Layzell Cricket
Campbell Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1969 · light aircraft
The Layzell Cricket is a single-seat autogyro produced in the United Kingdom. It was originally built by Campbell Aircraft as the Campbell Cricket, first flying in 1969.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 3.2 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat pusher autogyro with a glass-fibre nacelle
- Two-bladed metal rotor
- Single fin and rudder on a tailboom with a fixed tricycle landing gear
A steel-tube structure covered by a glass-fibre nacelle with an open cockpit. The engine sits behind the pilot and drives a pusher propeller, and the optional mechanical drive can pre-spin the rotor before take-off.
Specifications
- The Layzell Cricket has a length of 3.2 m (10 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.71 m (22 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Peter Lovegrove designed the Campbell Cricket in 1969 to avoid problems with existing autogyros such as the Bensen. The full prototype, G-AXNU, made its first flight on 7 August 1969 and production started later that year.
Variants
The Everett Autogyro was a derivative of the Cricket powered by a Volkswagen engine, first flown in February 1984. In 1996 Lovegrove designed the Cricket Mk 4, powered by a Rotax engine.
Where you'll see it
Production reached two a week by 1970, and 47 Crickets had been built by Campbell Aircraft by April 1972.
Related aircraft
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