Thu, Jul 28, 2011
Manufacturers Offering Greater Refinement, Capability
By Paul Plack
Gyroplanes have always sat at the back of the bus at AirVenture.
Owners who bring them are directed to the ultralight village, which
is almost in a different zip code. But manufacturers of gyroplanes
are making an increased showing in the exhibit areas at this year's
event, and the sophistication and appeal are also growing.
HoneyBee G2
Jim Fields of AeroWorks International is showing the HoneyBee G2
line of models ranging from legal ultralight up to a tandem
trainer, all currently available only in open-frame, but enclosed
models are said to be coming by year's end. You can see them at the
ultralight end of the airport. Powerplants range from the MZ-201 to
a converted General Motors EcoTech four-cylinder engine.
Autogyro Cavalon
In the main exhibit area, Autogyro of Germany, and Chesapeake
Light Sport, the US distributor based in Maryland, are here with
open and enclosed tandem models, and the new, enclosed,
side-by-side Calidus. These gyros have been outselling fixed-wing
LSA-class machines in Europe over the past four years, and the US
Department of Justice has been funding tests of Autogyro's models
by law enforcement agencies in the US under the public use
exemption. All models come standard with the Rotax 912, with the
914 optional.
Right across the street from Autogyro, in the outdoor exhibit space
occupied last year by Diamond Aircraft, Sport Copter is displaying
the law-enforcement variant of its Sport Copter 2. This machine has
a much larger cabin than competitors, and a 16-hundred-pound gross
weight, which takes it out of the LSA class.
Sport Copter 2
The original Ferrari-red prototype generated lots of stares at
its debut at AirVenture in 2007, but its Subaru conversion was not
popular with attendees. The new version is powered by an
experimental Lycon IO-360 making over 200 horsepower, and is
equipped with a FLIR system in the panel. Arizona search-and-rescue
pilot Marv Wessel has been named the Law Enforcement Representative
for the company.
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