The Thruxton Aviation Co. of Andover, England, began design of their two-seat cabin ES 101 Gadfly autogyro in 1964, using a conventional two-blade teeter rotor system with a fixed-pitch pusher propeller driven by a 165hp Rolls-Royce Continental engine, and a twin boom tail structure. Ground tests of the sole prototype began at Thruxton airfield in 1967 but this autogyro failed to fly and was abandoned.

G.Apostolo "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters", 1984

TYPE: Two-seat general-purpose light autogyro

ROTOR SYSTEM: Two-blade rotor. Blades of laminated spruce and balsa

FUSELAGE: Welded square-section steel tube

TAIL UNIT: Twin fin and rudders on tail booms

LANDING GEAR: Non-retractable tricycle type

POWER PLANT: One 165hp Rolls-Royce Continental IO-346-A four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine, driving a two-blade pusher propeller

ACCOMODATION: Two seats side-by-side in fully enclosed cabin

www.britishaircraft.co.uk

Technical data for Thruxton HDW-1 Gadfly

Engine: Rolls-Royce Continental IO-346-A, 165hp, rotor diameter: 11.28m, length: 6.70m, height: 2.90m, gross weight: 725kg