First international kit-built aircraft takes to the air in Moscow

Groen Brothers Aviation, Inc. has announced the first international flight of its SparrowHawk Gyroplane, designed and manufactured by GBA's American Autogyro. Alex Lameko, owner of American Autogyro of Moscow and builder of the kit built SparrowHawk, was pleased and excited with the performance and stability of the aircraft.

Test pilot Dmitry Rakitskiy reported a very smooth flight in ideal weather conditions. David Groen, GBA President & CEO said "We are delighted to see the first of what will be many SparrowHawk Gyroplanes in international skies. SparrowHawks are currently under construction by our dealers in Canada and New Zealand." American Autogyro also has authorized international dealers in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bahamas and South Africa in addition to representatives in Korea and India. American Autogyro is building a solid dealer network here in the U.S. and currently has twenty authorized U.S. dealers.

"We've come a long way in the less than two years since American Autogyro began" said Jim Mayfield, President of American Autogyro and Chief Technical Officer of Groen Brothers Aviation. "We're not only getting a great reaction from the general aviation community, but high interest from those new to the joy of flying. With kit sales already at more than fifty aircraft, GBA is ramping up production for the SparrowHawk market to provide aircraft for its dealers worldwide." The SparrowHawk, an enclosed, centerline thrust, two-place kit-built gyroplane, is dynamically and statically stable and provides great safety advantages over earlier kit designs. The large two-place cabin with a width of 44 inches, more than 4 inches wider than a Cessna 172, provides great visibility and comfort for the pilot and passenger.

The SparrowHawk is also being offered as a fully assembled aircraft designed specifically for aerial observation. The SparrowHawk APV (Airborne Patrol Vehicle) model offers unequaled low cost aerial observation capabilities to both US and international government agencies.

In addition to its SparrowHawk, American Autogyro designs and produces stability augmentation kits for other manufacturers' kit built gyroplanes.

FMI: www.americanautogyro.com