Before the modern helicopter, the autogyro was king. Here's what they were like and how they were used.
Autogyros have been fascinating me recently. There's something about how they work, with their unpowered blades, that really makes me think "hey, these things are really the missing link between the airplane and helicopter". Developed in the 1920s and 30s, before the helicopter really got going, these wonderful aircraft were thought to have a big future. Here's a video from all the way back in 1931 explaining how they work.
Origins
The gyrocopter was first invented in 1923 by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva. He was a passionate aviation enthusiast having built his first plane in 1912 aged just 17. After playing with the idea of making an aircraft that could fly without stalling, he came up with the idea of rotating wings inspired by a simple helicopter-like toy. His designs went to onto become very successful in Europe. They were manufactured under license by Avro in the UK and Focke-Wolf in Germany.
Meanwhile, Harold Pitcairn developed autogyros for the United States based on Juan de la Cierva's designs. As their popularity increased, police used the aircraft for crowd control at some sporting events whilst others were used to train pilots at flying schools. Some were fitted with floats and became ‘hydrogyros’ - what a brilliant name!
Although modern autogyros tend to be ultralight sized, the autogyros of the inter-war years were usually beefier, more powerful aircraft. Often these were championed due to their short take-off and landing (STOL) characteristics, especially when using a headwind to their advantage. Here's one taking off and then landing in a street in Paris. Notice the people and vehicles at the end of the road carrying on as though nothing had happened!
STOL performance coupled with great versatility meant that the autogyro was sometimes used as an air ambulance. Popular models like the Cierva C.30 were put to work throughout the European Alps in a role that would ultimately be taken over by modern rescue helicopters. Here's a clip of one of these autogyros rescuing an injured skier.
Waterskiing Giroboat
If you're looking for a bit of excitement next time you're on a lakeside holiday, why not try 'giroboating'? This was thought to be an up-and-coming sport back in the early 60s. For some reason, it never really got picked up by the general public. Years later, the parasail proved to be a slightly safer alternative. Check out this sketchy video demonstrating the marvelous giroboat invention.
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
Contact: james@flitetest.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
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