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The Thruxton Aviation Co. of Andover, England, began design of their two-seat cabin ES 101 Gadfly autogyro in 1964, using a conventional two-blade teeter rotor system with a fixed-pitch pusher propeller driven by a 165hp Rolls-Royce Continental engine, and a twin boom tail structure. Ground tests of the sole prototype began at Thruxton airfield in 1967 but this autogyro failed to fly and was abandoned. G.Apostolo "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters", 1984
TYPE: Two-seat general-purpose light autogyro
ROTOR SYSTEM: Two-blade rotor. Blades of laminated spruce and balsa
FUSELAGE: Welded square-section steel tube
TAIL UNIT: Twin fin and rudders on tail booms
LANDING GEAR: Non-retractable tricycle type
POWER PLANT: One 165hp Rolls-Royce Continental IO-346-A four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine, driving a two-blade pusher propeller
ACCOMODATION: Two seats side-by-side in fully enclosed cabin www.britishaircraft.co.uk
| Technical data for Thruxton HDW-1 Gadfly
Engine: Rolls-Royce Continental IO-346-A, 165hp,
rotor diameter: 11.28m,
length: 6.70m,
height: 2.90m,
gross weight: 725kg
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| Nick, e-mail, 15.08.2015 | reply |
This machine was in the lower workshop of Rivers Engineering Winchester in the latter stages of it's build. Ray Hilborne was brought in to try and bring some professionalism to the project. Very little or no money so he could not do much but produce retrospective drawings as it was cobbled together . I will always remember the cockpit floor bolted down with a variety of bolts from the stores. On one test the aircraft (!) Was secured to ground spikes at the rear of the factory, started up with the 'fixed pitch wooden prop' turning, the electronic clutch to the main rotor engaged when a shower of splinters from the wooden prop as gravel was thrown up. There was much laughter over a pint when Ray said 'they have found a pilot to test it - a one armed Aussie! The retired Squadron Leader whose pet project it was, would turn up in a duffle coat and deerstalker cap very Sherlock Holmes. | | WESLEY STANLEY, e-mail, 29.04.2014 | reply |
DOES THIS ITEM MEET THE FAA RULES FOR EXPERIMENTAL HOME BUILT IN THE USA? |
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