Ken Wallis Autogyro Pioneer Dies At 97

First time accepted submitter gb7djk writes "Wing Commander Ken Wallis the developer and promoter of small autogyros died peacefully today 4th September, aged 97, at his home in Norfolk. Ken is mainly remembered for 'Little Nellie', the tooled up autogyro that took on some helicopters in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. He made the breakthrough discovery of the offset rotor head that made autogyros stable as well as many other aviation inventions. More info here and a video of him flying one of his creations (at the age of 95)."

Oblig

[Cryacin]

Yes, I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian Consulate in Siam by aero mail. Am I too late for the 4:30 autogyro?

Re:

[NotQuiteReal]

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Redd Foxx

o'care

[harvey the nerd]

Don't worry, Soylent Green has that covered. aka O'care 2.1

And this was before safety

[houstonbofh]

I love the video of a 95 year old man hand cranking a prop with no safety guard. Rash behavior like that will kill you before you reach 100, I bet!

Re:And this was before safety

[Anonymous Coward]

I bet the real story is that he died peacefully in his sleep -- behind the stick of his autogyro, as it crashed into his house at 80kph.

Re:

[asm2750]

Well said V.I.N.CENT.

Re:And this was before safety

[milkmage]

Yeager, Chuck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager [wikipedia.org]

On October 14, 2012 on the 65th anniversary of breaking the sound barrier, Yeager did it again in a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, out of Nellis Air Force Base at the age of 89

he's old and bold. how many 89 year olds break Mach? and he was a test pilot for 30 years after he retired officially.

"The Right Stuff" is right.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

I've got a great-great-grandfather who founded a pharmaceutical company. And there are stories of how he would brew up the growth media for the pathogens to make his vaccines at home on the kitchen stove. Fast forward to the present and I've been spending the last few months trying to sort through all kinds of bureacracy and regulations to get some exome sequencing for a newphew with a genetic condition. One one hand, even just the fact that I can send a DNA saliva sample halfway around the world overnight

mod up previous; not so much in Asia

[harvey the nerd]

That's N Amerika and Europe. In Asia they still get tired by such expensive and burdensome rules.

Re:And this was before safety

[bill_mcgonigle]

No helmet, no goggles - just undiluted awesome. He's like a character out of a Miyazaki film.

More autogyros being used

[techno-vampire]

In the 1982 version of Annie, [wikipedia.org] Annie and Daddy Warbucks land an autogyro on the White House lawn. And, Doc Savage and his friends often used them, especially at night because they were so quiet, and could land on roofs and take off again.

Re:

[Misagon]

... and in Bob Kane's original Batman comics, first printed in Detective Comics #31 in 1939, Batman did not use a "batplate" or a "batcopter". He used a "batgyro" [wikipedia.org]. The first "batarang" was introduced in the same panel.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[Bitsy Boffin]

Modern Gyros are are anything but "old-school tech"...

Arrow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5qhOsCUNX0 [youtube.com]
Calidus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AptB9l-ajSA [youtube.com]
Cavalon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS2ibF-eWTo [youtube.com]
Magni M24: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlaumLGZk50#t=1m30 [youtube.com]
...list goes on...

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't find it, but I once saw a graph showing efficiency for autogyros, planes, and helicopters. Planes are tremendously more efficient than autogyros for distance. I can't remember exactly how helicopters faired--based on speed, distance, etc--but in any event autogyros can't hover so they're not replacements for helicopters.

Basically, autogyros don't really fit into modern commercial needs. All the super sophisticated models are hybrids, but that makes them complex, and thus their utility is debatable.

T

Re:

[Skywings]

but in any event autogyros can't hover so they're not replacements for helicopters.

While it can't hover like a helicopter you can get it to fly really slowly into a really strong headwind (as with all other planes). It's almost like as if you're hovering.

RE: Autogyros

[n3r0.m4dski11z]

While the grammar and spelling are correct, this is not much of a comment.
It is old-school UID but not that impressive. While it is sad that you are lame, learning this bit of information does not warrant a slashdot post. I am sorry to say this, but ho hum.

Re:

[foreverdisillusioned]

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than myself will come along and correct you about autogyros being obsolete.

I'll get them started: they're simpler/cheaper and are arguably more reliable than helicopters in case of mechanical failure. Any lingering safety concerns are largely a result of pilots used to other craft not understanding the handling characteristics of autogyros. The only major disadvantages vs. helicopters are they can't hover (though they can fly much slower than airplanes) and they can't

Yummm...

[Obfuscant]

I do love the sandwich, but I still prefer the handmade ones.

A great man...

[PhantomHarlock]

...without which we would not have the Bruce Spence character in The Road Warrior!

Re:

[GodfatherofSoul]

I'm certain they're the same guy. Too much of a coincidence for a pilot to be the same actor in consecutive movies. And, your chronology doesn't work since the order is reversed.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[cusco]

And when was the last time you saw a good flame war? The Internet is get awfully pedestrian nowadays.

Re:

[jones_supa]

Ahh, that would indeed hit the ole spot. I'd love to grab some popcorn and follow a nice crispy flamewar.

Re:

[Jade_Wayfarer]

Indeed. Couple of years ago any news about Microsoft, Linux, Apple, Gnome, KDE, or even GPL/BSD would start a truly epic flamewar in the comments. Nowadays it's all "Insightful" and "Informative" with the rare cases of "Funny". Even religions and politics are not as... enkindling as they were. Looks like soon I'll need to by a house with a big nice lawn, dammit.

Re:

[Obfuscant]

The Internet is get awfully pedestrian nowadays.

No it isn't.

Good Memories

[TrueSatan]

I knew Ken when I worked at Weslake Developments in Rye, East Sussex, an engineering R&D company that designed and tested engines for the UK automotive and aviation industries (I was the firm's Costing Engineer at the time); he was one of the directors of the firm. He was always a calm and reasonable voice in often head debates over the future of the company. His accomplishments gave him a platform that got people to listen but it was his warmth and understanding, both of technical issues and the people involved, that made him so respected and such an asset to the company. His flair for the dramatic was never far away...he'd journey from Lydd Airport (principally owned by Richard Branson who knew Ken well) piloting a skeletal Autogyro, of his own design and that he had built, landing it in a field behind the business park where Weslake Developments was housed. I've many happy memories from that time and value them greatly...I'll surely miss him.

Ummmm....gyro

[lexlthr]

Is it pronounced - auto-jeer-oh, like the sandwich?

Little Nellie!

[CohibaVancouver]

Tanaka: I have much curiosity, Bond-san. What is Little Nellie?
OO7: Oh, she's a wonderful girl. Very small, quite fast. Can do anything. Just your type.
Tanaka: A toy helicopter?
Q: No, it's certainly not a toy! You'll see. We've made one or two improvements since you used her last. I'll give you the drill.
Tanaka: This can only be for children! Don't use it, Bond-san. Take my helicopter instead!
Q: Right. Now pay attention, OO7. Two machine guns, fixed.
OO7: Synchronized to what?
Q: 100 yards. We're using incendiaraies and high explosives. Two rocket launchers, forward-firing on either side.
OO7: Fine.
Q: Now, these fire heat-seeking air-to-air missiles. 60 a minute.
OO7: Good.
Q: Flame guns. Two of 'em. Firing astern.
OO7: What range?
Q: 80 yards. Two smoke ejectors next door to them. Aerial mines. Now remember, use them only when directly above target. That's about the lot, I think. You know the rest, don't you?
OO7: Yes.
Q: Cine camera.
OO7: Tanaka, listen in on 410 megacycles.
Tanaka: Good luck, Bond-san.
OO7: I'll contact you when I get over the island.
Tanaka: Okay.
Aki: Be careful, Bond-san!

Discovered?

[Forthan Red]

The article says he made the "discovery of the offset rotor head". Was it lying in a field somewhere, and he tripped over it? Perhaps it was discovered growing on a tree in the Amazon Jungle? Or maybe the author is shortchanging Mr. Wallis by failing to use the correct word, "invented". Sadly, his invention not only made him no money, since he could not profit from patenting it (as he was in the RAF at the time, and any patent would belong to the crown), it doesn't even bare his name.

Re:

[Forthan Red]

Oddly enough, I do know how to spell pedantic.

Pioneers...

[Anonymous Coward]

This was the pioneer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_la_Cierva

Rip, Ken. Gyrocopters are awesome!

[Romwell]

Having flown one of these machines [imgur.com] this year, I think these machines give you the best powered flying experience ever. Thank you, Ken Wallis, for contributing to the development of the awsome technology that combines the best of the airplane and the helicopter in one amazing machine.