GyroSchool.co.uk - Feel the Thrill!

Autogyros are aircraft that have been around for decades (the early history of the autogyro is basically the history of one man - Juan de la Cierva). In addition to the name autogyro, they have been known as gyrocopters, gyroplanes, and autogiros. They were the first rotary wing aircraft to fly successfully with sufficient control. They marked a departure from conventional fixed wing aircraft in an attempt to fill a role that airplanes couldn't. They can fly slowly due to a phenomenon known as autorotation, where the rotor is unpowered and is made to spin by aerodynamic forces. Many technologies essential for helicopters were first developed for the autogyro. The other part of an autogyro's advantage flying at low speed is its inability to stall and it has several advantages over helicopters, namely simplicity, speed, and weight. A helicopter rotor must be complex to a certain degree. It provides the lift, thrust, and control for the aircraft. It needs a method for cyclic and pitch control. The gyro also uses the rotor for control, but it does not need collective control. This reduces the complexity of the system, and by eliminating controls reduces weight. There is one other major advantage that autogyros have over airplanes and helicopters - safety in the event of an engine failure. If an engine fails in a gyro, the same thing would happen as if the pilot tried to fly too slow. The aircraft would slowly descend until landing. In fact, the procedure for landing an autogyro after engine failure is the same for landing an autogyro under ordinary circumstances.