THE FLETTNER FL-282 was a revolutionary helicopter design by Mr Anton Flettner of Germany. His design was that of a double bladed intermeshing rotor (also known as a synchropter) whose contra-rotating design allowed for the removal of a tail rotor that most helicopters employ. The FL-282 Kolibri (Hummingbird) was an excellent reconnaisance helicopter and grasping the effectiveness of the design, the German military ordered up a production run which, unfortunately for the Germans, was halted when Allied bombs destroyed the factory after only 24 craft were completed. Flettner was brought back to the US by Operation Paperclip as well as his trusted engineer and soon he was developing similar helicopters for a company called Kaman Helicopters which coincidentally was formed in 1945 by Charles Kaman to exploit this technology. Mr. Kaman claimed all the credit for the revolutionary design.
Fortunately, the Americans were able to capture two flyable examples which were brought back to the United States and tested extensively. Parts of one of the aircraft now reside in the Smithsonian (they don't know what happened to the rest of it) and the second, re-serialized as T2-4613 was placed in the Air Force museum in Dayton when it had served it's purpose. Eventually, it was loaned to the museum at Sampson Air Force base in upstate New York between '54-56. When the museum closed in '56 the helicopter disappeared but rumours have long persisted that it ended up in a barn somewhere since anything that was not moved from the airbase was sold off at auction. Recently I contacted the Sampson museum and although they had not heard of the helicopter, the curator was kind enough to do some digging and turned up a brochure from that time which captured a few partial views of the Kolibri! It was a surprise then to learn that prior to the airbase closing, correspondence had been made with Lackland Airbase and that the Kolibri had been requested for their museum. Documents at Sampson indicate in 1957 when the base closed,the planes were listed by name but that helicopters were only listed as helicopters (more than one). I think there is a good chance one of those helicopters from Sampson was the Kolibri. So, the mystery of the world's first production helicopter is what happened to the FL-282? How did two museums lose an entire aircraft? Was it auctioned to a farmer and stashed in a barn? Was it cut up for scrap like so many other German warprizes? Did it get transferred to Lackland or did a private collector sense it's historical significance and abscond it from an airbase that was too busy clearing out to worry about a borrowed helicopter? Or would having a German inventor living in the US be a public relations nightmare for Kaman if his German produced helicopter continued to exist? Perhaps retelling the story will prompt curious armchair historians to find out the real truth! Check out this cool video of FL-282 flight tests in the US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOP_-BcRMRY&feature=youtu.be
Fortunately, the Americans were able to capture two flyable examples which were brought back to the United States and tested extensively. Parts of one of the aircraft now reside in the Smithsonian (they don't know what happened to the rest of it) and the second, re-serialized as T2-4613 was placed in the Air Force museum in Dayton when it had served it's purpose. Eventually, it was loaned to the museum at Sampson Air Force base in upstate New York between '54-56. When the museum closed in '56 the helicopter disappeared but rumours have long persisted that it ended up in a barn somewhere since anything that was not moved from the airbase was sold off at auction. Recently I contacted the Sampson museum and although they had not heard of the helicopter, the curator was kind enough to do some digging and turned up a brochure from that time which captured a few partial views of the Kolibri! It was a surprise then to learn that prior to the airbase closing, correspondence had been made with Lackland Airbase and that the Kolibri had been requested for their museum. Documents at Sampson indicate in 1957 when the base closed,the planes were listed by name but that helicopters were only listed as helicopters (more than one). I think there is a good chance one of those helicopters from Sampson was the Kolibri. So, the mystery of the world's first production helicopter is what happened to the FL-282? How did two museums lose an entire aircraft? Was it auctioned to a farmer and stashed in a barn? Was it cut up for scrap like so many other German warprizes? Did it get transferred to Lackland or did a private collector sense it's historical significance and abscond it from an airbase that was too busy clearing out to worry about a borrowed helicopter? Or would having a German inventor living in the US be a public relations nightmare for Kaman if his German produced helicopter continued to exist? Perhaps retelling the story will prompt curious armchair historians to find out the real truth! Check out this cool video of FL-282 flight tests in the US https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOP_-BcRMRY&feature=youtu.be
Hi Ed
I can shed more light on the Fl 282s. The V12 and V23 came to the US. The rotor heads and transmission of the V12 did come to the Smithsonian and we still have it. The V23 was bailed to Prewitt Aircraft for evaluation. It’s status after that is unknown, but there are rumors of it showing up in barns decades later. It would be a huge deal if it ever turned up as there is no intact Fl 282.
Roger Connor
Aeronautics Department
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
NASM-Aeronautics, MRC 0312
Washington, DC 20013-7012
202.633.2634 Telephone
Email: [email protected]
In addition, there is 1 ME-163 (191095) at USAF Dayton (gift from Canada) not on the Reaper roster, and another, 191452 destroyed in Arnprior, Canada and one in the National Air and Space museum in Ottawa..
Brett Stolle of Wright Patterson AFB writes:
Thank you for contacting the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Unfortunately, we no longer retain the Flettner Fl-282 helicopter as part of the NMUSAF collection.
Flettner Fl-282, T2-4613,was acquired by the Museum on 12 August 1949. After many years in storage this aircraft was placed on loan to Sampson AFB, New York on 23 June 1954. When Sampson AFB closed in the summer of 1956, all items then on exhibit were returned to the Museum or disposed of in place. The aircraft was not returned from Sampson AFB and information indicates it was de-accessioned on 29 May 1957. Unfortunately, the method of disposal is not documented in existing records. To our knowledge the aircraft was most likely scrapped at Sampson AFB as no public record of its current disposition has ever been located.
If you have any questions or comments please contact me. Good luck with your continued research and have a great day!
________________________________________
Brett Stolle
NH-03, Curator
National Museum of the US Air Force
Research Division/MUA
Dolores Dinsmore of the Sampson AFB museum writes:
Edward,
I looked up the closing of the base 1957, airplanes and helicopters were transferred to Lackland Air Force base. Planes were listed by types, but the helicopter are just mentioned as helicopters more than one. Surplus items are auctioned or sold as scrap. I spoke to one of the retired park employees who was here for the demo of the base and he said there were no air craft of any kind left at the base. A lot of furniture and buck beds and the mess hall kitchens.
Hope this helps
Dolores
According to Fernando Cortez ( G GS-11 USAF AETC AETC/OL-HO <[email protected]>)of the Lackland AFB museum:
"Currently rewriting the chronological history of the Airman Museum, and ran across some writing in 1956, stated that a one-man helicopter was a planned new addition to the future Lackland museum. I did discover the helicopter originally was on exhibit at Sampson AFB, between 1953 - 1956, but no evidence that it was ever transferred over to us."
DO You know anything about what happened to this revolutionary aircraft? I would like to be able to reveal the rest of the story and am certain someone out there knows what came of it- contact me at [email protected]