I earned my license in my own MTO 914 in the fall of 2022. And mostly because of the cost of insurance I haven't flown since. Wnen it's warmer I'll go pick it up. Like many others, I got the bug by way of Commander Wallis. They have an old, bad reputation - but although they have become quite safe, they are often oversold: Being easy to convert to from fixed wing, videos recorded in strong wind showing exceptional performance. An ab initio pilot (like me) is the safest pilot, while old (those who can afford a new gyro) fixed wing pilots can forget they now fly a gyro - that needs another start procedure. The result is a bad rep. and insurance going up. Myself, I feel really safe up there.
The reputation of autogyros came about because many of previous generations were home built from kits, which were not themselves always of high quality. A couple of popular designs did not include a horizontal stabiliser, for instance. Factor in shoddy or poor builds, and you had a high risk of getting into trouble.Today's aircraft are of excellent quality, and there are good training options available. Most accidents now are down to pilot error, either in flight of pre flight.
I love flying my Calidus because it is the most fun I have had in any aircraft (I have flown gliders and fixed-wing aircraft). It is easy to fly and I got the best training, based here in the UK, which continues to give me confidence, years after I got my licence. Gyros used to have a bad reputation, deservedly so at the time because of a design flaw which took some time to rectify. The current designs are at least as good as fixed-wing aircraft but the reputation keeps being echoed by people who do not fully understand that the problem has been fixed. My gyro is a serious, quality flying machine, stable and responsive. If you have never been in a gyro - what are you waiting for?
Modern gyros are not comparably dangerous but the pilots are. There are different actions required for some phases of flight, therefore different muscle memory to be learned, as compared to flying a fixed wing. Good training is critical. As both a fixed wing and gyro private pilot in the US, I actually feel much safer in the gyro. BTW, two years ago I paid well over $200k US for my modern certified machine. Insurance is unrealistically overpriced here too, maybe ten times that of fixed wing coverage. Again, proper training is critical, but they are amazing aircraft.
Nice to see you making videos again Mike
I earned my license in my own MTO 914 in the fall of 2022. And mostly because of the cost of insurance I haven't flown since. Wnen it's warmer I'll go pick it up. Like many others, I got the bug by way of Commander Wallis. They have an old, bad reputation - but although they have become quite safe, they are often oversold: Being easy to convert to from fixed wing, videos recorded in strong wind showing exceptional performance. An ab initio pilot (like me) is the safest pilot, while old (those who can afford a new gyro) fixed wing pilots can forget they now fly a gyro - that needs another start procedure. The result is a bad rep. and insurance going up. Myself, I feel really safe up there.
The reputation of autogyros came about because many of previous generations were home built from kits, which were not themselves always of high quality. A couple of popular designs did not include a horizontal stabiliser, for instance. Factor in shoddy or poor builds, and you had a high risk of getting into trouble.Today's aircraft are of excellent quality, and there are good training options available. Most accidents now are down to pilot error, either in flight of pre flight.
I love flying my Calidus because it is the most fun I have had in any aircraft (I have flown gliders and fixed-wing aircraft). It is easy to fly and I got the best training, based here in the UK, which continues to give me confidence, years after I got my licence. Gyros used to have a bad reputation, deservedly so at the time because of a design flaw which took some time to rectify. The current designs are at least as good as fixed-wing aircraft but the reputation keeps being echoed by people who do not fully understand that the problem has been fixed. My gyro is a serious, quality flying machine, stable and responsive. If you have never been in a gyro - what are you waiting for?
Modern gyros are not comparably dangerous but the pilots are. There are different actions required for some phases of flight, therefore different muscle memory to be learned, as compared to flying a fixed wing. Good training is critical. As both a fixed wing and gyro private pilot in the US, I actually feel much safer in the gyro. BTW, two years ago I paid well over $200k US for my modern certified machine. Insurance is unrealistically overpriced here too, maybe ten times that of fixed wing coverage. Again, proper training is critical, but they are amazing aircraft.