In recent years, gyrocopters have become a common presence at airfields nationwide and at fly-ins; they have even started appearing at airshows. However, not many people are aware of the origins of these remarkable machines. Titanium Autogyro (TAG) Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer and aeronautics enthusiast, took part in a design competition in 1921 to create a bomber for the Spanish military. He designed a three-engine aircraft, but during an early test flight, the bom
By Garth Calitz The Titanium Explorer is the first of a new generation of gyros to be produced in Australia and is the world's first to utilize titanium. This concept was conceived by two friends, Neil Sheather and Andrew Pepper, in 2009 after they observed that existing gyro models could be improved with design enhancements to make them more practical for exploring one's own country. Additionally, Neil, having balanced various rotor systems on different gyros, resolved to de
