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The Stiffkey "Whirlygig"
Beside the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path between Stiffkey and Warham, leading along the Warham salt marshes, there is an overgrown circular area which measures 91.5 metres (300 feet) in diameter and is surrounded by a metalled track. At its centre there is a metal pole, known locally as "The Whirlygig". This was a Cold War rotary launcher installed in the early 1950s by the USAAF and used to launch RCATs (Radio Controlled Aircraft Targets) for the practice firing of anti-aircraft guns. Examples are known from the United States but this may well be the only one known and extant in the UK.
The aircraft used was a Radioplane 19, a monoplane with a wing span of almost 12 feet (3.60 metres), of metal/wood construction, weighing about 145 kilograms, and capable of flying at more than 200 miles per hour. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder 2-stroke engine of about 72 horsepower, a radio receiver and control system and basic flying controls. It had no undercarriage or wheels and therefore had to be catapult-launched and returned to earth by parachute when the fuel was used up or it was shot down. Almost 50 000 RP19 aircraft were built in 20 years from 1945 onwards. (Source: Fred Butcher, 2006; NHER Number 12747)
The aircraft used was a Radioplane 19, a monoplane with a wing span of almost 12 feet (3.60 metres), of metal/wood construction, weighing about 145 kilograms, and capable of flying at more than 200 miles per hour. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder 2-stroke engine of about 72 horsepower, a radio receiver and control system and basic flying controls. It had no undercarriage or wheels and therefore had to be catapult-launched and returned to earth by parachute when the fuel was used up or it was shot down. Almost 50 000 RP19 aircraft were built in 20 years from 1945 onwards. (Source: Fred Butcher, 2006; NHER Number 12747)
by Evelyn Simak
Created: Wed, 23 Apr 2014, Updated: Tue, 29 Apr 2014
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