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Bendix
Bendix Helicopters occupied a building on East Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut, USA
from 1945 to 1949. A part of the town’s history that is unknown to most of the area’s population.
Vincent Bendix became famous in automotive fields for inventing an automobile starter
motor drive and after that, the four wheel automotive brake system. From there he went to
manufacturing aircraft instruments and by 1936, he had become very rich and was sponsoring
air races and competitions. Originated in 1931,the Bendix Trophy became a highly honored
award for aviation excellence. Jimmie Doolittle won the first Bendix race and trophy for
his transcontinental flight from California to the Cleveland Air Races at a speed of 223
miles per hour. Other winners for the cross-country flight were such famous aviation
figures as Louise Thaden and Jacqueline Cochran.
After Mr. Bendix’s retirement, the Bendix Corporation founded the Bendix Aviation
Division in 1944. This small organization in Detroit developed several aircraft, including
a 2 place all metal light plane and an amphibian. For a variety of reasons, none of these
aircraft obtained certification by the government or went into production
Helicopters, mc, was founded in 1943, encouraged by the growing success of helicopters
manufactured by Sikorsky. The name was changed to Bendix Helicopter, Inc. in 1944. After
Mr. Bendix died in March, 1945, the company was reorganized and moved the operations to
Stratford, where a labor force with aircraft, especially helicopter, experience was more
available now that the war had ended
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Initially occupying a small building just north of the railroad, they subsequently
built a 10,000 square foot factory for helicopter production. The first Bendix helicopter
design proposed was the two place Model G. It was to have a coaxial main rotor system,
eliminating the need for a tail rotor, and be powered by a single 165 horsepower engine.
While this proposed design was never built, the Model K (NX41817) was their
demonstrator/prototype that first flew in 1946. This 2,000 pound gross weight helicopter
with a 25 foot coaxial rotor system was powered by a single 100 horsepower engine.
Their test pilot was Les Morris who had helped pioneer the Sikorsky helicopters as an
early test pilot. The next year a larger Model L with four seats was constructed. By early
1948 100 hours of flight testing had been accumulated on the Model J.
Due to lack of sales and capital, in January 1947 the large factory building was
sold to Manning, Maxwell and Moore, who were taken over by Dresser Industries in 1964.
By September, 1949, Bendix Helicopter was forced to close. In an auction the assets
of the company were sold for $4,100 to Gyrodyne, lnc, St. James, Long Island, New York.
Gyrodyne continued development of the Helicopters, Inc, Model J as the G.C.A. Model 2.
Contribution: Connecticut Air+Space Center
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