Cammie Patch Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 AutoGyro of Germany is producing about an aircraft a day. They have over 2000 aircraft flying. I bought a Calidus model a year ago, and it is by far the most fun you can have flying. It cruises at about 85 kts, 300 mile legs, my useful load is 577 lbs, and the takeoff/landing distance is very short. It is fun to fly in up to about a 40 knot wind. The best part is that with the low Euro the price of a new Calidus with a 914 turbo Rotax is about $85,000. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement, but that seems to happen when I start talking about them. Even though they are not technically an LSA, since they meet the definition of an LSA they can be flown by a sport pilot. Existing sport pilots can get checked out by flying with two CFIs. Just thought I'd share. Cammie Patch CFI/A&P/ATP Rotax tech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Nice looking machine. I flew Gyros back in the 1980's before that looked like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishAl Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I flew in the open version of the Calidus recently - an MTO. It's a very different experience from fixed wing and great fun. The two outstanding impressions were the amazingly short ground space required, especially in the landing phase, and the stability in strong winds. The other 'different' feeling I got was an immediate 'comfortableness' when flying along at very low levels - the ground just didn't threaten in the same way it does in fixed wing. The new 'hot' model here is the Cavalon - a completely enclosed side-by-side rather than an enclosed tandem. Autogyros were invented/developed by a Northern Irishman called Rex McCandless, who is also famous here for inventing the Norton Featherbed suspension (for a motorcycle). He's now deceased, but I once spent a weekend in his home, and he truly was a gifted (but also cantankerous!) man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I think Juan de la Cierva might argue with you on that one! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_la_Cierva I'm promised a go in one at Sleap airfield sometime this summer - hope it materialises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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