Rando
09-05-2004, 05:02 PM
I found this article in Autogyrations 1/4ly which I believe was published in 1999. The publisher was Ron Bartlett.
The Subaru is not so new!
For those of you that have an interest in the adaptation of Subaru automobile engines for gyro use, an item of information that I dug out of a 1976/77 Janes may be of historical interest.
Under the entries for Japan, I found the Fukuoka (honest!!) Lark III. The Lark III autogiro was produced by a group of students from Fukuoka High School. This machine, which first flew in 1974, was (maybe still IS,) basically a modified Bensen Gyrocopter built from US supplies plans, and sporting a “facetted” fuselage shell with parallel sides and a semi-pointed nose – looks a bit like a blunt pencil – of approximately 2 feet across and around 5 feet in length.
In 1974 however, it was unique in being powered by an 80hp converted 1400cc Subaru water-cooled, flat four, automobile engine. At that time, it was claimed to have been the first use of a Japanese car engine in an autogiro (can anyone beet this?).
The Janes text was accompanied by a photograph of the aircraft just becoming airborne, and was credited to one Howard Levy. (Should anyone know this gentleman, could they please post something on the Rotary Forum)
The Subaru is not so new!
For those of you that have an interest in the adaptation of Subaru automobile engines for gyro use, an item of information that I dug out of a 1976/77 Janes may be of historical interest.
Under the entries for Japan, I found the Fukuoka (honest!!) Lark III. The Lark III autogiro was produced by a group of students from Fukuoka High School. This machine, which first flew in 1974, was (maybe still IS,) basically a modified Bensen Gyrocopter built from US supplies plans, and sporting a “facetted” fuselage shell with parallel sides and a semi-pointed nose – looks a bit like a blunt pencil – of approximately 2 feet across and around 5 feet in length.
In 1974 however, it was unique in being powered by an 80hp converted 1400cc Subaru water-cooled, flat four, automobile engine. At that time, it was claimed to have been the first use of a Japanese car engine in an autogiro (can anyone beet this?).
The Janes text was accompanied by a photograph of the aircraft just becoming airborne, and was credited to one Howard Levy. (Should anyone know this gentleman, could they please post something on the Rotary Forum)