Gyroplanes for ground attack/support

[DirtyProp]

[Sarcasm on] What a brilliant idea![Sarcasm off]

PS: seems I cannot post links, please search on the tube for China's attack gyrocopter

But I can. :)
T28B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCjz3HZ8M8w

[Davef68]

Not quite what the Army proposed in the 60s!

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQOzaZOy1sBvbMZxwRp5abf1aln8jS4ARbLQ2zgptI Vl3p65AImErV06jhWW6J0yXYAt80&usqp=CAU

[Ninthace]

It's Little Nelly!

[nevillestyke]

[Sarcasm on] What a brilliant idea![Sarcasm off]

PS: seems I cannot post links, please search on the tube for China's attack gyrocopter

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCjz3HZ8M8w>

At 2:00 the youtuber says that it is a Eurocopter. I think that he needs more research.

[DIBO]

Well, there was a period not so long ago, people wouldn't stop laughing over the idea of using cheap 'toy' drones over a real battlefield.
I would certainly choose the gyrocopter over a trike ULM, should one ever come up with the idea of using the latter in an attack...

[Maoraigh1]

Kenya is using gyroplanes to patrol for wildlife poaching. First pilot's trained in UK, later ones trained in Kenya.

[ex82watcher]

It's Little Nelly!
In the 1980s,I lived just a couple of miles away from Ken Wallace's home and airfield at Reymerston Hall,and I frequently saw him flying around in 'Little Nell',or one of it's stable-mates.There was an old retired engineer,Steve Roberts,who lived in the former Victorian school in my village,and in the large classroom was a very well equipped workshop,with lathes,milling machines and just about everything an engineer might wish for,and he had made several components for Wallace's contraptions.I will always remember that the 'sofa' in his sitting room was a pair of seats from a BOAC Comet airliner.

[RAFEngO74to09]

Does MI6 still have one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFozWDLne7c

[Ninthace]

I have only flown one once. A lot of fun and very stable. You could probably get a few rounds off without to much difficulty..

[West Coast]

Hamas flew simple machines into battle recently, so who knows.

If you buy a one way ticket and don’t place much value on life, it’s a winner.

[SOX80]

You can have 1 Apache or 20 gyrocopters. 1 Tempest or 200 attack drones. Quantity has a quality all of its own.

[chevvron]

In the 1980s,I lived just a couple of miles away from Ken Wallace's home and airfield at Reymerston Hall,and I frequently saw him flying around in 'Little Nell',or one of it's stable-mates.There was an old retired engineer,Steve Roberts,who lived in the former Victorian school in my village,and in the large classroom was a very well equipped workshop,with lathes,milling machines and just about everything an engineer might wish for,and he had made several components for Wallace's contraptions.I will always remember that the 'sofa' in his sitting room was a pair of seats from a BOAC Comet airliner.
'Wallis' (like in Barnes Neville) NOT Wallace.
Before I became an ATCO, I wrote to Ken twice about his gyros and both times he sent me a handwritten reply. I was over the moon to then meet and chat to him years later when he visited us at Farnborough during a noise trial and soon after RAE ran a similar noise trial using the Campbell Cricket. Ken had been engaged in 'multi spectral photography' trials when the trial involving the Cricket took place hence it was done at a different time.
I wonder why they didn't think of the Luscombe Vitality or Valiant for light ground attack/support; it had already been designed to include underwing hardpoints and had done 1300 hours of test flying in the role.

[teeteringhead]

Amazing man to talk to (Ken Wallis). We overlapped slightly at Headley Court in early 70s - can't remember what he was "in" for, but I can certainly remember him!

[Frostchamber]

Maybe time to take a fresh look at the concept. Within their limitations there ought to be a role for them surely? Cheap as chips (weren't some of them powered by VW Beetle engines?) as well as nimble and stable. I have a longstanding affection for autogyros and it would be nice to think that their time could yet come...

[meleagertoo]

They cost $5,500?
Can be lown "proficiently" after 10 (yes, TEN!) hours of training?
When any two seat gyro costs at least ten times (more like 15x) that and a PPL(G) requires 40+ hrs - and is nowhere near "proficient" in anything but fine weather club flying, let alone combat ops and short-field or low level work?

What a fantasy!

[ex82watcher]

'Wallis' (like in Barnes Neville) NOT Wallace.
Before I became an ATCO, I wrote to Ken twice about his gyros and both times he sent me a handwritten reply. To then meet and chat to him years later when he visited us at Farnborough during a noise trial was incredible.
Thanks for the correction Chevvron,I met him once also,when he gave a talk at my local flying club at Shipdham.He was a remarkable man,and had many achievements beyond the autogyros for which he was best known.During WWII,he had flown Welingtons equipped with a device for cutting through barrage balloon cables,and I seem to remember that after the war,he had an exchange posting to the USA,where he flew the B36.He also showed some miniature versions of well known firearms he had made,such as the Colt 45,which were fully functional,and he had also made the ammunition.He said that the original nose fairing for his autogyro was the nosecone from a V1 flying bomb.On the day I first arrived at Eastern Radar at RAF Watton,he was taking off from and landing on the back of a Royal Navy low-loader driving up and down the peri- track.

[POBJOY]

Several decades ago I was wandering around Syria in an old aircraft and had a need to land at Damascus for fuel. This was the cause of some concern to the authorities as my fretwork fighter had failed to show up on their multi million £ defence system (despite having radar screens like giant dustbin lids).
Needless to say I was 'delayed' by this situation and had several 'chats' with the various bodies but was allowed to stay in the local area whilst they debated my fate.
A very kind BOAC engineer put me up for a few days and I visited several interesting locations in the City (including a small military museum).
This was in the back yard of a building and held a couple of Migs, but also amazingly enough a complete Campbell Cricket (with VW engine) that had been captured from the Israelis having been used as an observation platform during a past operation (Thats what the notice said)
So there I was a long way from home and looking at another former PFA machine 'from Membury' (Wilts) (I could have started the Damascus Strut)* I think it still had its uk reg !!! PC
Having 'recovered' from the rather 'unexpected' visit from myself, the authorities deemed me not to be a military threat and sent me on my way after a stern warning not to come back. To that end they even sent a letter to the Tiger Club at Redhill stating that this must not happen again ( they were certainly not going to hold a breakfast patrol at Damascus !!!)
*Apparently a few Crickets had been sold to Kuwait for fish spotting.

[ShyTorque]

I met Ken Wallis at Ipswich Airport in the summer of 1973. I was there for an RAF Flying Scholarship and was intrigued by the arrival of a gold Rolls Royce (!) towing a trailer which carried his auto gyro (I can’t remember which one). A couple of us young students chatted to him for quite some time. He told us he was there for some flight trials and was later seen flying around in the airfield overhead for quite some time.

[ex82watcher]

I flew into Ipswich airport once,while I was living in Norfolk,would have been around 1984.I kept the receipt for the landing fee,which is in my log book.I can't check as I'm not at home right now,but IIRC,the receipt was issued by the local co-op,who presumably owned the airfield.
Going back to Ken wallis (correct spelling this time!),when I was flying out of Swanton Morley,there used to be in the hangar,an aircraft resembling a Bleriot,which wallis had built,and was a replica of an aircraft originally built by,I believe, his Grandfather,and I think was called the 'walboro'.I think it is now in a museum.
,

[chevvron]

Maybe time to take a fresh look at the concept. Within their limitations there ought to be a role for them surely? Cheap as chips (weren't some of them powered by VW Beetle engines?) as well as nimble and stable. I have a longstanding affection for autogyros and it would be nice to think that their time could yet come...
No. Campbell Crickets and McCandless gyros were powered by VW engines whereas Ken started off with McCulloch 4 cyl 2 -strokes (built for drones and used in Bensen gyros) and later used one or two other types.

[Haraka]

'He said that the original nose fairing for his autogyro was the nosecone from a V1 flying bomb.' (ex82watcher)

Never heard that one! The fuselage fairing later was moulded from a Hunter Drop tank , whenever it was fitted.
I did ten minutes hilarious dual with Ken in the two seater Wa116T (aka Wa117 at that time,) before he sent me off solo in a Wa116
There was a variety of engines in these Autogiros, culminating in the c. 80 hp Weslake , before the Wallis project was finally wound up by Vintens in 1986.........

[meleagertoo]

Fred drift...
The Walbro replica built by Ken Wallis used to reside at the excellent air museum at Flixton near Bungay (with Little Nellie I believe) where they built a hangar especially to hold his entire collection of aircraft which I understand he bequeathed to them. Unfortunately a family wrangle ensued, the aircraft were taken back and his precious gyroplane collection and invaluable archives never arrived. A very sad loss.

https://www.aviationmuseum.net/KenWallis.htm

[NutLoose]

Meanwhile in Israel

https://twitter.com/Shayan_hun/status/1711112934234206543

https://twitter.com/Shayan_hun/status/1711112934234206543

[Davef68]

Looks like a job for a land based manually guided Phalanx

[Sue Vêtements]

It actually looked like a couple of Me163s flew over at the beginning

I guess they were hang gliders maybe?

[jolihokistix]

'Were entering' or 'entered' perhaps. Many more than I had imagined.

[212man]

'Were entering' or 'entered' perhaps. Many more than I had imagined.
well, the post was made at the time so I guess the present tense was appropriate

[VX275]

I can't imagine Ken Wallis would have used a V1 nose cone for a fairing as the V1 airframe was made from sheet steel.

[ex82watcher]

I can't imagine Ken Wallis would have used a V1 nose cone for a fairing as the V1 airframe was made from sheet steel.

Must be my fading memory playing tricks- the talk he gave was 37 years ago!

[Finningley Boy]

I met Ken Wallis back in 1988 at RAF Gatow, where he'd brought Little Nell, or one of his machines, for the open day there to mark the 40th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and "Operation Plainfare". I've met a few famous people in and out of the RAF, but never felt compelled to request an autograph, apart from once. One of the Falcons at the Church Fenton SSAFA air display in 1975, I won't name him, although he was quite agreeable at the time. He was stationed at RAF Boulmer in 1978/80, as was I, he was a PTI, I wasa Scopie. I recognised him during a Sand Grouse, and found out what a rather more disagreeable individual he could be. Nothing to to with being a no nonsense NCO, more to do with being a rather selfish jump to conclusions type!

FB

[gums]

Salute!
Best one I saw was the gyro thing that was your ejection seat!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaman_KSA-100_SAVER
and......: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a35981431/fighter-jet-ejection-seat-history/

Seems there might also have been an unpowered version that was still better than coming straight down in a village of angry farmers as one of my classmates did near Hanoi.

OTOH, a small gyro might be useful as a FAC vehicle that could be airdopped.

Gum sends...

[MAINJAFAD]

I met Ken Wallis at Ipswich Airport in the summer of 1973. I was there for an RAF Flying Scholarship and was intrigued by the arrival of a gold Rolls Royce (!) towing a trailer which carried his auto gyro (I can’t remember which one). A couple of us young students chatted to him for quite some time. He told us he was there for some flight trials and was later seen flying around in the airfield overhead for quite some time.

Still had the battered old gold Rolls when I stopped him while doing security at an event in Norwich in 1988. The Autogyro on the Trailer was Little Nelly.

[DirtyProp]

Back to the Chinese gyros, please. If you'd like to discuss about Ken Wallis please feel free to open another discussion.
Thank you.

[henra]

You can have 1 Apache or 20 gyrocopters.
In which case I know which one I would choose. Hint: Not the 20 toothless death traps.
P.S.: I still think this is a joke. You can use this for terror attacks against an mostly unarmed/only infantery arms opponent but not for war.