Gyroplanes for ground attack/support
Thread Starter
Gyroplanes for ground attack/support
[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
PS: seems I cannot post links, please search on the tube for China's attack gyrocopter
But I can.
T28B
Last edited by T28B; 8th Jan 2024 at 22:05. Reason: activate link
It's Little Nelly!
Not a Chinese Tiger.
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...
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...
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.
The following users liked this post:
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..
The following users liked this post:
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.
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.
Last edited by chevvron; 10th Jan 2024 at 13:20.
The following users liked this post:
Gentleman Aviator
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!
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...
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!
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!
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.
New 'old news'
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.
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.
The following users liked this post:
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 14,576
Received 422 Likes
on
222 Posts
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.
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.
,
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.
,
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...