Ken Wallis Crash

[Brian Jackson]

Hi All.

Yesterday a cable TV program (Extreme Videos or something similar) aired a video I happened to catch by chance. It showed Ken Wallis (of Little Nellie Fame) flaring too late/fast upon landing and a subsequent spectacular crash... the gyro spun and flipped numerous times. I couldn't believe that was survivable but he stood up and waved to the crowd to let them know he was OK.

Does anyone have any details about this accident?

Thanks,
Brian Jackson

[Al_Hammer]

Yes, Brian, that happened a number of years ago, during one of Ken's demonstrations.
Apparently his engine quit and he was forced to make a downwind landing. His rotor clipped the ground, I believe, during the attempt to flare and sent him into a tumble. Nellie was destroyed, but Ken was Ok, as you saw.

I have a the entire video clip from the movie "You Only Live Twice", of Wallis flying Little Nellie. Great Stuff.

"Don't do it, Bond-sun!" One of the Japenese actors tells Bond, just before he takes off in what is supposed to be ,obviously a death trap of a machine.

[Brian Jackson]

Yes, Brian, that happened a number of years ago, during one of Ken's demonstrations.
Apparently his engine quit and he was forced to make a downwind landing. His rotor clipped the ground, I believe, during the attempt to flare and sent him into a tumble. Nellie was destroyed, but Ken was Ok, as you saw.

I have a the entire video clip from the movie "You Only Live Twice", of Wallis flying Little Nellie. Great Stuff.

"Don't do it, Bond-sun!" One of the Japenese actors tells Bond, just before he takes off in what is supposed to be ,obviously a death trap of a machine.
Ahhh... make more sense now. The narrator of the program said something about the "Rear Rotor failing" and I'm thinking to myself "Chinook makes Gyros now? :D". The footage was quite amazing though. People here should see this if they haven't already. Is there a link? If not I can host it. If nothing else it demonstrates how quickly things can go horribly wrong.

Thanks,
Brian Jackson

[Canadian Rhino]

[ People here should see this if they haven't already. Is there a link? If not I can host it. If nothing else it demonstrates how quickly things can go horribly wrong.

Thanks,
Brian Jackson[/QUOTE]
That would be great Brian! :)

[gyroparts]

Always assume the engine is going to quit...especially low and downwind!
http://www.StupidVideos.com/?VideoID=398

[Aussie_Paul]

Always assume the engine is going to quit...especially low and downwind!
http://www.StupidVideos.com/?VideoID=398


This is the James Bond Little Nellie gyro flown by Englishman Wing commander Wallis who flew it for the movie “You only live twice”, and also flew it at the Carrabeen Gardens near Melbourne in approx 1967.

Below is a pic that Dad took at Melbourne of Wallis flying Little Nellie to promote the James Bond movie “You only live twice”. Mum reckoned that Dad took the pic of the bikini clad girl, and it was only luck that put Wallis in the pic!!!!

Aussie Paul. :)

[chuter]

That "Stupid Videos" movie should be labeled "Stupid Sound Effects"; sounds like someone is making motor noises with their lips, and the crash sounds are hilarious!

[Aussie_Paul]

Chuter, that is a real world Mac sound.

Aussie Paul. :)

[HOMER]

One Of These Month's I Will Bring My Benson With Mac To A Monthly Get Togethers. Mac's Are Extremely Loud. I Have A Freon Cannister Built For Mine, But I Have Not Had The Pipes Made To Finish It Off.

The Mac Is Loud. I Am Afraid I Could Scare Some Cows Espcially Calves So Bad They Might Run Thru Fences.

Now A Way To Keep The Farmer's Happy.

[Timchick]

I put the Little Nellie footage from the James Bond movie on my History Channel DVD along with some behind the scenes footage showing how they did the flying scenes for the movie.

[FrankieJ]

Originally Posted by Aussie_PaulThis is the James Bond Little Nellie gyro flown by Englishman Wing commander Wallis who flew it for the movie “You only live twice”, and also flew it at the Carrabeen Gardens near Melbourne in approx 1967.

Below is a pic that Dad took at Melbourne of Wallis flying Little Nellie to promote the James Bond movie “You only live twice”. Mum reckoned that Dad took the pic of the bikini clad girl, and it was only luck that put Wallis in the pic!!!!


Paul - I think your mum was right about your dad - just bloody assie that little Nellie popped into frame as he clicked the shutter button - 10 points to ya dad's quick thinkin - must have kept that photo all these years for the gyro :D

[FrankieJ]

OOOOOCH - thats gotta hurt glad the bloke got out in one piece - Does any know if he was injured?

[CLS447]

Ken made a public apology about this in the Rototcraft mag a couple of years ago. He also explained what happened. Does anyone know which issue?

[bowns]

Here seems to be a full clip of the rough landing.http://media.putfile.com/Gyrocrash

[chuter]

Aussie Paul,

I've heard a few macs before, that clip just sounds really phony to me; maybe not. I guess I've come to be very skeptical of anything I see on TV.

[scottessex]

I thought wallis used a 2 cyl franklin. Rotor blades do make alot of noise when they fold up!

[EI-GYRO]

He has about 18 machines, with various engines.
IIRC he told me he was doing a shortened display,
due to the imminent arrival of the Red Arrows,
and turned downwind lower and slower than
would be normal. Then the ignition failed.

[HOMER]

Mike I Listened To It Again And That Was Not A Mac Noise. The Engine Was Out. But They Are So Loud They Will Wake The Dead If You Fly Over A Grave Yard.

[enewbold]

OOOOOCH - thats gotta hurt glad the bloke got out in one piece - Does any know if he was injured? He was just bruised a bit. It's amazing how bad that crash was, yet he immediately got out of it and waved to the crowd. Amazing. I saw it again tonight on the Extreme Videos TV program. The commentator does properly identify it as a "gyroplane" and does correctly identify the "rear propellor" as stopping. Damn downwind landings are hard to take sometimes. Wallis was interviewed later and he apologized for destroying the machine. A fine man!

[FrankieJ]

Thanks ED the more you watch it the more you appreicate how lucky his escape was - I guess the old saying is true "A good landing is one that you walk away from" Bloody expensive way of landing though