Tomball Police MTOSport Draws Attention To Department, Manufacturer 

European regulators allow factory-built, LSA-class gyroplanes to be marketed, and the result has been sales which exceed those of comparable fixed-wing LSA aircraft in the last few years. Here in the US, the FAA is limiting gyro enthusiasts to homebuilts, keeping gyros a novelty. But AutoGyro GmbH, a German manufacturer, is pushing to bring its high-volume gyro line to the US, and supplying aircraft for a law enforcement experiment is bringing the company lots of free marketing.

The timing is perfect. Law enforcement agencies, especially those flying surplussed military helos, are being forced to park them as the recession dries up tax dollars. AutoGyroUSA, the US distributor for the German manufacturer, convinced the US Department of Justice to include its gyroplanes among LSAs eligible for the federally-funded Law Enforcement Aviation Technology Program, and so far the gyroplane is a hit.

The Tomball, TX Police Department is a small-town force whose chief is Robert S. Hauck, who retired from the Los Angeles PD after 20 years. Hauck became a big believer in air support for his men in LA, but had no way to budget for an aviation division in Tomball. His department is now using an open-cockpit AutoGyro MTOSport for patrol and surveillance duty as part of DoJ's test. The jury is still out, but the manufacturer has benefited from coverage of the experiment in dozens of media outlets. (Pictured: Cover of July/August Air Beat magazine.)

One of the latest is an article Tuesday on wired.com entitled, "Flying the Police Aircraft of the Future," in which Matt Hardigee gets his first-ever flight in a gyro in the Tomball Police MTOSport. He writes, "We’ve only been airborne a few minutes, but it feels amazing. It feels more like flying than any other small plane or helicopter I’ve been in...the open cockpit and lack of doors — coupled with a lack of reference points other than the ground — makes the gyroplane feel much faster than it is. It’s like a roller coaster without the tracks."

AutoGyroUSA is moving rapidly to set up US outlets which will include training, and builder-assist programs to get as close to the European factory-built advantage as is possible under the FAA's 51-percent rule. If these machines catch on like they have in Europe, the factory will have to add a night shift.

FMI: www.wired.com/autopia/2011/09/tomball-police-autogyro/