Abstract:
During the 1962 - 1982 time period there were three distinct revolts against Igor Bensen's Popular Rotorcraft Association: members of the PRA who saw the PRA as an "association of Bensen dealers"; Ken Brock of California whose attempts to standardize and industrialize the Bensen B8M kit, which were not intended as a challenge, ended up forcing Bensen's withdrawal from formal PRA leadership in early 1973; and the International Gyroplane movement of Martin Hollmann of the mid-1970s which boldly challenged the Bensen heritage even after Bensen's presidency. The irony of each of these revolts is to be found in their genesis and eventual impact: the members' revolt was seemingly ineffective, yet analysis reveals it had a long-lasting impact; the Brock revolt appeared to be the most successful, yet it occasioned little change on the American popular rotorcraft movement; while the International Gyroplane Association, correctly perceiving that the PRA under the leadership of Ken Brock was, in many significant ways, actually a continuation of Bensen's PRA, mounted a vigorous challenge that was seemingly the least effective of the three revolts. But historical analysis reveals that the International Gyroplane revolt of Martin Hollmann, while deemed an utter failure, had the real potential of changing the American Popular Rotorcraft. That Hollmann's revolt did not have a significant impact was largely due to his vitriolic personality and animosity towards Bensen and Brock, and the Popular Rotorcraft movement is poorer for it.