Buying
What Are Gyrocopters Used For? From Sport to Police Patrol
Mostly for the joy of flying, and then a working resume: patrol, pipeline and powerline inspection, photography, agriculture, and a real military history.
Flight Log
Written by people who fly these aircraft
Every entry carries a named author, a stated basis for their experience, and the sources behind any claim of fact. How we work.
Buying
Why Aren't Gyrocopters More Popular? The Honest Answer
An old reputation, a regulatory box, scarce instructors and pricey insurance stacked up against a genuinely good aircraft. Two of the four are changing now.
Buying
Gyrocopter vs Drone: What Actually Separates Them
Opposite lift principles, different laws, and barely overlapping jobs. Why the quadcopter comparison fails, and which machine fits which mission.
Buying
Gyrocopter vs Airplane: Which Should You Actually Buy?
The airplane is transportation; the gyrocopter is the flying itself. Speed, safety, cost and mission, compared honestly for a first-time buyer.
Buying
What Happens If a Gyrocopter's Engine Fails?
The rotor keeps autorotating, so the aircraft keeps flying and glides down to a landing with little or no roll. Here is why an engine-out is a controlled arrival.
Buying
Can a Gyrocopter Fly in Rain and High Wind?
A gyrocopter handles wind better than almost any light aircraft, and rain worse. Here is why, where the real limits are, and what it means for a buyer.
Buying
How Much Runway Does a Gyrocopter Need?
Often only a few hundred feet to take off, and almost none to land into wind. Here is why the pre-rotator makes it possible and what changes the numbers.
Buying
Who Invented the Gyrocopter? A Short History
Juan de la Cierva flew the first one in 1923; Igor Bensen made it a kit anyone could build. Here is how the gyrocopter came to be, and nearly vanished.
Buying
The Best Gyrocopter to Buy: A Buyer's Guide
There is no single best gyrocopter, only the best one for your mission, budget and support. Here is how to shortlist without buying someone else's ideal aircraft.
Buying
How a Gyrocopter Works: The Unpowered Rotor Explained
The rotor is not driven by the engine. Air flowing up through it keeps it spinning. Here is what that means for takeoff, engine failure, and why it cannot stall.
Buying
How Fast and How Far Can a Gyrocopter Fly?
Most cruise around 60 to 100 mph and cover 200 to 350 miles on a tank. Here are the real performance numbers, and the limits that set them.
Buying
Are Gyrocopters Safe? An Honest Look at the Record
The reputation comes from an older kind of machine. Modern gyrocopters have a good record when flown by trained pilots. Here is the honest version.
Masthead
Who writes here
Everyone publishing on this site is named, and every byline carries a stated basis for that person's experience. Years in the industry is calculated from the year they started, not typed into a bio, so it cannot quietly inflate.
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