Wonder Air Machine for Man in Street

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 175, 27 July 1935, Page 9

Wonder Air Machine for Man in Street

TAKING OFF IN YOUR OWN BACK GARDEN BRITISH COMPANY LONDON, Juno 30. British aircraft, manufacturers are to be in the forefront of the race to manufacture a revolutionary new typo of helicopter which it is claimed, will be the air machine of the future for the man in the street. A British company is In process of formation to manufacture the new 'machine. An order for the first of the machines has been placed by the Air Ministry. It is claimed for the new helicopter that it can: — Rise or descend absolutely vertically. Take off, or land in a space twelve yards square. Land at a speed less than a parachute in the event of engine failure. Be built to descend on water. Hover at any height indefinitely. • The board of the new company which is being formed to take over the licence for manufacturing the aircraft in the Britisai Empire will include: The Duke of Montrose, Mr Robert Blackburn, of the Blackburn Aeroplane Company Ltd., Brough, Yorks, Mr Douglas Bruce Walter Markmau, Captain Charles Edward Ward and Mr Oskar von Asboth, a Hungarian who is the designer and inventor of the helicopter. Driven by Propellers. The Air Ministry have been interested in the machine for a long time, and three years ago sent experts to Hungary to inspect ah earlier model. They found it had two defects: there was no pro- . vision for safe landing in tlio event of engine failure, and there was no directional steering control. These drawbacks have now been remedied. In appearance the new machine resembles au ordinary aeroplane. There are no largo vanes over it as on the autogiro. It is driven by two propellors which rotate in opposite directions. I They can be set liohizontally or vertically, according to whether the machino is-travelling upwards or downwards, or horizontally. By gearing in the forward air serow speeds as high as those of an aeroplane are attainable. Eliglit-Lieutenant N. Comper, who is the technical representative’ and chief

designer in England for Mr von Asboth, stated that in its tests the machine has Shown it can hover indefinitely in the air. Thus iu rough weather it can remain over a landing ground indefinitely, waiting for instructions. “A pilot could take off from his back garden in this machine with absolute safety,” Flight-Lieutenant Comper declared. As a result of the appeal by the Commissioner of Police iu London for the surrender of unwanted firearms, more than 1000 were deposited at Metropolitan police stations.