GYROCOPTER

The PLANEPRINT Gyrocopter

 

Designing a Gyrocopter meant venturing into completely uncharted territory for me as an aircraft designer.

 

Although I gained early experience with helicopters and flew countless autorotations, autogyros are a whole new world. But as we all know, we grow with new challenges! After extensive test setups, crashes, and valuable insights, the PLANEPRINT Gyrocopter was born – and I am very satisfied with its performance.

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It was essential to me that the rotor blades themselves could be fully 3D printed using standard 200 mm build plates. Positioning the blades diagonally on the print bed resulted in a 600 mm rotor diameter, which served as the baseline dimension for the entire design. Because the main rotor auto-rotates purely through forward airflow (similar to a helicopter in autorotation), the model is driven solely by its front tractor motor.

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Central to the project's success was developing a custom rotor head featuring damped flap hinges. The common and simple solution of using a triangular fiberglass (GFK) plate has one major drawback: it cannot be 3D printed. Our solution is a printed rotor head made of PLA+ reinforced with carbon rod spring elements – the same carbon rods used for the control linkages. Additionally, the individual blade hinges are set at an angled axis, reducing the blade's angle of attack when it flaps upward and vice versa. This geometry delivers outstanding flight stability and precise control response.

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Takeoff & Handling

Despite its relatively compact size, the Gyrocopter can easily be launched in moderate wind conditions. Simply hold the aircraft by the landing gear facing into the wind until the rotor spins up to a solid base RPM. Once placed on the ground and accelerated, the rotor quickly ramps up to its optimal operating RPM and lifts off smoothly. For zero-wind days, there is also an option to install a small electric pre-rotator motor to spin the rotor up to base speed prior to takeoff.

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Takeoffs work best on grass runways, as the tires are generously sized for rougher terrain. On smooth surfaces like asphalt, takeoff requires careful ground control, as the model can veer abruptly during the roll and tip over due to its high center of gravity (That's why it's essential that you have a grass track available.).

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Flight Characteristics & Features

Controlling a gyrocopter does not require helicopter flying skills, as it flies very much like a conventional fixed-wing airplane. However, sound RC pilot skills are necessary – it is not recommended for absolute beginners, as active rudder input is required to make smooth, clean turns. Flying itself is straightforward, but you should keep the model relatively close, as orientation and altitude recognition take a little getting used to.

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The entire airframe features a highly modular design. Every single part can be swapped out quickly using screws (a very welcome feature given the learning curve of flying autogyros). This modular setup also allows you to easily switch out different tailplane designs. You can choose between two pilot figures; naturally, our top choice is the iconic "Cat-Inspector", well known from our videos.

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With the PLANEPRINT Gyrocopter, you are guaranteed to have one of the most unique and eye-catching aircraft at any airfield!

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Key Specs & Features:

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• Fully 3D Printable: Designed for standard 200 mm build plates (including printable rotor blades).

• Innovative Rotor Head: PLA+ design with carbon rod damping and angle-compensated flap hinges.

• Optional Pre-Rotator: Mount for an electric pre-rotator motor for calm-day takeoffs.

• Modular Construction: All parts easily replaceable with screw connections.

• Customizable: Swappable tailplane designs and selectable pilot figures (incl. Cat-Inspector).