Little Wing Autogyros, Inc.

Little Wing Autogyros, Inc.
Privately held company
Industry Aerospace
Founder Ron Herron
Headquarters Mayflower, Arkansas, United States
Products Kit aircraft
Owner Ron Herron and Kristine Irvin
Website www.littlewingautogyro.com
Little Wing LW-5 in the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Mayflower, Arkansas and founded by Ron Herron. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of autogyros in the form of plans and kits for amateur construction including for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules.[1][2][3][4][5]

The company is jointly owned by Ron Herron and his fiancee, Kristine Irvin. Herron is an instructor of aviation maintenance instructor at Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock, Arkansas and also formerly ran an aviation maintenance facility, Little Wing Aviation.[6]

Herron set out to design a safer autogyro, after experiences flying the Bensen B-8M in the mid-1970s. The company's designs use an unusual control system, common to all the Little Wing Autogyros, that was designed by David Kay in the early 1930s. It uses a mast that is fixed fore-and-aft, but which pivots laterally for banking the aircraft. Longitudinal control is achieved by an elevator and horizontal stabilizer system, designed to eliminate power-induced bunt "push-over" accidents.[1][6]

The company has produced a whole line of single and two-seat autogyros, based on light aircraft fuselages, from the Little Wing LW-1 to the Little Wing LW-5. The Little Wing Roto-Pup is based on the Preceptor Ultra Pup airframe and optimized for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules.[1][2][3][4][5]

A Little Wing LW-5 is preserved in the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.[7]

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Little Wing Autogyros
Model name First flight Number built Type
Little Wing LW-1 1995 Single-seat autogyro
Little Wing LW-2 Single-seat autogyro
Little Wing LW-3 8 (2005) Single-seat autogyro
Little Wing LW-4 3 (2005) Two-seat autogyro
Little Wing LW-5 Two-seat autogyro
Little Wing Roto-Pup 3 (1998) Single-seat US FAR 103 ultralight category autogyro

References

  1. 1 2 3 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 326. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  2. 1 2 Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page F-5. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4
  3. 1 2 Downey, Julia: 2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 57. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  4. 1 2 Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 206. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
  5. 1 2 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 182. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  6. 1 2 "Little Wing Autogyros, Inc..". littlewingautogyro.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "2000 Herron/Keech Little Wing LW-5 Autogyro - N100MK". eaa.org. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
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