The Magni M-24 Orion 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 side-by-side in an enclosed cabin. It was designed and produced by Magni Gyro srl of Besnate.

Design and development

Magni Gyro currently produces five sport

models, all with similar pod and low boom, pusher engine layouts and the M-24 Orion have side by side seating and an enclosed cabin. It has a steel airframe with a

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

cabin and engine-enclosing pod. Transparent, top hinged doors on either side give access to the two seats, which are slightly staggered to make the most of the cabin width. 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. An 85 kW (114 hp) Rotax 914ULS flat four engine is mounted at cabin-top height and drives 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 e ...

, which consists of a swept horizontal stabilizer with end-plate fins and a larger, central, fin and rudder. The Orion 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 g ...

with the faired mainwheels, fitted with brakes, on spring cantilever legs. The nosewheel is unfaired. The Orion's immediate precursor is the XM-23 Orion, which first flew on 1 February 2007, but both share many components with the tandem, open cockpit

M-16 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...

and

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint p ...

Operational history

The Orion was first seen in public in August 2008 and a pre-production run of 10 aircraft was initiated that autumn, with full-scale production starting in 2009. By mid-2010 there were 11 Orions on the mainland European (Russian excluded) registers, the majority in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. UK type approval was reached in 2010, 4 aircraft are currently (November 2010) on the UK register, and at least one on the Canadian register.

Operators

; ЦСП Центр специальной подготовки (STC special training center) – at least one labeled EW-458SL Training of special forces and counterterrorism.

Variants

; M-16 Tandem Trainer :tandem open two seat autogyro ; M-22 Voyager :touring version of the M-16 ;M-23 Orion :one-off enclosed side-by-side development of the M-16 series ;M-24 Orion :production version of the M-23 Orion ;M-26 :incremental development of the M-16 series

Specifications

References

External links

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