AVRO AND THE AUTOGIRO -1

(Monochrome Photograph - Showing The Cierva C.6a at Farnborough in October 1925.)

The first successful rotary winged aircraft was the Autogiro.
This differed from the later helicopter by having an un-powered free spinning rotor.
The Autogiro's rotor was spun up manually on the ground before flight, then, when the machine started moving, the forward motion caused the rotor to speed up and create sufficient lift to take-off. Thus, the aircraft did not rise vertically but only needed a very short take-off run.
The pioneer of the Autogiro was a Spaniard, Snr. Juan de la Cierva. His first successful design was flown in Spain in January 1923.
In 1925 he was invited to Britain and shipped his latest machine, the C.6A which used the fuselage of an Avro 504, to Farnborough.
After assembly the machine was flown on the 12th October by the
experienced test pilot Frank Courtney.
Following Air Ministry trials a similar machine was ordered from A.V. Roe & Co. who obtained a license from Cierva, who himself had formed a Company in the UK in March 1926.

(Monochrome Photograph - Showing The Avro-built C.6D at Hamble in July 1926.)

The first Autogiro built by Avro was the single-seat C.6C (Avro Type 574), once again using an Avro 504 fuselage, but powered by 130 hp (97 KW) Clerget rotary engine in place of the 110 hp (82 KW) Le Rhone rotary used by Cierva.
During the same period the Cierva company ordered a similar two-seat machine the C.6D (Avro Type 575). These were built at Avro's Hamble, Hampshire factory on the shores of the Solent.
At this time it was used as the Company's main design centre for experimental and development work, and for the completion of seaplanes built at Manchester.
The Air Ministry aircraft was first flown by Courtney on June 19th. 1926.
It had a four-bladed rotor of 36 ft (11.0m) and had a take-off run of about 650 ft (200m), but landed in only 40 ft (12m).
Courtney flew Snr. Cierva in the C.6D on July 30th thus becoming the first ever passenger in an Autogiro.
Development continued at Hamble with company test pilot H.J. (Bert) Hinkler, but such was the resolve of Cierva himself that he learnt to fly at the local Aero Club and took over development flying himself, later being joined by Arthur