Misplaced Pages

#356643

98-820: The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic , the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics ( Aeronáutica Militar ) and Naval Aeronautics ( Aeronáutica Naval ), the Republican Air Force became the Air Forces of the Spanish Republic ( Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española (FARE) ), also known as Arma de Aviación , after it

196-554: 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

294-833: 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

392-589: 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 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

490-532: 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,

588-405: A Spanish colonial outpost. In 1933, under Capitan Warlela, systematic cadastral surveys of Spain were carried out using modern methods of aerial photography . The following year Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva took off and landed on seaplane carrier Dédalo with his autogyro C-30P. In 1934 Commander Eduardo Sáenz de Buruaga became new chief-commander of the air force. On the same year

686-573: A bad state of disrepair. The ungainly French Potez 540 , a highly vulnerable plane that proved itself a failure in Spanish skies during the Civil War, was labelled as 'Flying Coffin' ( Spanish : Ataúd Volante ) by loyalist pilots. The rebel side, however, claimed that both air forces were almost equal, since the Soviet Union was helping the loyalist air force, but the fact was that: ... on

784-560: 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

882-691: 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 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

980-685: A great part of the 60 Breguet XIX , 27 Vickers Vildebeest and 56 Hispano-Nieuport Ni-52 planes that the Spanish Air Force had before the hostilities, for the Republic had the control of the majority of the territory. Nevertheless, confronted with a war of attrition in the same month, the Spanish Republican government bought in France 14 Dewoitine D.371 , 10 Dewoitine D.373 and 49 Potez 540 , among other military aircraft, for

1078-769: A great part of the planes of the Spanish Republican Air Force to France. The orders had been given in haste by the beleaguered authorities of the doomed Republican Government who wanted to prevent the aircraft from falling into the enemy's hands. The planes landed in Francazal near Toulouse , where the French authorities impounded them, arrested the Spanish Republican pilots, and swiftly interned them in concentration camps . The Escuadrilla España or Escuadra España , Squadron España, French : Escadrille Espagne , also known as Escuadrilla Internacional ,

SECTION 10

#1732773080357

1176-551: 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

1274-660: A major restructuring of the Spanish military air wing took place. Following a Government decree dated 2 October 1935, the Dirección General de Aeronáutica was placed under the authority of the War Ministry, Ministerio de la Guerra , instead of under the prime minister of Spain , following which in 1936 the Air Force regional units became restructured. Accordingly, the Spanish Navy -based Escuadra model

1372-743: A novel influenced by his Spanish war experiences. Malraux has often been criticized by opponents for his involvement or motivations in the Spanish Civil War. Comintern sources, for example, described him as an 'adventurer'. The professional pilots of the Escuadrilla España charged exorbitant rates to the Republican Government for their services. Other biographical sources, including fellow combatants, praise Malraux's leadership and sense of camaraderie. At any rate, Malraux's participation in such an historical event as

1470-669: 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

1568-411: A rear-mounted engine and propeller in a pusher configuration . An autogyro is characterized by a free-spinning rotor that turns because of 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

1666-522: 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 the development and construction of the first five prototypes. The C.6 first flew in February 1925, piloted by Captain Joaquín Loriga , including

1764-819: 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)

1862-498: 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

1960-655: 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 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

2058-553: 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

SECTION 20

#1732773080357

2156-430: 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

2254-440: 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

2352-642: The Aéropostale . After the pilots and the planes arrived to Madrid in August 1936, Malraux himself took charge of the organization of the squadron. Malraux was given considerable autonomy, in Albacete he recruited his own personnel, who escaped the control of the International Brigades run by hard-line Stalinist André Marty who tried to impose discipline. The only thing that held together

2450-719: 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

2548-570: 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

2646-875: The R-Z reconnaissance bombers were known as "Natacha" in the Spanish Republican Air Force. The Republican air arm was restructured again in May 1937. The new structure included two branches, the Arma de Aviación and the Subsecretaría de Aviación , but unified the Aeronáutica Militar and Aeronáutica Naval . Some sources give this date as the date of the creation of the Spanish Republican Air Force, although it had been previously operative as an air force already. The Republican Air Force would keep this structure until this disbandment two years later. Many planes belonging to

2744-530: 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,

2842-804: 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,

2940-473: The fixed-wing aircraft of the day, with a front-mounted engine and propeller. The term Autogiro became trademarked by 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

3038-646: 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 ,

Spanish Republican Air Force - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-542: The Bensen " Gyrocopter ". Its main advantages are the simplicity and lightness of its construction and 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

3234-670: 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

3332-486: The Civil War the Air Force of the Spanish republican government would have to fight against the better equipped Aviación Nacional , created by the fraction of the army in revolt and their powerful Italian Fascist and Third Reich supporters. After 18 July 1936 coup d'état , the Republican government lost the military planes that were in aerodromes under rebel control. The loyalist areas of Spain retained, however,

3430-679: The Civil War. As an air force it became practically ineffective after the Battle of the Ebro in 1938, when the spine of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces was broken. Finally the Spanish Republican Air Force was completely disbanded after the decisive rebel victory on 1 April 1939. The last Republican military airport in Catalonia was in Vilajuiga , from where on 6 February 1939 Commander Andrés García La Calle led

3528-630: The Condor Legion Ju 52 night bombing raids. There were about 300 Russian pilots in or around Madrid by the end of November 1936. The improved defensive capacity of the Spanish Republic boosted the morale of the areas of Spain under loyalist control. The Russian pilots gave their best performance in the Battle of Guadalajara , routing the Italian Aviazione Legionaria and pounding the Fascist militias incessantly from

3626-599: The French Air Ministry, such as Jean Moulin , future French Resistance leader. Even though President Albert Lebrun opposed direct assistance to the threatened fellow republic, Léon Blum, then the prime minister of France , decided to help the Spanish Republicans with discretion. Thus 20 Potez 540, 5 Bloch 210 , 10 Breguet XIX , 17 Dewoitine D.371 , 2 Dewoitine D.500 /510, 5 Amiot 143 , 5 Potez 25 and 6 Loire 46 planes were sent to Spain at

3724-584: 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

3822-677: The Legionary Nazi and Italian planes that dropped their bombs over Madrid every day. This action made the Russian pilots very popular among the people in Madrid. The Katiuska pilots took advantage for the time being of their aircraft's relatively higher speed, but the plane was vulnerable and its fuel tanks easily caught fire when shot at. Furthermore, when the Condor Legion brought the speedier Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters later in

3920-848: The National Defence Ministry (Ministerio de la Defensa Nacional) of the Republic, were established under the command of Indalecio Prieto as minister. The Republican air arm was restructured again in May 1937, well into the Civil War. The new structure unified the Aeronáutica Militar and Aeronáutica Naval . Some sources give this date as the date of the creation of the Spanish Republican Air Force , although it had been previously operative already under its two branches. The Republican Air Force would keep this structure until this disbandment two years later. Autogyro An autogyro (from Greek αὐτός and γύρος , "self-turning"), or gyroplane ,

4018-469: The Republican tricolor roundel was replaced by red bands, an insignia that had previously been used on Aeronáutica Naval aircraft during the monarchy in the 1920s, before the time of the Republic. In the same month the first serious air combat took place over Madrid when Italian bombers attacked the city in a massive bombing operation. The western democracies, like France, the United Kingdom and

Spanish Republican Air Force - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-439: The Soviet Union. The Spanish Republican Air Force lacked modern planes and experienced pilots. Unlike most other foreign pilots in the service of the Spanish Republican Air Force, Russian pilots were technically volunteers. They received no incentives, like combat bonuses, to supplement their modest wages. Many Soviet airmen came in the fall 1936, along with the new aircraft that the Spanish Republic had purchased from Russia. After

4214-686: The Spanish Air Force ( Aeronáutica Española ), under the names Aeronáutica Militar and Aeronáutica Naval , the former being the air arm of the Spanish Republican Army and the latter the naval aviation of the Spanish Republican Navy , included mainly French planes, some of which were remnants of the Rif War (1920–1926) . Once the Republican Government was established, General Luis Lombarte Serrano replaced pro-monarchist General Alfredo Kindelán as chief-commander of

4312-451: The Spanish Civil War inevitably brought him adversaries, as well as supporters, resulting in a polarization of opinion. The Soviet Union profited from the international isolation of the Spanish Republic imposed by the non-intervention agreements and assisted the beleaguered Republican government by providing weapons and pilots. Some of the most effective pilots in Spain were young men from

4410-429: The Spanish Republican Air Force for over two years, a total of 99 lost their lives. Little gratitude or recognition were shown to the surviving pilots despite their effort and, to compound their sad lot, many would later become victims of the Stalin Purges after their return to the USSR. The training of pilots, as well as other air force personnel, was trusted to the Instruction Services ( Servicios de Instrucción ). All

4508-491: The United States, did not help the young Spanish Republic. Afraid of the " Communist threat" Neville Chamberlain and Léon Blum were ready to sacrifice Spain, as they later sacrificed Czechoslovakia , in the belief that Hitler could be appeased . In the void thus created, only the Soviet Union helped the Spanish government effectively. At the end of October, four months after the rebels had been supplied with German and Italian aircraft by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini ,

4606-403: 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, 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

4704-399: The air force, but he would be quickly succeeded by Commander Ramón Franco , younger brother of later dictator Francisco Franco , a national hero who had earlier made a Trans-Atlantic flight in the Plus Ultra hydroplane. Aviation was developing in those years in Spain; in 1931 Captain Cipriano Rodríguez Díaz and Lieutenant Carlos de Haya González flew non-stop to Equatorial Guinea , then

4802-403: The air. Following the demands of the Non-Intervention Committee , Soviet pilots were phased out in the fall of 1938 and trained Spanish airmen took their places after having been trained at the flying schools of Albacete , Alicante , Murcia , El Palomar , Alhama , Los Alcázares , Lorca or El Carmolí that had been set up by the Soviet military. From about 772 Russian airmen that served

4900-435: 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, 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

4998-403: 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

SECTION 50

#1732773080357

5096-582: The beginning of the conflict. Thirteen more Dewoitine D.371 are mentioned by Jules Moch in his book Recontres avez Leon Blum and the Amiot 143 ended up not being delivered, for aircraft constructor Félix Amiot , who would later become a Nazi collaborator , sympathized with the enemies of Republican Spain in the civil war. The French planes, however, were not up to the enemy aircraft. The slow Potez 540 , some of them badly equipped, rarely survived three months of air missions, reaching only about 80 knots against enemy fighters flying at more than 250 knots. Few of

5194-422: The capability and combat readiness of the Soviet Air Forces . Therefore, much emphasis was placed on detailed reporting of the results of the testing of the new Russian military equipment and air-warfare techniques. The first planes that came to Spain were Tupolev SB bombers; the fighters would arrive later. Their first action was a morale-lifting bombing raid on the Talavera de la Reina military airfield used by

5292-422: The command structure of the Spanish loyalist forces was marred by ineptitude and lack of decision-making throughout the Civil War. Starting from the crucial first weeks of the conflict in July 1936, the rebel side was able to undertake a massive airlift of troops from Spanish Morocco using mostly the slow Ju 52 , without any Spanish Republican interference. This was the world's first long-range combat airlift and

5390-402: The conflict were repainted with the markings of the Aviación Nacional after the defeat of the Spanish Republic in the Iberian battlefields. Like all the branches of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, the Spanish Republican Air Force went through two clear phases during its existence: At the time of the democratic municipal elections that led to the proclamation of the Spanish Republic,

5488-415: The decisive Battle of the Ebro , where the Aviación Nacional was relentlessly strafing the loyalist positions with accurate low-level attacks, the republican military airplanes were practically absent from the skies. Moreover, when they appeared and attacked, they did so in an unorganized and inadequate manner that mostly failed to achieve positive effects. Most of the Spanish Republican planes that survived

5586-447: The different units of the Instruction Services depended from the Ministerio de Marina y Aire . During the Civil War the instruction bases and centres were scattered throughout the republican zone: Some documents ascribe him 23 victories Spanish Republican Armed Forces The Spanish Republican Armed Forces went through two clear phases during their existence: At the time of the democratic municipal elections that led to

5684-403: 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 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

5782-429: 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

5880-417: The fighters proved to be airworthy, and were delivered intentionally without guns or gun-sights. The French Ministry of Defense had feared that modern types of planes would easily be captured by the Germans fighting for Franco, and the lesser models were a way of maintaining official "neutrality". In the end the French planes were surpassed by more modern types introduced in late 1936 on both sides and their fate

5978-400: The first Tupolev SB bombers arrived from Russia. They were nicknamed "Katiuska" . One month later the first Soviet fighter planes arrived to alleviate the lack of operational planes in the loyalist side, the Polikarpov I-15 , nicknamed "Chato" (Snubnosed) and the Polikarpov I-16 , nicknamed "Mosca" (housefly) by the loyalists and "Rata" (rat) by the rebels. The Polikarpov R-5 and

SECTION 60

#1732773080357

6076-526: 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

6174-499: 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,

6272-415: The first half of the twentieth century. Gyroplane was later adopted as a trademark by Bensen Aircraft . The success of 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

6370-461: 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 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

6468-522: The fleet of the Spanish Republican Airline LAPE (Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas) were requisitioned by the Spanish Republican Air Force and used as military transports. Innovative, and often lethal, aeronautical bombing techniques were tested by Condor Legion German expeditionary forces against loyalist areas on Spanish soil with the permission of Generalísimo Franco. The pilots of the Spanish Republican Air Force were unable to check these modern-warfare attacks. Their planes were mostly obsolete and often in

6566-409: The flight from enemy-occupied Málaga , the last two bombers were shot down and the Escuadrilla Malraux was formally dissolved. Even after France joined the Non-Intervention Committee , Malraux helped the Spanish Republic to acquire military aircraft through third countries. The Spanish Republican government circulated photos of Malraux's standing next to some Potez 540 bombers suggesting that France

6664-429: 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, 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

6762-485: The group's autonomy, plotted to bring the Escuadrilla España under his command. Finally the situation was resolved by means of the integration of the squadron in the regular Spanish armed forces. Once the contracts of the professional pilots was severed, the Escuadrilla España would become part of the official Republican Air Force, losing its former status, but taking the name of Escuadrilla Malraux in honor of its founder. The losses, however, escalated, and after covering

6860-410: The military planes on the Spanish Republican side failed to check it. The Battle of Guadalajara and the defence of the skies over Madrid against Nationalist bombing raids during the capital's long siege would be the only scenarios where the loyalist air force took part in an effective manner. In other important republican military actions, such as the Segovia Offensive , the Battle of Teruel and

6958-418: The month of his military coup, the help received by Francisco Franco from Nazi Germany ( Condor Legion ) and Fascist Italy ( Aviazione Legionaria ) gave the rebels the upper hand in airpower over Spain. The first German and Italian bombers arrived to increase the size of the rebel air force already in July 1936 and Fiat CR.32 and Heinkel He 51 fighter planes began operating in August. These planes helped

7056-587: 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

7154-561: The other side, the fabled military support provided by the Soviet Union was too little and too late – and generally of poor quality. In addition, whilst the Nationalists received vast supplies on credit from the US and Britain, Stalin's assistance came with strings attached. The Spanish Republican Air Force was unable to counteract the deadly low-level attacks and close support of the infantry tactics developed by Wolfram von Richthofen during

7252-557: 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 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,

7350-456: The pitch control). Juan de la Cierva was a Spanish engineer , inventor, pilot, and aeronautical enthusiast. In 1921, he participated in 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

7448-688: The proclamation of the Spanish Republic, the Air Force was divided in two branches, the Aeronáutica Militar and Aeronáutica Naval , the former being the air arm of the Spanish Republican Army and the latter the naval aviation of the Spanish Republican Navy. In September 1936 the Navy and Air Ministry ( Ministerio de Marina y Aire ) and the Air Undersecretariat, ( Subsecretaria del Aire ), both part of

7546-496: The rank of lieutenant colonel , even though he was not a pilot and hadn't even been through military service. This title gave Malraux authority as Squadron Leader of Escuadrilla España , for he was only answerable to general Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros , the Spanish Ministerio del Aire commander-in-chief. The writer thus helped to hire crews for the planes, mainly volunteers and professional pilots who had served in

7644-511: The rebel army side to gain full control of the air, as did the Italian Aviazione Legionaria and the German Condor Legion. In September 1936 the Navy and Air Ministry ( Ministerio de Marina y Aire ) and the Air Undersecretariat, ( Subsecretaria del Aire ), both part of the National Defence Ministry (Ministerio de la Defensa Nacional) were established under the command of Indalecio Prieto as minister. For identification purposes

7742-413: 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 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

7840-405: 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 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

7938-414: 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 , 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

8036-457: The rotor relative to the airframe, or only do so in one dimension, and have conventional control surfaces to vary 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

8134-500: The rotor. Collective pitch controls are not usually fitted to autogyros but can be found on 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

8232-457: The rudder is typically placed in the propeller slipstream to maximize yaw control at low airspeed (but not always, as seen in 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

8330-496: 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 ,

8428-496: The value of 12 million francs. All these planes were largely obsolete at the time, so that in the first four months after the start of the hostilities, the only aircraft of the Republican government that could be considered modern were three Douglas DC-2s that had been purchased recently for LAPE , the Republican airline in March 1935. These were requisitioned by the Spanish Republican Air Force and used as military transports. Within

8526-625: The war, the SB squadrons suffered heavy losses. Anatol Serov, nicknamed "Mateo Rodrigo", established the Escuadrilla de Vuelo Nocturno fighter squadron along with Mikhail Yakushin. This night-flight section would use I-15 Chatos that had modified exhaust pipes, so that the flames in front would not impair the pilot's night vision. M. Yakushin would become the leader of the Night Fighter Squadron that would be quite effective against

8624-455: The western democracies refused military assistance to the established Spanish Government in the name of so-called "Non-Intervention", the Soviet Union and Mexico were practically the only nations that helped Republican Spain in its struggle. In a similar manner as Hitler with his Third Reich re-armament , Joseph Stalin saw the acquisition of first-hand combat experience in Spain by Soviet pilots and technicians as essential for his plans regarding

8722-406: 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 a byproduct of the flapping motion. This development led to the Cierva C.8, which, on 18   September 1928, made

8820-442: The writer's motley group of pilots, gunners , mechanicians and airfield assistants and guards, was their common antifascist resolve. Malraux had to pay a heavy price for his freedom of action though. The Escuadrilla España would suffer a chronic shortage of spare parts and supplies. The number of planes in combat condition was greatly reduced by accidents, lack of quality and by being shot down in action. André Marty, unhappy with

8918-487: Was a Spanish Republican Air Force unit organized by French writer André Malraux . Even though it was largely ineffective, this squadron became something of a legend after the writer's claims of nearly annihilating part of the rebel army in the Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe at Medellín , Extremadura . The Escuadrilla España reached a maximum of 130 members and would fly a total of 23 combat missions before it

9016-779: 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 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

9114-530: Was on their side, at a time when France and the United Kingdom had declared official neutrality. Malraux, however, was not there at the behest of the French Government. Aware of the Republicans' inferior armaments, of which outdated aircraft were just one part of the problem, he toured the United States to raise funds for the Spanish Republican cause. In 1937 he published L'Espoir (Man's Hope),

9212-607: Was reorganized following the restructuring of the Republican Armed Forces in September 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War . This defunct Air Force is largely known for the intense action it saw during the Civil War, from July 1936 till its disbandment in 1939. The Spanish Republican Air Force was popularly known as "La Gloriosa" (The Glorious One). But, according to some historians,

9310-614: Was replaced by Región Militar divisions which are still operative today in the Spanish Air Force . Five years after the proclamation of the Spanish republic, a section of the Republican Army in Spanish Morocco rebelled under the orders of General Francisco Franco . The rebellion succeeded only in fractioning Spain and Franco went ahead and began a bloody war of attrition, the Spanish Civil War. During

9408-619: Was that many of them crashed or were shot down. The crash of Spanish Republican Air Force serial ' Ñ ' Potez 540 plane that was shot down by rebel planes over the Sierra de Gúdar range of the Sistema Ibérico near Valdelinares inspired André Malraux to make his L'espoir movie. In order to give the whole operation an official character, the Spanish Republican War Ministry authorities gave André Malraux

9506-405: Was the first successful rotorcraft, which he named autogiro in 1923. De la Cierva's autogiro used an airplane fuselage with 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

9604-469: Was wrapped up in February 1937. During the 1930s, André Malraux was active in the anti-fascist Popular Front in France. Upon hearing the news of General Franco's rebellion that marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, he put himself at the service of the Spanish Republic. Despite opposition from French president Albert Lebrun , Malraux helped to organize the aid to the Republican air force helped by his contacts with highly placed personalities within

#356643