Flying high after taking to skies in aviation first

IS it a bird? Is it a plane?

Wolverhampton residents may have even thought they spotted a UFO in the night sky.

In fact, they were witnessing a slice of aviation history – Europe’s first official nocturnal flight by a gyroplane, the Cavalon Pro.

And the flying first is very much a Black Country achievement. The gyroplane belongs to aircraft manu- facturers RotorSport, based at Halfpenny Green Airport, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

The company recently gained approval for the first gyroplane night flight – and that milestone proved somewhat problematic. Having been given the go-ahead, staff realised no one was trained to carry out the mission.

However, UK instructors Phil Har- wood, Steve Boxall and Ian Bryant, together with RotorSport boss Gerry Speich have now drawn up rules and a training syllabus for flying in the dark.

Mr Boxall and Mr Bryant have already carried out dusk drills and last Friday, the flight industry’s press gathered at Halfpenny Green’s Hangar 40 to see history being made.

A RotorSport spokesman said: “The RotorSport Team waited patiently below, watching as safe landings and take-offs were repeated time and time again, until the aircraft taxied back at 17.30 in full dark, in a blaze of light – the aircraft a shining beacon of success.

“On stepping out of the aircraft both instructors had the usual, but wonderful, gyroplane grin from ear to ear, and were ecstatic about their new experience.”

The gyroplane – something of a flying bubble car – first captured the public’s imagination in 1967 movie You Only Live Twice. 007 flew one of the machines, which was christened “Little Nellie” by Q.

The pilot for the dramatic footage was in fact stuntman Wing Cdr Ken Wallis, not Sean Connery.