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Old January 12th 10, 03:44 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
stephanevdv
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Posts: 60
Default NOT OT, This is one of the best eulogies I have ever read.

The Focke-Achgelis Bachstelze [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/FA-330_Bachstelze2.jpg/800px-
FA-330_Bachstelze2.jpg[/img] autogyro glider, meant as a crow's nest
for submarines, was indeed the father of the "Bensen type" autogyro.
It seems some GI's put a lawnmower engine on a FA-330 and thus created
the type.

There was also a prototype of a big troop-carrying autogyro glider,
the FA-225, being a combination of the DFS-230 fuselage with one rotor
of the FA-223 helicopter (2 side-by-side rotors on outriggers). It was
flown but not used in combat. [img]http://www.aviastar.org/foto/
focke_225.jpg[/img]

Concerning the Eben-Emael attack: I used to think it was quite an
achievement to land "inside" a fort. But Eben-Emael is in fact a large
plateau with the fort built underneath the earth. So in 1991, there
was no problem at all to commemorate the 50th anniversary by landing a
couple of ASK-13 two-seaters on the plateau...