Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment ( AFEE ) was a branch of the British Air Ministry , that researched and developed non - traditional airborne applications , such as gliders , rotary wing aircraft , and dropping of personnel and equipment by parachute , in the period 1942 - 1950 . Formation ( 1942 ) . On 15 February 1942 , the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment was formed as a reorganisation of the Airborne Forces Establishment , that itself was a September 1941 renaming of the Central Landing Establishment . The AFEE was initially based at RAF Ringway as part of RAF No . 70 Group , with two flying units , A Flight and B Flight . At Ringway , one of the existing projects was the Hafner Rotachute , a rotor kite ( unpowered autogiro ) that was planned to deliver an armed soldier to a battlefield more accurately and reliably than conventional parachute methods . During 1941 , unmanned models had already completed ground - based tests plus some releases from aircraft in flight . Wartime developments ( 1942 - 1944 ) . Manned trials of the Rotachute began in early 1942 , towed firstly behind ground vehicles , then behind aircraft . The original concept proved difficult to achieve with safety and stability , but flights continued to help research flight characteristics for a follow - on project , the Hafner Rotabuggy , an air - towed land vehicle with autogiro capabilities . On 1 July 1942 , because of intensive activity at Ringway , AFEE moved to RAF Sherburn - in - Elmet , as part of RAF No . 21 Group . Development of the Rotabuggy took place mostly in 1943 , but its planned role was taken over by the development of heavy gliders . In the period 1942 - 1944 , trials of rotary wing and parachute developments were conducted at Ringway , Sherburn - in - Elmet and during detachments to various other airfields , such as RAF Snaith , RAF Chelveston , RAF Newmarket , RAF Riccall , RAF Burn , RAF Hartford Bridge , RAF Farnborough and RAF Beaulieu . A large and varied fleet of powered support aircraft was used , mostly for parachute - dropping and glider - towing . Those included examples of Bombay , Dakota , Halifax , Hector , Heyford , Hudson , Lysander , Manchester , Martinet , Master , Mitchell , Mosquito , Overstrand , Spitfire , Stirling , Tiger Moth , Warwick , Wellington , Whitley , Wildcat . Gliders tested included Baynes Bat , Hamilcar , Hengist , Horsa , Hotspur and Twin Hotspur . AFEE also conducted testing of captured rotary wing aircraft , such as examples of the Focke - Achgelis Fa 330 ' kite ' autogiro . Beaulieu ( 1945 ) . On 4 January 1945 , the whole of the AFEE was relocated to RAF Beaulieu , that had been vacated by USAAF bomber units . It joined an existing detachment there of its A Flight , and AFEE came under control of RAF No . 43 Group . The adjacent former airfield at East Boldre was used as a dropping zone . Activities included specialist training of pilots for helicopters and gliders . Types tested included gliders AW . 52 , GAL . 55 , GAL . 56 , GAL . 61 , Waco CG - 13 , plus helicopters Bristol 171 , Cierva W . 14 Skeeter , Cierva Air Horse , Sikorsky Hoverfly . Additional support aircraft included Boston , Cierva C . 40 , Curtiss Commando , Dragonfly , Harvard , Hastings , Lancaster , Valetta . Captured types tested at Beaulieu included a Flettner Fl 282 helicopter , and a Focke - Achgelis Fa 223 that had been delivered on 6 September 1945 in the first crossing of the English Channel by a helicopter . Disbanded ( 1950 ) . On 14 September 1950 , AFEE was disbanded , and most of its equipment and personnel were transferred to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Boscombe Down . Helicopter training functions were transferred to RAF Andover . Notable AFEE personnel . J . A . J . Bennett , F . John Cable ( ' Jeep ' Cable ) , Norman Coslett , John Norman Dennis , O . L . L . Fitzwilliams , Raoul Hafner , Sir Gordon Harvey , W . G . Jennings , Robert Kronfeld , C . H . Latimer - Needham , Lt . Col . Robert ' Bob ' Smith , I . M . Little , Allen H . Wheeler , Peter R . D . Wilson .