Tue, Mar 09, 2004
An interesting bit of
history appears to have been set late last month with a
long-distance flight in an unusual design somewhat reminiscent of
the golden-age of hybrid rotorcraft. A retired Aussie diplomat by
the name of Andy Keech (right) tanked up his Little Wing autogyro
(powered by a 914 Rotax) after doing an annual inspection, and set
off on what turned out to be a nearly 1000 km journey... and a
probable record-setter.
Having previously tackled a number of recognized-course records,
Keech set off on a 993km trip from North Little Rock, AR, while
heading back to Frederick, MD. The record flight terminated in
Hickory, NC. The total distance was a bladder-busting 612 statute
miles, at a ground speed of 106 mph over the course of 5 hours and
45 minutes. The record, yet to be ratified, may qualify Keech as
the World-Record holder for "Distance Without Landing" for
autogyros weighing less than 500 kilos.
It's an auspicious record. The last mark in this category was
set last year by the UK's Barry Jones with a whopping 941.25 km,
but it's two precious record setters in this category were none
other than Gyro legend Ken Wallis (874.32 km in 1975) and gyro
pioneer Igor Bensen (133.2 km in 1967).
Andy's ship was modified to carry 50 gallons (right on the CG,
no less), a bit more than the norm for this rugged and attractive
little design. Upon landing, Keech found he still had more than 2
hours of fuel remaining (and hadn't fully filled the tanks,
shorting them by at least two gallons), meaning that there is at
least 200 miles room for growth in Mr. Keech's future
record-setting possibilities.
Keech has filed an official claim and will await ratification
from the FAI (F�d�ration A�ronautique
Internationale), in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 'Distance without
landing' record was verified by tower personnel or by Official
Observers from NAA (National Aeronautic Association).
Keech's Claim
Sub-class: E-3a (Autogyros : take-off weight less than 500
kg)
Category: General
Group 1: piston engine
Distance without landing : 993 km
Date of flight: 22/02/2004
Pilot: Andrew C. KEECH (USA)
Course/place: Little Rock, AR (USA) - Hickory, NC (USA)
Rotorcraft: Little Wing LW-5
Keech's mount is an intriguing plans-built design called the
Little Wing LW-5. One of the few tractor configured autogyros
available, the bird is available in various forms as a single or
two place tandem design that can be adapted to a number of
powerplants. The aircraft has a welded steel tube fuselage,
conventional gear and is fabric-covered. Pre-welded fuselage
assemblies are available from the designer significantly shortening
the fabrication/building time.
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