The Saunders-Roe Skeeter was a two-seat training and scout helicopter that was developed and produced by British manufacturer

Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. History The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a ...

("Saro") of

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Fl ...

and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Work on what would become the Skeeter had been commenced by the

Cierva Autogiro Company The Cierva Autogiro Company was a British firm established in 1926 to develop the autogyro. The company was set up to further the designs of Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer and pilot, with the financial backing of James George Weir, a Scot ...

as the Cierva W.14. Following Saunders-Roe's takeover of Cierva's helicopter development contracts, it was decided to continue its projects, including the Skeeter. Despite an initial preference for the rival Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter, which had already been ordered, there was a reversal of fortune with interest from the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

in the potential procurement of a large number of Skeeters. This led to the British order for the Ultra-light Helicopter being cancelled and the Skeeter effectively taking its place, which also served to guarantee an export order from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. During the late 1950s, the Skeeter entered service with the British Army Air Corps, the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

, and the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

. It has the distinction of being the first helicopter to be used by the Army Air Corps. While some consideration had been made to developing a version of the Skeeter powered by a

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...

engine instead of a

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common feat ...

, it was decided to produce the developmental

Saro P.531 The Saro P.531 (or Saunders-Roe P.531) is a British all-metal five-seat helicopter designed and built by Saunders-Roe Limited (Saro). Development Design of the P.531Jackson 1974, p 295 and 329 was started in November 1957 as a private ventur ...

for this purpose instead of a more direct Skeeter derivative.

Development

Origins

In 1947, the

commenced work on a new project, which was designated as the ''W.14 Skeeter''. As designed, it was a relatively compact two-seat helicopter, intended to be suitable for use as both a civilian aircraft and for aerial observation duties with military customers. The original engine selected to power the Skeeter was a single 110 hp Jameson FF-1 air-cooled horizontally-opposed

. On 10 October 1948, the first prototype Skeeter performed its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...

at Eastleigh airfield. Initial flight trials of the prototype proved the rotorcraft to be underpowered, which was partially as a result of the experimental Jameson engine being prone to overheating. In response, the company decided to develop an improved Mark 2 Skeeter which was to be equipped with the well-established

de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintag ...

10, which provided 145 hp (108 kW).London 1988, p. 239. The Mark 2 Skeeter was a noticeably larger aircraft and had a different appearance. On 20 October 1949, the larger Skeeter Mark 2 performed its first flight. Powered tests using the rotorcraft soon made it apparent that the Mark 2 suffered from severe ground resonance problems. Cierva found it difficult to resolve these issues; on 26 June 1950, the Skeeter Mark 2 was destroyed during ground testing. Despite these problems, Cierva had received an order from the British

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for airc ...

for three improved Skeeters, a pair of Mark 3s and a single Mark 4, for evaluation purposes by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) and

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

.London ''Air Enthusiast'' 1994, p. 3. Prior to the completion of any of these three rotorcraft, rival manufacturer

completed its take over of Cierva's helicopter development contracts and took control of its facilities and development programmes in January 1951. During March 1953, the Blackburn Bombardier-engined Skeeter Mark 3B was transferred to the

Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work ...

(A&AEE). Subsequent testing showed that these aircraft continued to be underpowered and that the previously encountered ground resonance problems had yet to be properly resolved; these failings were cited as the reason for official support for the rotorcraft being suspended. In response to the suspension, Saunders-Roe chose to undertake a lengthy series of company-funded tests, which involved the use of a specially-built rig as well as more theoretical work being performed, for the purpose of identifying both the causes of and solutions to the resonance issue.London 1988, pp. 239–242.

Competition and reversal of fate

During the early 1950s, the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

became highly interested in the potential use of compact

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

s in the observation and aerial observation roles.Wood 1975, p. 111. In 1953, there was a requirement issued by the British

which sought for a low-cost two-seat helicopter, which would be suitable for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

duties. This specification was considered to be quite demanding, calling for it to be capable of high speeds and quick climb rates even under tropical conditions. The rotorcraft was also required to be transportable on the back of a standard Army three-ton truck, constricting the dimensions of the prospective vehicle considerably. Further requirements for the prospective light helicopter included a flight endurance of one hour along with the potential for carrying light cargos such as fuel and tools as well as stretcher-bound wounded troops. An initial request for a rear-facing observer's seat was present early on, but was discarded in later revisions. At this time, newly developed

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...

s were beginning to appeal both to helicopter designers and to prospective operators, the British Army made the use of such an engine one of its requirements. A diverse range of entries were submitted in response to the issuing of the requirement; amongst these were Fairey Aviation with its Ultra-light Helicopter which harnessed

tip jet A tip jet is a jet nozzle at the tip of some helicopter rotor blades, used to spin the rotor, much like a Catherine wheel firework. Tip jets replace the normal shaft drive and have the advantage of placing no torque on the airframe, thus not re ...

propulsion, Saunders-Roe with a smaller version of the Skeeter, the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

's proposed ''Type 190'', a ducted rotor proposal by Percival Aircraft,

Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...

proposed the larger Short SB.8, and a ram jet-powered proposal by

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n-born helicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner.Wood 1975, pp. 111–112. In response to the detailed design submission that Fairey had produced for their proposal, the Ministry decided to award the firm a contract to produce a total of four development aircraft for demonstration and flight testing purposes; the company later decided to construct a further two more rotorcraft as a private venture. Meanwhile, a solution for the Skeeter's troublesome resonance issue had been developed, which involved the adoption of a redesigned undercarriage and the fitting of revised blade friction dampers on the rotor head. These improvements allowed Saunders-Roe to finally demonstrate that the ground resonance problems had been fixed when the Skeeter Mark 5 underwent testing by the A&AEE in March 1954.''Flight'' 1956, p. 355. The resolution of the issue served to reignite official interest in the rotorcraft, quickly leading to a smaller order being placed for four Skeeter Mark 6s, each equipped with 200 hp (149 kW) Gipsy Major 200 engines (designated as ''AOP.10'' and ''T.11'' by the British armed forces), for evaluation purposes. It was around this point that the British Army became more focused on the Skeeter and the addressing of its shortcomings, while the Fairey Ultra-light fell out of favour.Wood 1975, p. 115. According to aviation author Derek Wood, the Skeeter had benefitted from a favourable early impression of the type that had been made upon some West German officials; the rotorcraft had attracted the offer of a sizable military order from the German government, however, the placing of the order was on the condition that the Skeeter was in turn adopted by the British armed forces as well. Thus, the decision was taken in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

to concentrate its efforts on the Skeeter, which effectively meant the abandonment of the Ministry requirement that the rival Fairey Ultra-light had been being developed towards fulfilling. In 1956, Saunders-Roe finally received production orders for 64 AOP.12s, each powered by a215 hp (160 kW) engine; production deliveries of the Skeeter commenced in 1958.London 1988, pp. 245–249.London ''Air Enthusiast'' 1994, pp. 4–5.

Design

The Saunders-Roe Skeeter is a light all-metal, two-seat single-rotor helicopter, complete with a tail rotor for torque compensation and yaw control.''Flight'' 1956, p. 356. It was intended to perform as an all-purpose rotorcraft, primarily being used for light civil work as well as aerial observation and training missions in military service. The handling characteristics were broadly similar to comparably-sized rotorcraft of the era, while possessing the necessary simplicity, robustness, and reliability that commonly typified trainer aircraft. The Skeeter possessed a relatively conventional configuration for a helicopter, being powered by a single

which drove a 29-foot (8.84 metre) three-bladed main rotor and a three-bladed anti-torque rotor, which was mounted at the end of a triangular-section tailboom. The main rotor-blades made use of a

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

construction, using a steel-tube

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

that was bonded to wooden veneers, formers, and

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...

s, as well as

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

balance-weights; these reportedly delivered a cost-effective and relatively simplistic rotor blade that also possessed favourable

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

properties. Saunders-Roe also developed a replacement metal light

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductili ...

rotor blade that possessed superior aerodynamic properties and provided increased performance. A fixed

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

arrangement, complete with interchangeable wheels and brake units, was also present.London 1988, pp. 237, 239.''Flight'' 21 October 1948, pp. 477–478. The Skeeter's crew of two were housed within an enclosed glazed perspex canopy, complete with removable doors. The design of the cabin had been heavily shaped by the requirement for the Skeeter to be suited to the air observation post (AOP) role that the type had been heavily marketed towards. The nose structure of the Skeeter bore the weight of the rotorcraft's equipment, payload, and crew in addition to the

inertia Inertia is the idea that an object will continue its current motion until some force causes its speed or direction to change. The term is properly understood as shorthand for "the principle of inertia" as described by Newton in his first law ...

l forces present during manoeuvring and landing loads from the nose wheel. The light-alloy structure contained control access panels in the floor and a

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

unit within the nose itself.''Flight'' 1956, p. 357. Directly behind the cockpit and underneath the main rotor was the rotorcraft's engine and its

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pet ...

bag-type fuel tank, which was housed within a welded tubular steel framework attached to the cockpit structure and to the tailboom. Power was directed to the tail rotor via a torque shaft contained within the tail cone, which featured gearing so that pilots could readily adjust the speed and direction of tail rotor movement. The engine was provided with cooling air via an intake on the centre of the starboard side of the rotorcraft; for improved ventilation, the cowling around the engine area could be entirely removed. The

that was used to power the majority of Skeeters was credited with being a major contributor to the rotorcraft's relatively high fuel efficiency due to its use of

fuel injector Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All compr ...

s (the high aerodynamic efficiency of the airframe itself was another beneficial factor).''Flight'' 1956, pp. 356–357.

Rocket-boosted rotor

With the limited power of the Gipsy Major, means of boosting power were investigated, including a de Havilland developed turbo-supercharger. As an alternative to the turbocharger, a rocket powered rotor boost system was developed by D. Napier & Son, fuelled by

High Test Peroxide High-test peroxide (HTP) is a highly concentrated (85 to 98%) solution of hydrogen peroxide, with the remainder consisting predominantly of water. In contact with a catalyst, it decomposes into a high-temperature mixture of steam and oxygen, with n ...

(HTP) decomposed at blade tip nozzles by contact with a catalyst. The Napier N.R.E. 19 system was fitted to two Skeeter 6 helicopters (''G-AMTZ'' and ''G-ANMI''), re-designated as Skeeter 6 (mod) when modified. The rocket system consisted of a hemispherical HTP tank on the top of the rotor head and pipes running through the blades to catalyst chambers and rocket nozzles at each blade tip. Total thrust was thrust for 15 minutes, at a total HTP consumption rate of , boosting rotor power by and increasing vertical climb rate considerably . Total weight of the system was under . Flight trials proved the system to work as advertised but it was rejected due to the logistical problems involved with HTP in peace-time and particularly during military action.

Operational history

The

ordered 64 Skeeter 6's, to be designated as the Skeeter AOP.12 (Air Observation Post - artillery direction & control), and the Skeeter finally entered service in October 1956. Several Skeeter AOP.12s were operated by the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

of the Royal Air Force. With the merger of the helicopter activities of the British

, Fairey and Saro with

Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. D ...

in 1960, plans to develop a

powered version were abandoned – although this knowledge was used in the development of the Westland Scout and Westland Wasp through to the P.531, which had been based on the Skeeter's airframe.

Variants

;Cierva W.14 Skeeter 1 :Original design, first flown on 8 October 1948, powered by a Jameson FF-1 engine. It had a triangular cross-section to its tail-boom. Only one was built. ;Cierva W.14 Skeeter 2 :First flew in 1949. Powered by

Gipsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

engine. Suffered badly from ground resonance and eventually shook itself apart. This version had a circular-section tail-boom, as did all future versions. Only one was built. ;Skeeter 3 :Also with de Havilland Gipsy engine. Mark 3B powered by Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier engine. :Two were produced. No orders were placed by the

. ;Skeeter 4 :Version for the

, was rejected. Similar to Skeeter 2 and 3. Only one was produced. Built at same time as Mark 3B. ;Skeeter 5 :Similar to other earlier Skeeters. Only one was produced. ;Skeeter 6 :Three prototypes were procured. One was the Mark 5 rebuilt with the Gipsy Major 201 fuel-injection engine for gaining Certificate of Airworthiness. ;Skeeter 6 (mod) :Two Skeeter 6 helicopters, (''G-AMTZ'' and ''G-ANMI''), modified with a

fuelled Napier N.R.E. 19 rocket rotor boost system. ;;Skeeter AOP.10 :Three preproduction evaluation aircraft built for the British Army ;;Skeeter T.11 :One dual-control trainer was built for the Royal Air Force ;Skeeter 7 :Had Gipsy Major 150 engine. This was the most successful Skeeter. 64 were built and acquired by the British Army Air Corps. ;;Skeeter AOP.12 :Air Observation Post helicopter for the British Army Air Corps and training helicopter for the Royal Air Force. ;;Skeeter T.13 :Training version for the RAF. The Skeeter T.13s were used to train army helicopter instructors. ;Skeeter 8 :Commercial version similar to Skeeter 7, with Gipsy Major. Only single example completed, with two more abandoned incomplete.London 1988, p. 246. ;Skeeter Mk.50 :Export version of the Skeeter 7 for the German Army Aviation Corps. Six were ordered and exported.London 1988, p. 252. ;Skeeter Mk.51 :Export version of the Skeeter 7 for the

. Four were ordered and exported.

Operators

; *

; * Army Air Corps *

; *

Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...

Six Skeeter Mk.50 and four Skeeter Mk.51 acquired from the German Army Aviation Corps and German Navy, respectively. These non-airworthy examples were delivered in July 1961 and were stored at

OGMA OGMA – Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal S.A. is a Portuguese aerospace company focused on aircraft maintenance and manufacturing. History OGMA was founded as part of the reorganisation of the Portuguese Army's Aeronautic Service on June ...

; due to lacking spare parts their rebuild was eventually cancelled and they were sold.

Surviving aircraft

Saunders-Roe Skeeter - Muzeum Lotnictwa Kraków

;Germany * XN348 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg in Bückeburg, Lower Saxony. ;Poland * XL767 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the

Polish Aviation Museum The Polish Aviation Museum ( pl, Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie) is a large museum of historic aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Ai ...

in Kraków, Lesser Poland. ;United Kingdom * XL739 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the

Norfolk Tank Museum The Norfolk Tank Museum (previously Turrets and Tracks) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles in Norfolk, East England. It is located just outside the village of Forncett St. Peter and south of the City of Norwich. The collection is ma ...

in Forncett, Norfolk. * XL762 – Skeeter AOP.12 in storage at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian. * XL764 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at Newark Air Museum in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. * XL770 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the Solent Sky Museum in

Southampton, Hampshire Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Por ...

. * XL811 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset. * XL813 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the

Army Flying Museum The Army Flying Museum, previously known as the Museum of Army Flying, is a British military aviation museum about the history of flying in the British Army. It is located beside the Army Air Corps Centre in Middle Wallop, close to Andover i ...

in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. * XM553 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the

Yorkshire Air Museum The Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial is an aviation museum in Elvington, York on the site of the former RAF Elvington airfield, a Second World War RAF Bomber Command station. The museum was founded, and first opened to the pu ...

in Elvington, York. * XM555 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the North East Land, Sea and Air Museums in

Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the historic county of Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on the River Wear's mouth to the North Sea. The ...

. * XN344 – Skeeter AOP.12 on static display at the

Science Museum, London The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019. Like other publicly funded ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. * S2/5081 – Skeeter 8 on static display at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton, Hampshire.

Specifications (Skeeter AOP.12)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

"Cierva Skeeter Flies."
''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'', 21 October 1948, pp. 477–478. * Dunnell, Ben. "Aeroplane Archive: Jump To It". ''

Aeroplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spec ...

'', Vol. 45, No. 5, May 2017. pp. 103–105. . * London, Peter. "Last of the Line: The Saro Skeeter". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' maga ...

'', No. 54, Summer 1994. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 2–5. * London, Peter. ''Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917''. London: Putnam, 1988. .
"Saunders-Roe Skeeter: Development and Construction of the Mark Six."
''Flight'', 30 March 1956. pp. 355–359, 374. * * Wood, Derek. ''Project Cancelled''. Macdonald and Jane's Publishers, 1975. .

External links

Helis databaseSaro Skeeter
– British Aircraft Directory
Skeeter Heritage
{{Cierva aircraft 1940s British helicopters 1940s British military utility aircraft Skeeter Single-engined piston helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1948 W.14