Did the RAF genuinely adopt the Ayro Wheel to use in pilot training, as suggested in these newspaper pieces? Or was this an excuse for a lighthearted afternoon followed by showgirls as guests in the Mess?
Caption: Novel display at English flying school: Girl performers from the London Casino demonstrating an aero [sic] wheel to 5000 pupils at the Cranwell flying school last month. The Royal Air Force has ordered a supply of these wheels, which are claimed to produce the same movements as those experienced in an aeroplane.
New Zealand Herald, 24 December 1937
Caption: A troupe of showgirls demonstrating balance and control to men of the R.A.F. School at Cranwell. The Ayro wheels give users much the same sensations as those experienced by pilots when turning, banking and spinning their machines.
The Dominion, 14 January 1938
By: Dave Homewood - 13th November 2024 at 03:22
Thanks.
By: Arabella-Cox - 9th November 2024 at 16:24
They still have a following as part of a gymnastic sport. Quite popular, apparently.
By: Mothminor - 9th November 2024 at 14:22
I must admit I knew nothing about Ayro wheels until roughly an hour ago but a quick look through a couple of old newspapers tells me that they were allegedly invented in Germany in 1926 for the “purpose of accustoming airmen to disturbances in equilibrium and the sensations of looping the loop or flying upside down”. In 1928 the wheels were tested at Aldershot and approved by the Army. It was also stated that they could prove useful for the Air Force, Fire Brigade and Police.
I never did find anything to confirm that the wheels were officially adopted by any of the services and I suspect that when, around ten years later, an RAF officer arranged the Cranwell display he was thinking more of entertainment for the boys rather than…well, trying to re-invent the wheel!
Nor did I find anything to say that they went down well with the Luftwaffe either. The wheels that is 🙂
By: Dave Homewood - 9th November 2024 at 11:16
And more here
By: Dave Homewood - 9th November 2024 at 11:14
I just found footage of these things in action, demonstrated by the daughter and son of an RAF officer.
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November 5, 2024 at 7:23 pm