I was measuring up a building site in Ware, Hertfordshire, on tuesday morning, when a Wallis autogyro flew right overhead, heading west, I was astonished, so were my two accomplices.
My immediate thoughts were, oh, perhaps filming has started on the new James Bond film and he’s heading for the studios, would the old boy fly all the way down from Norfolk to do this though, hell of a trip, are any other of his machines registered with other people.
I’m cursing myself for not taking out my mobile phone and filming it for posterity, but I can assure you, we saw it, any comments please.
By: mike currill - 10th February 2008 at 15:58
There’s no doubt about it, Ken Wallis is an amazing man. That he’s still so full of enthusiasm forn life at his age shows that you really are only as old as you let yourself be, I guess that means he’ll always be about 25.
Regarding the Parnall Elf, were they designing a girder bridge and ended up with an aeroplane or the other way round?
By: Septic - 10th February 2008 at 15:12
Ken Wallis had a nice little TV spot last week on ‘Suggs survivors’, Ken was too quick for the Madness front man and his film crew.:D
http://www.wavelengthfilms.co.uk/
Septic.
By: pimpernel - 10th February 2008 at 14:07
Pete. you were not imagining this aircraft.
It flew over the house today about 12.00hrs approx.
The sun was in my eyes but it looked yellow and grey/silver flying towards Ware.
Brian.
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd February 2008 at 21:25
Flying an Autogyro
Anyone who flies an autogyro needs a medal of the highest order – never mind being 92 and doing it! The guy’s fearless.
By: adrian_gray - 1st February 2008 at 13:35
Cheers James, should have known the Warren truss bit (I knew there was a proper term for it, and couldn’t bring it to mind), and probably guessed the Elf as well – I must have seen it at OW! 😮
Adrian
By: JDK - 1st February 2008 at 10:13
At risk of derailing Pete’s thread, James, what is that biplane with the fancy bracing in the background?
You mean the international petrol price thread? 😀
A: The one and only Parnall Elf, with its distinctive Warren truss struts. It’s worrying when an aircraft is too obscure even for Shuttleworth to wheel out regularly, but there’s just not enough Elf fans.
By: adrian_gray - 1st February 2008 at 09:42
At risk of derailing Pete’s thread, James, what is that biplane with the fancy bracing in the background?
Adrian
By: Pete Truman - 31st January 2008 at 15:22
Well, it was definately a Walls autogyro, basic model without bits added, anyone who flies down to Pinewood at his age deserves a medal of the highest order, can anyone confirm this.
By: topgun regect - 31st January 2008 at 15:20
92 this year
Martin
By: SADSACK - 31st January 2008 at 13:54
re
what a character, how old is the chap now? He must be about 90.
By: Moggy C - 31st January 2008 at 12:53
To make it easier £1.06 / litre.
Moggy
By: JDK - 31st January 2008 at 12:44
Petrol is fast approaching £5.00 a gallon over here now JDK
A$1.40 a litre roughly, which if my calculations :confused: work out is 2.92 pounds a gallon. :rolleyes:
By: Moggy C - 31st January 2008 at 12:34
Last time I saw him on the road his transport was a little less salubrious, though possibly more fuel efficient.
Petrol is fast approaching £5.00 a gallon over here now JDK
Moggy
By: JDK - 31st January 2008 at 11:38
That’s Ken’s Roller in the background.
By: JDK - 31st January 2008 at 11:21
IIRC, Ken won’t licence his designs to anyone else for liability reasons (I may be wrong) and is also the only one flying them.
As long as it was a Wallis (rather than one of the very similar other ultralight Autogyros around) it was the great man himself!
When I saw him fly Little Nellie at Old Warden many years ago, it was towed to site behind his Roller. 😉
More here:
http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?t=3759
Among other posts from the visit.
By: Moggy C - 31st January 2008 at 11:04
He normally tows it to the flying site behind his car.
Moggy
Sign In
January 31, 2008 at 10:19 am