It was hailed as the world's first true vertical take-off and landing airliner, a machine so advanced it was probably five years ahead of any comparable aircraft under development anywhere in the world. But although the Fairey Rotodyne was the most innovative British airliner since the de Havilland Comet and had the potential to revolutionise short-haul air travel, the sole prototype ended up on the scrapheap - literally - after the government got cold feet and withdrew funding.
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