Kellett KD-1B Auto Gyro video in color

GrantR

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
1,329
Location
Plains, GA
Aircraft
Kolb MarkIII and a "Jake" Gyroplane
Total Flight Time
About 85 fixed wing 3 gyro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoyWsg6Dxno&playnext_from=TL&videos=ZtZBesURuMw&feature=recentf

Gyro starts at 2:17

Text from the video:

This short film was made possible from some Film archives from my Grandfather. He was present during one of the flights and filmed the flight that day. The first air mail flight from Philadelphia to Camden NJ. The plane was an Kellett KD-1B Auto Gyro. The film starts out with a DC-3 airplane landing and taxiing up to the Auto-gyro to deliver the mail.




It was used to ferry mail from the two points, 10 times a day, for 6 days a week and ended just as World War II had started. In 2007 I had transferred a number of 16mm films to DVD and found this marvelous footage as well as others. I tracked down the pilot by way of the tail number and reached Mr. Miller by phone in 2007. He was 100 years old at the time I believe and still flying.

A phone call and a couple of emails later, I sent him a copy of the footage you see here. It was great to get a chance to talk to him about the event and his flight.
 
Great Video Grant, Thanks for posting it. Looks really cool !
 
Yes it is a good vid. Posted it just a week or two ago.
 
wow that is a cool Video and a sweet old Gyro. wouldn't ya have just loved to have been around to see that flying over?
 
Yes it is a good vid. Posted it just a week or two ago.

Yes I also posted it on the History thread in March when it first came out.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25401

It is a good video. I have had friends in aviation who are not gyro people who have seen it because it was sent to them in an e-mail recently. Many have commented that they never knew gyros flew the mail so long ago. It is a good way to start a conversation about how far gyros have come, and perhaps begin to change the negative perception of gyrocopters caused by self training, and poor designs that have damaged our image.

Mark
 
Last edited:
Picture from EAL

Picture from EAL

I do have an original photo of the first flight that I got from Eastern Airlines. I do treasure the video you posted. Thank you.
 
Most excellent, like living history, thanks for posting it I hadn’t see it in color.
 
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