FAQ

Absolutely not!  We are open to anyone who has an interest in gyroplanes, whether you want to build one, and/or fly one, or just participate in our wonderful fellowship of gyroplane enthusiasts!  Click here to jump to the “Join the club!” part of this website.

Just join our Facebook webpage and send a DM to one of the admins… you can then send a check for membership soon after.

Meetings are held once a month at the club hangars at Anahuac Airport (T00) which is 1 mile east of Anahuac, Texas.  Click here to get more information.

Our club has a gyroplane CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) who would be happy to make arrangments to give you a Discovery Flight!   But honestly, if you’re polite, inquisitive and friendly, you can show up on just about any Saturday to the club hangars, show some interest, chat up some of the pilots that own a 2-seat gyroplane and…. who knows?

The general public will often use gyrocopter to describe this type of aircraft.  That is mostly because of Igor Bensen, and an article in the 1965 issue of Popular Mechanics.  Between that and the 1967 James Bond flik “You Only Live Twice” and Little Nellie, that term came into popular use.  But the FAA in the U.S. describes this aircraft as a gyroplane (probably — and correctly — because it has characteristics more of a fixed-wing airplane than a helicopter).  In fact, while the gyroplane may visually, at first glance, look like a helicopter due to its rotor on top and lack of wings, if you look closely you’ll see a propeller too (usually on the back).  This propeller pushes the gyroplane forward which causes the wind to go through the tilted rotor, which causes it to spin.  Unlike a helicopter, the rotor is completely un-powered, and so relies on forward thrust.  And while a gyroplane can land very short, it’s still not quite vertical… and it certainly cannot take off vertically (except for a few rare gyroplanes that have been engineered to do a jump-takeoff), and it cannot hover (yes, with a very strong headwind, you may be able to achieve zero ground speed, but that’s not the same thing as hovering like a helicopter).  So, please say gyroplane!

Almost none of them can.  (There are a couple of experimental, test gyroplanes which have a capability called jump takeoff, but that isn’t the same, really.)  The rotor on a regular gyroplane is un-powered, so to get it to spin fast enough to create lift (which makes all aircraft fly), there is an engine and propeller (usually on the back) which makes the gyroplane go fast down a runway.  The air is then forced through the rotor and it spins around and creates lift.  So, to take-off, the gyroplane needs to have around 1300 feet/400 meters or more of runway.  I need to point out, though, that the trade-off for not being able to take-off vertically is: dramatically reduced complexity.  Helicopters and their gears/transmissions are horrendously complicated, and need a lot of very frequent and very expensive maintenance.  Plus they are much, much harder to learn how to fly, thus, more training which is more $$$.

Just about any vehicle… land, water, air .. that goes faster than walking speed could probably be considered dangerous. Statistically, gyroplanes are not any more “dangerous” than any aircraft.  In fact, there is one primary safety advantage to a gyroplane vs. a fixed-wing aircraft:  it can’t stall!  Many fixed-wing accidents occur when the pilot doesn’t maintain the proper airspeed… the slower wind over the wings can then no longer provide the proper lift, and the airplane goes into a stall.  If the airplane is close to the ground, it will almost always result in an accident… usually a bad one.

Gyroplanes cannot stall because even if there is no forward motion, the rotors are still spinning and thus are creating lift.  Most gyroplanes that lose forward speed can descend almost vertically (but don’t need to).  In such a rare vertical landing accident, there is a good chance the pilot will not suffer serious injuries.  But, even losing an engine doesn’t mean the gyroplane has to descend vertically.  Just like an airplane, with enough altitude, you can glide the craft to (what you hope to be) a safe landing spot.  But an airplane will typically need a runway or very long space to land safely.  A gyroplane can almost always land within 20 feet!  That too makes it much safer if there is an engine problem in-flight.

So, is a gyroplane dangerous?  Yes and no!  Is a gyroplane safe?  Yes and no!  Basically, a skilled pilot of either a fixed-wing aircraft or a gyroplane can make flights in those aircraft quite safe.  Probably the best way to reassure yourself about the safety of a gyroplane is to find a local airport that has gyroplanes flying, and take an hour or two to watch them and ask questions.

Gyroplanes — like most aircraft — are designed and built for a specific number of people. Many gyroplanes are designed as single-seat aircraft, so they would not have the ability to take a passenger. But more and more you see two-seat gyroplanes — the AutoGyro Cavalon and the Magni Orion as just two examples — so they would be able to take a passenger.  Some, like the two just mentioned, have the seats configured side-by-side.  Other two-seat gyroplanes, like the AutoGyro Calidus, are tandem, where the pilot sits longitudinally with the passenger behind them. There are even three-seat gyroplanes, and plans for some commercial aircraft manufacturers to build 4-, 5-, 6-seat (Tensor 600X) gyroplanes. Some specially designed gyroplanes can provide transport for a medical patient; some gyroplanes have been configured for combat and policing roles. They are very versatile!

While many homebuilt and older gyroplane models (and new ones too) are open to the air, every year there are more and more gyroplanes that are fully enclosed.  Examples of enclosed models:  the AutoGyro Cavalon, the Magni Orion, the NIKI Rotor Aviation Kallithea, the ELA Eclipse, and many more.  Usually these are all 2-seat aircraft, and rather expensive.  Here’s one summary I found. Some allow the doors to be removed, for more open flight.  But don’t worry about the open-air styles… they give you a fantastic view and are just as safe as any aircraft!

Open-to-the-air gyroplanes:  many open-to-the-air gyroplane pilots use helmets and then put on a snowsuit or equivalent, gloves, put chemical heat packs in their pockets, and launch into the skies even in the dead of winter.  Some put skis on their gyroplanes!  Virtually all open-air gyroplanes have a windshield, which is way better than not having one, so it’s then just a matter of individual tolerance.  The aircraft can operate in very cold weather but, like any engine-powered vehicle, it needs special care once it starts getting below about 40-50ºF.

Enclosed gyroplanes:  Obviously, with enclosed gyroplanes, you have a lot more protection from the wind, thus also from the cold.  I’ve flown my enclosed gyroplane in 30ºF temperatures, and was very comfortable… because I have cabin heating!  Not all enclosed gyroplanes have cabin heating, but some might have heated seats (which are very nice).  So if you intend on flying an enclosed gyroplane in the winter, look for one with either or both a heated cabin or heated seats.  Of course, all the same precautions needed with the open-to-the-air gyroplanes apply to the enclosed versions, because the engine is just as exposed to the cold air, and the prop and rotor blades are just as susceptible to ice.

But, yep, you can fly in the winter!

I can only answer for the rules in the U.S. as I don’t have information for every country… but most single-seat and every 2+ seat gyroplane will require some type of FAA pilot license. Which license you need/want will depend on many factors. The majority of U.S. gyroplane pilots have a sport-pilot-with-gyroplane-endorsement, or private-pilot-with-gyroplane-endorsement ratings.  They each have their advantages/disadvantages but it would take a lot of explanations to fully cover them.  I would encourage you to talk to a gyroplane CFI for more information.

For the brave (or if you can’t afford a gyroplane with an expensive 4-cycle engine) you can feebly launch into the skies (in the U.S.) in a 2-cycle powered ultralight gyroplane, without any licensing whatever. (This is how I started.) However, it is highly, HIGHLY recommended that you obtain proper training first! (And I did!  You should too!)

(Again, this is a U.S.-based answer.) The record for gyroplane altitude is something north of 27,000 feet!  Most gyro pilots prefer to fly a bit lower… typically 1,500 feet above the ground, or so.  It depends on your training and license, but many gyro pilots are able to fly up to 10,000 feet around the U.S. airspace, following the airspace rules, just like any fixed-wing general aviation pilot.

How far a gyroplane can fly depends on how many fuel-stops you want to make!  Except for U.S. ultralight gyroplanes with their 5-gallon limit, most 1- and 2-seat gyroplanes can carry enough fuel to fly between 200 and 400 miles.  So with a single fuel stop, you can easily cover a good amount of ground in a day.  Since gyroplanes typically fly slower than most fixed-wing aircraft, it isn’t the best cross-country aircraft, but I have personally done a 1,300-mile trip in my gyroplane over 3 days.  Norman Surplus literally flew around the world (and then some… a total of 27,000 miles/43,000 km) in a gyroplane.  So, there is no limit as to how far you can ultimately fly.  But as far as the range of any given gyroplane on one tank of fuel, you’ll have to query the gyroplane manufacturer’s specification.

There is “stick shake” on a gyroplane, but usually only the pilot feels that.  Since the rotor is unpowered in flight, there is no engine vibration traveling up through the structure of the gyroplane.  Typically, the passenger (and the pilot when s/he isn’t holding the stick) only feels a slight shake.  What will be missing, however, are the sharp blows when encountering turbulence.  Just like a helicopter’s blades, the gyroplane blades slice through turbulence, reducing their overall effect on the aircraft.  This means when fixed-wing pilots are sitting on the ground waiting for the weather to get better, the gyroplane pilots have less competition for the wild blue yonder!  Most people are very impressed with how smooth the flying is in a gyroplane.  And because they are incredibly maneuverable, they can be more fun, too!

Gyroplane aerodynamics simply works better with a 2-seat tandem gyroplane.  There is less frontal surface area and that results in slightly faster speeds.  And typical tandems weigh less than a side-by-side.  Neither reason makes a tandem dramatically better than a side-by-side, but it’s measurable.

However, there are advantages to a side-by-side gyroplane as well.  They are easier for instruction, much easier to converse with a passenger (pointing out things on the instrument panel, or outside), and if alone, the open seat makes for a great place to put items needed during a flight e.g. maps, hand-held instruments, beverages, food, etc.  Since there isn’t much difference between tandem and side-by-side gyroplanes, it mostly boils down to personal preference.