Cierva C.9
Cierva Autogiro Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1927 · light aircraft
The Cierva C.9 was an experimental British autogyro built by Avro with Cierva, known to Avro as the Type 576. It was the first Cierva design with an original, purpose-built fuselage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Fuselage built like a single-seat biplane with the upper wing left out |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single overhead four-blade rotor of 9.14 m diameter
- Fuselage built like a single-seat biplane with the upper wing left out
- Landing gear taken from the Avro 504N
A small plywood-skinned single-seater with an overhead rotor. A smaller-diameter rotor replaced the original from September 1928.
Specifications
- The Cierva C.9 has a length of 7.47 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.14 m (30 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was ordered by the Air Ministry in January 1926. Bert Hinkler made the first flight in September 1927 with a 70 hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet engine driving a 30 ft rotor.
Variants
Two were built: the single-seat Type 576 and a two-seat Type 581, which received no rotor and became the prototype of the Avro Avian.
Where you'll see it
Trials did not lead to a commercial success. The single-seat machine was given to the Science Museum in London in January 1930.
Related aircraft
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