' ' '.If. : 't ;
Thursday, July 1, 1965
THE TAR HEEL
Page 5
igh-Swisli And Away The
0 0 0
Gyroplane Pilots Gather
For International Fly-In
"ft, '
:V
y Go
jAV v . . . J . JU. S.M v
GOING UP: This self-powered gyrocopter Is executing a steep :
pull-out in front of the spectator stands along an unusued ;
runway at Raleigh-Durham Airport, site of the annual Fly-In.
Photo by Ernest Itobl.
Tragedy Mars Event
Three almost perfect days of
demonstration flights and ex
hibits by the Popular Rotor
craft Association at the Ra
leigh - Durham Airport ended
at 12:15 p.m. Sunday with the
crash of a modified, home
built gyroplane.
According to an official state
ment released by the PRA, the
pilot, B. A. Whaley of Trenton,
Ontario, Canada, was killed in
stantly when his craft failed
to execute a high-speed ma
neuver attempted at an alti
tude of less than 20 feet.
Preliminary investigations by
the PRA and airport officials
revealed no mechanical mal
function. The craft had been modified
with oversize landing gear and
other special equipment. The
official statement notes that
this extra weight and the drag
on the airframe may have been
responsible for the pilot's fail
ure to complete his maneuver
f - ,
-
8S -
TTTT-m.U. ....J.n..' tm rtwirvinjj)(p0JwC'
A LONG WAY DOWN: This is what you see sitting in a small gyrocopter
being launched via towline from a speeding automobile. A gyroglider (photo
at right) is towed behind another car just prior to take-off in front of the
spectator stand at the third annual internaional Fly-In of the Popular Rotocraft
111 .IPlii
X -
V
... v ' MMMfc. . .
before the machine struck the
ground.
There was also some specu
lation that the pilot may have
blacked out. '
A Raleigh man who empha
sized that he was not speaking
officially said that the craft
flipped over, experiencing a
phenomena known as an "in
verted cone." The craft struck
the ground with its rotor shaft,
its wheels pointing straight up.
Federal Aviation Authority
men, who arrived at the scene
almost immediately, cleared
the area and allowed no one,
including newsmen to approach
the crash site.
Whaley's 15-year-old son was
honored only the previous night
for being the youngest glider
pilot to participate in the third
annual international fly-in at
the Raleigh - Durham Airport.
He had flown the ill fated ma
chine only 30 minutes before
the mishap.
f
!
3
K -vvw v J , .
By ERNEST ROBL
Tar Heel Asst. Editor
Less than 10 inches below
my feet the runway rushed
by. I was sitting on the left
hand side of a machine re
sembling a lawn chair equip
ped with wheels and an over
head rotor.
Sitting beside me was Igor
Benson, president of Benson
Aircraft Co. . Some 100 feet
ahead of us a red and white
Benson Co. station wagon sped
along, towing us down an un
used runway at Raleigh-Durham
Airport.
As our speed increased and
the swish-swish of the over
head rotor became louder,
Benson pulled the control
slick back. First the nose
wheel lifted, a second later
the entire craft rose and we
were airborne.
It was a strange feeling
sitting in a lawn chair, strap
ped in with a seat belt, watchr
ing the ground drop away and
feeling the air rush by.
Skillfully Benson took us up
almost the full length of the
towline. Below us the people
looked up and waved and
Benson waved back. Almost
too soon the end of the run
way came nearer and nearer;
the driver of the station wag
on signaled and Benson set
the craft back down on the
runway without the slightest
. bump or jolt.
The scene was Saturday af
ternoon at the Third Interna
tional Fly-In of the Popular
Rotorcraft Association at Raleigh-Durham
Airport. More
than 50 odd-looking aircraft,
most resembling oversized
dragon flies, had arrived Fri
day morning for the meeting.
All day Friday and Satur
day these craft buzzed around
the runway set aside especial
ly for these gyroplanes. Un
powered models were towed
along behind cars, while pow
ered models zig-zagged back
and forth of their own voli
tion. Many of the participants
were aircraft salesmen, but
others were gyrocopter and
gyroglider enthusiasts. Models
ranged from the simplest glid-
ty$m
.
ii::-
-;::$-;::x:s-:;.:;
Association.
r -
"""f s
ALL KINDS: A variety of home-built gyroplanes set down at
the airport for last week's activities. Several of them are lined
up on the runway as spectators take a close look at the strange
craft. Photo by Ernest Robl.
ers, which owners claimed to
have built for less than $200
to completely equipped cop
ters which had cost the own
ers several thousand dollars.
There was a similar range
in the dress of the pilots:
some wore jeans and a snorts
shirt, others wore business
suits; most of the proiesaiou-'
al pilots wore full-length fly
ing suits, complete with their
many zipper-closed pockets.
One fly-in official created a
sensation by arriving in coat
and tails and top hat. Remov
ing only his top hat and re
placing it with a football hel
met, Dick Dickinson climbed
into his craft, cranked up the
motor, and took off still
wearing his fancy attire.
Clad in a bright red flying
suit, big Bob Farrington of
radio station WPTF in Ra
leigh did trinple duty at the
meet. In addition to serving
as master of ceremonies xor
A -
Flyers from the United States,
three-day meeting to get in some sport flying
. 4-
the event, Farrington acted as
press co-ordinator, also cover
ing the convention for the
radio station.
Participants for the fly-in
came from as far as Cali
fornia, Canada, and even
Spain. Benson Aircraft Co.,
which is only a short distance
from the Raleigh-Durham Air
rwt. served as host for the
event.
Activity at the convention
took place under stringent
sfMv regulations. All air
craft were inspected by Fed
eral Aviation Agency officials.
Several radio-equippen ars
stationed along the flight line
kept in constant contact with
the airport tower.
Fly-In officials used walky
talky units and the flight di
rector had a "light gun" with
which he could signal aircraft
in flight and tow vehicles on
the ground by shining power
ful red or green lignts.
Canada and Spain attended the
and compare notes.
Photos by Ernest Robl.
i
1