Are you getting the engagement you want from your social media? As O.C. A shame, really, that Wing Commander Wallis' contributions that have literally benefitted generations has been to date recognized as meerly a footnote by his own government. Wallis’ prototype gimbal was used on the new WA-116 autogiro and was patented in the UK with the rights belonging to the British Crown owing to Wallis being a RAF officer at the time. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? 1982 The "Reginald Mitchell" Medal awarded by Stoke-on-Trent Association of Engineers. Entering in 1938, Wallis found himself in the Royal Air Force flying patrols in the Westland “Lysander” by 1940. Myself being from America, I had to ask Mr. Hancock about British "Knighthood". view property comparables, and sign up to receive monthly market reports. Wallis retired from his military career in the RAF in 1964, to devote his time and energy fully into ultralight autogyro design and research. He earned the nickname "Crasher" after a series of crash landings; in one, his Wellington bomber lurched home with 115 holes; in another a wing was flapping off after a collision with a barrage balloon and in a third the underside of the plane was enveloped in flames after an explosion in the bomb bay. "As a person he was totally engaging and had a compassion for others. In his teens he was designing, building and racing powerboats and sportscars. Ken Wallis knew from a very early start in his gyroplane development that in order for the gyroplane to gain acceptance people would need to not only see the practical application of the autogyro but also to view its remarkable maneuverability, stability, and inherent safety of the type.

"He's somebody who was such a character, who lived a full life from beginning to end.". A project which he began working on in the barracks, during down times. He became known in later life for his inventions, one of which led to his appearance as Sean Connery's stunt double as James Bond in the explosive aerial sequence in You Only Live Twice, when he flew "Little Nellie", a gyrocopter he had designed and built himself. It is appropriate that the rank of Wing Commander be applied when addressing Ken Wallis. Ken Wallis was a wartime hero who completed 28 hazardous bombing missions over Europe. Quote from author Ian Hancock in an e-mail to Ken Fietz dated 2-15-2008. Video, 00:01:00Robot dolphins and a skeleton worth millions, Arctic Circle teens call for help to save their homes. Colorado battles a record-breaking wildfire. The English Electric B-57 “Canberra” was a first-generation turbine-powered bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. Infrared Linescan was carried, the imagery being transmitted to the ground in real time. The Wellington was highly utilized during the first two years of World War II; it would later be replaced as a bomber by much larger four-engine designs like the Avro Lancaster. Later B-7 drawings were modified taking into account Wallis’ findings. Ken Wallis, Writer: World of Laughter. Since the Patents were owned by the British Crown there really was no recourse of action for Wallis but his offset rotor gimbal design has become the practical standard of gyroplane rotorhead design ever since. All Rights Reserved. Ken has undertaken numerous projects to validate the diversity, economic advantage and versatility of the public or commercial application of the autogyro. To show the public these flight characteristics Ken would quite frequently perform demonstrations at airshows across the globe. Ken Wallis life history, achievements, Honors: Direct correspondance with author Ian Hancock via e-mails over the course of writing this tribute. In 1958 he was the "Weapons Officer" Headquarters Fighter Command. Ken also still regularly flies his autogyros and is still planning flights to break present autogyro records.


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