Whirlygig: the troubled life of the J-2 autogyro

[Pilawt]

http://airfactsjournal.com/2017/10/whirlygig-troubled-life-j-2-autogyro/

 

[FormerHangie]

I read that a few days ago.

Interesting that they went to all that effort to avoid stall/spin accidents, and came up with something that had so many other problems that is was more dangerous than conventional aircraft were. Plus, there are many fixed wing airplanes that can beat its takeoff and landing performance.

 

[kgruber]

And I bet that information came right off the top of your head! You are a walking aviation WIKI!

 

[mkosmo]

I read that a few days ago.

Interesting that they went to all that effort to avoid stall/spin accidents, and came up with something that had so many other problems that is was more dangerous than conventional aircraft were. Plus, there are many fixed wing airplanes that can beat its takeoff and landing performance.

Based on what the article said, I'd argue that it wasn't more dangerous... just more likely to roll. My quick search confirmed that none of the rollovers caused any injuries. That may make it far less desirable to own, but not necessarily riskier in that arena.

 

[Pilawt]

Dangerous, no (if properly maintained), thanks largely to the crashworthy cabin structure and low speeds. A practical, viable, economical substitute for either fixed-wing or helicopter, definitely not. Fun to fly, yes.

 

[JohnAJohnson]

Good article Jeff, thank you. I've been considering a gyro for my next project and am reading as much as I can about them and will be taking a test ride in the next few months. If the new models are as noisy as you describe for the J-2, that would be a problem for me.

 

[skier]

Thanks for posting that link. I've been fascinated by autogyros for a number of years and the J-2 is up there with the PA-36 in my mind as one of the prettiest machines ever produced. I'd love to get a ride in (or photograph) one someday.

I was at this year's AHS (American Helicopter Society) Technical Forum and made it a point to see a talk by Dr. Bruce Charnov on autogyros. It was fantastic. Not only was the subject matter interesting, but he is a great lecturer. If you're at all interested in autogyros, I highly recommend his book: From Autogiro to Gyroplane: The Amazing Survival of an Aviation Technology
https://www.amazon.com/Autogiro-Gyr...&qid=1508409483&sr=8-1&keywords=bruce+charnov

I read that a few days ago.

Interesting that they went to all that effort to avoid stall/spin accidents, and came up with something that had so many other problems that is was more dangerous than conventional aircraft were.

Believe it or not, they had a fantastic safety rate prior to the Bensen era, with very few fatalities. It was during the Bensen years that many people were flying without instruction in gyros prone to handling issues that the accident rate skyrocketed. In recent years, with more modern designs and training, the accident rate has started to reverse.

Plus, there are many fixed wing airplanes that can beat its takeoff and landing performance.

Some of the later gyros just prior to the advent of the helicopter had jump-takeoff capabilities.

 

[steingar]

The Carter Copter could do the jump on takeoff thing. Gyros still can't hover, though. That said, its a bucket list thing for me.