Our Territories

Channel Islands
England
Ireland
Isle of Man
Scotland
Wales

Our Categories

Home
Locations
Surnames
Articles
Library
Lookups

tests. But he got around this snag by obtaining an American pilot’s licence which allowed him to fly in Britain. He re-applied for his licence again in 1999 while still holding his U.S. licence The authorities said he was too old to in the air at 83!

A year before one of Ken’s altitude Records had been broken by Dr Bill Clem of Denvar, Colorado, and naturally he wants to regain it. His current AutoGyro machine (named Nellie) will reach approx. 20,000ft but to increase this requires supercharging or a more powerful engine. As he was banned from British air space he had sadly been forced to take up the challenge in France or the US.

However in the summer of 2000 the C.A.A. brought in line the Medical requirements to be met by pilots of Auto=gyros, “Gyroplanes” was b rought in line with those required for Balloons & Microlights. All that was required was a self-assessment & a signature by one’s G.P. to say that the applicant does not suffer from epilepsy, etc., but it was still necessary to convince the Medical Division at the Civil Aviation Authority that he met the new requirements. Ken sent off his signed “Self Assessment form together with a copy a covering letter from his G.P. He fully expected a negative reply, saying he would have to undertake further tests. Nothing was heard for some time. Then in August 2000 a letter arrived with the C.A.A. logo on the envelope! He opened it with some trepidation and was amazed to be wished “a happy return to the air” there were some apologies for past obstructions, etc. There had indeed been a recent change of heart with the C.A.A., “Medics”

His next problem was getting his aircraft legally into the air again with valid “Permits to Fly” These aircraft had been grounded in the UK since his licence was revoked in 1993 and now required certificates of airworthiness. One would have thought that aircraft that had been flying satisfactorily over some 38 years or that Ken held 14 World Records for speed and range, would have proved themselves and that Ken who had designed and built these machines himself would know they were up to standard. Ken had already in place since 1959 a system where the Authorities were always advised of progress and potential hazards of the project These hafd been there since it started.. All this now seemed to count for nothing, so Ken had to start again from the beginning but in a rather negative way.

Kenneth has told me of his experiences with Official Aircraft inspectors some time ago it was usual for checks to be made on his Auto Gyros. In those days there existed a sensible arrangement that still allowed him to experiment responsibly. The Survey who was sent took a great interest in the rudder control cables! He spent a long time checking every inch. Ken asked, “what’s the problem? Why are you so worried about these cables?” He replied “ The tail rotor control”. I explained that an autogyro does not have a tail rotor: Such items are vital to the safety in a helicopter, in such a machine the “Tail rotor” prevents the body of the machine spinning in reaction to the Main Rotor torque. Clearly this Surveyor was more familiar with Helicopters and knew little of Ken’s type of aircraft. This led the authories at the time to say there was no sense in sending their Surveyors to check his machines. They did not know what they were looking for. Common sense had prevailed for very many years. But now he had to show them.

In 1998 Wing Commander Kenneth H Wallis, MBE received the Sir Barnes Wallis Medal from the Guild of Air Pilots & Air Navigators, for his exceptional contribution to aviation over more than 50 years; in particular in the design, development and operation of autogyros.

Previous | Index | Next