Ken Wallis
#1
Posted 14 April 2011 - 14:29
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#2
Posted 14 April 2011 - 18:15
#3
Posted 14 April 2011 - 20:26
Thanks for the response, but although the Ken Wallis I am refering to is also English and has/had a background in Aerospace Engineering, I'm sure he isn't the one who stilll flies Autogyros.There was a "Day in the Life of Ken Wallis" feature on the back page of Octane as recently as January 2011. He is 94 years old, according to the article. He is shown in a recent picture flying his Autogyro.
#4
Posted 14 April 2011 - 20:41
I'm sure he's not, too, Gene. I think the Ken Wallis who designed the STP and Shelby Indycars was an ex-pat Englishman who worked for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation and later set up Ken Wallis Engineering in California. I'm sorry to say that I don't know whether he is still around.Thanks for the response, but although the Ken Wallis I am refering to is also English and has/had a background in Aerospace Engineering, I'm sure he isn't the one who stilll flies Autogyros.
#5
Posted 14 April 2011 - 22:12
The Ken Wallis you are asking about was featured in a pair of articles in "Sports Car International" magazine, written by Karl Ludvigsen, in 2000/2001. Mr Wallis apparently was rather unhappy with the articles and with Mr Ludvigsen, and fired off a letter to the editor of SCI stating his objections. His letter was sent from San Diego, Ca. I don't know his current status. The text says he was 37 years old in 1967, so that would make him approximately 80-81 years old at present, as you suggested.
#6
Posted 15 April 2011 - 08:51
Thanks again. Maybe he doesn't want any exposure these days. As an aside, the Sports Car International link adds "interesting" background to the Shelby 1968 turbine project, via an interview with Ray Heppenstall. By coincidence I found part of this interview on page 95 of Karl Ludvigsen's book 'Colin Chapman, Inside the Inovator'.Regarding the Lotus turbine car drive train,Maurice Phillippe had a different version of how the concept came to be.Please pardon the error on my part, I had no idea that there were two Ken Wallis's. Learned something new.
The Ken Wallis you are asking about was featured in a pair of articles in "Sports Car International" magazine, written by Karl Ludvigsen, in 2000/2001. Mr Wallis apparently was rather unhappy with the articles and with Mr Ludvigsen, and fired off a letter to the editor of SCI stating his objections. His letter was sent from San Diego, Ca. I don't know his current status. The text says he was 37 years old in 1967, so that would make him approximately 80-81 years old at present, as you suggested.