U.K. Bomber Pilot Was 97, Helped Develop The Modern Autogyro
A legend of aviation in the U.K. passed away. Wing Commander Ken Wallis, who was instrumental in the development of the autogyro, was 97 years old.
The U.K. newspaper the Eastern Daily Press reports that Wallis had been a bomber pilot, and had flown as Sean Connery’s stunt double in the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice."
He reportedly cheated on his eye test in order to become a pilot in WWII. He flew nightly, and dropped two metric tons of ordinance on German targets. He was awarded the Bomber Command medal after waiting 71 years for the recognition.
But he was also the developer of Wallis Autogyros. According to a biography posted on the Ken Wallis Autogyros website, he was born in 1916 in Ely, and had a long career as an inventor. He reportedly developed the first electric slot-car race track, and a "spy" camera that could be worn as a wristwatch.
The autogyros he developed were built for survey, reconnaissance, research, and military purposes, according to the website. They were not made available for sport flying. He held 34 world autogyro records for speed, altitude, and circuit flying. He flew one of the aircraft 129 miles per hour over a 3 kilometer course.
(Image of Ken Wallis prepping autogyro for flight captured from YouTube video)