At first glance, a sport gyro looks line a small helicopter. Like a helicopter, a gyro uses a rotating wing - the rotor - to provide lift in flight.

Gyrobee ultralight gyroplane

However, there is a big difference, in the case of the gyro, because the rotor system is not driven by the engine! The gyro engine, which can be located behind the pilot (pusher) or in front of the pilot (tractor), drives a conventional propeller, which provides the thrust to move the aircraft through the air. The rotor is driven by the airflow moving up and through the rotor disc - something known as autorotation.

Rotor speed is essentially self governing in flight, eliminating one of the major complexities of flying a helicopter. Unlike a helicopter, gyro blades operate at a fixed pitch, which further simplifies the business of flying a gyro!

Because the gyro rotor system is driven by the air, gyros generally cannot lift off vertically like a helicopter. Although there are a few gyro designs that have jump-start capability, most gyros have to get their rotors up to flight speed by making their takeoff run into the wind, like a conventional fixed-wing, trike, or powered parachute/paraglider.

Honey Bee ultralight gyroplane

In flight, the controls of a gyro are essentially identical to a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. Foot operated rudder pedals control yaw while the stick, which controls the plane of rotation of the rotor head, handles pitch and roll. Despite its odd appearance, a gyro is a basic stick and rudder flying machine.

While getting the rotor up to speed makes a gyro takeoff a bit longer than most ultralights, the real magic starts once you start flying!

• No Stalls or spins! Since the wing/rotor of the gyro is always spinning, a gyroplane cannot stall and thus it can't spin either.
• Wide Speed Range. Most ultralight gyros can maintain level flight down to 8-10 mph! If you fly slower than that, the aircraft will simply start to descend, but there is no danger of a stall. You can even pull the airspeed back to zero and descend vertically if you really need to lose altitude in a confined area. Maximum speed goes up over 100 mph for many Experimental designs, but tops out in the low 60's (per regulations) for ultralight models.
• Highly Maneuverable. Once it the air, a gyro can safely maneuver in ways that would look completely over-the-edge in any other ultralight. The really neat thing about gyros is that they handle like they were on rails. To be honest, most ultralights wallow, but a gyro just grooves!
• Rough Air in the form if wind and thermals is no problem for a gyro. With experience, winds of 30-35 mph represent no problem. Cross-winds up to 25 mph are also tolerated by most designs. A gyro will also give you a much smoother ride when the thermals are popping! Virtually any VFR day will let you fly, morning, noon, and evening, while others are checking the tie-downs on their machines!
• Landings in a gyro are really amazing. Very steep approaches are possible, and, since there is no danger of stalling, you can do some pretty radical maneuvers to get into very tight spots. Best of all, a typical landing involves no forward roll, so you can safely land a gyro on a surface that would tear up any other type of ultra-light! Gyros cannot glide as far, engine-out, as other ultralights, but their ability to land in very tight spots with no roll more than makes up for the lack of soaring performance! A gyro has so much control power available, that landings are almost effort-less, even if conditions are pretty rowdy!

Gyroplanes look so simple that it is very tempting to think that you can teach yourself to fly one without the expense and bother of dual instruction. It is absolutely essential that you give up such thoughts immediately! While it is true that many early ultralight and gyro pilots were able to teach themselves to fly, it is a sad fact that many people have been severely injured or killed trying just that. In the early days of the ultralight movement, ultralights had a reputation among conventional pilots of being unsafe primarily because of such fatalities. Gyros have had much the same image problem for similar reasons.

Bandit ultralight gyroplane

The key to a long and safe career in ultralights, whether you fly gyros or anything else, is to get proper training. ASC developed the first program for rating ultralight gyro flight instructors and is still the only ultralight organization to provide a gyro rating for its Pilot Registration program. ASC can provide an up-to-date list of all current AFI and BFI gyro instructors authorized to train under their FAA exemption.

The very fact that you are reading this pamphlet means that you have taken a solid first step to learn more about ultralight gyroplanes. Articles in ASC's Aero Connections magazine will also help get you up to speed, as will coverage in the ASC Rotors newsletter, which is periodically published by the Rotor Wing. In addition, the Wing maintains a web page on the Internet:

This page provides links to other sources of information as well.

Membership in the PRA is the other major step that will serve to connect you to the world of sport gyroplanes. Their magazine, Rotorcraft, is the definitive source for technical information on gyroplane development and the latest in machines, blades, and other products. In addition, their web site:

has links to virtually all the gyroplane material on the Internet and a complete Rotorcraft Directory. You can even sign up on-line, or contact them at: