Wallis WA-116 Agile
Wallis Autogyros · United Kingdom · first flew 1961 · helicopter
The Wallis WA-116 Agile is a British autogyro developed in the early 1960s by former RAF Wing Commander Ken Wallis. It was produced in a number of variants.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, tail-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 3.4 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat autogyro with a pusher propeller
- Offset gimbal rotor head giving hands-off stability
- Main rotor 20 ft 4 in in diameter
The prototype was powered by a Wallis-McCulloch 4318A engine driving a two-bladed pusher propeller.
Specifications
- The Wallis WA-116 Agile has a length of 3.4 m (11 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.2 m (20 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 161 km/h (100 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Wallis's first prototype, registered G-ARRT, was first flown on 2 August 1961. It used an offset gimbal rotor head that gives the autogyro hands-off stability.
Variants
Variants included the two-seat WA-116-T, the WA-117 Venom, the WA-118 Meteorite and the WA-119. A streamlined WA-121 was built in 1972 for high-altitude research.
Where you'll see it
In 1962 Beagle Aircraft built five WA-116s at Shoreham, three for evaluation by the Army Air Corps. One, nicknamed Little Nellie, was modified in 1966 and flown in the film You Only Live Twice.
Related aircraft
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