The Rotor Flight Dynamics LFINO (''Leap Flight In Normal Operations'' and pronounced by the designers as "ell if I know") is an American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

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 ...

that was designed by Ernie Boyette and Dick DeGraw, with a single prototype produced by their company

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 ...

of Wimauma, Florida. The aircraft was intended as a proof-of-concept for evaluation for police or paramilitary use.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 185. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The LFINO was designed to test out the use of a powered rotor autogyro to allow zero speed take-offs and landings and more efficient forward flight. The design features a single three-bladed main rotor that was built in-house, a two-seats-in

side-by-side configuration 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 ...

enclosed bulbous cockpit,

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 ...

mounted on stub wings, a triple tail and a single four cylinder liquid-cooled Subaru automotive engine in pusher configuration. The aircraft's frame is made from

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

and the cabin is of non-structural

fiberglass 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 ...

. The aircraft is equipped with a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

-style collective pitch control to allow "jump" takeoffs. Take-offs are accomplished by powering the rotor system to 150% cruise rpm and then increasing collective rapidly to jump the aircraft into the air where it can then fly away.

Operational history

The sole example was built in 2005 and 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 ...

in the Experimental - Amateur-built category on 21 March 2005. It first flew in about February 2006. The aircraft was first shown publicly at

Wauchula, Florida Wauchula is a city in south-central Florida in Hardee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,001, up from 4,368 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hardee County. Wauchula has been called the "cucu ...

during the Bensen Days show in April 2005 as a static display, since it had not then yet flown. It was first flown publicly during Bensen Days in April 2006. The prototype was exported to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and its US registration was cancelled on 11 April 2008.

Specifications (LFINO)

References

External links

*
Video of the LFINO doing a jump take-off
at Bensen Days 2006 in Wauchula, Florida. {{Rotor Flight Dynamics aircraft 2000s United States experimental aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined pusher autogyros Rotor Flight Dynamics aircraft