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GYROPLANES AND OVERHEAD ROTOR DISC

AREA USED TO CREATE PLANE / DISC

Identifying the Mechanics of Lift and Control

The mechanics of lift

What are the benefits of autorotation?
What is actually being flown, the overhead rotors or the airframe?
What is a big danger of low rpm?
Flying backwards in high winds?

The mechanics of lift are created by two wings set end to end with opposite pitch. They are attached to a teetering, gimbal
head for controlled movement, both automatic and pilot input. Like a regular aeroplane wing, the movement of air across top
and bottom surface of the wings creates lift. In a gyroplane the lift is created by the two wings spinning at high rpm through
the air rather than the air being forced over stationary wings. This is achieved by autorotation.

The benefits of autorotation are many. Unlike a stationary aeroplane wing, the autorotation of the blades of a gyroplane are
less affected by gusts of wind. This is true because the blades are moving at more than ten times the speed of the gust of
wind. So they cut through it easily while still providing lift. Gusts of wind through the rotor disc area simply add to the rpm,
which is good. Helicopter blades do not benefit from this as they are pushing air rather than using aeroplane wing style lift.
Another benefit of autorotation on the gyroplane is that it is not created by engine power, but is a result of forward motion
and air movement up and through the disc area. This is the big safety issue that the Spanish inventor: Juan de la Cierva
invented / designed, as a method to stop aeroplanes from falling out of the sky, (because of wing stalling on regular
aeroplanes). It's important to keep flight motion in a positive manner to maintain rotor disc speed and autorotation. The
diagram is shown as in flight with the gyroplane
moving in the same direction as the wind.
Therefore the gyroplane must be flying much faster
than the wind speed.*1 So if the ground speed is
40 knots and the wind speed is 15 knots, what is
the forward airspeed of the gyroplane? 25 knots or
55 knots?

Actually, what is being flown, on a gyroplane, is the

overhead rotor disc (the two spinning blades form
the 'disc'. This is essentially the 'wing' that the
gyroplane flies on. The body, engine, wheels and
pilot are a mass hanging below the flying disc. The
vertical tail is there to keep the airframe (pilot)
pointed in the same direction as direction of travel.
The pilots use of the stick against the resistance of
the gyroscopic effect of the rotor is how the rotor
disc is adjusted in flight. If you think of a 'Frisbee'
disc spinning through the air, propelled by the last movement of the thrower, then you can imagine the rotor disc on a
gyroplane. So, the most important thing in flying a gyroplane, is to keep the rotor disc in the proper attitude through calm air
and gusty conditions. Generally you want to increase air speed the closer you get to the ground. This is because air speed is a
source of energy should the engine quit.

Low rpm on a rotor disc can be dangerous to the flying state of the gyroplane. Imagine you have a rope with a small weight
on it and you're spinning it above your head. The slower you spin the rope the lower the end of the rope drops. This happens
in reverse on a spinning rotor disc. The faster the rotor spins the more lift is balanced on a horizontal plane. The slower the
rotor spins the more coning occurs which puts strain on the blades, twists them more, forcing more face towards the air flow
which slows them down. *1 Another effect of coning is the reduction in disc area, reducing the area of lift.
Flying with the direction of the wind, on a very windy day can also cause a reduction in lift, even though the rpm is up. The
gyroplane can loose a hundred feet of elevation in seconds caused by a reduction of the wind going up and through the disc
plane. Thus the practice of flying higher, giving more time to correct the situation. It's also more beneficial to have shorter
rotor blades than longer ones as shorter ones spin faster cutting through uneven air layers.

The number one fact to remember with gyroplanes is that you're really flying the rotor disc above your head. Be
knowledgeable about it, and it will behave properly for you.

What's the difference between how a helicopter's overhead rotors work and how a gyroplane's rotors work?
A helicopters rotors work like a fan blowing air downward to create lift. A gyroplanes rotors work by receiving air upwards and
creating lift just like an aeroplane wing does, only it spins. In fast forward speeds the leading edge of the disc is right on the
edge of "going under".

"In all your getting, get understanding"

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Revisions: info@regalpony.ca *1 Revised Jan. 17, 2009

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