Lockspeiser LDA-01

[meleagertoo]

This strange but fascinating aircraft appeared in a nearby thread - I'd never heard of it before.

Info on this design on the internet is sketchy to put it mildly, only the barest details are available.

Can anyone fill in any more detail than the scant half-page that Wikipedia presents, which seems about the sum total of what I can find on a search?

It seems too good an idea to have failed, so what, if anything was the matter with it? What about the fire/arson that destroyed the prototype - why/by whom? Is anything known? Why wasn't another built?
There must be more info out there somewhere!

[Noyade]

Some info from the '72 Observer's...


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/900x704/scan0433_03be65fb6bfa074eb9f83df8584eba9d3d63a33b.jpg
Thank you Mr Green.

The demise as written by Brian Walters for Air International August 1991...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/600x308/scan0434_e5dfaee9f01b0c398a8aa96c084b30fe4a27b765.jpg

[Quemerford]

Used to see it often in the 1970s - made a quite distinctive sound, a bit like a Cessna 337 if memory serves. Last time I saw it was (I think) at a PFA rally at Henstridge, circa 1979. I hadn't realised it was lost in the 'Optica' fire.

[treadigraph]

I saw it at least twice, once at the Air Tattoo at Greenham Common in 1976, and again flying over my school a year or so later - the Bursar was walking past at the time and did a classic double take - an aeroplane flying backwards! Possibly also at Farnborough if it attended from 1978 onwards.

I see its first flight was at Wisley and the original registered address for David Lockspeiser was in Shalford both of which weren't far from the school (as was Dunsfold), though I never saw the aircraft flying on any other occasion or at any of the Surrey/Sussex airfields I visited in the late 1970s.

[chevvron]

David was a frequent visitor to Farnborough for business reasons as well as his appearance a the Air show; he used to park the aircraft near the control tower, unload a mini motorbike and ride off on it.

[Newforest2]

Maybe the Lockspeiser was an innocent victim of the Old Sarum fire and the intended targets were the Opticas for whatever reason?!

[dixi188]

I remember it in pieces in the Flight Shed at Hurn in the about 1972 or '73.

[kenparry]

David Lockspeiser had been an RAF pilot, then test pilot for Hawker.

More info here:

118 Flying Officer David Lockspeiser - Personnel 014 (rafjever.org) (http://www.rafjever.org/118sqnper014.htm)

[Saint-Ex]

I shared an office with David at Wisley and the project seemed very much a one man show.

[Jhieminga]

I see its first flight was at Wisley...
It was the last type to have its first flight from Wisley as the airfield closed not long after this event.

[Alan Teeder]

David was an experienced test pilot. During the 1970´s he was at BAC Weybridge. At that time I ran the ex TSR2 flight simulator and he was one of the pilots we called upon when investigating at the handling of project office aircraft. He still had contacts with Hawkers as I remember that he took time off to deliver a Hunter to Switzerland. ;)
He managed to get help from the company for his private project- including flight test at Wisley and some wind tunnel work. I developed a simulator model from his drawings using the RAES data sheets. For a canard aircraft handling during the stall is very important - making sure that the foreplane never lost control.
There is a film on Youtube - search for Lockspeiser Aircraft - the Boxer. (Unfortunately the forum will no tlet me post URLS until I have made 10 posts.) You can hear David himself making the commentary.
He was a lovely man to be with.
Alan

[Less Hair]

https://youtu.be/SLewWbAltm8

[Alan Teeder]

Thanks for adding the link.

[ETOPS]

By some amazing coincidence I've just spotted this picture of David in the thread about 98 Sqdn at Fassberg...


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/734x480/98sqnpic042_832ffd79bb0b744db4120231adb5f74258e06112.jpg