The major difference between helicopters and gyroplanes is expense!  It is said that gyroplanes has 90% of the helicopter’s capability for 10% of the cost.  This may be an exaggeration as a gyro is unable to hover, unless the wind is very strong, and it is unable to lift loads the way a helicopter does, however the price of purchase and ongoing operation are very significantly different.

Gyroplanes were invented in the 1920s, almost 20 years before Helicopters, they proved very effective in carrying mail around the USA landing in very small spaces including the top of the Pan Am skyscraper in New York and the White House lawn in Washington.

The major difference is that the rotors of a gyroplane in flight are not driven by the engine but by the wind.  A Helicopter blade is used to force air downwards, hold onto your hat if the rotors are turning, a gyroplane rotor blade creates lift from the air passing over it just like a fixed wing aircraft; there is no downdraught.  There must be a wind or the aircraft must move forward to keep the blades turning.

Should a helicopter have an engine failure the pilot must quickly change the angle of the rotor blades to turn the machine into a gyroplane and glide to a landing; the angle is quite steep due to the heavier weight of the aircraft compared with a gyroplane.

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