Cyclogyro

The cyclogyro (cyclocopter) is an aircraft configuration that uses a horizontal-axis cyclorotor as a rotor wing to provide lift and, sometimes, also propulsion and control. In principle, the cyclogyro is capable of vertical take off and landing and hovering performance, like a helicopter, while potentially benefiting from some of the advantages of a fixed-wing aircraft.

The first untethered model cyclogyro flight came in 2011 at China's Northwestern Polytechnic Institute.

The performance of traditional rotors deteriorates at low Reynolds Numbers by low angle-of-attack blade stall. Current hover-capable MAVs can stay aloft for minutes. Cyclorotor MAVs (very small scale cyclogyros) could utilize unsteady lift to extend endurance. The smallest cyclogyro flown to date weighs 29 grams and was developed by the vertical flight laboratory at Texas A&M University.

Commercial cyclogyro UAVs are under development by D-Daelus, Pitch Aeronautics, and CycloTech.