They are simple, and fewer parts and components generally mean you can build one without having to take out a second mortgage on the house.
#Popular rotorcraft association series
My earlier columns in this series have emphasized the structural simplicity of the typical gyro airframe. There is no simple answer to the question of whether gyroplanes are safe to fly, any more than one could generalize about any aircraft, but we can learn a lot about gyros by looking at these seemingly simple points. Gyros cannot stall or spin and thus are inherently safer than fixed-wing aircraft.Īt one level, all three assertions are true, but taken literally, they are also dangerously simplistic.The aircraft was simple and affordable.When Igor Bensen began large-scale marketing of his Gyrocopter in the early 60s, much of the sales pitch involved three primary assertions: The fact is that gyroplanes may have the most complex image problem in aviation. On the other hand, your typical aviator who has never flown a gyro will tell you that you must be out of your mind to even think about flying one of those unstable contraptions! Lets just say that opinions about gyros are polarized. Gyro pilots unanimously believe that their aircraft are inherently safe and easy to fly. If you begin to respond to that appeal by talking with pilots about gyros, you soon discover that not many pilots sit on the fence when it comes to these little aircraft. Most sport gyroplanes aren’t beautiful or even cute, but there is no denying that they have a certain magnetic appeal.