An 80's Brit Aircraft I cannot remember help...

[sketchy]

Hi,

Could I be really cheeky and pick the brains of the this huge font of knowledge of all things British Aviation?

Can anyone remember the name of that aircraft that was doing the rounds in the early 80's called "Euriel" or "Ecurial" or something? It was a bizarre Egg Shaped canopy infront of a ducted fan.....?

I am trying to put an image board together at work and that design describes something I am trying to convey.....I cannot find anything on the net without the correct name...

Hope some of you great minds can help!

Thanks in Advance,

Fraser

[SkippyBing]

What something like that?

It's called an Optica mate made by Optica Industries (original I know) and/or Edgley.

More info http://1000aircraftphotos.com/HistoryBr ... Optica.htm

I should get out more.

[sketchy]

riiiiiiiiggghht so I have to post on an internet forum to recieve a reply from my oldest friend!

Cheers mate, where the hell did I get Euriel from then?!?!!

Ta.

Fras.

[Tweek]

Cheers mate, where the hell did I get Euriel from then?!?!!

One of these, perhaps?

[SkippyBing]

so I have to post on an internet forum to recieve a reply from my oldest friend!

He never writes, he never calls...

[forthbridge]

Blimey...amazing what memories get churned up here

I remember lots of talk about this plane, for a while it was seemingly 'everywhere' and specifically this on the news at the time
http://www.hants.gov.uk/hchs/optica.html

Then nothing at all - presumably for all too obvious reasons.

IIRC it was featured on 'Tomorrow's World' at some point around that time too.

I also came across a link for one in Florida with an asking price of 100,000 USD - but as usual I can't find it now

[DelP]

I remember seeing the Optica quite often when I was stationed in Aldershot..around 1980 I guess...

..I think it may have appeared at Farnborough at around that time. We'd stand on the HQ roof during week-end duty, watching the comings and goings through long lenses supplied by the duty Intelligence wallah .

I've always liked the look of the Optica..very futuristic....shame about the outcome.

Derek ;-)

[airboatr]

I found a few links
some discussion in a forum
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45476

http://www.blac-america.com/index.htm

a few pics on Airliners
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... entry=true

and a model for FS2002

http://www.surclaro.com/downloads_c10_480_dateD.html

There was an Optica at the Lakeland Florida airshow before
I might be going this coming years event with the guy who built the Stolp Starduster
and the owner I had posted a video of previously here
IF I see one I'll take some pics.
Joe

[biplaneflyer]

There's one for FS9 over at avsim -( and other places probably) - Ok from what I remember - probably good for AI. Pity it didn't take off -but nor did Edgleys Fibrelam EA9 and EA10 gliders despite quite a bit of DTI money. Then his marketing stratergy wasn't the best -didn't really have a clue about the potential market -probably the same with the Optica.

[hobby]

Optica is a bit of a mysterious project. I think that the aircraft featured on 'Tomorrow's World' with the suggestion that it could usefully serve numerous police forces as an AOP. Then someone crashed one in Hampshire. The mysterious bit came when a newly established factory, setup to produce Opticas, burnt down. I always thought that was a bit fishy and just too convenient for some.