Kings Lynn Aero Modelling Club

BARNEY'S INDOOR  FLY-IN dates for 2012 Rubber - Electric Powered Model Aircraft - Not exceeding 460mm / 18” Wing span Small Electric Powered Helicopters - Sizes are limited and are at the discretion of the Organiser. Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. January 29th February 26th March 18th Summer recess September 30th October 21st November18th   ENTRANCE FEES:- Flyers £4.00 Spectators 50p Children must be over 8 years of age and accompanied by a guardian. All Fly-Ins are at theWilliam Burt Centre West Winch, King's Lynn, Norfolk.

---

Wing Commander Ken Wallis gains permission from CAA for a one-off attempt at autogyro speed record.

Wing Commander Ken Wallis has secured special one-off permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to breach the statutory 70mph speed limit for the autogyro, allowing him to make his record bid in British skies.

The former Wellington bomber pilot, who lives in Reymerston, near Dereham, was a key figure in the post-war development of the autogyro, which he flew as Sean Connery’s stunt double in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.

Between 1968 and 2002 he set 34 world records for speed, circuit and altitude feats, many of which still stand – including the 129mph top speed recorded for a 3km flight in the tiny rotor-powered aircraft.

The record was initially set in the 1970s before the restrictions were introduced, and Wing Cmr Wallis said he had struggled since then to gain dispensation to exceed it and extend his world-beating exploits.

But after a fellow pilot wrote to CAA head Dame Deirdre Hutton appealing for help, he has received a reply clearing the runway for his next attempt which, subject to aircraft and medical examinations, could happen in May.

“It was a wonderful surprise,” he said. “She says that my efforts are well recognised and that there is no reason I shouldn’t be able to do it.

“There are a lot of people supporting me, saying I should do it. It has become a bit of a joke really. It is my birthday in April so if I break this record in May I can do it as an old man of 96 rather than a young man of 95. I am still quite happy flying, and all you really need to do in an autogyro is sit in it and open the throttle.”

Wing Cmdr Wallis, who owns 20 home-made autogyros, said he hopes to make the record attempt in the same aircraft which already holds the record.

“I know it can do better,” he said. “129mph was done in adverse conditions with a lot of wind blowing. I know that if I started tomorrow I could make an aircraft that could go faster but at this age I have got to gather the enthusiasm to start again.”

Last year, as a DVD called Ken Wallis: Born to Bond was launched to celebrate his life and escapades, the pilot said after flying for 74 years he “should know better” than to make another record attempt.

But last night he said his motivation was simply an extension of his love of flying.

“For me I just like flying around, I like taking aerial photographs, and I just want to improve on the record.”

Story by Chris Hill - EDP

---

Click on the poster and adjust to Full Screen HD1080
The RED TAILS of WWII
Coming to a screen near you in
January 2012

HISTORY OF THE MEN WHO INSPIRED THE RED TAILS FILM

In 1939, the government began establishing flight schools at colleges around the nation but refused to do so at any of the Black colleges believing black men didn’t have the calibre to be fighter pilots.

But with mounting pressure from black newspapers, pressure groups and a few sympathetic government leaders including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor it was decided to try the “Tuskegee Experiment”. So on July the 19th 1941 a flight school was established at the historic Tuskegee University in Alabama

In June 1943, the Tuskegee Airmen entered into combat over North Africa. The airmen should courage, skill and ddication in combat. They flew more than 15,000 sorties, completing over 1,500 missions during the war.
They never lost an escorted bomber to enemy fighters. No other escort unit could claim such a record.
When the war ended, the Tuskegee Airmen returned home with 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Legions of Merit and the Red Star of Yugoslavia. The group was disbanded in May 1946 but its success contributed to blacks men and women been fully integrated into the military.

---

LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN?
Fly down to

CLEARANCE SPECIALS

Flying Legends 2011- Click on the P38 / View some of the best photographs of the best warbirds flying in the UK! Loss of P51D! Both pilots safe!