A rotor kite or gyrokite is an unpowered, rotary-wing aircraft. Like an

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...

, it relies on

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

created by one or more sets of

rotors Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering * Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator *Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

in order to fly. Unlike a helicopter, gyrokites and rotor kites do not have an engine powering their rotors, but while an autogyro has an engine providing forward thrust that keeps the rotor turning, a rotor kite has no engine at all, and relies on either being carried aloft and dropped from another aircraft, or by being towed into the air behind a car or boat or by use of ambient winds for the kiting. As of 2009, no country in the world requires a license to pilot such a craft.

History

* Thomas Ansboro of

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

patented an autorotating-winged rotor kite in 1891. * Walter Van Wie filed a patent for a ''Revolving Kite'' in 1909 claiming "certain new and useful Improvements" in revolving kites" * 1933: Filed: July 11, 1933
US2074327
by De Courcy and Schwarz for ''Kite''. * 1936: Filed: Aug 1, 1936
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by Carl B. Chupp for ''Aerial Device''. Research into rotor kites or gyrokites was deepened during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and one type in particular, the Focke Achgelis Fa 330, reached active service, being towed behind German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s as an aerial observation platform. In the United Kingdom,

Raoul Hafner Raoul Hafner, (1905–1980) FEng, FRAes, was an Austrian-born British helicopter pioneer and engineer. He made a distinctive contribution to the British aerospace industry, particularly in the development of helicopters. Life Born in 1905, he ...

designed the Rotachute as a means of deploying paratroops, and a larger version, the Rotabuggy, was trialled as a means of air-dropping a

jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

, but neither of these aircraft progressed past the experimental stage. Plans to similarly equip a tank never left the drawing board. During the 1950s, rotor kites were developed as recreational aircraft, largely due to the efforts of Dr.

Igor Bensen Igor Vasilevich Bensen (russian: И́горь Васи́льевич Бенсен; April 1, 1917 – February 10, 2000) was a Russian-American engineer. He founded Bensen Aircraft, a US company which produced a successful line of gyroglide ...

in the United States, whose Bensen Aircraft Corporation produced a series of such aircraft, dubbed "gyrogliders" by Bensen. These were marketed as plans or kits for building at home, beginning with the

B-5 B5, B05, B-5 may refer to: Biology * ATC code B05 (''Blood substitutes and perfusion solutions''), a therapeutic subgroup of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System * Cytochrome ''b''5, ubiquitous electron transport hemoprotein ...

and culminating with the B-8 by the end of the decade. The Bensen designs became so ubiquitous that the term "gyroglider" is sometimes used to refer to any rotor kite, regardless of manufacturer. In the 1960s, a B-8 gyroglider was evaluated by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

as a "Discretionary Descent Vehicle", to provide a more controllable alternative than a parachute for a pilot ejecting from a stricken aircraft.

Manned rotor kites

* Bensen Aircraft Corporation ** Bensen B-5 ** Bensen B-6 ** Bensen B-7 ** A person from Russia named Shumeyko built and flew a gyro hang glider in the 1990s. ** Stephan Nitsch designed and built a manned rotor kite hang glider; he used the term "Autogiro" for the rotor kite hang glider. * Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 * Hafner Rotachute * Hafner Rotabuggy

Unmanned rotor-kites

* Sky Chopper
Sky Windpower

References

External links

Explanation of Gyrogliders

Bensen Gyrogliders

Bensen Aircraft Organization
{{Kites *

History

Manned rotor kites

Unmanned rotor-kites

See also

References

External links