The Gyroplane Story

The gyroplane, one of the most fascinating machines one can think of, has flown in our skies for over seventy years. The autogiro (modern day gyroplane) is an invention of Juan de la Cierva, a civil engineer born in Spain. Distressed by the number of friend pilots who died as a result of fatal stalls, he decided to create a machine which could not be put in such condition. An aircraft which could not stall! He conceived a free-wheeling rotating wing kept in motion by the relative wind.

This configuration ensured that the aircraft had sufficient lift to hold it aloft in any flight condition, whether slow, transverse or vertical flight. The first successful flight of an autogiro was made at Getafe Airdrome, near Madrid, Spain, on January 9, 1923.

The autogyro concept proved itself in the 1930's and 1940's when the American Post Office Department used these craft for mail delivery from the roofs of post offices for nearly ten years. Hundreds of flights carrying thousands of pieces of mail were performed by Kellett and Pitcairn gyroplanes flying in Camden, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, New Orleans, LA, Washington, DC and other cities.

During Second World War, gyrogliders were used on the German U-Boats being towed aloft as an observation and alerting vehicle. This was abandoned as recoveries were difficult!

In the 1950s Bensen Aircraft Corporation exploded upon the sport aviation scene with their ground-breaking "Gyrocopters" and "Gyrogliders." When the brilliant engineer behind this success, Dr. Igor Bensen, introduced the B-7 Gyroglider (1955), its unprecedented simplicity of design and ease of flight captured the public's imagination. Although the B-7 had no engine and was towed into the air very much like a kite, shortly thereafter the engine powered B-7M Gyrocopter was introduced and a new age of powered homebuilt aircraft dawned.

Powered autogyro versions of the auto-kites had been developed simultaneously, the first of these being the B-7M which flew for the first time on 6 December 1955. This was followed on 8 July 1957 by the first B-8M (M = motorised) and by the first production B-8M on 9 October 1957. The Gyro-Copter was a powered version of the Gyro-Glider. It was designed to be constructed from a set of plans costing about $30 or from a prefabricated kit, costing $995. Engines were available ranging in price from $495 to $1195. As few as forty man hours were required for kit assembly. The B-8M was normally powered by a 72hp McCulloch piston engine. Optional features include a 90hp McCulloch engine and a mechanical rotor drive enabling the autogyro to make jump starts. A float version of the B-8M was known as the Hydro-Copter. The autogyro was a powered version of the Gyro-Glider and could fit in anyone's garage. The Model B-8M could also be converted from an aircraft to an automobile by simply locking its blades in place. On the road as an automobile it could achieve 35 mph. Production of the Benson Gyrocopter continued until 1987.

Igor Bensen was a Russian immigrant to the United States. He had been a test pilot for both the Air Force and the Navy. His new company was formed to develop light, safe rotary wing aircraft for use by private individuals. Besides their use as a pleasure craft Gyro-Copters could be used for terrain and pipeline aerial surveillance, sport and forestry patrol. In England one was modified for crop spraying. All three branches of the military had several in their inventories.

In 1957, the evolution of of the rotorcraft took a gigantic step forward with the production of the Fairey Rotordyne. In 1958 this 40 seater passenger aircraft achieved economic cruise speeds of 150 knots. It had a rotor diameter of 90', fuselage length of 58'8" and a height of 22'. The inside dimensions of the cabin were 7' high and 6' wide. Double clamshell doors at the rear permitted freight loading. The prototype could be also used as a flying crane. Vertical take off and landing was achieved by jets being ignited at the tips of the rotors. Although there was considerable interest and many advance orders, the project failed, mainly for political reasons.

Conceived at least 40 years before its time, it could still be the most economical transport for short trips such as London to Paris - today.

For more information see: http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/fairey_rotodyne-r.html

On the sports side of things, after the Benson gyrocopter, many small companies, mainly American have produced small gyros, mainly based on the Benson design and mainly in kit form. The early ones were often powered by Volkswagen engines, nowadays the Subaru is more common being lighter. The Rotax engines are considered far superior but come at a much higher price.

A number of machines were/are homemade and require a fair degree of skill and knowledge to fly them. Fatalities were common and the gyro earned a bad reputation although most incidents were blamed on pilot error. This was before instructors evolved and before instruction became compulsory. The trainee pilot was given an instruction book and had to teach himself, often with disastrous results. In recent years there has been little progress in the design and manufacture of gyros, due to lack of funds for development because of the limited market demand. Design parameters are usually considered fairly simple whereas they are far more complex than most people realise if safety is the primary aim.

Which brings us back to the present and the amazing Magni Gyro. All flying is dangerous. The trick is to reduce the risk to negligible proportions. If you want to fly a gyroplane, buy a factory assembled state-of-the art gyroplane, the best and safest gyroplane on the market. Yes, it is expensive but why take risks with your life? Most old technology gyro pilots will rarely travel long distances from base. Most are content to do circuits, the more adventurous may join with others and fly between certain way points a short distance apart.

In South Africa, where over 65 Magni Gyro M16s been been sold, pilots regularly fly hundreds of kilometres at a time.

An attempt was made recently by a British army helicopter pilot to fly a Magni Gyroplane around the world. He went from England to India before being stopped by the monsoons. What does this amazing feat tell you about the safety and reliability of the Magni Gyro?

The Magni Gyro is built in Italy by Vittorio Magni, a true expert in this specific field with 15 years experience designing and building gyroplanes.

THE FUTURE

The wheel is about to turn full circle, from the gyro to the helicopter and back to the gyro. To see what is happening take a look at the Carter Copter website www.cartercopters.com and the Groen Bros Aviation website www.groenbros.com Now is a most exciting time to participate in the gyroplane experience at the best and safest level. Groen Bros are exporting 200 four seaters to China with more on order. They are looking at creating transport aircraft and even fire bombers using the rotary wing concept. Here in Australia, apart from delighting recreational flyers it is easy to see Magni Gyros being used by the police, army, RAAF, farmers and graziers as a far cheaper alternative to the helicopter. The pontential market for the Magni Gyro for recreational users in Australia will be significant and will take the standard of gyroplane design and safety to a new level.