Calidus Gyrocopter aerial handling display 

Absolutely incredible, the handling looks so intense. Quite the machines we are making these days.

RainbowDashie15 wrote: "How does it not twist?" The main rotor is pre-rotated on the ground, then decoupled from the engine. In flight, the rotor is freewheeling, its rotation coming only from the airflow; so there is no torque from the rotor. (The engine powers only the pusher-prop when in flight, and that keeps the craft moving, which supplies the above-mentioned airflow through the rotor.) The vertical stabilizers ("tails") keep the nose pointed in the direction you want it to go, controlled by rudder pedals as in a fixed-wing airplane.

Love them or hate them they are very practical for herding cattle. Thanks for the video.

Best Video on RU-vid showing Calidus performance. Please upload one more with Calidus

I have seen a lot of gyrocopters, this is by far the most maneuverable, excellent flying also.

l Like it alot, outstanding shape and it look like you can see all alound in the cockpit RF

Awesome machine, Thanks for posting.

That short take off is impressive

Everyone had one of these in the '30s. They were everywhere. FAR safer than conventional aircraft, especially at low altitudes. Lose power? No problem...pitch the nose down a bit and TADA...airspeed and lift. Now, whose driveway should we land in? :D Currently building one. Kit, of course. Can't wait.

They don't sell so many in the UK because they are approx £80K+ APIECE.!! Near to me is an ex RAF airfield where a chap has 2 open/tandem trainers and one of these beauties. I have sat in it, but not flown it. His model is side-by-side seating and it looks like a little Star Wars fighter.. amazing. Sadly, the UK price is beyond most of us, we have bigger worries just now. Apparently. I would happily, happily buy one.. either that or a mint Tiger Moth.. or both if the Lottery Fairy knocks at the door. But, for now.. Regards and thank you for these super posts. WF

its helicopter sound are just so nice to hear

Amazing! Great flying!

That was my thinking as well. Amazing control. Its diving toward the ground at a relatively low altitude was an amazing thing to see. A Cessna doing that could never survive.

Sweet looking machine, nice maneuverability. Autogyros have come a long way from days of Cierva

I can't say I understood all that. I have the details on all that and it's a 4 stroke rotax. They sure handle wind nicely. I was in Hildesheim (where they make these) and before production started I peeked at the new Cavalon, which has 2 seats beside eachother. Sadly it doesn't have windows in the floor, though that would be really neat. I'm not sure what you wrote was meant for me though.

Great Gyro, I didn't realise they had developed so far, makes my Air Command 447 from 1989, rather old fashioned.

They've been in existence about 90 years. I don't think they'll be banned.

WOW! That is an impressive machine.

Wow, this copter has a rudder for steering. I love the slick design of it.

Turns nicely to port but not as well to starboard, is that correct?

It can't hover because it needs the forward movement to power the rotor. In a gyrocopter the rotor is freewheeling while airbourne, i.e. the engine does not drive the main rotor like on a helicopter, the main rotor is driven by the airflow. This means that there is no torque to be countered, so the gyro does not need a tailboom to counteract the momentum from the engine/rotor assembly. Since the rotor is driven by airflow the gyro needs to keep moving forward.

Ive researched these gyrocopters online for a while. it looks like theyre kind of a weird mix between a heli and a plane, with main advantages being a relative stability and relatively short runway needs, but theyre not as fast. wouldnt a small plane be generaly better? for instance a new pipistrel virus (maybe there are better examples) costs even less than calidus but has 100 kmh more cruise speed and probably has sharper and quicker handling. its a bit hard to choose could you help please?

wonderful flying view.

I hope you get the rotor mast and blade holders NDT'd on schedule, flying like that.

Very cool! Is there a US distributor or plans to bring them to the US?

Great flight, Great Gyro. Was the right decision to buy one :-)

And what's the ordinance load?

I'm wondering if it can hover like a helicopter or does it need the forward flight to keep the craft from rotating against the rotor?

Nice flying!

How are these on MPG? Do they take regular gasoline or do they take some other fuel? What is the max weight load you could put in one of these? Would a machine gun with thousands of rounds of ammo and a large fuel tank be realistic? This is pretty cool though all the same.

Interesting, original design, appears sturdy, fabulous cockpit visibility, flies well when speed's up, though there seems to be some worrisome pitch issues at take off. The pilot knows his mount, which he handles with confidence. Calidus --- drop the name; it suggests "collision".

Apocalypse attack chopper! WOOOOOOO!!! But seriously, badass gyro.

Sums up the best parts of gyro handling.

Superbe démo !!

Safest way to fly. Love these things.

Can you take off vertically? like a helicopter? or does it not have enough lift

What a beautiful aircraft!!!! One day I'll have 1

Is there an rpm gauge in the cockpit to let the pilot know how fast the main rotor is going? Seems kind of important to me.

My parents were married, thank you, the blades CANNOT just stop turning at 1500 ft, the actual air through them keeps them constantly rotating, unlike helicopter blades which are motor driven.I flew a gyro many years ago.

Why is it still ground-hugging @ high speed & rotor disc alpha

How does the rotor spin up?

How does it not twist?

Do you know how much the training costs? Thank you

great video

Why does it take up so much runway w/ rotor blades @ high rev?

Francis25069 the qyrocoper dose not need a tail rotor due to the main rotor is only powered by a small electric motor to start rotation only all the power is by rear engine pushing the gyroplane forwards making the rotor spin creating lift.

nice flying machine .:)

COOL!

Excelente vídeo, belas imagens. Toda máquina voadora é fascinante, desde um simples avião de papel até a complexidade de um UFO.

I WANT one!

how does this not autorotate without a normal tailrotor?

if an engine goes bad on a heli, the rotors do not stop spinning and you can land rather safely. and to lose a rotor, you were already screwed by what caused the loss, not the actual loss because it takes external events to lose a rotor (collision or extremely shoddy maintenance by ground crew)

How much do they cost?

Très belle vidéo !!!

@1glopz...yes i have a license :-) and i am happy with my Calidus too.

WHOA, whatta rush!

it can't hover but it can glide, the motor just makes it go forward like a normal plane

Both props? Only one motor that run that back rotor, top blades aren't attached to a motor - free spinning.

Yes, but what is it good for?

Manictiger- helicopters and gyrocopters do have wings. It's just ours spin.

is the flying as easy as it looks like ?

a nie display in handeling, all around, RF

great vid.....

how much?

This is a gyro, which means that its primary rotor does not use power to spin...

Demonstrations like this, although a tribute to the flying skills of this man (his athleticism, knowledge of the relevant physics, dedication to practice), are what keep Aurogyros in the background of aviation. Close to the ground (1,000') this machine should be treated as a boring little box of bolts; lifted off or put back down on the ground in a controlled and deliberate manner. Above that height it is a viewing platform/mile eater of unequalled capacity. Even popping a parachute at 10,000' isn't as glorious because of all the time spent concerned with positioning and approach. When the industry realises that to increase sales it has to aim at the female decision-maker (still the major influence in economics) it will expand. That means comfort, stability, presentation and safety. This can almost preclude 'sports' applications. That the machine can be landed just about anywhere, can manoeuvre tightly is a safety bonus, not its major selling point. The thrill-seekers have STOL if they need to risk a Darwin award. So what is needed are more girls names for the aircraft types (Athena, Venus); pink, white colour schemes, less aggressive contours, covered engines will see more men piloting this beautiful engineering through the skies.

No. If you've been trained properly they can be safer as they don't stall and can glide quite well.

so, if a single engine plane (Cessna 172, example) loses an engine, where does the other engines come from to keep it airborne?

Great flight demo. But, I do agree, the pilot seemed to cause pitch issues. I'm a private pilot VFR license holder with 200 hrs. All of my time has been in a C172 I owned. The plane stats indicate 105 knts cruise, but many times because of head winds, etc... I was down around 90 - 95 knts. Useful load in a C172 with full fuel you can comfortably carry two people including the pilot, three is pushing it with grown men. I am looking at buying my next aircraft and strongly considering the Cavalon, side by side. while it is a little slower, the safety of the units seems to out weigh the little bit of speed loss. I am curious as to how these fly in tail winds. I have flown in tail winds of 42 mph in the C172. Quite amazing, ground speed of 142 knts. I have read that you should not take off in tail winds of over 5 mph in the flight manuals for autogyro. So, the real question here is this, if you have a strong tail wind, can it be possible to overtake the positive lift from the forward movement of the aircraft and create a negative lift problem?

Are these more dangerous than planes?

ordinance load = GVM - variable net mass ( pilot weight plus fuel)

how much are they? imma start driving it to work.

It takes off like a plane.

What is the ceiling for something like this?

leo where can I get one

Will it auto rotate if you loose the motor?

@13c11a about 200 an hour you will need 20-30 hours if you have not flown

The pilot seemed to have rotated a bit on the early side.

Wish I was loaded. I'd buy one tomorrow.

The main rotor (the one the creates lift) can still go out.

Why are these not more popular? Safer, cheaper, easier to fly than plane/helicopter. Great handling, short take off, near vertical landing, now cockpit with all luxury. Engine fail, just fly/float to ground under rotor spin. Plus almost instinctive to fly well. Surprised they aren't £15-30k each and as common as motorbikes. As more popularity usually = lower prices.

impressive

i simply want have the joy of flying and maybe make some trip with about 300 km in one direction.

Yes very true, a plane would go faster but are they safer? Are you flying to get from A to B or are you flying for the love of it? If you want fast get a helicopter and an F16 jet, if you want fun, relaxing flight, a lot less than getting a PPL in costs then Gyro is the way.

I'm the most knowledgeable and experienced pilot in the world, and also the most technically savvy person you've ever met.

kelly morgan can I have one please? ;)

I would be a little concerned about the rotor going out. If a plane loses one of it's engines, it usually has another 1-7 that can be relied upon. If those fail, there's the ability to glide to the ground. With a helicopter-- what exactly does one do when the main rotor stops spinning? That'd be my main concern. Still probably safer than driving, though. People are nuts in this city.

A plane has wings. A chopper does not.

Because the main rotor isn't spinning under the power of the engine like on a helicopter. Because of this, there's no counter-torque.

lol that statement is true or false depending on context... but people complaining about air safety are more annoying to me so... carry on X) lol

Fair enough. I didn't know that. Thanks. Yeah, the inability to use a chute sucks. I guess I'm still wondering what happens if the rotor gets jammed.

I think I will go for my licence.

I'm no pilot but it seems to me that when he's going back and forth, pulls up and then spins around 180 you are risking loosing the airflow that keeps the top rotor spinning.

Yeah. Freeways is where the real danger is. It's not in the air.

There would be no reason for the rotor on top to stop turning...but theoretically, if it did stop, it would fall like a rock.

A nice looking aircraft except that the tail looks a bit of an afterthought from certain angles - and not much ground clearance when landing with the nose high!

Safer than planes and helis.

show de bola!

wow seems a little unstable? just looks like the rotors are too high above the cockpit

Only some gyros are capable of "jump" take offs, not totally vertical but almost. It requires a special rotor and transmission and enough power to do so.