Costa Cálida
A flight into history in a tribute to the Spanish engineer who invented the autogyro
By m.p. - Oct 1, 2007 - 8:52 PM
email this article |
Two pilots from the Air Force base in San Javier have begun a 20-day journey which will take them over the skies of the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco and the Canary Islands, and then all the way back again, in what is described on the 20 minutos website as the first flight of its type in history.
What makes this journey different from others, is that they are piloting an autogyro, in tribute to the man who invented the machine in 1919, Juan de la Cierva y Cordorniu, the Spanish Civil engineer who was born in Murcia on 21st September 1895.
The rotorcraft made its first successful flight at the Cuatro Vientos Airfield in Madrid on 9th January 1923, and the 21st century flight covered the first leg of its journey from Cuatro Vientos to Getafe on Sunday.
Lt Col Fernando Roselló and his co-pilot, Bernadino Rodríguez, are flying a Spanish-made ELA-07 autogyro, with logistical support on the ground from Manuel Francisco Díaz.
Rosello told the press on Monday that their aim is to bring recognition to Spain’s most important, but little-known, contribution to the world of aeronautics, which he described as much more than just an experiment, but as an aircraft in its own right.
Named ‘Objectivo Canarias 2007,’ it is sponsored by ELA Aviation, the Air Force, and by the Town Halls of Getafe and San Javier.
MORE RELATED ARTICLES :
• Fuel tax fraud discovered at Vélez Málaga airfield - Mar 27, 2008 - 9:29 PM
• Helicopter pilot dies after crash landing in Conil de La Frontera - Oct 3, 2007 - 9:59 PM