AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2015 - 87

A RACE-CAR-STYLE SEAT (below) isn't a coincidence. The Austrian

manufacturer of the ArrowCopter also makes components for Formula One
race cars. The pilot can adjust pitch trim, use the radio, and pre-rotate the
rotor using switches on the hand grip (bottom left). The Rotax engine is
both liquid- and air-cooled (top left).

During the takeoff roll, climb, cruise, approach, and landing, the controls
are similar to those of a fixed-wing aircraft. There is no collective, because
the rotor pitch is fixed. The aircraft hangs from a single teeter bolt, so control
inputs take time to change aircraft attitude-wait for the effects of an input to
take hold before adding more. Power changes require rudder input to maintain coordinated flight. Turns require subtle rudder inputs to counteract the
effect of the engine torque and the propeller's gyroscopic forces. An easy task.
In maneuvering flight, the big differences in flight profile become apparent. The ArrowCopter cannot stall. The familiar fixed-wing accelerated stall
is not possible, no matter how hard you turn. Turns can be unbelievably tight.
My favorite feature is the vertical descent. At 1,000 feet over the approachend numbers, pull the engine power to idle and descend vertically to 300
feet agl. Nose over gently to gain 60 mph and flare to a normal landing. You
will stop 500 feet beyond the numbers, and any headwind will dramatically
shorten that distance. This is well within the normal operating envelope.
Wind does not present the same limitations as it does on light fixed-wing
aircraft. Gyrocopters can land directly into high winds without difficulty.
Landing is very similar to that of a fixed-wing STOL aircraft. The approach
speed is 60 mph. Adjust the descent rate with power. Align the aircraft with
the runway-but for a different reason. A light fixed-wing aircraft may touch
down at 40 mph; the gyro touches down at about 5 mph, but with a spinning rotor overhead. Neither likes sideways motion on touchdown. The
ArrowCopter's eight-foot wheelbase is more forgiving than most, but it is
still important to line up properly and avoid side loads.
In severe winds, gyrocopter pilots can land into the wind on a taxiway or
a grassy infield. Some of my best landings have been into winds of 30 knots or
more. Check the descent at 10 feet and flare to land. The ArrowCopter touches
down between zero and 5 mph.
The landing is not complete until the rotor stops, however. After touchdown, wait until the rotor slows below 200 rpm and sheds its lift. Then, engage
the rotor brake and taxi with the stick full forward.
All gyrocopter landings are autorotation landings. This is not the high-skill
emergency maneuver that it is in helicopters. During an emergency engineout, no split-second action is required to lower the collective. Maneuver to
arrive at the flare point at 60 mph and perform a normal landing.
Most gyrocopters can land in a very small area, but they still need about
500 feet of runway for takeoff on a standard, no-wind day.

28 feet,
2 inches

GYRO FUTURE

2 feet,
8 inches

19 feet

Gyrocopters have long held the promise of combining fixed-wing speed,
mechanical simplicity, and safety with helicopter-like vertical takeoffs and
landings. For a variety of reasons dating back more than 70 years, they have
never realized their full potential.
With the focused and ongoing efforts of European businesses, however,
gyrocopters may soon gain broad market acceptance in the United States-
just as they've already taken hold across the Atlantic.
AOPA
CLAUDIUS KLIMT is a retired physician and commercial pilot with gyroplane

and fixed-wing single- and multiengine ratings.

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 87

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2015