Photograph:
Unregistered JRM Helyplanes Wasp Air Buggy on display at the Darwin Aviation Museum, NT (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United Kingdom
Description:
Single-seat light sport gyrocopter
Power Plant:
One 56 kw (75 hp) converted Volkswagen four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Main rotor diameter: 6.63 m (21 ft 9 in)
- Length: 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in)
- Rotor disc area: 34.51 m² (371.5 sq ft)
- Max speed: 128 km/h (80 mph)
- Range: 225 km (140 miles)
- Empty weight: 161 kg (355 lb)
- Loaded weight: 295 kg (650 lb)
History:
The McCandless M-4 Gyroplane was a British single-seater ultralight autogyro first flown in 1961. It was initially powered by a Triumph motor-cycle engine, this later being replaced by a Norton motor-cycle engine, but this was also found not to be suitable for installation in such a machine and was abandoned in favour of a converted Volkswagen motor vehicle four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine which was able to be connected to the propeller without gears. In 1969 W H Ekin (Engineering) Company in Northern Ireland contracted to build six examples of the M-4 to be known as the Ekin Airbuggy, which received some re-design before the first machine was flown on 1 February 1973.
The machine was a conventional gyrocopter and had a fixed tricycle undercarriage and an open cockpit. The first production aircraft was delivered in December 1975. Eventually a company referred to in some publications as JRM Helyplanes, and in others as JPM Helyplanes, developed the design and marketed it around the world, examples being imported and operated in Australia and New Zealand.
Examples registered in New Zealand have included: ZK-RAP (c/n NZRA/38) based at Blenheim; ZK-RAQ (c/n NZRA/R30); ZK-RAU (c/n NZRA/R45) registered to B Naish of Kaiapoi on 4 July 2000 and also known as the Bruce Naish Gyrocopter; ZK-RAV (c/n MAANZ/529); ZK-RAY (c/n NZRA/38) which was ZK-RAP re-registered; ZK-RBA (c/n B50) at Marton; ZK-RBE (c/n NZRA/R57); ZK-RBK (c/n NZRA/R43) and ZK-RBY (c/n NZRA/R30) based at Coromandel.
Examples have been registered with the Gyrocopter Association in Australia and one built by Mr Clinton Coad after retirement was gifted to the Darwin Aviation Museum and placed on display. Another example has been recorded as having crashed 20 km north-east of Kingston, SA on 3 December 1989. Others registered have included G-0456 (c/n ASRA2011), G-5011 (c/n ASRA1110), G-6384 (c/n ASRA1081) and G-0160 (c/n ASRA1119).