1. RCATS and the Whirlygig Flying around in circles A Power Point Presentation by Fred Butcher April 2006 With assistance from Chris Lewis of ‘Down to Earth Computing’ telephone 01953 882222

2. Stiffkey Ordnance Survey Map

3. Circular tarmac track

4. Central pylon with swinging arm

5. Site of No 11 Light AAPC, and Stiffkey marsh.

6. Circular tamac track

7. Signboard to the east of the Whirlygig

8. Stiffkey range 1945

9. An aerial of Stiffkey range by Hunting Surveys, 1969

10. Locally, the circle has become known as The Whirlygig and was used during WW11 to launch ‘Queen Bees’ as target practice aircraft! Even the local walkers map by Wilfred George says so! This is most unlikely as the Tiger Moth 82 is too large to take off in such a small circle However, Queen Bees had been launched from the AA PAC military camp at Weybourne – and this picture, shown in the Muckleburgh History room confirms it Note the massive RN type catapult, turned into wind for take off. No 1 AACU RAF flew Queen Bees off and the RN then recovered them from the sea via HMS Radstock and took them to Blakeney Staithe.

11. Other Queen Bee use There seem to have been two periods of use of Queen Bees at Weybourne. The first from before the war when RN vessels standing off shore practice fired at them. And secondly, during the early 40’s when it was expected that rockets would replace the conventional guns and shells used by AA Command. This project was terminated in 1942 when all RAF people were posted away.and the Queen Bees disposed of.

12. HMS Radstock, Queen Bee tender

13. Queen Bee in flight

14. But, talking to other people, it gradually emerged that small target aircraft had indeed been flown from The Whirlygig by the US Army after WW!! for the practice firing of AA guns. Few claim to have actually seen them or could remember other details such as when, by whom, or how often. Most who did, have either moved on or passed on… A mussel fisherman and his wife remembered, that as children they would hear the scream of the engines and, if possible, they would rush off to see what was happening. It was thought to be after WW11 (with 1952/4 as the most likely period) that the American soldiers involved were accommodated at RAF Langham. Much interest was centred on the items that could be obtained from the target aircraft at the end of flight!! Another contact said that the aircraft were known as RCATS…and two pictures of them were displayed in the Muckleburgh history room.

15. Radio Controlled aerial Target

16. The result of an intensive Internet search confirmed that the US Army used RCATS extensively as a training aid for AA Gunners The aircraft used was a Radioplane 19, a monoplane with a wing span of almost 12ft., of metal/wood construction, weighing about 145kg, and capable of flying at more than 200mph. It was fitted with a 4 cyl. 2 stroke engine of about 72hp, 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…)

17. An RCAT model RP 19 sitting on a take off trolley with the anchor cable and the tether to the central pylon in position.

18. The original method of launching RCATS was by catapult (often with Jato rocket assistance) the launcher being designed and made by Radioplane and designated the A7

19. After WW11 a Rotary Launcher was developed by Radioplane which became the standard launch system for RCAT’s by the US Army.

20. Radioplane A2 Rotary Launcher To prepare to launch an aircraft it is placed on a launch trolley with large wheels and lined up on the circular track with the start position decided by the surface wind of the day. The fuel state, the parachute pack, the radio guidance system and the engine are all checked and the trolley connected to a tether attached to the central pylon with another attached to a ground anchor. When all is ready, the engine is started (it runs at full throttle only) and once the restraining tether is removed the aircraft accelerates around the track and is released to become airborne when flying speed is reached at about 85 mph – literally flying around in circles!! A crew of ten including the pilot is usually employed and between 8 and 10 RCATS can be flown on a good day…

21. The Stiffkey Whirlygig 1978 Ordnance Survey map

22. Radioplane 19 Launcher trolley and centre post

23. RCAT ready for flight

24. Radioplane 19 being prepared for launch by an A2 rotary launcher.

25. Descent by parachute

26. RCATS were recovered for reuse by a 32ft. diameter parachute that lowered the aircraft down to the land or sea when the fuel ran out or by radio command.

27. A rare picture of a downed and drowned RCAT recovered by a landing craft – but not at Stiffkey!

28. The engines were soon found to be too fast and high revving for use in fishing boats!

29. A 1961 version of a Radioplane 19 is displayed at the IWM Duxford. It is a day/night reconnaissance version and one of the last model 19’s made over 20 years

30. Wing Commander Ken Wallis – of Little Nellie fame – visited The Whirlygig sometime in 1953 whilst working at the Air Ministry in London and he saw RCATS and the Launcher in action at Stiffkey! He remembers the raucous noise of the McCulloch engine as RCATS sped around the track. And was very surprised when they were suddenly released from the trolley and climbed away under radio control. One of his autogyros, which he still flies, is fitted with the same type of McCulloch engine…

31. B29 gunnery practise!

32. Simulated air to air firing!

33. You have control, sir

34. From July ‘52 until October ’58 RAF Langham was operated asN0 2 CAACU by Marshall’s of Cambridge as well as providing accommodation for some US Army units. US Army RCAT 50 th Battery from 1951 to 1957 US Army Skysweeper AA Gun Training Unit from’53 to ‘57 US Army E/W Radar unit attached to 39 th AAA Batt. Of the 32 nd AAA Brigade By 1957 the Cold War was declared over, the Americans retreated to Germany and Langham, Stiffkey and Weybourne all closed down!! AA Guns were then being replaced by missiles!

35. Morston Road US troop accommodation site

36. After an immense amount of Internet searching, contact was eventually established with a US soldier who worked in a met section giving weather info to the AA Gunners at Weybourne (and was accommodated at Langham). BUT, the trouble is that he and his colleagues travelled each day to Weybourne Camp from Langham and not Stiffkey!! During eighteen months of service there he never went to Stiffkey nor heard any reference to the Whirlygig… Richard Strisofsky confirms that RCATS were flown from Weybourne for AA gun practice and that they were launched from an A7 launcher using rocket propulsion. Other people in the Weybourne area have also confirmed that this was so and agree that the Stiffkey Whirlygig was only in use for a comparatively short period – a maximum of 2 or 3 years is the usual suggestion, covering ’52 – ’53 But no one seems to know why the Rotary launcher at Stiffkey was abandoned… The launching of RCATS from Weybourne continued until ’57 when the camp started to close. An additional complication to these activities is that the British Army also used an RCAT lookalike known as the PTA (pilotless target aircraft), that was smaller and flew more slowly than the RP 19’s used by the US Army. Very little information is available about them… …

37. One reason for the short operational life of The Whirlygig may be connected with the change over from 40mm AA Guns to 75mm AA Guns by the US Amy in late ‘53 When the 32 nd Brigade first arrived to provide AA Gun training they were using guns of 40mm calibre that fitted in with the WW11 use of Stiffkey No 11 Light AAPC which specialised in the 40mm Bofors AA Gun When the 75mm Skysweeper gun was introduced during ‘53 - doubling the fire power per gun – the firing range safety requirements would have been more suited to the No 5 Heavy AAPC at Weybourne. For example, there is a much larger area of marsh, sands and shallows seaward from Stiffkey than at Weybourne where the pebble beach is narrow and steeply shelving with deep water close inshore. Bofors 40mm AA gun Skysweeper 75mm gun

38. Weybourne Military camp – No 11 Heavy AAPC Now the home of the Muckleburgh Collection

39. Actual usage of the Stiffkey Whirlygig Apart from the one day’s sighting by Wing Ken Wallis and the comments in the Washington Times, nothing is known about day to day operations. Why was it built outside the boundary of The Army’s Stiffkey range? Was it entirely USAF manned? And most importantly, why was it in use for such a short time (1953 until 1955)? However, there were many reasons for the USAF to make use of an AA gunnery practice site even if it was located alongside a British Army Practice Camp The Cold War was the reason for the presence of the USAF SC in Britain (eg, Bize Norton. Upper Heyford, Lakenheath, Sculthorpe,etc) all of which needed to maintain AA Guns at a high state of readiness. The USAF 32 nd AAA Brigade housed at Bushy Park made much use of the established AA ranges at Stiffkey and Weybourne together with drogue towing from Langham, Horsham St Faith and other specialised units Even though it was after the war, the threat of another (ie the Cold war) caused a great deal of activity in the number of aircraft movements in the skies of North Norfolk so that confusion about who did this and who did that, is inevitable.

40. Organisational Structure of the 32 nd AA Brigade as at December 1952

41. The Stiffkey Whirlygig – A Summary We know The Whirlygig to be a Radioplane A2 Rotary Launcher We know that it was constructed in 1952. We know that it was a Cold War and not a WW11 artefact We know that it was used for a period of time in 1953 and 54 and was closed down in 1955. We assume it was used only by the US personnel but do not know if it was a part of the Stiffkey and/or Weybourne AA Practice Camp commands. We do not know why it was taken out of use We think the relic that is sufficiently unusual to warrant a notice board describing its purpose Any additional information would be welcomed, particularly by the Norfolk Archaeology Department

42. Interval?

43. A brief history of the Radioplane Company Radioplane was started by an Englishman Reginald Denny just before WW11 who went to the States to become a film actor. He was also a keen model aeroplane flyer and started a model aircraft business. He saw the opportunity to fly remote controlled small aeroplanes as targets for AA training and sold the idea to the US Army. His early aircraft (RP2 to RP7) took off and landed from an open space using a conventional undercarriage as well as by catapult. He contracted with Walter Righter to design and manufacture the engines( some of which were sub contracted in turn to other’s). He also contracted with John Case to make the radio control and guidance system. And following the death of Reginald Denny the Radioplane Company was absorbed into Northrop Grumman in 1962

44. Reginald Denny’s Hollywood Model shop and Walter Righter’s workshop

45. Reginald Denny, the founder of Radio plane with engineer Walter Righter

46. Reginald Denny and his first RCAT, RP - 1

47. A pre war model RP4 ready for take off from a catapult ramp

48. Three RP 4’s taking off in formation during the US Army acceptance trials

49. Sidewinder twin vertical cylinder with extended gearbox drives for contra rotating propellers

50. The RP 4 was replaced by the RP 5 during 1942

51. In the early ’40’s the opposed twin cylinder engine was modified to have front mounted spur gear driven contra rotating propellers.

52. Radioplane RP5’s WW11 production

53. In 1943 the RP 7 replaced the RP 5 and became the most used of WW11 RCATS

54. RP 8/OQ 14/TDD 3 an improved version of OQ 3/TDD 3

55. And then the definitive RP 19/ OQ19/ KD 2R series

56. Righters first model engine (the Denneymite) and his first twin cylinder engine for the RP 1

57. And subsequently the same engine was redesigned to drive a single propeller

58. And finally, the four cylinder horizontally opposed engine for the Radioplane RP 19 series.

59. A whole row of McCulloch’s

60. From RCATS to UAV’s by the thousands!!

61. Radioplanes star employee!! In June 1945 an Army photographic team under the command of Capt Reagan, visited the Radioplane factory to photograph ‘women at war work’. Norma Jeane was pictured fitting a propeller to an RP 8and the photographer took a great interest in her… Her picture was soon circulating in nearby Hollywood (no doubt encouraged by Denny) and a screen test followed. The world subsequently came to know her as Marilyn Monroe!!

62. Credits This talk describes events of more than fifty years ago and most of it has only been possible by the kindness of people answering many questions. Special help has also been given by the Curator and Archivist, Lynn Jensen and Joe Wollmer of the Western Museum of Flight, Hawthorn, California. An outstanding series of articles on Radioplane aircraft and Righter engines can be found at www.ctie.monash.edu.au./ www.ctie.monash.edu.au./

63. The END