Wing Commander Ken Wallis aims to beat gyrocopter speed record

Wing Commander Ken Wallis, who pioneered and piloted the famous 'Little Nellie' gyrocopter in the 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice", is still chasing more records in his flying machine.

Although Wallis currently holds the speed record of 129mph in level flight in a one-piston engine autogyro over 1.9 miles (achieved in 2002), he is determined to beat it to celebrate his 96th birthday.

His birthday is Thursday, but due to inclement weather, his record attempt will have to wait a few weeks.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do it until May now, as I have to have the right conditions. I don’t want to get all the official observers and time-keepers down unless I am sure I can pull it off.”

The Civil Aviation Authority will have to approve his aircraft before the record attempt, as the legal top speed for autogyros has been reduced to 70mph.

A CAA spokeswoman said: “We wish Ken all the best in his endeavours but we have a duty to maintain his safety and the safety of other airspace users, so will need to be fully confident that any record attempt is done in a safe environment.”

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