Cierva Autogiro Company
Encyclopedia
The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British developer of autogyro
s established in 1926.
It was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva
with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scottish industrialist and aviator.
. The pre-war Cierva C.30 proved popular. Nearly 150 were built under licence in the UK (Avro), Germany (Focke-Wulf
) and France (Lioré-et-Olivier).
In 1936, Cierva was killed in the Croydon KLM airliner accident
when it the flight crashed after taking off in fog. From 1936-1939 J.A.J. Bennett was Chief Technical Officer of the of the company. In keeping with the late Juan de la Cierva's wish to offer the Royal Navy a more reliable and efficient alternative to the helicopter, J.A.J Bennett's gyrodyne design, the C.41, was tendered to the Air Ministry (Specification S.22/38) but the preliminary work was abandoned with the outbreak of World War II
. Bennett joined Fairey Aviation
in 1945, where he led the development of the Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne
.
In 1943 the Aircraft Department of G & J Weir Ltd.
was reconstituted as Cierva Autogiro Company to develop helicopter designs for the Air Ministry
. The post-war Cierva Air Horse
was at the time (1948) the world's largest helicopter. However the crash of the first prototype killing three led Weir to cease further investment in the company and its development contracts were transferred to Saunders-Roe
.
Autogyro
An autogyro , also known as gyroplane, gyrocopter, or rotaplane, is a type of rotorcraft which uses an unpowered rotor in autorotation to develop lift, and an engine-powered propeller, similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft, to provide thrust...
s established in 1926.
It was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva
Juan de la Cierva
Juan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of De La Cierva was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and aeronuatical engineer. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1920 of the Autogiro, a single-rotor type of aircraft that came to be called autogyro in the English language...
with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scottish industrialist and aviator.
History
Cierva's first British-built autogyro was the C.8 design. It and some other designs were built in conjunction with AvroAvro
Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
. The pre-war Cierva C.30 proved popular. Nearly 150 were built under licence in the UK (Avro), Germany (Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.-History:...
) and France (Lioré-et-Olivier).
In 1936, Cierva was killed in the Croydon KLM airliner accident
1936 KLM Croydon accident
The 1936 KLM Croydon accident was the crash of a KLM airliner on 9 December 1936, shortly after taking off from the Croydon Air Port on a scheduled flight to Amsterdam, Netherlands...
when it the flight crashed after taking off in fog. From 1936-1939 J.A.J. Bennett was Chief Technical Officer of the of the company. In keeping with the late Juan de la Cierva's wish to offer the Royal Navy a more reliable and efficient alternative to the helicopter, J.A.J Bennett's gyrodyne design, the C.41, was tendered to the Air Ministry (Specification S.22/38) but the preliminary work was abandoned with the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Bennett joined Fairey Aviation
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...
in 1945, where he led the development of the Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne
Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Charnov, Dr. Bruce H. Retrieved: 18 May 2007.* Green, William and Gerald Pollinger. The Observer's Book of Aircraft, 1958 edition...
.
In 1943 the Aircraft Department of G & J Weir Ltd.
Weir Group
The Weir Group plc is an engineering company headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
was reconstituted as Cierva Autogiro Company to develop helicopter designs for the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
. The post-war Cierva Air Horse
Cierva Air Horse
-References:NotesReferences* Copies of entries in "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft", 1997. by D.Donald and "Helicopters and Autogyros of the World", 1958 by P.Lambermont. Hosted at www.aviastar.org. Accessed January 2008...
was at the time (1948) the world's largest helicopter. However the crash of the first prototype killing three led Weir to cease further investment in the company and its development contracts were transferred to Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe
Saunders-Roe Limited was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works East Cowes, Isle of Wight.-History:The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliot Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S.E. Saunders...
.
Aircraft
- Cierva C.8
- Cierva C.9Cierva C.9-See also:...
- Cierva C.12
- Cierva C.17Cierva C.17|-References:* -See also:...
- Cierva C.19Cierva C.19The Cierva C.19 was an autogyro designed by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva in England in 1929 and built by Avro which designated it their Type 620...
- Cierva C.24Cierva C.24-External Links:* Popular Mechanics, March 1932 bottom of page...
- Cierva C.30A
- Cierva Air HorseCierva Air Horse-References:NotesReferences* Copies of entries in "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft", 1997. by D.Donald and "Helicopters and Autogyros of the World", 1958 by P.Lambermont. Hosted at www.aviastar.org. Accessed January 2008...
- Cierva W.9Cierva W.9-References:-External links:*...
- Cierva CR TwinCierva CR Twin-External links:*http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/cierva_grasshopper.php...
- Saunders-Roe Skeeter - originally the Cierva W.14 Skeeter