Flettner FI 282 "Kolibri", WNr. 28368
History
The Midland Air Museum in Baginton is home to one of the rarest surviving helicopter relics from the Second World War: the partial remains of a Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri. Known as the "Kolibri" ("Hummingbird"), the aircraft was one of the world's earliest practical helicopters and is widely regarded as the first helicopter to enter limited series production.
Designed by German engineer Anton Flettner during the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Fl 282 used an unusual "intermeshing rotor" system. Instead of a tail rotor, the helicopter had two overlapping counter-rotating rotors that eliminated torque effects and gave the aircraft excellent stability for its time. The design proved remarkably advanced and influenced later helicopter development around the world.
The helicopter first flew in 1941 and entered operational testing with the German Navy and Luftwaffe during World War II. The aircraft was used mainly for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and transport duties. It was especially valued for its ability to operate from naval vessels in rough weather conditions. German authorities planned large-scale production, with BMW expected to manufacture up to 1,000 examples, but Allied bombing raids destroyed production facilities before this could happen. Only about 24 aircraft were completed.
The example preserved at the Midland Air Museum is identified as Fl 282 V-10, serial 28368. It is not a complete aircraft; the surviving structure includes parts of the frame, rotor head, and landing gear. Even so, it remains extraordinarily important because so few Fl 282s survived the war. The museum's specimen is one of only a handful of surviving components from this pioneering helicopter type anywhere in the world.
The aircraft eventually became part of the museum's collection after the Midland Air Museum was established in 1967 by aviation enthusiasts dedicated to preserving historic aircraft connected with British and international aviation history. Located beside Coventry Airport, the museum developed into one of Britain's major independent aviation museums.
Today, the Fl 282 remains under restoration and preservation at the museum. Although incomplete, it provides visitors with a rare opportunity to see physical evidence of one of aviation history's most innovative wartime helicopters. Historians and aviation researchers have studied the surviving parts extensively, and even the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has referenced and measured the Midland Air Museum components for technical drawings and archival work