Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 V14 "Drache" WWII-era helicopter

The Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache was a helicopter developed by Germany during World War II. A single 1,010 hp Bramo 323 radial engine powered two three-bladed 39 ft rotors mounted on twin booms on either side of the 40 ft fuselage. Although the Fa 223 is noted for being the first helicopter to attain production status, production of the helicopter was hampered by Allied bombing of the factory and only 20 were built.

This particular example was one of two examples captured in Germany by American forces in 1945. The intention was to ferry the captured aircraft back to the US aboard a ship, but only had room for one of the Drachen. The RAF objected to plans to destroy the other, the V14, so Luftwaffe helicopter pilot Helmut Gerstenhauer, with two observers, flew it across the English Channel from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu on 6 September 1945, the first crossing of the Channel by a helicopter.

The V14 later made two test flights at RAF Beaulieu before being destroyed on 3 October in a crash where the helicopter dropped 18 meters to the ground. Every 25 hours, the steel housing securing the engine should have been tightened using a special tool, but that tool was never brought to England. Despite Gerstenhauer’s warnings, the tests had continued to be made, leading to the driveshaft failure and the crash.