Raoul Hafner

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Raoul Hafner, 1954

Raoul Hafner, (1905–1980)

FEng, FRAes, was an Austrian-born British helicopter pioneer and engineer. He made a distinctive contribution to the British aerospace
industry, particularly in the development of helicopters.

Life

Born in 1905, he was educated in Vienna, first at the university and then at technical college where he became interested in rotary-wing concept as a means of making aircraft land more slowly and safely. He obtained a post with the Austrian Air Traffic Company, but his heart was in helicopter design. He gave up his job to concentrate on helicopters, designing and building the Hafner Nagler R.I Revoplane in 1929 in collaboration with Bruno Nagler, then the similar Hafner Nagler R.II Revoplane in 1931.[1][2]

Hafner Nagler R.I Revoplane

Scottish cotton magnate Major

collective pitch rotor controls actuated by independently varying the pitch of each blade rather than tilting the hub as in the Cierva system.[1][3][4]

Hafner AR.III rotor head detail

In an ensuing controversy between proponents of the autogyro and the helicopter, Hafner made his views clear in a Royal Aeronautical Society lecture on 14 October 1937, when he advocated the rotary wing concept.[5]

Second World War

From 1938 he was with

Rotabuggy, a rotor-equipped jeep.[2][6]
Neither project progressed past testing.

Post War

After the war Hafner and some of his technical team joined the

Belvedere Palace
in Vienna adjacent to Hafner’s childhood home) saw service in RAF squadrons in Britain and overseas.

RIAT
, England. Designed by Raoul Hafner and built in 1957.

Hafner was more interested in civil rather than the military applications of helicopters. His long-term goal was for acceptance of the convertible rotor concept. One helicopter developed at Bristol was the tandem-rotor Type 194, designed to carry 52 passengers. Work on this ended when all British helicopter activities were consolidated under Westland Aircraft in 1960.

Hafner was appointed technical director, holding this position until his retirement in 1970. He continued as a consultant. During his decade with Westland he propounded his convertible rotor concepts to increase helicopter range and speed by tilting its rotors for forward flight.

He presented several papers to the Royal Aeronautical Society, and when in 1977 he was interviewed by its journal ‘Aerospace’ and asked about his interests outside aviation he remarked that he had "taken a great interest in sailing". He applied his knowledge of aerodynamics to sailing ship design.

Personal

In 1936 Hafner married Eileen McAdam of the macadam road-building family descended from John Loudon McAdam. They had one daughter, actress Ingrid Hafner. He later died as a result of a yachting accident.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Rotary Wing Aircraft Flight, 8 April 1943, p. 362
  2. ^ a b c d Bristol Sycamore Heli Archive,
  3. ^ Background to the Helicopter Flight, 23 January 1953, pp. 92–93
  4. ^ The Rise of the Helicopter Flight, 23 January 1953, pp. 94–97
  5. ^ Gyromancy Flight, 21 October 1937, p. 407
  6. ^ Gunston, p. 203

References

  • Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 203.
    ISBN 0-7509-3981-8
    .

External links

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