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Bensen B8MG Gyrocopter

Depiction of the Bensen B8MG Gyrocopter from a Bensen company brochure of the 1970s

The gyroplane is a rotary-wing aircraft usually associated with the 1930s. Its free-wheeling rotor is spun by the action of the air on its airfoils when the aircraft is in motion; propulsion is provided by a conventional propeller. The rotation of the rotor needs to be initiated on the ground when the aircraft has no forward motion.

Gyroplanes were originally designed and built for the commercial market as aircraft capable of very short takeoffs and landings. The machines pioneered by Juan de la Cierva in Spain and the Pitcairn and Kellett companies in the United States resulted from their research into rotary wings and their efforts to develop a true helicopter. However, unlike helicopters, gyroplanes cannot hover, take off vertically or fly backwards or sideways.

Museum Example

Helicopters employ one or more powered rotors providing both thrust and lift; they are controlled by tilting the rotor disc (the whirling rotor blades). After the torque problems associated with powered rotors were solved and true helicopters became a reality, gyroplanes quickly disappeared from the scene because of their lack of versatility. In recent times, small gyroplanes have re-emerged as viable projects in the homebuilt or recreational aircraft community.

The Museum’s aircraft was built from a kit by Mr. Alexander Dutkewych in Toronto, who incorporated a number of modifications. It accumulated over 150 hours of flight time in the Toronto area during the 1970s and early 1980s. Displayed at air shows, the machine never failed to attract its fair share of attention, comments and questions. Gyroplanes require specialized pilot training and need to be flown cautiously as the flight parameter envelope is very narrow.

The machine in the photo is a depiction of the Gyrocopter from a Bensen company brochure of the 1970s.

Specifications

Rotor diameter:
6 m (20 ft)
Length (less rotor):
3.4 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height:
2 m (6 ft 9 in)
Width:
1.7 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight, Empty:
112 kg (247 lb)
Weight, Gross:
227 kg (500 lb)
Cruising Speed:
96 km/h (60 mph)
Max Speed:
137 km/h (85 mph)
Rate of Climb:
305 m (1,000 ft) /min
Service Ceiling:
3,800 m (12,500 ft)
Range:
160 km (100 mi)
Power Plant:
one McCulloch 4318E, two-cycle, 4-cylinder, 72 hp piston engine