Are you tired of crawling your way through heavy traffic? Of course you are. All of us are. Now, if you\'re swimming in cash, maybe it\'s time to consider a mode of transport that\'s literally higher than the traditional car. We\'re talking about the Autogyro, a German-made rotorcraft now distributed in the Philippines by Air Geo, which offers sales, maintenance, training and licensing of the product.
According to Air Geo, the Autogyro is \"the safest and most dynamic aircraft in the market today.\" Powered by a four-stroke, 115hp Rotax turbo engine built by Bombardier in Austria, it has a cruising speed of 160kph, a top speed of 185kph, and a maximum range of 1,000km. Air Geo claims it offers the following benefits:
* no stalling;
* no tailspin;
* minimum takeoff distance;
* no landing distance required;
* adaptability to strong winds and turbulence;
* just 10% of the acquisition and maintenance costs of a helicopter; and
* uses regular unleaded fuel
To obtain a license to operate the thing, you need to complete a 40-hour course. Autogyro units have been turned over to the Angeles Flying Club in Woodland Park, Pampanga, for the training courses. If you\'re just curious to see how the Autogyro feels like up in the air, a 10-minute trial introductory flight is available for just P2,000. A 20-minute rain-forest river run, meanwhile, costs P4,000, while a 30-minute extended rain-forest river run is priced at P6,000. A 45-minute Mt. Arayat run is also offered for P8,000.
The Autogyro model in the top photo is the enclosed-cockpit Calidus, while the model used in the video below is the bigger and open-cockpit MTO Sport. Both are two-seater gyrocopters as far as we can tell, with the passenger seated behind the pilot.
So, if you have money to burn--a brand-new Autogyro starts at $100,000 (P4.18 million), including taxes and import duties--and don\'t suffer from acrophobia, you might want to give Air Geo a call at (0918) 920-3039 or drop them a note at info@airgeos.com.
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