Little Wing Autogyro
American autogyro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Little Wing Autogyro is a series of conventional one and two place autogyros with a tractor engine layout using modern engines and produced by Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. of Mayflower, Arkansas.[1][2][3][4]
| Little Wing Autogyro | |
|---|---|
| |
| General information | |
| Type | Autogyro |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. |
| Designer | Ron Herron |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1995 |
| First flight | 1995 |
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 engine was soon followed on by the LW-2. The design was influenced by Juan de la Cierva's autogyros. [5]
Operational history
Variants
- LW-1
- Original proof of concept prototype
- LW-2
- Single place autogyro designed to weigh less than 254 lb (115 kg) to meet US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles regulations
- LW-3
- A 70 hp (52 kW) 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.[1][13]
Aircraft on display
Specifications (LW-2)
Data from Company[15]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 18 ft (5.5 m)
- Height: 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m)
- Gross weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 8.5 U.S. gallons (32 L; 7.1 imp gal)
- Main rotor diameter: 23 ft (7.0 m)
- Main rotor area: 415 sq ft (38.6 m2)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Cruise speed: 65 kn (75 mph, 121 km/h)
- Disk loading: 1.8 lb/sq ft (8.8 kg/m2)