An aircraft that uses both a propeller for forward thrust and spinning rotors for lift, combining helicopter and airplane characteristics.
Compound of 'gyro' (spinning rotor) and '-dyne' (from Greek dynamis meaning 'power'). Developed experimentally in the mid-20th century.
Gyrodyne aircraft were weird hybrids that tried to combine the best of helicopters and airplanes—they could take off vertically but also fly fast, but they were never quite good enough at either!
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