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Are gyro planes safer than fixed wing planes?

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HumanPoweredDesigner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
1,030
Location
Arizona
Can anyone link me to some good reading on gyroplanes and design considerations and equations explanations of the aerodynamics? Thanks. Trying to google it.

I'm really considering going gyro. Smaller span, smaller storage, and lower wing loading means a strong gust of wind won't carry them away as fast or break the wing. Or so say some gyro fans.

Is it true though? The only problem I can see is it being much noisier being under a bigger propeller. Visibility would be better though.

And what if I lose power? How fast do gyro planes fall?

I kinda understand how they work:
auto-gyroing is much more dragging than a stiff blade. The AoA is down, so that wind spins the blades. And it spins them fast. The air foil then gives the lift. You got to get the AoA shallow enough that the lift vector is still pointing up enough and not too far back. Then there is the AoA of the disc as well, and then the air foil shape and cord and span that must be decided. I got a lot to learn. But it is much easier to have a high aspect ratio on an auto gyro than on a wing.

My other concern is where to put the thrust propeller. The further forwards it is, the more it could rob the lift prop of incoming air, though maybe it could blow air back at it.

Then I don't need a vertical stabilizer any more. If I can adjust the angle of the lift prop axis, I'm good. I just need a rudder.
 
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