The Magni M-16 Tandem Trainer is an Italian sport

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

, seating two in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

, designed and produced by Magni Gyro srl of

Besnate Besnate is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Varese in Lombardy in Northern Italy. The Commune of Besnate has a land area of and an average elevation of above sea level. Its highest point, in the hills of Ravellino, reaches . It includes ...

. It and the M-22 Voyager, a touring variant with baggage space and increased endurance, remain in production in 2010 with over 150 sold.

Design and development

Magni Gyro currently (2010) produces five sport autogyro models, all with similar pod and low boom, pusher engine layouts. They differ chiefly in the accommodation: both the M-16 and the newer, closely similar M-22 Voyager have open cockpits and tandem seats. An 85 kW (114 hp) Rotax 914UL flat four engine is mounted high and uncowled behind the pod, driving a 3-bladed pusher propeller. Below it the slender flat-sided boom carries the

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

, which consists of a swept

horizontal stabilizer A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...

with end-plate

fins A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

and a larger, central, fin and rudder. The 2-bladed

rotor Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering *Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator * Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

, mounted on a mast above the pod, is of composite construction. The open cockpits are fitted with dual controls. The M-16 has a

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ge ...

with the faired mainwheels on spring

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

legs. The steerable nosewheel is unfaired. The newer M-22 is optimised for touring with the inclusion of a pair of long side pods into the lower fuselage. These have their own access doors and together provide 150 L (5.3 cu ft) of baggage space. The M-22 is flown only from the front seat.

Operational history

By mid-2010 there were 114 M-16s and 44 M-22s on European (Russia excluded) civil aviation registers. At least 6 have appeared on the registers of South Africa and the US. Most have been used as sports and recreational aircraft but some have been employed in agricultural spraying and survey work over nature reserves, traffic observation, fire prevention and photographic mapping. In 2015, an M-16 was used for a record attempt in USA. In May 2016 American pilot Paul Salmon flew an M-22 to set a new

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...

distance record for gyroplanes in the class of in 10 hours and 37 minutes, during a nonstop flight from

Cape Girardeau, Missouri Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...

, to

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and county seat of Gregg County, Texas, Gregg County; a small part of Longview extends into the western portion of neighboring Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County. Longview is located in East Tex ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 2019 UK pilot James Ketchell flew an M-16C around the world, in 122 stages over 175 days."Adventurer circumnavigates the world in gyrocopter"
BBC, 22 September 2019.

Variants

''Data from ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010/11'' except where specified.'' ;M-16 Tandem Trainer: Initial version. Normally powered by a Rotax 914UL, but a 74 kW (99 hp) Rotax 912 ULS may be fitted. Introduced 2000. ;M-16-2006 Tandem Trainer: Improved lubrication, cooling, centre of gravity position and avionics. Introduced 2006. ;M-19 Shark: Enclosed cockpit version. Only three prototypes built, no production. ;M-22 Voyager: Touring version with baggage space. An increase in fuel capacity to 80 L (17.6 Imp gal or 21.1 US gal) gives it an endurance of 4 hrs. Other specifications are as M-16 apart from an empty weight increase to 280 kg (617 lb). Introduced June 2005.

Specifications (M-16-2006)

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation M-24 Orion Single-engined pusher autogyros 2000s Italian sport aircraft