4 ms·

Gyro facts: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-pros-and-cons-of-a-gyrocopter https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-pros-and-cons-of-a-gyroc... I heard from a pr

Gyro facts: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-pros-and-cons-of-a-gyrocopter https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-pros-and-cons-of-a-gyroc... I heard from a private license pilot that these are very unsafe, but he told me that in 1990 but it sounds like things have changed.

FDSGSG 7y ago
> sounds like things have changed Nope, compared to fixed-wing aircraft these things are still horribly unsafe.
- ncmncm 7y ago
  Their inventor died in a Douglas DC-2. The instability causing most of the crashes is now understood and prevented by construction. They are now considered no more dangerous than other light aircraft. That means that to be safe they must be operated by a well-trained pilot in safe weather conditions. Some frequent causes of fixed-wing aircraft fatalities, such as engine failure, are much less worrisome in an autogyro, because they can land unpowered at very low speed.
Xunxi 7y ago
Gyroplanes (autogyros) are regarded as a relatively safe and stable type of general-aviation aircraft. https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/46103/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-autogyro-aircraft https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/46103/what-are-... There was quite a discussion on rotary forum about safety. https://www.rotaryforum.com/threads/gyrocopter-safety-and-reliability.36407/ https://www.rotaryforum.com/threads/gyrocopter-safety-and-re...
gravelc 7y ago
My dad sadly passed a way in a gyrocopter accident (one he designed and built himself). A good number of his flying buddies have passed over the years too. Safety is an issue for gyros due to a combination of reasons - they're often home built/maintained and flown out of home airstrips, pilots don't have a lot of training (a pilot's licence is not required in Australia), and they can get into situations that are difficult to recover from (blade unloading from my understanding). Generally people who fly them know the risks, but it's not something I'd do.
MasterScrat 7y ago
Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1972/ https://xkcd.com/1972/

FDSGSG 7y ago

> sounds like things have changed Nope, compared to fixed-wing aircraft these things are still horribly unsafe.

ncmncm 7y ago
Their inventor died in a Douglas DC-2. The instability causing most of the crashes is now understood and prevented by construction. They are now considered no more dangerous than other light aircraft. That means that to be safe they must be operated by a well-trained pilot in safe weather conditions. Some frequent causes of fixed-wing aircraft fatalities, such as engine failure, are much less worrisome in an autogyro, because they can land unpowered at very low speed.

Xunxi 7y ago

Gyroplanes (autogyros) are regarded as a relatively safe and stable type of general-aviation aircraft. https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/46103/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-autogyro-aircraft https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/46103/what-are-... There was quite a discussion on rotary forum about safety. https://www.rotaryforum.com/threads/gyrocopter-safety-and-reliability.36407/ https://www.rotaryforum.com/threads/gyrocopter-safety-and-re...

gravelc 7y ago

My dad sadly passed a way in a gyrocopter accident (one he designed and built himself). A good number of his flying buddies have passed over the years too. Safety is an issue for gyros due to a combination of reasons - they're often home built/maintained and flown out of home airstrips, pilots don't have a lot of training (a pilot's licence is not required in Australia), and they can get into situations that are difficult to recover from (blade unloading from my understanding). Generally people who fly them know the risks, but it's not something I'd do.

MasterScrat 7y ago

Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1972/ https://xkcd.com/1972/