How The Auto-Giro Works (1931)

"The development of air travel depends almost entirely on safety. One contribution to safety is the auto giro 'plane, and although many of us have seen one, we believe this to be the first explanation of the machine's working." M/S of a man standing beside a Pitcairn PAA-1 auto giro. He speaks slowly and in a rather posh American voice about the working of the aircraft. Closer shot of the man as he uses a model of an "ordinary airplane" to illustrate how the auto giro is different. C/U of the model in his hands as he speaks of air pressure and how this keeps the plane in the air. C/U of the blades of the auto giro - miniature airplane wings. The man explains how the blades work automatically. The man then picks up a model of an auto giro and describes how the propeller provides forward motion.
The explanation continues. C/U of the man who says: "So much for theories and models. Let's see something of what the autogiro can accomplish in the air." L/S of the auto giro starting up and the rotors and propeller moving. As the auto giro makes more noise the narrator is drowned out. Low angle of the aircraft taking off then air-to-air shots of the vehicle in flight. "A new sport for airmen" reads an intertitle. Strange shot of an auto giro following race horses down a track. The aircraft lifts and lowers as if it was jumping the fences just like the horses. "Loafing along at eight miles an hour!" A cyclist is seen below the auto giro. The cyclist can travel faster than the aircraft. "They can land on the proverbial sixpence and linger aloft indefinitely in a 20 mile breeze!" Low angle shot of the auto giro flying overhead then landing. We see it take off again. The aircraft hovers above a tower. Various shots of the 'plane. "Like a dead stick landing - (watch the propeller)." Low angle shot of the craft landing then taxiing along the runway and taking off again.
Note: a very long and thorough explanation of how the autogiro works. Note alternative spelling - autogyro and alternative name gyroplane. This is last story on reel - no end titles.
FILM ID:1582.2
A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. www.britishpathe.tv/
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British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. www.britishpathe.com/

[@RoyMcAvoy]

It's amazing how we can learn something from a video that was produced 90 years ago

[@sossiepie2243]

Exactly! Modern videos only complicate things with physics and stuff while these people explain in simple ànd practical terms in a proper analogy. It's best understood when you are trying to keep it simple for the masses to understand.

[@jackjoedoug]

​@@sossiepie2243this is why I collect old textbooks

[@Elephantine999]

A "motion picture" produced 90 years ago. ;)

[@RoyCousins]

The Autogyro was invented by Spanish aircraft designer Juan de la Cierva in 1923. Pitcairn Autogyros were built in the USA under license from the Cierva Autogiro Company (the unknown narrator is not it's manufacturer, Harold Pitcairn).

[@Cesarhernandez-wv3do]

Invented in 1919.

[@danielchervin]

it is amazing to see how maneuverable the aircraft is, no avionic computers involved in the process.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

The Inventor of AutoGyro was truly a Genius!

[@mikedunn7795]

Very informative video,answers the most common questions.Fun watching what an autogyro can do. I love that scene where a bicycle goes faster than the autogyro!

[@pepeluis44]

Este video es una joya 🇪🇦

[@fenflyer]

Old ones are the best ones 👌

[@fmh357]

I already know how these in their various iterations work, however it's a lot of fun to watch. Thank You.

[@terruwuism]

Absolutely marvelous!

[@andrewsinclair7159]

The one thing you must never do in an autogyro is to pitch the nose down during a stall. This is how you regain airspeed in an fixed-wing plane, but in an autogyro it's a one-way express ticket to the ground. If you find yourself losing airspeed and altitude, you want to be level with the ground, because the saving grace of these things is that as long as they're level, they descend slower than a parachute.

[@beniceffs]

Gyrocopters don't stall. But you can pitch down, just not aggressively.

[@laizalott]

The behavior you are referencing is specific to rear-engine autogyros with very short tails and high centers of thrust (a naturally unstable design). These Pitcairn autogyros had no such tendencies, and you can clearly see the pilot pitching the nose down at miniscule airspeeds.

[@jackjerenore5736]

Not quite true, if you are stalling, aka descending, you can push the stick forward because the rotors are loaded. Think like this .. if you feel your bum lift off the seat, you're in a negative g, so never let that happen. But when I'm flying and I've reached a stall and am already falling, I push stick forward to lower the nose and my bum is still pressed firmly in the seat. That's because the rotors are loaded as I'm descending haha make sense?

[@jackjerenore5736]

If you stalled and only just leveled the gyro, then all you have to recover with is power, which most of the time won't be enough unless you're in a really high performance gyro.. and you'll probably keep sinking behind the power curve untill you shove that bloody stick forward ;)

[@andrewsinclair7159]

@@jackjerenore5736 Thanks, that does make sense. Glad somebody who's actually flown one came along to correct me.

[@noahman27]

This invention is literally genius. Safest way to fly recreationally.

[@federicosagun8243]

Pioneers of aviation. Thank you very much for your invention.

[@NickyDIY101]

dont know why the ancient explanation always the best ! especially the another video about how differential gear works, that explanation was amazing better than the new colorful full computer aid animation hahaha

[@crawford323]

Outstanding!

[@mikefinch741]

Wonderful!

[@kurakuson]

Amazing!

[@DadsRCHangar]

How great is this, would never had known how great this is.

[@davidhewson8605]

What a pilot !!!. Loved autogiros for 60yrs. See wood, metal and linen. Think he was ??. Thanks. Dave

[@lopeznavarromc]

“Autogiro” was invented and developed by “Juan de la Cierva y Codorniu”, Spanish engineer from Murcia.

[@seasonedtoker]

Saw a bunch of these at my local sports aeroclub today. Just did a quick google and saw it had a single inventor so I though yeah probably some rich college professor had too much time on his hands in the 80s... But then I realized the thing is practically 100 years old by now.

[@slurrp3726]

Wow you learn lots from that video great!

[@augenmaugen]

So fascinating

[@Music-kz9ol]

His explanation of lift has had many pilots parroting incorrect information. Uncle Igor would through a fit.

[@alejoquiroga9369]

Muy impresionante para la época, ver una máquina voladora de alas rotatorias que si funciona.

[@NoobMaster-we6ll]

Thank you Mr. Howard Stark

[@angelobonanno1859]

Gotta love those old mechanics videos tho, look at that explanation, man, anyone can understand it!

[@juanmorales5133]

Juan de la cierva fue un brillante ingeniero Espanol que invento el autogiro.

[@udmbfckx2916]

Almost 100 years later, this film is as relevant as anything today.

[@profiskipinternational4402]

Fabulous .... the pilot mastered it excellently even hovering. Strange that we have nowadays only pusher props (the engine is sitting behind the fuselage). Clearly we can see in this vid at the first start how the airstream of the front prop pushes the air under the horizontal blades creating uplift and rotation. A feature modern autogiros dont have instead it needs an engagement with the pusher engine to start turning the horizontal blades till after the start the gyro has enough speed to unlock the gear for passive auto rotation. Honestly I like the original concept more, at least for aerobatics😊

[@irolidas]

Ahahah il tenais le stationnaire!!!! Incroyable !!

[@SkyMaXX5]

Wonderful air vehicle! Strange, but it lands even softer than modern gyroplanes. This is probably due to the fact that he has a wing and a pulling screw, which works more efficiently and probably constantly loads the main rotor with air flow with its work. Yes, and the screw itself is used four-bladed, not two-bladed.

[@apgjakarullah1]

GENIOUS

[@davidhewson8605]

Superb ! Chief test pilot suit/tie . I like whirlygig for autogiro ?. Horse riders saying ; whirlygig with an assassin on board , ride faster !. Always learn from old geysers. Thanks. Dave

[@roadwraith6]

Hate that flymachines are so insanely expensive. This thing could easily have me flying to work even if it's a hour drive away

[@RoadkingNZ1]

Can get a light aircraft for about the price of a nice car.

[@roadwraith6]

@@RoadkingNZ1 exactly.. if the aircraft would have been built with the same cost as cars, a light aircraft should not cost more then a nice avg motorcycle. Plus Aircrafts in many cases are old proven designs that should make development cost next to nothing. But it's not just aircrafts. I see the same thing on industrial machines at work. There have been cases where a 3-5$ PC fans have cut out and when we order a OEM replacement part they want 1000$

[@Kj16V]

@@roadwraith6 I used to work in the aero engineering industry. It's the humungous amount of safety that goes into aircraft that makes them so expensive. Everything is tested to the n'th degree. Every part needs to be traceable back to the manufacturer, even basic components that could otherwise have been got off Ebay for fractions of a penny. Aircraft have to be *way* more reliable than cars. Plus you have to have an uber-expensive pilots licence. I'd still love to have a gyrocopter though!

[@roadwraith6]

@@Kj16V ofc I also know that and if anywhere that's where some of the cost makes sense. But not a cost increase by 850% over a nice avg car vs reguler Cessna. And the cars today are often a new model and have to pass numerous safety etc. There is someone that is getting very rich here just because its expected by the costumers that it cost so much. You see that also in the paperworks (atleast in this country). I think that SpaceX vs NASA cost to send spacecraft's into space scenario is also the case with aeronautical industry. The car industry could not touch airplanes in the 70s but today I think the precision and part backtracking, safety and more is more then capable to build a safe most efficient airplane for the masses. They are just blocked of by outdated rules, regulations and some rich people that dont want to be proven wrong.

[@another3997]

@@roadwraith6 Cars are designed to be relatively safe, but that's easier and cheaper than making aircraft safe to fly. The stresses on an airframe are vastly more complicated than on a car, and the tolerances are much tighter because of the materials used in order to keep things light etc. The consequences of a failure are generally much more serious in an aircraft. In a car, you don't generally fall several hundred feet to the ground over heavily populated residential areas. In an aircraft, even if you still have control, you may not have a safe place to land. Your car is probably made in the tens of thousands each year, with lots of shared parts, so economies of scale come in to play. Most aircraft are made in small numbers, often with bespoke parts. And really, seeing how many idiotic drivers there are and accidents, deaths and injuries caused by their inattention, reckless behaviour and poorly maintained vehicles... would you really trust them to fly an aircraft safely?

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

As a pilot dipping my toe into Gyros - thats some amazing flying! How was the drive connected to the forward engine, bevel? You don't see a drive shaft going into any rotor in a gyro since. For the dead stick I guess there was a clutch he could pull?

[@dabneyoffermein595]

So how much thrust from the engine is segmented for the Rotor action? does the main rotor get 20% of the engine and 80 goes to the prop? How do they do that kind of complex transmission back in the time-frame of when this video was recorded (1940's)?

[@Greg-yu4ij]

I think the gyro free spins and the propeller just provides thrust. It operates like a powered parachute but safer

[@chrisstoddard1144]

It mentioned using the engine's (self-) starter to initially spin up the rotor. After that, it's all done by the relative wind.

[@robertpierce1981]

So bizarre to watch. Wonderful

[@thehillbillygamer2183]

Sheraton horses freaked out

[@lambertodgr8]

Doesn't the rotor replace the wings? Why do these ones have fixed wings as well?

[@sossiepie2243]

These old machines were probably too heavy for a the rotor of that size so they added small wings to aid. Or probably they just wanted a safely landing plane so this is just a mod plane

[@AndiJF]

Early autogyros had fixed rotor-hubs and relied on conventional ailerons for control in roll, which in turn required short wings to support them. Later designs, from the mid-1930s on, allowed the rotor to be tilted in any direction for control and so did not require wings.

[@jojofixer]

Does the pilot control pitch?

[@TheFreshPeddler]

only if he wants to live.

[@panzerdivizzion]

I knew it would take off in a very short area, but to hover messed me up.

[@JanKowalski-vj9py]

In hovering sequence almost for sure a power is applied to the rotor. By pre-rotation gear. Forward wind may be minimal and the machine will still fly.

[@jaggerf6541]

it landed very quietly

[@adrianfraga3536]

Watch Ken Wallis autogyro designer, vean el video de Ken Wallis diseñador inglés de autogiros, saludos desde Monterrey, México Regards from Monterrey, México.

[@natesofla8891]

I'm in love. Going to train and buy one.

[@eddebrock]

How does it hover?

[@pchurchill]

I think angling the nose up and so rotor rearward , has the forward prop force balanced be the rearward rotor force .. combined, all vectors of force result in upward force .. i am guessin .. and air over aelerons provides control.. very clever .. The faery rotodyne did all this with 75 passengers.. but like concorde was .. british .. so too noisy for americans

[@billsmetal]

He's pointing into a 20mph head wind.. So effectively he's flying at 20mph.. but just not moving across the ground.. If he turned 180 degrees he would have to be flying 40mph ground speed to stay aloft..

[@simongibbs9392]

These things hurt my brain.

[@SnakeLee1]

That haircut is ahead of it's time

[@guillensuarezmartinez831]

AUTOGIRO, MODELO 544 VSR

[@raybutler294]

Ha Ha Where can I get one!!??

[@sewasewa6585]

Now with cheaper and lighter batteries and motors, the time for gyrocopters is perfect. They will become more reliable and cheaper . Also quiter.❤😂

[@jayreiter268]

True I never heard of De La Cierva. I thought it must have been Sikorski that invented the articulated rotor. Well they both did great work.

[@ivanmanolo7273]

Porque No vuelven a fabricarlas es más seguro que los helicópteros.

[@ERICtheLATE]

Sikorsky fully made it a over engineered, financial disaster to be the dream machine in full form, but this is where the grace of a sycamore seed, and the physics of a boomerang were harnessed, and tamed.

[@clothsloth]

Wonderful invention!

[@user-yt4mm4db3b]

Интересно, с тянущим винтом сегодня автожиры выпускают? Для ранцевого автожира тянущий винт наверное удобней , если не зацикливаться на том, что обзор хуже ? Самый дешевый летающий транспорт, кому-то он сильно мешает.

[@theredbluecaptain2742]

Сейчас автожир проще самому сделать, чем купить, так что с тянущим или нет - на выбор. Никому он не мешает, просто не всем он нужен

[@SkyMaXX5]

Ранцевый автожир интересная тема, это конечно можно, но я не представляю пока как это сделать, где закрепить киль и прочее. И аэродинамически схема не очень. Да и главная проблема, как безопасно обеспечить посадку? Очень легко можно навернуться при посадке вместе с всей этой конструкцией. Гораздо стабильнее и проще горизонтальная классическая сидячая схема. Всё-таки ранцевая схема она для вертолёта лучше всего подходит или квадро- и мультикоптера.

[@fgm1197]

Amazing that "they" haven't invented helicopter sooner

[@gerrittenberkdeboer7763]

why have they been a hundred times better and cooler 90years ago....

[@geoffreywray4235]

It's not a ship It's a gyro plain 😂

[@mastercraft888]

Isn't he cheating? he's got wings as well