History
A considerable interest in using the disc as a wing led to the idea of building the autogiro with the blades mounted so close to each other that they almost formed a disc. The BMW engineering team led by Dr. Miethe located near Prague studied several projects of such aircraft during WW II. All of them utilized the same construction layout: a disc of blades strengthened by the external ring was driven by the BMW jet engine(s). The main idea of this propulsion principle was the deflection of the exhaust gases upwards on the take-off to initiate the disc spin. After achieving 1650 to 1800 r.p.m. the pilot redirected the exhaust flow back- words and simultaneuosly changed the blades' pitch from from -3 to +3 degrees and the machine jumped upwards. When reaching cruising height the blades were positioned in negative angle and the aircraft flew like a autorotating kite with a small angle of attack. The single prototype of the first "Flügelrad" series machines, the V.1, was built in 1943 and made its maiden flight between August and September of the same year at the Czech airfield of Prag-Kbely. The machine was reported to fly about 300m and make a rough landing.

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