Air-Britain Aeromilitaria 2003-03 / Picture Pages

It is often forgotten that several helicopters were flying successfully before Sikorsky got his VS-300 off the ground. One was the Weir W-6 which made its first flight in October 1939, replacing the early W-5 of June 1938. The RAE reported in June 1940 that the W-6 was controllable even in gusty weather but Weir abandoned its aircraft programme in that month. The RAE's interest was a part of its helicopter wire barrage scheme.