How Does a Gyrocopter Work?

YG R C O

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How Does a Work?

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The gyrois a small light single-seater form of aircraft with underpowered, freely rotating horizontal aerofolblades and an engindriven prop at the rear of the craft.

Connected to the blades is a rotor disc which sits on top of a .

Rotor Head Aerofoil Blade Joystick Pedal Engine powered Propellor Rudder

What’s the difference?

The Gyrocopter is often confused as a member of the Helicopter family; this is due to their similarities in characteristics and features.

However, a crucial difference between the two is the Gyrocopter use an underpowered rotor and relies on the phenomenon of autorotation to take flight.

discovered that AUTOROTATION could be used in order to harness energy. An example of this would be in which to produce rotary motion in order to harness energy. In this case, the sails are at a specific angle to the wind, which pulls them around and they rotate against the airflow.

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The is nature’s example of AUTOROTATION. They are thrown into the sky and when they fall air creates resistance in thewings on the seed.This causes it to spin and so slows it’s descent.

SUPER GYRO 2000

Autorotation

See for yourself...

How Does it Work?

Stages 1 - 3

stage 3

stage 2

stage 1

distance (m) needed for take off

120m

In order to take off, the Gyrocopter must first gain forward momentum; an engine drives a propellor which produces thrust and transports the craft along the ground.

THRUST

stage 1

In 1931, Amelia Earhart (USA) flew a Pitcairn PCA-2 to a women's world altitude record of 18,415 ft (5,613 m).

DR

LIFT

LIFT

LIFT

AG

AG

stage 2

DR

E LOW PRESSUR

The Gyrocopter gains forward mometum from the thrust created by the engine powered propellor. This causes an increasing flow of to be pushed against the craft, which gets caught in the blades and causes them to rotate/spin. This produces drag across the blades causing them to spin faster and faster creating lift, therefore allowing the craft to take off.

HIGH PRESSURE

This air phenomenon is known as autorotation.

How is it that the blades create lift?

The shape of the main rotor blades enable the Gyrocopter to fly.

The blades are curved on the top and flat on the bottom; this is called an aerofoil shape.

This type of blade makes air flow over the top faster than it flows under the bottom.

This balance of opposing aerodynamic forces along the rotors blades is what enables the craft to move up.

The portion of the blade nearer to the rotor disc provides the force which tends to increase rotational speed.

The portion toward the tip of the blade provides the majority of the lifting force.

stage 3 Wing Commander Ken Wallis (UK) has held most of the autogyro world records during his autogyro flying career. These include the speed record of 186 km/h (111.7 mph), and the straight-line distance record of 869.23 km (540.11 mi).

Once in the air, the engine powered propeller creates forward momentum, which produces airflow. As explained previously, this air is pushed through the main aerofoils causing autorotation which in turn produces continual lift and therefore enables the craft to travel through the air.

120

160

H

E SPEED 160 K S I /M U R C 200

80

120 240

40 0

PEED 185 K/M S H AX M

280

AIRSPEED K/MH

320

160

200

80

240

40 0

280

AIRSPEED K/MH

320

A typical Gyrocopter has a cruising speed of 160 km/h and a maximum speed of 185 km/h.

They can fly 500 km without landing or refuelling and can stay aloft on its fuel supply for 4 hours.

Without a transponder the gyrocopter can reach an altitude of 5,000 ft.

Respectively with a turbo engine it is possible to reach an altitude of 14,000 ft.

Some pilots have even succeeded in flying over the Alps in a Gyrocopter.

How Does it Work?

Stages 4 - 7

stage 4 stage 5

Andrew Keech (USA) made a transcontinental flight from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to San Diego, California in October 2003 and set 3 world records for speed over a recognized course.

On 9 February 2006, he broke two of his world records and set a record for distance.

Speed over a closed circuit of 500 km (311 mi) without payload: 168.29 km/h (104.57 mph), Speed over a closed circuit of 1,000 km (621 mi) without payload: 165.07 km/h (102.57 mph), Distance over a closed circuit without landing: 1,019.09 km (633.23 mi).

stage 6

stage 7

A Gyrocopter is controlled using a joystick.

The aerofoil blades are attached to the rotor disc which sits on top of a rotor head that is connected to the joystick.

ROTOR HEAD

RIGHT AHEAD

stage 4

ROTOR DISC

LEFT

To turn, the joystick is used to tilt the rotor head, which in turn tilts the disc, which alters the angle of the aerofoil blades. The blades are angled in the desired direction of travel and the body of the gyroplane follows it; if the joystick is moved to the right, the disc is inclined to the right and the craft moves to the right.

stage 5

The rudder pedals, found beneath the pilot’s feet are used to assist turning.

LEFT

AHEAD

RIGHT

The pedals are connected to the rudder found at the rear of the aircraft. Pushing on one of the pedals will move the hinged half of the rudder at the back. This allows the pilot to keep the craft lined up in the desired direction of motion.

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stage 6

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red p se en ropell s th or is switch gin r ed off. us et ls a t urn and ut e so th do or e craf ff , th ot t begin e pi at s to decelerate. ion lot i s stil sti l in fu ll o ll con ccu tol of th rs th e craft. erefo re giv ing a g radual , controlle d descent.

stage 7 To land, the pilot continues his decline towards the landing zone.

15mph Once the gyrocopter has decelerated to 15mph the lift generated by autorotation is not enough to keep it in the air and it slowly perches itself on the ground.

20m distance (m) needed to land

By Will Fuller & Natassja Gale

A Brief History

1912 - Created by Juran Dela Cierva, BCD -1CRAB Built 1913 - BCD 2 Mono-plane 1918 - C-3 Built, Entered into spanish milatry competition, CRASHED 1920 - C1 & C2 Designed but never completed 1921 - C3 Auto Designed 1922 - C2 refined & completed Note: Non of the above ever flew well because the rotor was ridged, and caused unbalanced lift 1923 - Cierva was influenced by windmills and refined his designs 1925 - C6 Built 1929 - C19 Built 1931 - Harold Pitcaim Built the PCA-2 influanced by Cierva’s designs 1934 - Cierva built the C30 Autogyro, The most popular ever produced 1935 - The BREGUET-DORAND 314. The first Helicopter was produced.

1936 - Cierva died in a aircrash, overnight the autogyro industry lost its momentum