Heli pilot tries to fly a gyroplane

Earlier this year Rachel Ramsay made some disparaging comments about Gyrocopters. After the dust settled, she popped to Popham where Steve Boxall did his best to convince her that she was wrong!
For the full feature, click here flyer.co.uk/feature/gyrocopte...
#gyrocopter #gyroplane

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Fixed wing and R-22 pilot here, thanks for taking me for my first ride in a gyro. Interesting to absorb all the differences.

[@NotSure416]

It's amazing how stable gyroplanes are. It's really incredible.

[@datacentricservicesltd593]

If there was ever a video to promote Steve Boxall as a perfect Gyro instructor this is it. I've been following Gyros for decades -- would love to fly one. OH to be able to afford a new MAGNI..... BRILLIANT demo of a fabulous craft.

[@willyrose]

Great job, Steve! Delighted that Rachel's eyes have now been opened to the joy of gyro flight.

[@user-jq2rf4nf3o]

It's not a fixed wing It's not a helicopter, Fly it like a Gyroplane and you'll do fine - Looks fun. 45+ years helicopter guy here

[@stephencameron4032]

I am learning to fly gyros, (the aircraft I'm learning on is an MTO2017), and I can confirm that they are fantastic to fly, I've done 30 minutes in a Cavalon, and what I found is that, although it was no bigger, the fact that the cockpit was side-by-side, instead of tandem,(which I am used to), the cavalon seemed much larger, I'm almost ready to go solo, and hope to eventually qualify as an instructor, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed your flight, and hope that you are inspired to continue with gyros, take care, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.

[@IanHutchinson1000]

That was excellent. I'm really impressed by the handling of that gyro. Thank you for posting the video.

[@danielpaulson8838]

How about a video with a gyro-pilot trying to fly a helicopter?

[@roderickbowes2482]

Rachel has NOT STOPPED smiling and will Dream about flying Gyro's all night long ! ! ! ! !

[@jackofalltrades1206]

The smile on Rachel's face told us all what we needed to know.

[@enricio]

Joyful to watch. She's impressed; I can tell. 😌

[@alanward9521]

Wow, that looked great. Far beyond the days of Ken Wallis and Little Nelly. I've never really considered gyroplanes before but with all that visibility, stability and redundancy it's almost a no brainer. The modern cockpit is a plus.

[@edbarnard4095]

I did an experience flight in that gyro with Steve a few years ago. It was great fun - incredibly stable compared to a light aeroplane

[@rachidluildha2676]

Glad you saw the light, Lady. I went through the same path, being a helicopter CFI. Now I'm hooked to the M-24! Welcome aboard. But I'd like to add that you must be a damn good chopper pilot because you handled that Magni beautifully.

[@ericcsuf]

I had to turn on the captions because it was too much of a battle to figure out what was being said with the audio and the radio at the same volume level. I kept looking to see if I had two youtube videos running at the same time. Otherwise, very instructive.

[@gamersroost]

Your videography method of speeding up the video while maintaining the voice is amazing. I wish others would do this. It makes the experience so seamless.

[@DanSmithBK]

Great video! I’ve always been intrigued but haven’t tried flying one yet, but this has me thinking. I assume Rachel has gone straight home and starting scouting Afors for her own aircraft?!

[@MandelloJB]

I first flew in a gyro over 10 years ago, I couldn’t believe how much fun it was and how so much of what I thought I knew about gyros was incorrect. 500 P1 hours later, it’s still a load of fun!

[@CTLondonVideo]

I think this is the most interesting and useful 'inro to gyros' I have seen. Could it be followed by a more geeky look at how they differ from heli-chopters technically. Also interesting and useful summary when it comes to the lifestyle or mission of fixed vs. heli vs. gyro.

[@electricaviationchannelvid7863]

Autogiro is in autorotation mode all the time...which means the airflow direction is from bottom to the topside...lift vector is tilted back...if no thrust then it glides...you manipulate ascent-level-glide by adding changing thrust... there is no pitch control of blades just changing the "disc angle" A heli has 3 modes of operation: 1 powered mode so the flow direction is from top to bottom...2 powered-high descend dangerous mode is with power on and high descent rate at a certain angle...3 if no power then the pilot has to transition into autorotation mode, there is a pitch/cyclic control so changing pitch via swashplate will alter the lift vector direction or create any "disc angle" It needs constant piloting on all axis controls plus the cyclic plus the power setting...

[@MadScientist267]

Be great if the video and audio lined up and the radio were completely muted unless there is active communication happening. Jus sayin.

[@aviatorsteve5649]

Excellent vid!

[@causewaykayak]

Brilliant . I want one. Great video. Was like being in a rear seat. (A Sea Kayaker)

[@charlesstudley6672]

I'm a helicopter, as well as fixed wing pilot who flies gyros. They are very fun and very safe and like any other aircraft require the proper instruction for safe operation. When I compare gyros to helicopters I say they are 90% of the fun for 10% of the cost.

[@silverlightaviation]

Heavy controls are just a Magni gyro thing. They are very heavy handling. Other gyroplanes aren't like that. It is the rotor blade chordwise balance in front of 1/4 chord that mainly produces that heaviness. It makes it harder to change direction and many people confuse that with stability but what they mean is they aren't going to overcontrol it which is sometimes a problem for pilots switching from GA airplanes like a Cessna 182 or Cherokee 180 to a light gyroplane.

[@triton401]

fabulous thankyou

[@theflyingfrog]

Years ago, when I was doing my PPL at Shipdham, Ken Wallis invited me to go flying with him in a gyro. Unfortunately I never got to take up the invite, and I've always regretted it. This looks great fun!

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

I was in the club bar during one of our airshows and missed Ken wreck one of his machines. It had a mag failure during a low steep turn and Ken had saved weight by leaving out dual ignition! On TV news he climbed out of the remains and waved to show that he wasn’t bent. I’d have loved a spin in a gyro especially in one of the original 1930s Juan de la Cierva types with a radial engine in front.

[@skylongskylong1982]

Ken Wallis was a real Gentleman. I saw him give a Lecture about a year before he passed away. In the interval he was introduced to a very elderly Lady who husband was in RNZAF she was married to was killed on a bombing raid WW2. Ken Wallis sat with her held her hand, and listened. They do not make men like him anymore, a real honour to have met him.

[@josephprice5872]

"You wouldn't see an R22 instructor being quite this relaxed on a student's first flight" - you can say that again! Watching your descent around the 7 minute mark & PFL around 8:30 was pretty amazing. I had assumed you'd need to be spending a lot more effort managing RRPM but it seemed like such a non-event?

[@stevenbatley8666]

Brilliant video

[@MarleneWalker-su8ku]

He should of loosened the joystick for her, it was too stiff for her to relax on it😊

[@jemwinder]

Great video and hopefully another gyrocopter convert.

[@lexrox1]

So pleased to see G-IROX flying again!

[@Petermomo5050]

Incredibly executed but I was extremely nervous, For her final answer.

[@rachidluildha2676]

Sir, have you, by any chance, flown with Jim Martin in Saluda, SC in 1990? I was working hard on my CFI rating at that time and there were a few students from UK logging some hours on Hughes 269 A. Jimmy had learnt the word "dicey" from you guys and he enjoyed using it! Jimmy left us in 1997 when a new guy from "up North" showed up in Saluda with his own Bell-47 (a terrible chopper that Jimmy and I despised without remorse) and asked Jimmy to help him pass his commercial license. Unfortunately, Jimmy agreed to be his instructor on that machine, and on their first flight they crashed in the forest, 2 miles from the airport, instantly starting a huge fire. The reasons for the crash are unknown. The bodies were not identifiable except for the ID tag that Jimmy had kept from his stint in the USMC. I miss him to this day.

[@mikebikekite1]

Curious what the range and cruise speed is of these things. I used to fly paramotors. Can you take off with the pre-rotator? I've also hear of gyros with braking on the rotor and small wings to allow a faster cruising speed - is this a thing?

[@mendozaconsultation]

Just saw the video and have questions. 1-what is the weight capacity to get the certificate for it. 2-How long can one of tbbem fly on one tank of gas gojng from gliding to motor and back.3- What meds disqualifies you from getting the certificate.

[@owenmayes2128]

Very cool 👌🏼

[@stevenbatley8666]

Brilliant

[@Purlee100]

People who scoff at gyroplanes don't really understand the concept! I am not talking about the theory, or how you fly them, I am talking about WHY you fly them, and that is because they are fun! They don't fly fast and they don't fly far, but you can pootle about in a gyro, 500 feet up, looking down on the world and taking aviation back 70 years when it was simple and nobody bothered you. The modern gyro is comfortable, well equipped and safe. If you really must use it to go anywhere serious, (rather than popping over to the next airfield for a rather expensive hamburger) then it will fly about as far as your bladder will allow and it will handle any reasonable weather you might chance upon on the way. You wont do it quickly, but as a relaxing way to travel they are hard to beat!

[@lilianamalusardi4026]

Il Magni giro e da 40 anni il top di gamma anche se è il più copiato l'originale resta sempre il migliore al mondo

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

*_"...and it's a great way of scaring airplane pilots as well"_* 🤭🤭🤭

[@gertkristensen6451]

I'm thinking which one would I prefer to sit in if the engine died, definitely gyro, even if helicopters can also land on auto rotation

[@MarleneWalker-su8ku]

When your wife buys you one of these, don't be surprised when you see your best friend riding around in her car😊

[@stephencameron4032]

Just another comment to that I've just liked and subbed.

[@dnacannotchange]

25 years......😂😂😂

[@gertkristensen6451]

I wish I could try it one day, what I'm afraid of are the rotor blades, probably because I don't know enough about the subject, don't understand that they can hold up, think that there must be a lot of stress on them, they have to lift a lot in a small area right inside the attachment point. ink helicopter blades that lift many tons... I know that the centrifugal force also helps to stiffen the blades, I think they will behave like a bicycle wheel that you spin and hold in your hand, it would preferably be vertical or horizontal. maybe there is someone who can explain it to me, someone who really has an understanding of gyro technology... I could easily make the rest of the machine myself if it was. it's quite simple machinery .. then there's the rotax motor, which everyone says is the best .. I could point to many other motors that would be useful, yes I know boxers are more horizontally stable and powerful, but that's a different matter subject best GKI

[@titanictechno]

Who make this particular model ?

[@FLYERTV]

Magni - www.magnigyro.it/en

[@peter6782]

Eck anyone would think you are launching the space shuttle if it was still being used that is .

[@beagle5]

Interesting that many I know take up to 90 hours to get Licensed , even ex PPL's

[@peejpom]

I am always fascinated by Gyrocopters but am always aware of the incident rate, not good per hours flown.

[@Purlee100]

What you have to remember is that there are few gyrocopters registered compared to the number of fix wing aircraft and the surveys of accident rate are conducted over many years. For instance, one study shows 384 crashes, but that is between 1983 and now, so over about 41 years! Forty years ago, gyrocopters were mainly home designed or built from kits, the quality of construction, the level of training , and the standard of maintenance were all questionable. The engine choices were limited and those that were available were far les reliable than the four/stroke Rotax engines that power the professionally built Gyrocopters of today. That was if they had an engine at all, many were simply towed into the air on a rope, behind a car, so a missed approach or refused landing was not an option. That tends to skew the statistics. Many older aircraft had very little in the way of protection, being basically a beam, with the seat mounted on it and a rotor mast and engine, if any, strapped on behind. Any significant accident was likely to be fatal, and many were! Not so today. Professionally built gyrocopters are now certified aircraft, built to a high standard and very safe.

[@z_actual]

cool

[@itsokswallow]

wow

[@JoeyCbr]

How much for a lesson?

[@keithwalker6892]

I believe insurance is high. Why

[@DiHandley]

So when are they going to make an electric gyro plane?

[@b43xoit]

After you have mined the cobalt with your hands.

[@rigilchrist]

Well, you certainly flew with the most experienced instructor! I tried a tandem enclosed Calidus type. I really didn't like the heavy controls and I was alarmed at the t/o run required (as we were on a farm strip). It rotates early enough but you must hold it close the the runway - this is for for building speed, not to wave at a photographer! If you attempt to climb with insufficient speed, it will roll over, uncommanded. Lands on a sixpence, but the t/o run put me off.

[@spaffett]

They do not roll after takeoff, if you too slow they just sink back in the direction of the stick. If you turn they will sink quicker but no roll.

[@EIGYRO]

You do get quite comfortable flying in ground effect while building speed to climb speed. Also, takeoffs are optional, landings are compulsory. Nothing lands better than a gyro.

[@someoneelse7629]

It still is the worst of both worlds in some ways, but the best of both in others, I want one

[@user-pl7sf9qm9o]

My Mother was semi romantically involved (more of a schoolgirl crush) with Cierva as a result of Grandad's factory being a supplier of specialised steel components. Had many trips in the Weir devolpements.when the family took holidays on the south coast.

[@chris-zl4wm]

Ken Wallis beat you to it by about 60 years. Google him up and be amazed.

[@apolloperez8706]

I think she is very Beautiful

[@kmg501]

Do gyroplanes serve any commercial roles?

[@FLYERTV]

I'm not aware of any outside of flight training, at least not in the UK

[@kmg501]

@@FLYERTV I hope there are at least a few people using them for surveying or commuting.

[@waymoncowley436]

I believe if you do a search, you will find certain LEO's using them. There are Ag. applications like crop-dusting...

[@alanwood4968]

gyro plane

[@spaffett]

Flyer, could you try and use the name gyroplane as that is correct. Gyrocopter is misleading and made up to sell a brand

[@hugostiglitz6914]

Why does anything to do with aviation bring out the anal is people. Gyrocopter, Gyroplane or Autogyro! It doesn't matter.😂

[@jkjo1960]

Gyroplanes today are ABNORMAL. Dela Cierva's original invention can land softly without any forward speed at all. Just like a slow elevator. Gyros today cannot do that anymore. So basically there's no advantage over airplanes.

[@dilligafwoftam985]

Car driver tries to race a motorbike ... YAWN. seriously?

[@FLYERTV]

Eh? I missed the car and the motorbike.

[@tonylam9548]

This is BS, you have a simpler rotor system, and no tail rotor, but you have a propeller. You need just about same HP as a chopper, you cannot hover and use basically the same amount of runway or more than a good STOL plane (Z750) , yes I know some have the jump take off option and you do not fly any faster or father. No wonder gyros are not popular. I don't see any in the US Army.

[@FLYERTV]

They cost quite a bit less than helicopters, and since when is the US Army the decider for fun aircraft?

[@honumoorea873]

Gyro are not more efficient then helos but they are mechanically simpler and not prone as failure like helis... Just the gearbox Onan heli is a nightmare...this part fail and you most of the time die....

[@tonylam9548]

@@honumoorea873 If I want simple , I get a Zenith 750. Same performance, and it stalls with no air speed indication on the steam gauge.

[@mikecunningham7621]

Private pilot, 2,000 hours fixed wing here. I have been interested in gyros for a very long time. The advantages I see them, in comparison to fixed wing sport flying, are greatly improved emergency landing capability and safety, wonderful visibility, and greatly decreased ownership costs, especially storage. In comparison to a helicopter.. ? The gyro is much safer, and forget about owning a helicopter unless you are very well to do.. and forget about renting one unless you are very well to do and afforded the extensive hours flown before anyone would insure you.

[@bradleyrounds9768]

The gyrocopter carries the same weight as a small airplane