Early Life
Born on 26 April 1916 at Ely, Cambridgeshire, Wallis developed a practical interest in mechanics, building a motorcycle at the age of 11. In 1936, he was inspired by a demonstration by Henri Mignet of his Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel ("Flying Flea"). Using only Mignet's book, Wallis gathered the materials required, and started to build his own Flying Flea. He abandoned construction because of widespread adverse publicity about fatal accidents that implicated inadequate design of the type.
Wallis took an interest in powerboating which he kept up until 1957, when he won the 56-mile (90 km) long Missouri Marathon.
Read more about this topic: Ken Wallis
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