PowerPointPrsentation

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Gyroplanes
("Gyrocopters" / "Autogyros")
Evolutionary ancestors of the helicopter
Introduction offlapping hingesto overcome
dissimmetry of liftin forward flight
Juan de la Cierva (1895 1936)
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Gyroplanes
January 9th, 1923
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Gyroplanes
A gyroplane...

• is an aircraft that achieves lift by means of a
  free spinning rotor (i.e. not engine driven),

• uses the principle of autorotative flight
• and thus offers excep-tional short takeoff and
  landing capabilities.

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Airflow through rotor
Helicopters
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Takeoff

• The rotor system needs to be prerotated to a
  specific pretakeoff rpm value

• During taxi or the takeoff roll the airflow
  through the rotor system spins the rotor up to
  flight rpm
• Accelerating along the runway to approximately
  30-35 knots, sufficient lift is created by the
  rotor to smoothly lift the gyroplane off the
  ground

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Takeoff
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Jump takeoff

• The rotor system needs to be prerotated to 50
  above cruise rpm

• When collective is raised, these excess rpm are
  traded in for a brief hover, from where the
  gyroplane is then accelerated to cruise flight
  speed

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Landing

• Normal landings are usually performed to a
  runway and include a short landing roll

• Some forward thrust provided by the propeller is
  maintained at all times
• At about 15 ft above the runway, a flare is
  initiated by back pressure on the cyclic

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Landing

• After leveling off, the gyroplane touches downat
  approximately 15 kt forward airspeed. It usually
  requires less than 50 ft of landing roll to come
  to a stop.

• An "autorotation" to a spot without a landing
  roll is considered an emergency maneuver and is
  only performed when the engine fails (i.e.
  forward propeller thrust is lost)

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Summary

• The gyroplane as a "missing link"

• Principle of autorotative flight
• Takeoff procedures
• Landings

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Any questions?
Heavy Lift Gyrodyne the future of gyroplanes?