victor

GYROCOPTERS, just flapping around. 816 words

It’s an elemental form of flying, wind in the face, “bugs in the teeth”, and legs
extended out over hundreds of feet of “empty” air space, with an unencumbered
view all around. Imagine two deck chairs suspended from a roaring, vibrating,
reciprocating, rotating, collection of nuts and bolts, metal tubing, propeller and rotor,
....all pushed aloft by a 70 hp two stroke motor…... spooky… huh ! . Well they say
your only really living when you think you’re are about to die,..... a coward dies a
thousand deaths, a hero but one…..etc…..etc.
Well, it’s not all as bad as it sounds, like a motor bike; it has the look and feel of
of basic, reliable engineering, that’s all out in the open and easy to check.
In the air the machine is guided by gentle, almost imperceptible movements of
the joystick. Here, your fate is obviously in your own hands.
Originally known as autogyros, gyrocopters were first constructed by the famous
Spanish aviator Juan de la Cierva in the 1920’s, various attempts were made for
commercial application of their slow flying and short landing ability, such as forward
reconnaissance for the army and news gathering, news reel film being flown onto
New York skyscraper rooftop landing pads for rapid processing and distribution,
however, with the advent of WW 11 and the rapid advances in all aspects of aviation
their development was soon over shadowed by the helicopter, and they
would have languished as an interesting footnote in aviation history were they not
revived by backyard tinkerers in 1950’s “gee whizz, two in every garage, let’s fly to
work” America.
The gyrocopter is a curious mix of aeroplane and helicopter, it is pushed along by a
propeller like an aeroplane, but has rotor blades like a helicopter, deriving its lift
from air passing up through the freewheeling rotor blades. It thus avoids the
structural size and complexity of an aeroplanes wing and fuselage, and the mechanical
expense and complexity of a helicopters powered rotors, perfect for the amateur
builder.
Gyrocopters can be built from plans, or purchased in kit form and assembled
in the garage, or even the bedroom, because most pilots build their own machines,
safety is enhanced by a thorough understanding of their steeds air worthiness.
Ahh! ..The freedom bestowed by this aerial motorbike. You can take off in two
or three cricket pitch lengths, land on a tennis court ( I don’t recommend it ), and go
where your eye leads in between, roaming free as a bird over the country side
unencumbered by roads and traffic, or the rules and regulations of higher flying
“complex” aircraft.
With such a simple, small, and responsive flying machine, you feel one with the air.
You bloody well can’t help but feel at one with the elements when your immersed
feet and face first into them at 120 km/h, it’s cold, windy, sunny and wet;..............
but terrific fun.
Early gyrocopter enthusiasts, before the advent of lightweight powerful two stroke
motors, and for initial training, used to “learn the ropes” by being towed aloft by a
car,.....Hmmn, ... swinging away in the breeze on the end of a taught rope behind a
gunned up V-8 driven by a “mate”, ......... well did say enthusiasts.

In World War Two, the German navy tested the use of gyros’ towed aloft by a submarine
to extend the range of their sight in search of allied shipping, it may go part way
to explaining why German submariners had the highest loss ratio of all combatants
- at least it showed the slow speeds at which they can stay airborne, for World
War two submarines had a surface operating speed of only approximately 20 knots.

As much fun as this little machine can be, U-boat commander or not, as with
most things in life, it can be as safe or as dangerous as you make it.
Over the years many would be gyro pilots have killed themselves trying to teach
themselves how to fly. Expert tuition from an experienced gyrocopter pilot is
essential. Most fatalities in the USA are fixed wing pilots who think that all they
need is a conversion and not retraining. A gyro flies differently from an
aeroplane, most aeroplanes are inherently stable, move the control stick and
let go, and the aircraft will return to straight and level flight.
However the gyro is a tricky beast to fly, with sensitive, yet delayed control
response; and it is inherently unstable. It takes about fifteen hours to teach a
pilot to fly a gyro, and about the same to teach a non flyer from scratch.

Well, whatever it takes to learn, I’m sure it’s well worth it…. Crank up the
motor, spin up the rotor, “firewall” the throttle and f…f..f.flap off into the
wild blue,........and hope nuthin’ comes loose

My thanks to Paul Bruty, who kindly took me flying in his gyrocopter, pictured here, a few years ago.