Company Has Sold 100 Sparrowhawk Gyroplane Kits and Conversions

Groen Brothers Aviation says it has sold a total of 100 of its SparrowHawk Gyroplane aircraft kits and SparrowHawk/P modification kits.

"We are extremely pleased with the market response to the design of these remarkable aircraft," David Groen, President & CEO of Groen Brothers, announced Thursday.

A GBA press release credited the new FAA Sport Pilot rules with a recent increase in sales. The GBA Sparrowhawk meets the performance requirements for pilots holding any gyroplane rating to operate under Sport Pilot privileges, with no FAA medical certificate required (as long as the pilot's last medical was not revoked or denied by FAA).

GBA also noted its dealer network, which not only includes dealers in the USA but also worldwide. "There are now 30 SparrowHawk Dealerships throughout the world. SparrowHawk Dealers can now be found in North, Central, and South America, Australia, the Bahamas, New Zealand, Russia, and South Africa," GBA proudly announced.

The GBA Sparrowhawk was initially introduced by GBA subsidiary American Autogyro, Incorporated, as the Stability and Control Augmentation Kit for the popular RAF 2000 gyroplanes offered by Rotary Air Force Marketing (RAF) of Kindersley, Saskatchewan. It adds centerline thrust and a large "tall tail," including a beefy horizontal stabilizer centered in the propwash, to the basic RAF.

Some critics have blamed the high thrust line and absent horizontal stabilizer of the RAF 2000 for fatal "bunt-over" or "power push over"  (PPO) accidents, and for contributing to a large number of "pilot-induced oscillation" (PIO) accidents. The design of the Sparrowhawk makes such mishaps much less likely. RAF counters that proper flight training is all that is required to fly their machine safely.

Both RAF and GBA stress, as do all reputable gyroplane manufacturers, that pilots must have sufficient class and category training in gyroplanes to fly them safely. A large number of fatal accidents in gyroplanes involve self-instruction, or individuals who have high time in other aircraft but little in gyros.

After a handful of Sparrowhawk/P modification kits were sold to RAF owners, an entirely original Sparrowhawk was introduced. It has a larger cabin than the RAF, a standard electronic information system in place of multiple gages, individually adjustable pilot and co-pilot seats and numerous other improvements.

Recently, Consensus Standards for Gyroplanes have been approved by ASTM, which would allow GBA to manufacture Sparrowhawks as experimental Light Sport Aircraft kits or reedy-to-fly Special Light Sport Aircraft. GBA has not said whether or how they will approach this market.

GBA's Sparrowhawk is very much the low end of its technology range. It's turbine powered Hawk 4 gyroplane was used to provide security during the Salt Lake City olympics, it has flown a massive turbine-powered gyro built on a Cessna 337 airframe, and it has even larger gyroplanes and gyrodynes (gyroplanes that use tip-jets for zero-length takeoff and landing) on the drawing board, for which it's seeking government contracts.

Groen's David Groen served in Vietnam as a UH-1 ready helicopter pilot in the Army. His brother Jay served the nation elsewhere, and now lobbies in Washington for GBA and the future of gyroplanes.

FMI: www.gbagyros.com