Side view of the Fletner 282 Helicopter

The pioneer work of Anton Flettner is often overshadowed by the more publicised activities of his contemporaries Focke and Sikorsky; yet Flettner's first fully practical helicopter, the Fl 265, was far superior to the Fw 61 and made a successful free flight several months before the VS-300 began tethered flights. Look and compare the Flettner 282 to Igor Sikorsky's R-4

Flettner's first rotorcraft, flown in 1932, had a 2-blade rotor 100ft in diameter, with a 30hp Anzani engine mounted part of the way along each blade driving a propeller - a form of propulsion similar to that used by the Italian Vittorio Isacco on his so-called 'helicogyros' developed in the U.S.S.R. in the 1930s. The Flettner machine, unsuprisingly nicknamed 'Gigant', made a successful tethered take-off, but later overturned during a gale and was written off.

His next significant design was the Fl 184 single-seat autogyro; powered by a 150hp Sh.14 radial engine, it flew in 1935 and was due to be evaluated by the German Navy when it, too, was unfortunately destroyed.

The next design was the Fl 185, whose prototype flew in 1936 and had a 3-blade main rotor. The centrally-mounted Sh.14A engine drove, in addition to the rotor, two small anti-torque propellers on outriggers each side of the cabin and a large cooling fan in the nose.

The RLM therefore agreed to wait for the Fl 282, to hasten whose development it ordered thirty prototypes and fifteen pre-production aircraft in spring 1940.The maiden flight was made in 1941. The first three prototypes were completed as single-seaters and had fully enclosed cabins made up of a series of optically flat Plexiglas panels, faired-in rotor pylons and well-contoured fuselages. The Fl 282V3 was fitted with end plate auxiliary fins and a long under-fin beneath the rear fuselage. Later machines had more utilitarian bodies and some had semi-enclosed cockpits; others had a completely open pilot's seat.

Two views of the Flettner 282 with a partially enclosed cockpit

Flettner demonstrated that the little craft could land on a ship, even in heavy seas. The German Navy (Kriegsmarine) was impressed with the Kolibri and wanted to evaluate its use for submarine spotting. Naval leaders ordered several dozen of the craft with the clear intention of mass-producing them.

The first Fl 282 flew towards the end of 1941. The Fl-282 was more highly developed and flew more hours than any other German helicopter, and very extensive tests and measurements were made of all flight aspects. Most of this test work was done by Flettner's chief pilot, Hans E. Fuisting, who also undertook blind flying and trained many of the 50 pilots who learned to fly the Fl-282.

The Fl 282 served in the Baltic, North Aegean, and Mediterranean Seas. Plans to build thousands of Kolibris were abandoned after the Flettner factories were bombed by the Allies. Only three of these helicopters survived the war; the rest were destroyed to prevent capture. Two of the survivors went to the United States and Britain, the third to the Soviet Union

Extremely maneuverable and very stable, even in gusty conditions, the machine could be flown hands-off in forward flight above 37 mph for indefinite periods. By 1942, the Kolibri was operational on warships with suitable platforms, escorting convoys in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, and was thus effectively the first military helicopter in the world. The helicopter was found to be especially valuable at dawn and dusk when pilots of fixed wing aircraft did not have good visual contact in the poor light. During the day observation was especially favorable in the Mediterranean where the clear water allowed the helicopter crews to 'see' submarines as deep as 130 feet.

The Fl 282 was designed so the rotor blades and landing gear could be removed and the helicopter stored in a compact area such as the pressure tank of a U-boat. There is no evidence that it was ever used this way. The helicopter pilot could match the speed and course of the submarine and radio the position to the convoy. He could also mark the sub's position with a smoke bomb. But the helicopter was too small to carry weapons, although some tests were conducted with small anti-submarine bombs. There is no accurate information on the helicopter's actual use during the war.

However, critics argued that fighter planes would easily attack the slow-flying craft. In 1941, the Navy conducted an evaluation using two fighter planes to stage a mock attack on a Fl 282. The fighters could not hold the agile helicopter in their gunsights for very long.

Herr Anton Flettner trying to look casual at a photo-op	A basic gray Flettner Fl-282 parked
The Flettner Fl-282 was a tricky machine to fly..	A captured Flettner 282 being used as a research test bed.

The Fl-282B had a maximum speed of 93 mph at sea level. The Fl-282B was used for such military tasks as directing artillery fire and guiding tanks over rough terrain. Beginning in 1944, the army began to implement a program to provide a helicopter to each independent artillery brigade. However, as the Allies advanced into Normandy in 1944, the Fl 282s were destroyed to prevent capture, but three were taken home as war booty by Russia and the United States.

Large Scale Flettner FL-282 model

Framework can be cut out.All it takes is a little time and a steady hand