About Gyroplanes
A beloved aircraft by many names
The gyroplane — also known historically as autogyro — is a beloved and unique aircraft: a hybrid between a fixed-wing aeroplane and a helicopter.
How They Fly
The easiest way to understand gyroplanes is to compare them with helicopters. Both have a rotating wing (rotor) that generates lift. The helicopter's rotor is driven by an engine and works essentially like a propeller blowing air downward, creating lift. The gyroplane's rotor is driven by the airflow, just like a windmill. The engine driving the propeller creates thrust and forward movement. That in turn creates relative wind which feeds energy to the rotor. As the rotation occurs, lift is generated.
The gyroplane principle also exists in nature. The maple tree's winged seed – the "maple nose" – rotates and can, with the help of the wind, fly far from the parent tree. Because an autorotating wing works at a fixed angle of attack during its rotation, unlike a helicopter, and because there is no need for a tail rotor, the gyroplane's construction is much simpler.
The advantages of gyroplanes include increased safety thanks to an extremely low landing speed, and the fact that the lift-generating rotor cannot stall during flight. This does not mean the gyroplane principle is foolproof – a pilot's incorrect input can obviously cause problems. That is why our training is very thorough. As a bonus you gain great knowledge and a flight feeling that cannot be compared with other types of aircraft.
A rotor disc of only 1.5 m² makes it possible to fly when strong winds force all other light aircraft to stay on the ground. Does that sound interesting here in windy Skåne? Once you could only dream of keeping your aircraft in your garage. Three gyroplanes take up less hangar space than one fixed-wing aircraft. Gyroplanes have the ability to manoeuvre with great precision, land in just a few metres, and take off in considerably shorter distances than fixed-wing aircraft… There are many advantages to gyroplanes, but the most important is that flight safety increases while maintaining – or often improving – performance.
Disadvantages are not easy to find, but we can mention that gyroplanes consume about 30% more fuel compared to conventional aircraft of the same weight class.