Autogiro by themindseye

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Autogiro
or, Autogyro
An outlandish aircraft that files without a wing--distinguished from a helicopter whose rotary wing is driven by an engine--the autogiro features a self-rotating or auto-gyrating wing. Unlike this free-wheeling wing, however, the forward propulsion of an autogiro is generated by a conventional gasoline aircraft engine with propeller.
In 1923, Juan de la Cierva invented an aircraft that could fly at low speed which he named and later trademarked as an autogiro. This low speed attribute contributed to a short take-off roll, too. Both of these features made the autogiro an attractive commercial aircraft and Cierva founded the Cierva Autogiro Company. He sold the license production rights to different companies around the world including the A. V. Roe & Co. Ltd. in Britain.
The first British prototype flew in 1933 and was subsequently designated Avro Cierva C.30 Rota Mk 1A. These Rotas were employed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for calibrating its fledging radar network prior to the start of the Battle of Britain.
Not all autogiros are Cierva derivatives, however. Unfortunately, the father of the autogiro, Cierva, was killed in an aviation accident at the Croydon airfield in 1936. This tragedy lead to other manufacturers carrying the autogiro torch. One such innovator in this legacy was Ken Wallis. Not wishing to infringe on the autogiro trademark, Wallis called his auto-gyrating wing contraption an autogyro. Furthermore, the Wallis autogyro was a pusher propelled aircraft that looked more like a souped-up riding lawn mower rather than a high-performance aircraft.
Sharp-eyed movie buffs will quickly point out that a Ken Wallis autogyro was featured in a major motion picture. The James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice "starred" a heavily-armed Wallis autogyro that was affectionately named Little Nellie by 007. Ostensibly created by gadget-genius "Q," Little Nellie's incredible (and real) flying stunts potentially hijacked the movie from Sean Connery--if you're an aviation enthusiast, that is.
The Model
The seven (you will need to print two rotors) major components for this model can all be individually printed on any 6- x 6-inch build platform 3D printer. The innovative rotor hub is based on the 1974 design of Dick Mathis. This hub, along with its two attached rotors, is loosely mounted on the fuselage pylon with an M4 screw. Just thread this screw tight enough to balance the rotor assembly on the pylon so that it can rotate freely. Additionally, the main undercarriage is designed to be clipped onto the bottom of the fuselage--not glued.
Additional Parts
If you'd like to give your model some animation, you will need a couple of extra parts. All of these parts can be ordered from Easy Built Models (http://www.easybuiltmodels.com) in Prattville, Alabama:
7-inch Peck Propeller (#R7P) $1.69
Large 2 1/2" Prop Shaft (6-pack) $2.99
Small 1 5/8" Prop Shaft (6-pack) $1.95 [Note: This shaft is used for attaching the rubber motor to the mount at the rear of the model.]
Small ERM Thrust Bearings (6-pack) $2.25
1/8" x 32 feet EBM Grey Rubber (#RE18) $2.75
And available from your local hardware store, for attaching the rotor plate to the autogiro's body:
(1) M4 x 15mm Machine Screw
References
So which spelling is correct? According to Oxford Dictionary, based on its Spanish etymology, "autogiro" is the preferred spelling.
"OTTO the Giro," by Dick Mathis; Model Airplane News, January 1974, pg. 17-19.