I HAVE JUST COMPLETED the 40-hour fly-off on my experimental Calidus gyroplane. The project started with the delivery of the kit from AutoGyro GmbH in Germany on September 1, 2022. I worked nearly every day, all day, for about 100 days leading up to certification on December 22, 2022, and first flight on December 27. Many thanks to Craig, EAA 839292, and Steven McPherson of Blue Skies Gyros in Blum, Texas, for their timely help, expertise, and patience!
The Calidus has the 100-hp Rotax 912 ULS engine with a three-bladed HTC propeller and is equipped with an iFly electronic flight bag and echoUAT AD$-B system. Cruise is about 90 mph (just a little faster than my Taylorcraft) with a range of 300-plus miles on a 20-gallon tank. Many thanks to my wife, Patty, for suggesting the closed cockpit and for her fantastic support! Also, thanks to the folks with AutoGyro in the United States and Germany for their great kit and product support.
I feel like I am in The Jetsons cartoon when I fly it! It is a blast!
(excerpted from EAA Sport Aviation magazine, May 2023)