They were designed to be a safer way to fly. My father, who has flown helicopters commercially since 1970, now wouldn’t mind having one. There is not really a whole lot you can do with them except just fly for fun, look at cows, and kill bugs.

When I was a kid in the 70s a friend of my dad's had a gyro copter at one point. He had owned various experimental and homebuilt planes and claimed to have been a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He landed the gyro copter on more than one occasion in the street near his house. I remember it was basic 1 seat an engine and not much more. He somehow laid it on its side while landing and beat the prop off the thing while strapped to the seat which was also the gas tank . He fixed it test flew it and made sure it worked and it promptly went for sale and to a new home. It scared him in a big way.

Deathtrap

I sooo want one.

I was talking about tip speeds, not terminal velocity of the airframe.

the biggest problem with gyros is they're just so different from anything else and that Igor left a legacy of DIY to the community.  keep that MF nose up at (almost) all times which is backwards from fixed wing reflexes as someone mentioned already.  Makes for a not so stunning safety record.

they really are terrific for flying low, great view and landing short- super short or even zero landing roll with a decent wind.  INTO THE WIND.  more resistant to wind conditions that would ground about anything else and you can really use it to your advantage to slow way down.  can't land with even a little bit of a tailwind or you're boned.  they take off quick into the wind too, but if it's calm you're gonna have a bit of a roll for sure.

apparently it's also a great, cheap way to build rotary wing time.  and you do get some prestige/priority with ATC as you are rotary to them too, which is fun if that really means anything to ya.

IMO people who drop big dollars on the slick enclosed models are crazy, being in the wind with as little around you as possible is what makes it most fun.  basically it's a flying motorcycle.  for the price of a spindly lookin 2 place instead of the egg shaped side by side you could add a cheap fixed wing too.  

not really that practical but they're a fun and cheap (less capable) alternative to a heli.  most people who do ultralight/experimental and even GA just go up to look at the ground and go for a $100 hamburger anyway.

edit- since they're pushers they are really quiet too.  comparatively.

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So close yet so far away.

Also been fascinated by gyros for many years. Have come close to pulling the trigger a few times. An ultralight would be ideal IMO, but I've read that it's impossible to build a 100% legal machine. A bigger hurdle though, even after watching flight videos, is wondering if I have the balls to sit out in the open at altitude. I'd really like to find someone with a two-place trainer gyro and pay for a test ride.

IIRC, Benson recommended building the gyro as a glider first and practicing at low altitude on a tow line. Not too many places where someone could do that. My understanding of the poor safety record for gyros is lack of training, so the cost of instruction/practice would have to be figured into the acquisition cost.

OP mentioned the mailman in DC. I would have liked to buy his machine, but I understand the feds destroyed it.

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I would prefer to fly a gyrocopter over a para motor.

Gyrocopters are a strange duck, seem to share more similarities to an airplane than helicopter, at least to me.

Normal operation needs a runway (albeit short) for takeoff / landing.
Not possible to hover / fly backwards / pirouette.
Directional control is achieved by manipulating the wing (freewheeling rotor) and rudder(s).
Forward motion (or some amount of relative wind) is necessary for staying aloft during straight and level flight.

Still would jump at the chance to train in one and learn to fly it.

K so what the fuck happens if they lose the engine driving the propellor, and lose forward airspeed?

can it autorotate?

They autorotate at all times.

With forward airspeed though? What happens when that stops.

Gravity would then take over. Unless you were in some weird unusual attitude you still have air moving through your rotor system.

I too have been drawn to gyrocopters at times. My favorite example was one from Europe that used H2O2 in what seemed like a garden sprayer plumbed up through the blades to nozzles with a small catalyst that broke down the H2O2 into steam and oxygen. It would get the rotor spinning fast enough for a nearly vertical takeoff.

If you are interested in autogyros then try to find the book Legacy of Wings, the Harold F. Pitcairn Story.

Powered auto rotation

Arc announces hybrid slowed-rotor aircraft with 800-mile range

Get this man. The engine DOES NOT drive the rotors! Well, some do have a little doohickey to get it started before launching, but in flight, they are not powered. They're basically dragged through the air.

Better explanation is that the gyro main rotor is in "auto-rotation" all the time, as it is powered by air flowing through it, same as a helicopter in auto-rotation. So, a power-off landing should be a non-event if the pilot has been diligent in maintaining operation within the machine's flight envelope. IIRC, the old saying is "air speed and altitude are your friends, make sure you have plenty of both."

My understanding is that para motors and fixed wing ultralight aircraft are very limited by wind speed, a gyro not so much.

Well obviously, duh. That's why I said lose the engine AND forward airspeed. The engine is pushing it and creating the airspeed, and the airflow drives the rotors.

That's why my question is what happens when they lose engine and airspeed (already answered).

Airspeed doesn't drop to zero like you hit a wall, you descend and trade altitude for speed.  Yes, you will be landing sooner than planned and might even count this as an emergency.

The JK-2 Nanocopter byFusioncopter in Poland is 103 legal and has a hydraulic pre-rotator. They are well under 254lbs with the Polini engine and right at 103legal maximum with the 50hp Hirth. They do 1375fpm climb rate with the 50hp and 8 gallons is option if not legal..

They have a “best glide speed” list like a helicopter where rotor rpm is maintained, so to the rotor there is no difference other than that you are descending with the power off… which is how you normally land anyway.

Why would you ever be at zero airspeed? Do airplanes “stop” in mid air?

They look like fun, but there's about a 100% chance I would end up as a messy pile of blood, bones, and aluminum.

I will definitely look into that, thanks!

ETA: The JK-2 looks nice but price is mid to high $20K. I will probably stick with something more down to earth for a hobby.