The Sycamore Seeds: Early British Helicopter Development
Catalogue record
- Author
- Charles E. MacKay
- Subject
- Helicopter History
- Published
- 15 September 2014
- Publisher
- Charles E. MacKay Books
- Pages
- 219
- Format
- Paperback
- Size
- 145 by 205 millimetres
- ISBN
- 9780957344334
Cite this book
MacKay, Charles E. (2014). The Sycamore Seeds: Early British Helicopter Development. ISBN 9780957344334. https://charlesmackaybooks.com/books/sycamore-seeds
About this book
The history of the helicopter from earliest times to 1960 includes Cierva, Focke Achgelis, Sikorsky, Weir etc. Researched from company records and contemporary publications.
The Sycamore Seeds has 219 Pages, A5 - profusely illustrated with over 300 rare pictures and one colour. There are unique drawings and illustrations published for the first time
Covers the history of the Denny Mumford helicopters up to 1914.
The history of the Autogiro is covered and the role of Juan de la Cierva to his death in an air crash.
It investigates the role of G & J Weir and the first British helicopters including the Weir W5 and W6. Takes the history past WW2 to the Cierva W9 and the giant Air Horse. The evolution of the tailless rotor on the Cierva W.9 is accurately explained based on company records of Weir, Cierva and Morris, as is the Weir Company's invention of the Fenestron tail fan. The Air Horse, designed by Shapiro, has its history detailed to its eventual crash and demise, taking the lives of Alan Marsh and Jeep Cable.
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The Germans are not neglected with a full chapter on Focke Achgelis, Dobblehoff, Liore et Olivier etc. Hanna Reitsch and her test flights on the FA-61 are included. Wartime German Helicopter production is included and its influence on American and British helicopter development.
The flight of Cierva and Reggie Brie from Italian cruisers is highly detailed.
Covers the history of the Cierva C30 in Royal Air Force service including the radar calibration flights and the 1943 dogfight of Norman Hill in his Rota I. (This is the first published description in any book). He had been intercepted over Hawkinge by two FW190s and by various manoeuvres survived to tell the tale.
Includes the evolution of the Flying Jeep and the single pilot Rotachute with the Bristol Sycamore. Also included the American development of the Sikorsky Hoverfly. Morris furniture manufactured the blades for the Jeep, the Rotachute, Bristol Sycamore and wooden blades for the Sikorsky Hoverfly
The setting up of the Joint Helicopter School at Floyd Bennett Field is included as are the anti-submarine test flights on the MV Daghestan. This includes the development of the Sikorsky Hoverfly at sea and its use in the UK by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The Hoverfly unit was a combined Royal Navy/United States Coast Guard unit at Brooklyn airfield. Project Ivory Soap is detailed and the use of the Hoverfly off supply ships.
Development of the Bristol Sycamore up to the Bristol 192
Introduces the finances of Power Jets and intelligence intrigue at Power Jets and Weir/Cierva. A further insight into helicopters and H. Morris & Co., Ltd (Morris Furniture Glasgow) can be found in our related titles.
The description of the Cierva Air Horse is from those who were there.
Gives an explanation of helicopter patents and aeronautical research reports from NACA and the RAE. This is an insight how Focke patents were infringed
There is a comprehensive Bibliography and appendix with a biography of Jeep Cable and the rotor craft he flew etc.
Highly recommended
This is not a compendium of Wikipedia articles, this is an original work and is not an on-demand print or a compilation of search answers from web sites.
Paperback, 219 pages, with more than 250 technical drawings and pictures. Published by A Mackay (Publisher) Ltd, 15 September 2014.
ISBN-10: 0957344333 ISBN-13: 978-0957344334
Frequently asked questions
What does The Sycamore Seeds cover?
The Sycamore Seeds is a history of the helicopter from the earliest times to 1960: Cierva, Focke Achgelis, Sikorsky, the Weir W5 and W6, the Cierva W9 and Air Horse, and the Bristol Sycamore up to the Bristol 192.
How did Scottish engineers G. & J. Weir and H. Morris & Co. contribute to British helicopters?
Across 219 A5 pages (ISBN 9780957344334, over 300 rare illustrations), the book traces the Denny-Mumford helicopter experiments before 1914, G. & J. Weir's W.5 and W.6 helicopters, the Cierva W.9 tailless rotor and Fenestron tail fan, the giant three-rotor Cierva Air Horse, and rotor blades built by H. Morris & Co. of Glasgow for the Rotachute, Flying Jeep, Sikorsky Hoverfly, and Bristol Sycamore.
What wartime rotorcraft operations and German helicopter designs are included?
The volume records Norman Hill's 1943 encounter with two Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters while flying a Cierva C.30 Rota I on radar calibration near Hawkinge, Anglo-American Sikorsky Hoverfly anti-submarine trials aboard MV Daghestan and at Floyd Bennett Field, and wartime German helicopter work by Focke-Achgelis (Fa 61 flown by Hanna Reitsch) and Doblhoff.
Published comments on this title
Sources are shown for attribution. These third-party comments are not first-party star ratings. How we choose these comments.
“I can recommend The Sycamore Seeds. It may be a small size book but it traces helicopter development from the Autogyros to the 1950s helicopters. It also keeps track of contemporary foreign offerings from the US and Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.”
“Best history of autogyros I've come across.”
“The Sycamore Seeds is essential for understanding the early development of British helicopters.”
