NEW AIRCRAFT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17079, 7 July 1926, Page 5

NEW AIRCRAFT.

BRITISH EXPERIMENTS. ALTO-GYRO TRIAL. LONDON, June 22. The Air Ministry carried out remarkable experiments at Southampton with Captain Courtney's auto-gyro (or windmill aeroplane). Four others are being constructed. There is every probability that the principle will ho adopted for all big bombing and lighting machines. Captain Courtney to-day demonstrated hi.s control, by placing a newspaper near an aerodrome, and landing within a feufeet of it, the machine coming to a halt by means of a vertical drop in the lastfew feet. TO COST £4OO. The secret- of the auto-gyro lies in the horizontal planes, which are made to r> volve by a. dozen men pulling, ns they run. on a long rope, which is employed like a string on a spinning top. This is a temporary expedient, and later a mechanical contrivance will be substituted. Captain Courtney estimates that a light- aeroplane of the auto-gyro type could be produced for about £4OO, and could lie down as easily as riding a motor cycle. 'llto newest fighting aeroplane for the nbrlit. defence of London was successfully tested at Southampton by an Australian. Bert, Hinekler. Tf is a tiny biplane, with a huge 525 horse-power engine, and climbs at an amazing angle at a speed of 2.00 miles an hour. At previous demonstrations, Captain Courtney showed the machine’s ro-mavkabl-tr stability. He shut off the power, and allowed the ’plane to fall vertically for 400 ft., with the vanes revolving as if it were crashing, but it alighted wit I? a slight bump, and without- damage.