The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Walker's Planesailing
Revolutionary Sail inspired by Plane
In partnership with:
Overview
Westward TV’s Del Cooper interviews ‘Wingsail’ or ‘Planesail’ designer John Walker. John started his career as a designer of cars and planes but following a yachting accident turned his attention to designing a new and improved sail. His first prototype was the planesail which soon developed into the wingsail, a revolutionary idea for the yachting community.
The wingsail is a variable-camber aerodynamic structure similar to that of an aeroplane wing, and is more rigid in structure than conventional sails. The Walker Wingsail Company started in 1982, but came under attack from an article printed by the IPC magazine group in February 1993. The company was awarded £1.5 million by the courts. In this film, one of the first prototypes is demonstrated.
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