Business News The Griffin Report
Jon Griffin, Chamberlink’s award-winning columnist, meets Jim Hughes from a firm that expects to take off in a world of mini-aviation. RotorSport Sales and Servicing aims to be at the vanguard of sales with autogyro – small aircraft which can now be used for commercial purposes.
The sky’s the limit for a West Midland manufacturer with its sights firmly on the commercial horizon – thanks to a new aviation project which could save the Government tens of millions of pounds a year. RotorSport Sales and Servicing, based at Halfpenny Green Airport, near
Stourbridge, is in the vanguard of key developments in commercial aviation which could send autogyro aircraft sales soaring. At present RotorSport distributes autogyros –small aircraft which use an
unpowered rotor for lift and a powered propeller for thrust – after importing the planes from Germany. The £1m annual turnover concern has sold 160 aircraft in the last 10 years – and that figure could soon rocket further. RotorSport Sales and Servicing operations manager Jim Hughes said the
firm’s potential for growth had been transformed after its CavalonPRO model received its Certificate of Airworthiness, providing potentially lucrative commercial opportunities for autogyros for the first time since their launch in Spain in the 1920s. Jim said the long-awaited commercial licence would enable the Halfpenny Green company to scour new horizons for business, with energy, transport, law enforcement and security all in their sights. “Once we have got the green light with this licence, the industry will go
supersonic without a doubt. It is opening new doors – this means that we can offer a 24-hour service to potential stakeholders, such as energy and transport companies, law enforcement and the security sector. “A sports and recreational aircraft has now become a serious commercial contender. We are being watched by the helicopter industry – an autogyro is 10 per cent of the cost of a helicopter.
“All we need is a 100-metre runway to get going – we can take off in a
farmer’s field. As soon as the licence is written, I will be approaching stakeholders in energy, transport and other services. This aircraft is ahead of the industry – it is an international opportunity.” The RotorSport story began in the Midlands ten years ago with pioneering entrepreneur Gerry Speich, who opened a factory in the Long Mynd, Shropshire, building autogyros. “It took Gerry 18 months of extremely hard work to get the certificate of
airworthiness standard – he spent all his time and money achieving it. Since then, the aviation barriers have been dropping – there is a whole industry which is about to benefit.” Jim said autogyros could beat drones in many aspects of flight. “Drones
are restricted on endurance – they have a 20-minute battery life and cannot fly above 400 feet. We can cover 100 miles in an hour, and we can do 90 per cent of what a helicopter does in flight at 10 per cent of the cost.” Autogyros have already starred in two movie blockbusters, the James
Bond film You Only Live Twice and Mad Max 2. It’s a far cry from the aircraft’s contribution to the war effort, when it helped to commission Britain’s coastal radar system in World War Two. Their potential use has also been widened after the aircraft were granted
permission to fly at night allowing new commercial possibilities, from helping the emergency services to providing weather and traffic reports. Jim added: “We can hold 30 miles an hour all day long. It is ideal for
observation and surveillance. Internationally, autogyros are being used by law enforcement agencies for traffic management and patrols. “National security companies may want an asset in the air to help with
security work – they can invest in these aircraft to bring the costs down. This could save tens of millions of pounds a year for the Government. They could hire them or buy their own fleet, or look to train up pilots.”
Call 01384 221775 or email
j.hughes@
rotorsportss.co.uk for more information. See also
www.auto-gyro.co.uk
‘We are being watched by the helicopter industry – an autogyro is ten per cent of the cost of a helicopter’
Jim Hughes and the CavalonPRO model 14 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2017
Picture: Marc Kirsten
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