Cold Day today

After all the fine weather so far this spring, today has been a rude return to winter, being both drab and cold and it sounds as if we may be in for snow tomorrow.

So since the light was so poor today for an outdoor blip, I headed to the Museum of Scotland on my way home from work, where I blipped this Gyroplane 33/1.

The Kay Gyroplane Type 33/1 was a 1930s British single-seat autogiro design by David Kay.

David Kay had first flown an autogiro (the Type 32/1) in 1932 but it was damaged in early 1933 and not repaired. Kay then designed a larger single-seat autogiro, the Type 33/1 and contracted Oddie, Bradbury and Cull Limited of Southampton to build two fuselages.

The first autogiro, registered G-ACVA, first flew on 18 February 1935 from Eastleigh Airport. The second autogiro was not completed. Following the last flight of G-ACVA on 16 August 1947 at Perth Airport (Scotland) at Scone, it was stored there for many years. It was then refurbished at Scone in 1967 and loaned to the Museum of Transport, Glasgow. The autogyro was then purchased from the Kay family by the National Museums Scotland and is on display in the main museum building in Chambers Street, Edinburgh.