92-489: The Cierva C.30 is an autogyro designed by Juan de la Cierva and built under licence from the Cierva Autogiro Company by A V Roe & Co Ltd (Avro), Lioré-et-Olivier and Focke-Wulf . Before the experimental Cierva C.19 Mk V, autogyros had been controlled in the same way as fixed-wing aircraft, that is by deflecting the air flowing over moving surfaces such as ailerons, elevators and rudder. At
184-486: A C.8 L.IV test flight piloted by Arthur H. C. A. Rawson. Being particularly impressed with the autogyro's safe vertical descent capability, Pitcairn purchased a C.8 L.IV with a Wright Whirlwind engine. Arriving in the United States on 11 December 1928 accompanied by Rawson, this autogyro was redesignated C.8W. Subsequently, production of autogyros was licensed to several manufacturers, including
276-554: A Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental category. Per FAR 1.1, the FAA uses the term "gyroplane" for all autogyros, regardless of the type of airworthiness certificate. In 1931, Amelia Earhart (U.S.) flew a Pitcairn PCA-2 to a women's world altitude record of 18,415 ft (5,613 m). Wing Commander Ken Wallis (U.K.) held most of the autogyro world records during his autogyro flying career. These include
368-833: A power push-over (PPO or buntover) causing the death of the pilot and giving gyroplanes, in general, a poor reputation – in contrast to de la Cierva's original intention and early statistics. Most new autogyros are now safe from PPO. In 2002, a Groen Brothers Aviation 's Hawk 4 provided perimeter patrol for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The aircraft completed 67 missions and accumulated 75 hours of maintenance-free flight time during its 90-day operational contract. Worldwide, over 1,000 autogyros are used by authorities for military and law enforcement. The first U.S. police authorities to evaluate an autogyro were
460-427: A German incendiary bomb destroyed production of Cygnets and Albemarle sections. GAL converted Hawker Hurricanes with catapult launching equipment for use on convoy escort ships, and for landing on aircraft carriers. After World War II, some GAL activity continued, including production of sections of Fairey Spearfish , and conversion of de Havilland Mosquitos for use as target tugs. In 1948, GAL designed and built
552-532: A Russian immigrant in the United States, saw a captured German U-boat's Fa 330 gyroglider and was fascinated by its characteristics. At work, he was tasked with the analysis of the British military Rotachute gyro glider designed by an expatriate Austrian, Raoul Hafner . This led him to adapt the design for his purposes and eventually market the Bensen B-7 in 1955. Bensen submitted an improved version,
644-626: A byproduct of the flapping motion. This development led to the Cierva C.8, which, on 18 September 1928, made the first rotorcraft crossing of the English Channel followed by a tour of Europe. United States industrialist Harold Frederick Pitcairn , on learning of the successful flights of the autogyro, visited de la Cierva in Spain. In 1928, he visited him again, in England, after taking
736-426: A central open pediment (classical triangular top of facade) and a hipped slate roof, sloping down on all sides. Both floors have cast iron columns or trellis. The ground floor has a central Portland stone , Doric , tetrastyle , fluted columned front porch, (a portico) with a frieze end cornice . In front, 17 wide Portland stone steps lead to the house with plain balustrades and cast iron lanterns. A rosette frieze
828-496: A design competition to develop a bomber for the Spanish military. De la Cierva designed a three-engined aircraft, but during an early test flight, the bomber stalled and crashed. De la Cierva was troubled by the stall phenomenon and vowed to develop an aircraft that could fly safely at low airspeeds. The result was the first successful rotorcraft, which he named autogiro in 1923. De la Cierva's autogiro used an airplane fuselage with
920-507: A fixed-wing aircraft. At low airspeeds, the control surfaces became ineffective and could readily lead to loss of control, particularly during landing. In response, de la Cierva developed a direct control rotor hub, which could be tilted in any direction by the pilot. De la Cierva's direct control was first developed on the Cierva C.19 Mk. V and saw the production on the Cierva C.30 series of 1934. In March 1934, this type of autogyro became
1012-530: A forward-mounted propeller and engine, an un-powered rotor mounted on a mast, and a horizontal and vertical stabilizer. His aircraft became the predecessor of the modern helicopter . After four years of experimentation, de la Cierva invented the first practical rotorcraft the autogyro ( autogiro in Spanish), in 1923. His first three designs ( C.1 , C.2 , and C.3 ) were unstable because of aerodynamic and structural deficiencies in their rotors. His fourth design,
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#17328008440151104-551: A helicopter suffers a power failure, the pilot can adjust the collective pitch to keep the rotor spinning generating enough lift to touch down and skid in a relatively soft landing via autorotation of its rotor disc. Some autogyros, such as the Rotorsport MT03, MTO Sport (open tandem), and Calidus (enclosed tandem), and the Magni Gyro M16C (open tandem) & M24 (enclosed side by side) have type approval by
1196-413: A helicopter works by forcing the rotor blades through the air, drawing air from above, the autogyro rotor blade generates lift in the same way as a glider 's wing, by changing the angle of the air as the air moves upward and backward relative to the rotor blade. The free-spinning blades turn by autorotation ; the rotor blades are angled so that they not only give lift, but the angle of the blades causes
1288-565: A long taxi to bring the rotor up to speed sufficient for takeoff. The next innovation was flaps on the tail to redirect the propeller slipstream into the rotor while on the ground. This design was first tested on a C.19 in 1929. Efforts in 1930 had shown that the development of a light and efficient mechanical transmission was not a trivial undertaking. In 1932 the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania , United States solved this problem with
1380-510: A new company also named General Aircraft Limited. Also included in the new company were the assets of National Flying Services Ltd, the owner of London Air Park, plus adjoining industrial premises built in 1917 by Whitehead Aircraft Ltd. The aerodrome management was delegated to Aircraft Exchange & Mart Ltd. Hanworth Park House was converted into Hanworth Park Hotel. In 1935, GAL transferred production of its Monospar series from Croydon to Hanworth, and in 1936 it produced 89 Hawker Fury IIs for
1472-669: A pair of Degtyaryov machine guns, and six RS-82 rockets or four FAB-100 bombs . The Avro Rota autogyro, a military version of the Cierva C.30, was used by the Royal Air Force to calibrate coastal radar stations during and after the Battle of Britain . In World War II, Germany pioneered a very small gyroglider rotor kite , the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 "Bachstelze" (wagtail), towed by U-boats to provide aerial surveillance. The Imperial Japanese Army developed
1564-819: A search for the Loch Ness Monster , as well as an appearance in the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice . Three different autogyro designs have been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for commercial production: the Umbaugh U-18/ Air & Space 18A of 1965, the Avian 2/180 Gyroplane of 1967, and the McCulloch J-2 of 1972. All have been commercial failures, for various reasons. The Kaman KSA-100 SAVER (Stowable Aircrew Vehicle Escape Rotorseat)
1656-431: A time-to-climb, a speed record of 189 km/h (111.7 mph), and the straight-line distance record of 869.23 km (540.11 mi). On 16 November 2002, at 89 years of age, Wallis increased the speed record to 207.7 km/h (129.1 mph) – and simultaneously set another world record as the oldest pilot to set a world record. London Air Park London Air Park , also known as Hanworth Air Park,
1748-407: A transmission driven by the engine. Buhl Aircraft Company produced its Buhl A-1 , the first autogyro with a propulsive rear motor, designed by Etienne Dormoy and meant for aerial observation (motor behind pilot and camera). It had its maiden flight on 15 December 1931. De la Cierva's early autogyros were fitted with fixed rotor hubs, small fixed wings, and control surfaces like those of
1840-498: A variety of engines. McCulloch drone engines, Rotax marine engines, Subaru automobile engines, and other designs have been used in Bensen-type designs. The rotor is mounted atop the vertical mast. The rotor system of all Bensen-type autogyros is of a two-blade teetering design. There are some disadvantages associated with this rotor design, but the simplicity of the rotor design lends itself to ease of assembly and maintenance and
1932-670: Is above the each level. The west side has a balcony on brackets to ground floor and a veranda . Inside, the style is Greek stone and plaster with some later alteration. The staircase is of cast iron balusters and with a square central glazed lantern above. At the end of 1915, the Whitehead Aircraft Co Ltd, headed by John Alexander Whitehead, manufactured six B.E.2b aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), at his small factory in Richmond, Surrey . That
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#17328008440152024-432: Is achieved by tilting the rotor fore and aft , and roll control is by tilting the rotor laterally. The tilt of the rotor can be effected by utilizing a tilting hub ( Cierva ), a swashplate ( Air & Space 18A ), or servo-flaps. A rudder provides yaw control. On pusher configuration autogyros, the rudder is typically placed in the propeller slipstream to maximize yaw control at low airspeed (but not always, as seen in
2116-553: Is an aircraft-stowable gyroplane escape device designed and built for the United States Navy . Designed to be installed in naval combat aircraft as part of the ejection sequence, only one example was built and it did not enter service. It was powered by a Williams WRC-19 turbofan making it the first jet-powered autogyro. The basic Bensen Gyrocopter design is a simple frame of square aluminium or galvanized steel tubing, reinforced with triangles of lighter tubing. It
2208-430: Is arranged so that the stress falls on the tubes, or special fittings, not the bolts. A front-to-back keel mounts a steerable nosewheel, seat, engine, and vertical stabilizer. Outlying mainwheels are mounted on an axle. Some versions may mount seaplane-style floats for water operations. Bensen-type autogyros use a pusher configuration for simplicity and to increase visibility for the pilot. Power can be supplied by
2300-440: Is one of the reasons for its popularity. Aircraft-quality birch was specified in early Bensen designs, and a wood/steel composite is used in the world-speed-record-holding Wallis design. Gyroplane rotor blades are made from other materials such as aluminium and GRP -based composite. Bensen's success triggered several other designs, some of them fatally flawed with an offset between the centre of gravity and thrust line, risking
2392-517: Is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller . It was originally named the autogiro by its Spanish inventor and engineer, Juan de la Cierva , in his attempt to create an aircraft that could fly safely at low speeds. He first flew one on 9 January 1923, at Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid . The aircraft resembled the fixed-wing aircraft of the day, with a front-mounted engine and propeller. The term Autogiro became trademarked by
2484-612: The Air & Space 18A , McCulloch J-2 and the Westermayer Tragschrauber, and can provide near VTOL performance. Modern autogyros typically follow one of two basic configurations. The most common design is the pusher configuration, where the engine and propeller are located behind the pilot and rotor mast, such as in the Bensen " Gyrocopter ". Its main advantages are the simplicity and lightness of its construction and
2576-546: The Autogiro garnered the interest of industrialists and under license from de la Cierva in the 1920s and 1930s, the Pitcairn & Kellett companies made further innovations. Late-model autogyros patterned after Etienne Dormoy 's Buhl A-1 Autogyro and Igor Bensen 's designs feature a rear-mounted engine and propeller in a pusher configuration . An autogyro is characterized by a free-spinning rotor that turns because of
2668-719: The Bensen B-8M , for testing to the United States Air Force , which designated it the X-25. The B-8M was designed to use surplus McCulloch engines used on flying unmanned target drones . Ken Wallis developed a miniature autogyro craft, the Wallis autogyro , in England in the 1960s, and autogyros built similar to Wallis' design appeared for many years. Ken Wallis' designs have been used in various scenarios, including military training, police reconnaissance, and in
2760-541: The British Aircraft Company was taken over by Robert Kronfeld , and in 1935 he moved its operations from Maidstone to Hanworth. It was renamed British Aircraft Company (1935) Ltd, later Kronfeld Ltd, and it produced 33 B.A.C. Drones and one Kronfeld Monoplane before receivership in September 1937. In 1935, Light Aircraft Ltd assembled 16 American-built Aeronca C-3s at Hanworth. On 15 April 1936,
2852-497: The British Klemm Aeroplane Co Ltd was formed, and produced 28 BK Swallows and six BK.1 Eagles , in rented premises in the northeast section of the former Whitehead factory. In 1935, it was renamed British Aircraft Manufacturing Co Ltd, and went on to produce 107 Swallow 2s, plus 36 Eagle 2s, one British Aircraft Cupid , three British Aircraft Double Eagles , and two Cierva C.40s , until 1937. In 1934,
Cierva C.30 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-487: The C.4 , made the first documented flight of an autogyro on 17 January 1923, piloted by Alejandro Gomez Spencer at Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid, Spain (9 January according to de la Cierva). De la Cierva had fitted the rotor of the C.4 with flapping hinges to attach each rotor blade to the hub. The flapping hinges allowed each rotor blade to flap, or move up and down, to compensate for dissymmetry of lift ,
3036-545: The CW Cygnet design. On 3 September 1939, No.5 E&RFTS dropped its 'reserve' status, and it was renamed No.5 EFTS; the fleet was then standardized with the Miles Magister . On 16 June 1940, it moved to Meir, Staffordshire . Rollason Aircraft Services Ltd, later renamed Field Consolidated Aircraft Services Ltd, carried out repairs and refurbishment of Airspeed Oxfords and de Havilland Tiger Moths , as part of
3128-598: The Cierva Autogiro Company in England, following a demonstration of the C.6 before the British Air Ministry at RAE Farnborough , on 20 October 1925. Britain had become the world centre of autogyro development. A crash in February 1926, caused by blade root failure, led to an improvement in rotor hub design. A drag hinge was added in conjunction with the flapping hinge to allow each blade to move fore and aft and relieve in-plane stresses, generated as
3220-468: The Cierva Autogiro Company . De la Cierva's Autogiro is considered the predecessor of the modern helicopter . The term gyrocopter (derived from helicopter) was used by E. Burke Wilford who developed the Reiseler Kreiser feathering rotor equipped gyroplane in the first half of the twentieth century. Gyroplane was later adopted as a trademark by Bensen Aircraft . The success of
3312-810: The Civilian Repair Organisation . GAL took over most buildings on and around Hanworth Park, then consolidated the factory area, and it added a large flight shed facing the park. GAL designed and developed its own designs, with quantity production of GAL.48 Hotspur and GAL.49 Hamilcar gliders. It also produced less-successful designs, including GAL.33 Cagnet , GAL.38 Fleet Shadower , GAL.45 Owlet , GAL.47 (AOP) , GAL.55 , plus GAL.56 experimental flying wing gliders. Sub-contract work included construction of Fairey Firefly Mk.I monoplanes, plus major assemblies for types including Blackburn Shark , Supermarine Spitfire , Armstrong Whitworth Whitley , Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle . On 3 October 1940,
3404-815: The GAL.60 Universal freighter, but the Hanworth factory and airfield were too small for the project. On 1 January 1949, GAL merged with Blackburn Aircraft , and the first GAL.60 was transported in sections by road to Brough Aerodrome , Yorkshire, where development and production continued as the Blackburn Beverley . In 1946, Heathrow came into use as the principal London Airport, and for several years flights at Hanworth were subject to Heathrow air traffic clearance, eventually growing to delays of several hours; no fixed-wing flights are recorded after 1955. In 1956, Feltham Urban District Council purchased Hanworth Park, and
3496-570: The Kayaba Ka-1 autogyro for reconnaissance, artillery-spotting, and anti-submarine uses. The Ka-1 was based on the Kellett KD-1 first imported to Japan in 1938. The craft was initially developed for use as an observation platform and for artillery spotting duties. The army liked the craft's short take-off span, and especially its low maintenance requirements. Production began in 1941, with the machines assigned to artillery units for spotting
3588-595: The King's Cup Air Race which was won by Winifred Brown in an Avro Avian . On 18 August 1931, the German airship 'Graf Zeppelin' (D-LZ127) visited Hanworth. On 2 July 1932, it returned as part of a round-Britain tour, and on the next day it operated paid flights over London. In 1932, NFS financial losses continued, and the British government withdrew its subsidy. In June 1933, NFS was in receivership, but continued to function until October 1934. The NFS flying club re-formed as
3680-443: The McCulloch J-2 , with twin rudders placed outboard of the propeller arc). There are three primary flight controls: control stick, rudder pedals , and throttle . Typically, the control stick is termed the cyclic and tilts the rotor in the desired direction to provide pitch and roll control (some autogyros do not tilt the rotor relative to the airframe, or only do so in one dimension, and have conventional control surfaces to vary
3772-547: The Pitcairn Autogiro Company in the United States and Focke-Wulf of Germany. In 1927, German engineer Engelbert Zaschka invented a combined helicopter and autogyro. The principal advantage of the Zaschka machine is its ability to remain motionless in the air for any length of time and to descend in a vertical line so that a landing could be accomplished on the flat roof of a large house. In appearance,
Cierva C.30 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-722: The School of Army Co-operation at RAF Old Sarum near Salisbury. Many of the surviving civil aircraft were also taken into RAF service between 1939 and 1940. In 1940 they equipped 1448 Flt. at RAF Duxford . Later they equipped 529 Sqn. at RAF Halton on radar calibration work, disbanded in October 1945, the twelve survivors were sold on to civilian owners. Most of these did not last long, although two were used for pilot rotary wing experience by Fairey in their Fairey Gyrodyne helicopter programme. Rota Towels kept one ex-RAF Rota airworthy G-AHTZ until an accident in 1958. G-ACUU ,
3956-530: The Tomball, Texas , police, on a $ 40,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice together with city funds, costing much less than a helicopter to buy ($ 75,000) and operate ($ 50/hour). Although it is able to land in 40-knot crosswinds, a minor accident happened when the rotor was not kept under control in a wind gust. Since 2009, several projects in Iraqi Kurdistan have been realized. In 2010,
4048-536: The Union Construction Company (UCC) leased the southwest section of the former Whitehead works, for subsequent production of underground trains (1928), 'Feltham' metal-framed trams (1929), and trolleybuses (1930), and then closed in 1932. In 1926, Aston Martin purchased buildings at the northern end of the industrial site nearest to Feltham, for car production that continued until 1956. In November 1928, National Flying Services Ltd (NFS)
4140-804: The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under British Civil Airworthiness Requirements CAP643 Section T. Others operate under a permit to fly issued by the Popular Flying Association similar to the U.S. experimental aircraft certification. However, the CAA's assertion that autogyros have a poor safety record means that a permit to fly will be granted only to existing types of an autogyro. All new types of autogyro must be submitted for full type approval under CAP643 Section T. The CAA allows gyro flight over congested areas. In 2005,
4232-576: The "air train" together with the glider Schneider Grunau Baby and the airplane de Havilland DH.60 Moth over the Baltic Sea states: Kaunas , Riga , Tallinn , Helsinki . Twelve C.30As built by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF) entered service as the Avro 671 Rota Mk 1 ( Serials K4230 to K4239 and K4296 & K4775 ). The twelve were delivered between 1934 and 1935. They equipped
4324-646: The 1930s by major newspapers , and by the United States Postal Service for the mail service between cities in the northeast. During the Winter War of 1939–1940, the Red Army Air Force used armed Kamov A-7 autogyros to provide fire correction for artillery batteries , carrying out 20 combat flights. The A-7 was the first rotary-wing aircraft designed for combat, armed with one 7.62×54mmR PV-1 machine gun ,
4416-562: The 66 non-RAF aircraft built in the UK by Avro, 37 appeared at least for a while on the UK register. Some (maybe a dozen) were sold abroad, but others were flown by wealthy enthusiasts and by flying clubs who offered autogyro training. By the end of the decade, private flyers were moving back to the comforts and economies of fixed-wing aircraft and more C.30s moved abroad leaving the Autogyro Flying Club at London Air Park, Hanworth as
4508-700: The Aeronautical Corporation of Great Britain was formed, and built a modified version as the Aeronca 100 at Walton aerodrome, Peterborough . At the end of 1936, about 21 examples had been made, mostly unsold. All completed Aeronca 100s were taken over by Aircraft Exchange & Mart, who then sold five to the London Air Park Flying Club to add to the Aeronca C-3s already in use. On 5 June 1937, Tipsy Aircraft Company Ltd
4600-562: The C.30A by Avro , was built under licence in Britain, France and Germany and was similar to the C.30P. The main alteration was a further increase in undercarriage track with revised strutting, the uppermost leg having a pronounced knee with wire bracing. There was additional bracing to the tailplane and both it and the fin carried small movable trimming surfaces. Each licensee used nationally built engines and used slightly different names. In all, 143 production C.30s were built, making it by far
4692-670: The CAA issued a mandatory permit directive (MPD) which restricted operations for single-seat autogyros and were subsequently integrated into CAP643 Issue 3 published on 12 August 2005. The restrictions are concerned with the offset between the centre of gravity and thrust line and apply to all aircraft unless evidence is presented to the CAA that the CG/Thrust Line offset is less than 2 inches (5 cm) in either direction. The restrictions are summarised as follows: These restrictions do not apply to autogyros with type approval under CAA CAP643 Section T, which are subject to
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#17328008440154784-531: The German pilot couple Melanie and Andreas Stützfor undertook the first world tour by autogyro, in which they flew several different gyroplane types in Europe, southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and South America. The adventure was documented in the book "WELTFLUG – The Gyroplane Dream" and in the film "Weltflug.tv –The Gyrocopter World Tour". While autogyros are not helicopters, helicopters are capable of autorotation . If
4876-498: The Imperial War Museum's C.30A exhibit at Duxford had one of the longest active lives. It joined Air Service Training Ltd in 1934, was impressed (as Rota HM580 ) in 1942, serving with 529 Squadron and returning to civil use by G.S. Baker based at Birmingham's Elmdon Airport airport with its original registration plus the nickname Billy Boy and was not withdrawn from use until 1960. After several years of work at
4968-574: The London Air Park Flying Club. In 1932, the Cierva Autogiro Company moved most of its UK final assembly, testing and sales of its autogiros from the Avro facility at Hamble to Hanworth. It also operated the Cierva autogiro flying school, and it conducted flight testing of Weir W-2 and W-3 experimental autogiros on behalf of the Weir Group , who helped finance Cierva. Production and rebuilds included 66 Avro-built Cierva C.30s , until 1948. In 1933,
5060-657: The Maestranza Aérea de Albacete, on 15 January 1998, a C.30 was flown again. It was piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Iglesia. After an accident in June 2000, which almost left the pilot without an arm, the aircraft was handed over to the Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics , located at the Cuatro Vientos air base (Madrid). General characteristics Performance Note: Official RLM designations had
5152-838: The RAF as the Civet 1) 7-cylinder radial engine producing 140 hp (100 kW). The first production C.30A was delivered in July 1934. Twenty-five aircraft were built in France by Lioré-et-Olivier as the LeO C.301 with a 175 hp (130 kW) Salmson 9NE 9-cylinder radial engine. Forty aircraft were built in Germany as the Focke-Wulf Fw 30 Heuschrecke (Grasshopper) with a 140 hp (105 kW) Siemens Sh 14A 7-cylinder radial engine. Of
5244-407: The RAF, followed by the conversion of 125 Hawker Hinds into trainers. On 1 June 1935, Flying Training Ltd, that was owned by Blackburn Aircraft, began to operate as No. 5 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF (No.5 E&RFTS), using aircraft types including Blackburn B-2 and Hawker Hart Trainer. From 1937 to 1939, it trained RAFVR pilots. In April 1936, Charles Lindbergh visited
5336-519: The airfield where he flew in a BK.1 Eagle sales demonstrator aircraft, that he subsequently flew solo. The ground facilities were used as a location for the movie ' It's in the Air ' (1938) starring George Formby. In 1938, the London Air Park Flying Club joined the Civil Air Guard scheme, in which the government subsidized training fees in return for call-up commitments. GAL took over and developed
5428-581: The beginning of German invasion in USSR June 1941, the Soviet Air Force organized new courses for training Kamov A-7 aircrew and ground support staff. In August 1941, per the decision of the chief artillery directorate of the Red Army , based on the trained flight group and five combat-ready A-7 autogyros, the 1st autogyro artillery spotting aircraft squadron was formed, which was included in
5520-456: The development and construction of the first five prototypes. The C.6 first flew in February 1925, piloted by Captain Joaquín Loriga , including a flight of 10.5 kilometres (6.5 miles) from Cuatro Vientos airfield to Getafe airfield in about eight minutes, a significant accomplishment for any rotorcraft of the time. Shortly after de la Cierva's success with the C.6, he accepted an offer from Scottish industrialist James G. Weir to establish
5612-473: The difference in lift produced between the right and left sides of the rotor as the autogyro moves forward. Three days later, the engine failed shortly after takeoff and the aircraft descended slowly and steeply to a safe landing, validating de la Cierva's efforts to produce an aircraft that could be flown safely at low airspeeds. De la Cierva developed his C.6 model with the assistance of Spain's Military Aviation establishment, having expended all his funds on
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#17328008440155704-443: The engine in the usual way but to higher than take-off r.p.m at zero rotor incidence and then to reach operational positive pitch suddenly enough to jump some 20 ft (6 m) upwards. At least one Royal Air Force (RAF) C.30A was on floats as a Sea Rota in January 1935. Avro obtained the licence in 1934 and subsequently built 78 examples, under their model designation, fitted with an Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA (known in
5796-429: The fall of shells. These carried two crewmen: a pilot and a spotter. Later, the Japanese Army commissioned two small aircraft carriers intended for coastal antisubmarine (ASW) duties. The spotter's position on the Ka-1 was modified to carry one small depth charge. Ka-1 ASW autogyros operated from shore bases as well as the two small carriers. They appear to have been responsible for at least one submarine sinking. With
5888-526: The first rotorcraft to take off and land on the deck of a ship, when a C.30 performed trials on board the Spanish navy seaplane tender Dédalo off Valencia. Later that year, during the leftist Asturias revolt in October, an autogyro made a reconnaissance flight for the loyal troops, marking the first military employment of a rotorcraft. When improvements in helicopters made them practical, autogyros became largely neglected. Also, they were susceptible to ground resonance . They were, however, used in
5980-499: The first autogyro was handed over to the Kurdish Minister of Interiors, Mr. Karim Sinjari. The project for the interior ministry was to train pilots to control and monitor the approach and takeoff paths of the airports in Erbil , Sulaymaniyah , and Dohuk to prevent terrorist encroachments. The gyroplane pilots also form the backbone of the pilot crew of the Kurdish police, who are trained to pilot on Eurocopter EC 120 B helicopters. In 18 months from 2009 to 2010,
6072-564: The first year, Sir Alan Cobham joined the board, and Colonel the Master of Sempill became chairman. London Air Park gained notoriety for garden party fly-ins ('aerial tea parties'), air pageants and air races, and often presence of celebrities such as Stanley Baldwin MP PM; Louis Bleriot ; Sir Sefton Brancker ; The Hon Mrs Victor Bruce ; Barbara Cartland ; Sidney Cotton ; Florence Desmond ; Amelia Earhart ; Bert Hinkler ; Amy Johnson ; Sir Philip Sassoon ; C.W.A. Scott ; foreign royalty, diplomats, etc. On 5 July 1930, Hanworth hosted
6164-454: The former GAL factory was taken over by Thorn EMI . Hanworth Park remains substantially a public open space, with large areas of cultivated grass, plus other areas allowed to revert to scrubland. Hanworth Park House is unoccupied and fenced. The site of the former GAL factory is occupied by the Leisure West retail/entertainment complex. In the northern corner of the park, Feltham Community College and its playing fields are enclosed, and at
6256-418: The headquarters of NFS. Hangars were erected in four separate areas of the park. On 31 August 1929, Hanworth aerodrome was re-opened by Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford . The first training aircraft used by NFS were Simmonds Spartans , DH.60X Moths and DH.60M Moths, followed by Blackburn Bluebird IVs . During 1930, NFS started operating Desoutters for air-taxi and charter work. Following a financial loss in
6348-447: The lift to accelerate the blades' rotation rate until the rotor turns at a stable speed with the drag force and the thrust force in balance. Because the craft must be moving forward with respect to the surrounding air to force air through the overhead rotor, autogyros are generally not capable of vertical takeoff (except in a strong headwind). A few types such as the Air & Space 18A have shown short takeoff or landing. Pitch control
6440-409: The machine does not differ much from the ordinary monoplane, but the carrying wings revolve around the body. Development of the autogyro continued in the search for a means to accelerate the rotor before takeoff (called prerotating). Rotor drives initially took the form of a rope wrapped around the rotor axle and then pulled by a team of men to accelerate the rotor – this was followed by
6532-406: The major UK user. 26 aircraft were directly exported by Avro. These went both to private owners and to foreign air forces who wish to investigate the autogyro's potential. In 1934, one Spanish Navy C.30 piloted by Cierva landed on the Spanish Seaplane tender Dedalo anchored in Valencia harbor and later made a takeoff. In September 1935, five members of the Lithuanian Aero Club flew C.30A in
6624-446: The manor house was destroyed by fire, leaving only the stable block, which survives today as flats, plus the coach house, which was converted into homes. In about 1799, a new house was built on the same site and was known as Hanworth House. In 1827, the house and estate of c. 680 acres (known as Hanworth Great Park), including three farms was sold outright to Henry Perkins. During the 1830s, the current building known as Hanworth Park House
6716-420: The most numerous pre-war autogyro. Between 1933 and 1936, de la Cierva used one C.30A ( G-ACWF ) to test his last contribution to autogyro development before his death in the crash of a KLM Douglas DC-2 airliner at Croydon Airfield in England on 9 December 1936. To enable the aircraft to take off without forward ground travel, he produced the "autodynamic" rotor head, which allowed the rotor to be spun up by
6808-587: The operating limits specified in the type approval. A certificated autogyro must meet mandated stability and control criteria; in the United States these are outlined in Federal Aviation Regulations Part 27: Airworthiness Standards: Normal Category Rotorcraft . The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issues a Standard Airworthiness Certificate to qualified autogyros. Amateur-built or kit-built aircraft are operated under
6900-422: The passage of air through the rotor from below. The downward component of the total aerodynamic reaction of the rotor gives lift to the vehicle, sustaining it in the air. A separate propeller provides forward thrust and can be placed in a puller configuration, with the engine and propeller at the front of the fuselage, or in a pusher configuration, with the engine and propeller at the rear of the fuselage. Whereas
6992-462: The prefix "8-", but this was usually dropped and replaced with the manufacturer's prefix. Autogyro An autogyro (from Greek αὐτός and γύρος , "self-turning"), or gyroplane , is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift . While similar to a helicopter rotor in appearance, the autogyro's unpowered rotor disc must have air flowing upward across it to make it rotate. Forward thrust
7084-435: The remaining degrees of freedom). The rudder pedals provide yaw control, and the throttle controls engine power. Secondary flight controls include the rotor transmission clutch, also known as a pre-rotator, which when engaged drives the rotor to start it spinning before takeoff, and collective pitch to reduce blade pitch before driving the rotor. Collective pitch controls are not usually fitted to autogyros but can be found on
7176-408: The separate northwest site, to accommodate production of an order from Sopwith Aviation Company of Kingston upon Thames for Sopwith Pups . The original company was taken over by Whitehead Aviation Construction Co Ltd, that later became Whitehead Aircraft (1917) Ltd. The first Pups, initially built at Whitehead's Richmond works, were flown from Hanworth aerodrome in early 1917. In 1917, the aerodrome
7268-430: The strength of the 24th Army of the Soviet Air Force , combat active in the area around Elnya near Smolensk . From 30 August to 5 October 1941 the autogyros made 19 combat sorties for artillery spotting. Not one autogyro was lost in action, while the unit was disbanded in 1942 due to the shortage of serviceable aircraft. The autogyro was resurrected after World War II when Dr. Igor Bensen ,
7360-405: The tailplane had an inverted aerofoil section to counter roll-axis torque produced by the propeller. As with most autogyros, a high vertical tail was precluded by the sagging resting rotor, so the dorsal fin was long and low, extending well aft of the tailplane like a fixed rudder and augmented by a ventral fin. The wide-track undercarriage had a pair of single, wire-braced legs and a small tail wheel
7452-419: The tractor configuration has some advantages compared to a pusher, namely greater yaw stability (as the center of mass is farther away from the rudder), and greater ease in aligning the center of thrust with the center of mass to prevent "bunting" (engine thrust overwhelming the pitch control). Juan de la Cierva was a Spanish engineer , inventor, pilot, and aeronautical enthusiast. In 1921, he participated in
7544-538: The unobstructed visibility. It was developed by Igor Bensen in the decades following World War II, who also founded the Popular Rotorcraft Association (PRA) to help it become more widespread. Less common today is the tractor configuration. In this version, the engine and propeller are located at the front of the aircraft, ahead of the pilot and rotor mast. This was the primary configuration in early autogyros but became less common. Nonetheless,
7636-409: The very low speeds encountered in autogyro flight, particularly during landing, these controls became ineffective. The experimental machine showed that the way forward was a tilting rotor hub fitted with a hanging stick extending to the pilot's cockpit with which he could change the rotor plane. This was known as direct control and was fitted to the C.30 . The production variant, called C.30A in England,
7728-703: Was a grass airfield in the grounds of Hanworth Park House , operational 1917–1919 and 1929–1947. It was on the southeastern edge of Feltham , now part of the London Borough of Hounslow . In the 1930s, it was best known as a centre for private flying, society events, visits by the Graf Zeppelin airship, and for aircraft manufacture by the Whitehead Aircraft Company during World War I and General Aircraft Limited (GAL) 1934–1949; in total over 1,650 aircraft were built here. In 1797,
7820-514: Was built. This building is currently sitting derelict in the middle of Hanworth Park. There is a local campaign currently running to restore the house to its former glory. For remains of earlier house, see remains listed in Tudor Court and Tudor Close, and Ann Stanhope article. It is a two-storey stock-brick structure and has a tall basement. Hanworth Park House has an impressive 11 French casement windows on both floors, opening on to balcony,
7912-510: Was fitted. This model flew in April 1933. It was followed by four improved machines designated C.30P (P here for pre-production) which differed in having a four-legged pyramid rotor mounting and a reinforced undercarriage with three struts per side. The rotor could be folded rearwards for transport. The C.30P used the more powerful (140 hp, 104 kW) seven-cylinder Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA radial engine. The production model, called
8004-556: Was followed by an order for one hundred Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorns. Whitehead then purchased the whole of Hanworth Park, plus an area northwest of the park. Since 1915, Hanworth Park House, in the centre of the park, was occupied by the British Red Cross for recuperation of wounded servicemen. The Longford River , flowing northwest–southeast, was partly culverted and covered, to permit aircraft to taxy over it. Large factory buildings and assembly sheds were constructed on
8096-617: Was formed to manufacture Tipsy Trainers under licence from Avions Fairey , first at Hanworth, then at Slough in 1939. 15 examples were built before World War II , then 3 more at Hanworth 1947–1948. Less significant production, and unsuccessful 1930s types unique at Hanworth included Angus Aquila , Arpin A-1 , Broughton-Blayney Brawney, Pickering-Pearson KP.2. In October 1934, General Aircraft Ltd (GAL) and Mono-spar Company Ltd, both operating at Croydon Airport , were re-capitalised by investment group British Pacific Trust, and were re-formed in
8188-471: Was formed, under a proposal by the Hon Frederick Guest for a central organisation to co-ordinate a national network of flying clubs and aerodromes. In January 1929, the British government published a White Paper that set out the terms of an agreement with NFS. NFS then developed Hanworth Park as a functional aerodrome, renamed London Air Park, with Hanworth Park House as a country club and as
8280-399: Was of 500 Airco D.H.9s , ending in October 1919. Whitehead offered several projected aircraft designs; a seaplane was built, but never flown. In 1920, diversification plans failed, Whitehead Aircraft was dissolved, 2,000 workers were dismissed, and J.A. Whitehead went bankrupt. In January 1924, Feltham Garden Suburbs Ltd acquired Hanworth Park and other assets of Whitehead Aircraft. In 1925,
8372-498: Was officially designated an Aircraft Acceptance Park, a location where aircraft were finally assembled and tested before delivery to RFC squadrons. The factory employed 600 workers in 1916, and by 1918 covered 325,000 sq ft (30,200 m ). In 1917, the Whitehead Flying School was formed, using Caudron G.3s . Production of Pups ended in early 1918, when 820 had been completed. The final aircraft production
8464-511: Was preceded by several development machines. The first production design in the series was the C.30, a radial-engined autogyro with a three-blade, 37 ft (11.3 m) rotor mounted on an aft-leaning tripod, the control column extending into the rear of the two cockpits. The engine was the five-cylinder, 105 hp (78 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major I used in the C.19 series. The fabric-covered fuselage carried an unbraced tailplane, without elevators but with turned-up tips. The port side of
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