The history of rotorcraft began with the Gyroplane on January 9th, 1923. On that day, the inventor of the Gyroplane, Juan de la Cierva, flew his "auto gyro" for the first time, impressing the Spanish military.
To power the rotor by autorotation (unlike the helicopter’s use of active rotation), was his invention and proved to be a revolution in aviation.
Like the early versions, the engine of today's Gyros moves only the propeller and thus serves only as the drive of the aircraft. The rotor uses the air stream to set itself into rotation, and it is this auto rotation that generates the buoyancy of the Gyroplane. In the event of an engine failure the Gyro would lose altitude slowly and still be able to perform a controlled landing.
The centrifugal effect of the rotor gives the Gyroplane a very smooth and stable ride in flight while minimizing the effect of turbulence. Like no other rotorcraft, the Gyro can be flown in strong winds and weather conditions and can practically be used year-round.
