Ground school lesson
Flight at slow airspeeds and high rates of descent
Slow is not the same as stalled on a gyroplane. This lesson covers what actually limits how slow you can fly, and the descent situation the FAA specifically wants you to handle.
What you will be able to do
- Fly coordinated straight-and-level, turns, climbs and descents at minimum controllable airspeed.
- Recognise a developing high rate of descent and recover with correct power management.
- Explain why a gyroplane's slow-flight characteristics differ fundamentally from an airplane's.
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Step 1 of 2
Slow, but never stalled
An airplane wing stops flying below a specific airspeed. A gyroplane rotor keeps making its own airspeed by turning, which is autorotation, so it keeps producing lift at speeds that would drop a fixed wing out of the sky. That is the whole reason a gyroplane can fly convincingly slower than an airplane of similar size without the stall risk.
The FAA standard
- Straight-and-level, turns, climbs and descents at minimum controllable airspeed, as directed.
- Hold the specified altitude, ±100 feet; heading, ±10°; airspeed, ±5 knots.
- Divide attention between control and orientation throughout.
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Step 2 of 2
High rate of descent: a real, separately tested skill
This is not the same task as ordinary slow flight. The FAA specifically tests establishing a high rate of descent at minimum airspeed with reduced power, recognising it as it develops, and recovering promptly to best glide airspeed with correct power management.
The point being tested is recognition, not just recovery. A pilot who lets a high rate of descent go unnoticed for several seconds is in a materially worse position than one who catches it immediately, even if both eventually apply the same correct recovery.
Practise it no lower than 600 feet AGL: establish the descent at minimum airspeed with power below cruise, recognise it, then recover to best glide airspeed while holding a specified heading, ±10°.
Check yourself
3 questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right and why.
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Why can a gyroplane fly slower without the stall risk an airplane has?
Autorotation means the rotor generates its own relative airflow by turning, so it keeps producing lift at speeds that would stall a fixed wing.
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What is actually being tested in the high rate of descent task?
Prompt recognition matters as much as the recovery technique itself; a delayed recognition costs altitude and margin.
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What is the minimum altitude for practising high rates of descent and recovery?
The FAA standard sets 600 feet AGL as the floor so the recovery is complete well above the ground.
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FAA Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards, Gyroplane, Area of Operation VIII (public domain).