Autogyro
A canopy and cabin for an autogyro that has been in production for more than 10 years.
Brief
An autogyro is an aircraft whose lift comes from a freely rotating rotor. The client had a proven frame with a seat, engine and rotor; we were asked for the canopy and cabin.
Design research
The cabin had to protect the pilot from cold wind and rain. Drag at 60–120 km/h was a secondary concern.
Styling and layout
The first sketches drew on the world’s leading autogyros, but production defined the final form: the size of the polycarbonate sheet and how it behaves when formed set the shape of the canopy, and the fibreglass part of the cabin was fitted to it.
Mock-up
We built a full-size mock-up and used it to refine the ergonomics and some of the technical assemblies.
Supervision
The client handled assembly. Private aviation in Russia is small and standard components are scarce, so we solved many technical questions together. Later we also designed a three-seat version. The aircraft has been in production for more than 10 years and sells in Russia and Asia.