A gyroplane, also known as a gyrocopter or autogyro, is a relatively simple aircraft concept, and easy to fly – but often historically misunderstood. It is also incredibly safe to fly when flown within its normal flight envelope. Like any aircraft.

So how do they work? Let’s take a simplistic look at other flying machines…

A helicopter flies because an engine spins the main rotor blades (the ones above the aircraft), each of which is a wing, and generates lift, sucking the helicopter body upwards, and into the flight direction required depending on which way the disk is tilted. The little propeller at the back is there to stop the body from turning under the rotor due to the engine torque reaction. Helicopters are fuel-thirsty, a little noisy and complex, and require expensive maintenance. But they can take off, hover, and land vertically.

A ‘fixed wing’ aeroplane uses an engine and propeller to pull or push the wing through the air. As the air passes over the wing, lift is generated and the aircraft flies. Aeroplanes are relatively simple but have a couple of disadvantages. If they fly too slow, the lift generated from the wings can be lost – called a stall – at which point the aeroplane can fall. Also, any landing – with or without the engine running – must always be above stall speed, meaning that a runway or open area is required within which to safely stop.

Gyroplanes bridge the gap between these two technologies, simply and effectively – exactly as Juan de la Cierva intended in the 1920s when he invented the ‘Autogiro’.

The rotating wing above the gyroplane is not powered in flight. Like a fixed-wing aircraft, the engine and propeller pushes – or pulls – the aircraft body through the air, driving air through the rotating wing (or rotor). This airflow forces the wing to rotate, and as it rotates the aerofoil section generates lift. Flying a gyroplane is relatively easy. There is no helicopter collective control needed, and the rotating wing speed is self-regulating. There are no fixed-wing aeroplane flaps or ailerons to manage, they are simply not required.

A gyroplane cannot take off, hover, or land vertically (unless with a driven rotor, see later…). But because the rotating wing speed is NOT engine driven and powered only by oncoming airflow, it will always keep spinning whether the engine is running or not. Even if descending vertically, the air still flows through the wing, making it spin.

The speed of the rotating wing is independent of the gyroplane speed. This is called ‘Autorotation’, hence ‘AutoGyro’. It means that very low-speed landings can be made with little runway needed to stop, fantastic in the event of an engine stoppage in the day – and especially at night.