The Gyro-Kopp-Ters Midnight Hawk is an American

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 ...

, designed by Bob and Arden Kopp and produced by their company, Gyro-Kopp-Ters of Lake City, Florida. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 180. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 195. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The Midnight Hawk features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit with a windshield,

tricycle landing gear 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

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

and a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, Subaru EA-82 automotive conversion engine in pusher configuration. The engine is available with a belt reduction drive or as a direct drive version. The aircraft mounts a diameter Dragon Wings main rotor made by

Rotor Flight Dynamics Rotor Flight Dynamics Inc was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Wimauma, Florida and owned by Ernie Boyette. The company was founded in 1986 and specialized in the design and manufacture of autogyros in the form of plans and kits for ...

, with a chord of . Standard equipment fitted includes a hydraulic pre-rotator. The propeller used is a three-bladed

Powerfin Powerfin Propellers, is an American manufacturer of composite propellers for homebuilt, light-sport and ultralight aircraft, as well as wind power generation systems. The company headquarters is located in Hurricane, Utah, although it was for ...

composite, ground adjustable with a diameter. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . The company estimates the assembly time from the supplied kit as 60 hours.

Operational history

By November 2017 four examples had been registered in the United States with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

Specifications (Midnight Hawk)

References

External links

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Official photos
{{Gyro-Kopp-Ters aircraft 1990s United States sport aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined pusher autogyros