All Indications Are It Doesn't Work As Advertised -- And In Some Cases, Is Deadly

Gordon Arquit, 79, of Cayuga Heights (NY), was teaching himself how to fly a gyrocopter at a private airstrip in Enfield (NY) starting at about 1700 local last Thursday. The airfield's owner went looking for Arquit at about 1830 when he noticed he couldn't hear or see the machine any more, only to find Arquit's open-frame gyroplane wrecked on the runway, and Arquit himself dead, according to local media reports.

According to the FAA's preliminary accident report (see below), the accident machine (file photos of type, below) was unregistered.

The Popular Rotorcraft Association (the leading group of gyro pilots in the USA), and almost all gyroplane instructors, take pains to stress that gyroplanes need category- and class-specific training, but they are up against the mistaken impression, rooted in some of the grander claims of the late Dr Igor Bensen, that a gyro is so simple that you can't get hurt in one, and that you can teach yourself to fly it.

As clearly evidenced by Arquit's accident, such is not the case.

(Note: this report is based on media reports and FAA preliminaries. These initial reports have sometimes been inaccurate in the past -- ed.)

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: UNREG Make/Model: EXP Description: EXP GYRO-COPTER
Date: 09/30/2004 Time: 2037

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: ITHACA State: NY Country: US

DESCRIPTION
UNREGISTERED GYROCOPTER LANDED HARD ONTO A PRIVATE STRIP, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, 5 MILES SW OF ITHACA, NY

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass:  0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd:    Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: KITH 301956Z 33007KT 10SM BKN022 KNC040 15/11 A3008

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: General Aviation

Departed: UNK Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: UNK Flt Plan: UNK Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNK
Last Clearance: UNK

FAA FSDO: ROCHESTER, NY (EA23) Entry date: 10/01/2004

FMI: www.pra.org