General Information

Serial #

P-6174

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

ALUMINUM; STEEL CONNECTORS; RUBBER WHEELS; SYNTHETIC SEAT; GLASS GAUGES; PLASTIC CONTROL KNOBS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

3.6 m

Width

1.8 m

Height

2.0 m

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Aircraft

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Bensen

Country

United States of America

State/Province

North Carolina

City

Raleigh

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

FLOWN IN LATE 1970'S & EARLY 1980'S

Canada

The Museum’s machine has the distinction of being the first and only gyroglider to have been inspected, approved and registered in Canada. It shares a set of interchangeable aluminum rotors with the Museum’s Bensen B8MG Gyrocopter. It was flown until the early 1980s but logged very few hours.

Function

RECREATIONAL FLYING; DISPLAYED AT AIR SHOWS

Technical

A number of small gyroplanes have appeared in the recreational aircraft community since the 1970s. Gyroplanes require specialized pilot training and need to be flown cautiously as the flight parameter envelope is very narrow. (The gyroplane is a rotary-wing aircraft that derives its lift from a free-wheeling rotor. See Bensen B8MG Gyrocopter). The Gyroglider two-seater was designed as a flight trainer by the Bensen Aircraft Corporation to teach the fundamentals of gyroplane control. The Museum’s example was built and modified in Toronto by Mr. Alexander Dutkewych. A small one-cylinder engine pre-rotated the Gyrogliders rotor before takeoff. Towed behind an automobile at about 45 km/h (28 mph), the machine carrying the instructor and a student-pilot would reach an altitude of approximately 30 meters (100 ft). Upon towrope release, the aircraft would descend to the ground in autorotation. Both pilots could communicate with an intercom

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

lettering on tail fin: "DUKE AIRCRAFT CORP./C-GPJE"; raised lettering above seat: "ALEX DUTKEWYCH"; engraved on plate above seat: "CO-B 1 DER:/T.J.B. ENGLAND/BENSEN B8M/SER. P-6174/MARCH 1974/C-GPJE"; raised lettering on mfr. plate above seat: "SINCE 1953/BENSEN/RALEIGH N.C. U.S.A."; lettering on maple leaf sticker above seat:"CANADA"; lettering on warning sticker above seat: "NOTICE/THIS AIRPLANE IS OPERATING/WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE/OF AIR WORTHINESS/AVIS/CET AERONEF VOLE/SANS CERTIFICAT/DE NAVIGABILITE"

Missing

N/A

Finish

GREY FRAME; BLACK SEAT, CONTROL BOX, WHEELS & COMPASS CASING; RED, WHITE & BLACK GRAPHIC DESIGNS; RED & BLACK SEAT BELTS

Decoration

STYLIZED FEATHER DESIGN ON TAIL PLANE & TAIL FIN; STRIPES ON WHEEL FENDERS & FUEL TANK; CANADIAN FLAG ON NOSE