AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2022 - 78

fantastic visibility, a stick in the right
hand, and throttle in the left, you immediately
begin to feel those childhood fighter
pilot fantasies coming true. So what if
you'll only be flying 60 knots instead
of 600?
Taking off is the first big challenge.
There are nearly a dozen steps that must
take place-in proper order-between lining
up and about 500 feet above the ground.
Pre-rotation must happen before moving
down the runway. Unlike a helicopter,
which transfers engine power to the main
rotor and tail rotors through a transmission,
a gyro's rotor spins freely in the breeze.
Think front tire of a bicycle versus the back.
Pre-rotation gets that rotor moving in order
to begin providing lift.
On the MTOsport pushing a button on
the stick contracts a cylinder that tightens
a belt connected to the drive shaft. A series
of rods sends that rotational energy up to a
gear that extends into the ring gear below
the main rotor blades, similar to the starter
on an airplane engine. In the MTOsport,
the rotor reaches about 180 rpm before the
takeoff roll starts.
Upon reaching 180 rpm, the pre-rotator
is released, the stick brought to full aft, and
full power applied. The gyro surges forward
quickly as the 5,400 rpm on the propeller
immediately translates to acceleration.
Then things begin to even out as energy is
taken from the forward speed and translated
to increased rotor rpm. Now the nose naturally
rises, and must be kept in a controlled
position. Imagine an umbrella being forced
up on a windy day and you can understand
why. Finally, the gyro comes off the ground
at about 40 knots. When the aircraft is light,
this all happens in as few as 300 feet.
Once in the air the gyro behaves similarly
to a slow airplane, with one key
difference-that big chunk of drag you're
carrying around on your head. Pitch
up to go up, and you will for a few seconds,
but then drag will take over and
you'll start slowing down and descending.
Instead, altitude changes are led
with power. Performance isn't blistering.
The 912 ULS on the MTOsport
gives a climb of about 500 feet per minute
when heavy, and a cruise speed of
between 65 and 80 knots, depending on
how much wind you want to contend with.
78
AOPA PILOT / February 2022
Three Katas
The Nierhoffs have an effective and creative
training routine that focuses on
repetition to reach proficiency. Taking a
page from martial arts, they've developed
three Katas-one each for air work, takeoffs
and landings, and emergencies. The
Katas include all the necessary maneuvers
required to be a proficient pilot, and
they are structured in such a way to give
the student ample time and headspace to
practice. For example, when flying with
Niklas, the preflight briefing usually
consisted of nothing more than, " We'll
do Kata 1 and then come back for some
takeoffs and landings. " The first Kata is
air work, and it includes climbs, turns,
descents, climbing turns, descending
turns, emergency descents, steep turns,
and slow flight. Instead of the instructor
picking skills at random, each is drilled
within a sequence that feels like an aerobatic
practice routine.
Normally I'm loath to practice emerUnlimited
visibility makes the
gyroplane a great tool for aerial
observation, and unmatched for
low and slow fun flying.
gencies with an instructor, primarily
as a result of my own feelings of inadequacy.
Answer a systems question
wrong or blow by my chosen emergency
landing field, and I feel like my core
competencies as a pilot are rightly being
questioned. There's a lot of pressure,
especially when you're more experienced
and a CFI. But emergency practice
in a gyroplane is so fun it doesn't matter.
Helicopters are envied for their ability
to make an emergency landing in nearly
any clearing with minimum forward airspeed,
but feared for the autorotation
process that gets them there. Gyroplanes
are always in autorotation, so cutting
off power feels more like a normal airplane
emergency approach, and minimal
forward energy gives the machine helicopter-adjacent
capabilities.
To be fair, the glide rate in the MTO is
roughly 1-to-3, so take a moment to locate
the nearest field, keeping in mind it may
be close to you. But the glide is stable, the
gyro completely controllable throughout
the process, and inaction won't result in
a blade stall. In fact, even if you sit there
like a statue after an engine failure, the
aircraft will enter a stable descent at the
airspeed your stone hand has chosen as
the pitch angle.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2022
