Little Wing Autogyro
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Little Wing Autogyro is a series of conventional one and two place
autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...
s with a tractor engine layout using modern engines and produced by
Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Mayflower, Arkansas and founded by Ron Herron. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of autogyros in the form of plans and kits for Homebuilt aircraft, a ...
of
Mayflower, Arkansas Mayflower is a city in Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,234 at the 2010 census, up from 1,631 at the 2000 census. It is located in the Central Arkansas region. History Mayflower is a small town located along Inte ...
.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page F-5. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 57. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 206. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XBayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 182. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X


Development

Ron Herron was concerned about the problem of pushover fatalities in pusher gyrocopters. He set to develop a tractor layout gyrocopter that also met the FAA rules for ultralight aircraft. A Prototype LW-1 powered by a
Continental O-200 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in3 (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
engine was soon followed on by the LW-2. The design was influenced by
Juan de la Cierva Juan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of la Cierva (; 21 September 1895 – 9 December 1936), was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and a self-taught aeronautical engineer. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1920 of a rotorcr ...
's autogyros.


Operational history

Andy Keech set 29 world records in an LW-5 Autogyro.FAI Record ID #13113 - Speed over a closed circuit of 500 km without payload
" ''
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
(FAI).'' Retrieved: 12 September 2014.
FAI Record ID #13115 - Speed over a closed circuit of 1000 km without payload
" ''
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
(FAI).'' Retrieved: 12 September 2014.
FAI Record ID #13111 - Speed over a closed circuit without landing
" ''
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
(FAI).'' Retrieved: 12 September 2014.
FAI Record ID #9597 - Autogyro, altitude
''
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
(FAI).'' Retrieved: 28 November 2013.
FAI Record ID #14695 - Autogyro, distance without landing
''
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
(FAI).'' Retrieved: 28 November 2013.


Variants

;LW-1 :Original proof of concept prototype ;LW-2 :Single place autogyro designed to weigh less than to meet US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...
regulations ;LW-3 :A covered version ;LW-4 : A two place long frame version ;LW-5 :A two place short frame version ; Roto-Pup :Ultralight version based on the Preceptor Ultra Pup
airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aeros ...
.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 326. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.


Aircraft on display

* Little Wing LW-5,
EAA Airventure Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...
in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...
.


Specifications (LW-2)


See also


References


External links

* {{Little Wing Autogyro aircraft Little Wing aircraft Single-engined tractor autogyros Homebuilt aircraft