SAGPA Gyro Gathering 2023

Today’s Gyrocopters or Gyroplanes all have their origin in the 1923 design of Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish inventor and engineer.

Whereas a helicopter works by forcing the rotor blades through the air, drawing air from above, the autogyro rotor blade generates lift in the same way as a glider's wing, by changing the angle of the air as the air moves upward and backward relative to the rotor blade. The free-spinning blades turn by autorotation; the rotor blades are angled so that they not only give lift, but the angle of the blades causes the lift to accelerate the blades' rotation rate until the rotor turns at a stable speed with the drag force and the thrust force in balance.

In South Africa, SAGPA, the South African Gyro Pilots Association serves as the recognized voice of Gyrocopter Aviation through leadership, collaboration and unity in the promotion of safety in the sport of Gyrocopter Aviation in South Africa.

I’ve been honoured to, in 2021, spend a long weekend with this dedicated group of pilots at Gariep Airport at their annual North meets South gathering. This year this dedicated group got together at Bona Bona Lodge in the Northwest Province. Some arrived on the 18th, the majority on the Friday.