the Rotodyne.

R.Simpson "Airlife's Helicopter and Rotorcraft", 1998