Jim you're doing a great job buddy! I'm very grateful you have devoted your life to solving many engineering challenges that make your machines safer, more versatile, reliable and more enjoyable to fly. We like your machines because you don't compromise on these things. You should be extremely proud of your achievements. Steve B (Australia).

The Vortex is the reason I became interested in flying. I was a volunteer firefighter in the late 90's and one of my fellow firefighters came into the fire station with a VCR tape of Jim flying in a filed around a large tree. I didn't have the money for one of his machines but went to a fly in in florida and bought a Bensen for 5K. Thank you Jim for inspiring me to fly.

Excellent info, very cool and this place is so close!

Very nice craft and interesting to love to see more videos on this type of aircraft

WOW! I'm beside myself anticipating the flight follow up.

This fella is sooooooo intense! Thanks Mark

Nice presentation! Nice machine! Wish I had one!

Impressive aircraft. Superb effort to make a safe aircraft.

Mark you ask all right questions I enjoy your channel l am Retired A@P IA from south carolina

"Ranch Gyro" is some brilliant marketing! They are so much more affordable than a whirlybird. The old Air Command 447 was quite adept at catching my pre-teen imagination.

Good stuff Mark! I've been interested in the gyro side of the hanger for a while now. This vid has really left my gears spinning... and I'm just over the mountain from Jim @ KBDN. Thanks!

I'm impressed. Interesting guy!!

I really loved that aircraft. Im eagerly awaiting the flying video.

Jim Vanek/SportsCopter make some of the very best gyrocopters in the world that's why his M912 is one of the best selling gyrocopters for mustering in Australia excellent excellent quality products 👍🇨🇦

Mark, You hit it out of the ball park again, great stuff. When you do the follow up visit, could you focus a little on the rotorhead dynamics and rotor construction? Nobod is doing this kind of stuff on KZfaq. Thanks

Excellent interviewer you are.

Great interview

Thank you for the video - I'd very much like to see a follow up on this.

Be seeing you at Oshkosh. All the Best

The main curiosity over this was what hydrogen cell/converter. I would love to know which one he is talking about. If they master this, the world would substantially change.

Great video Mark! Jim is clearly a genius. I’m a huge fan of gyros. Amazing tech in this machine. I do think the European gyros tend to be a bit more attractive. I would like to see SportCopter give more of an eye to design aesthetics. More gyrocopter videos would be great. I think it’s an overlooked segment of aviation.

Fascinating !

The M2 looks like it'll have all the features that I'd look for to meet my flying mission. The addition of cargo pods should be excellent to carry some gear for daytrips, fly-ins, etc. The easily removeable bubble doors will be great too. I can't wait until you post the video of the M2 flying. Hopefully Sport Copter will be able to increase the fuel capacity to feed that 147HP engine for decent range, maybe 25-30 gallons or so. I love the development of the M2 to use the Aeromomentum engine instead of the very expensive Rotax engines, especially the costly 915. Hopefully there'll be simple access to the engine (oil & coolant levels, etc.) for pre-flight checks.

Innovation through experience.

Wonderful machine.

Best designed gyro that I've seen so far. What is the price range for one as shown? I'm sure this one will retain it's value much better than the competition. There is so much more engineering going into your craft. What is the cruising speed, and ceiling?

At minute 13 he goes hard mad science!

G,day Mark at Skywagon University from Sydney Australia. That is one engineer of distinction with real forward thinking technology. * The carbon fibre is so superior as a fuselage material, but- time, material and construction of moulds are [in my opinion] not comperable with tube and aluminium. That machine would stand beside the mosquito, in the market? Thankyou for detailing this technology. 🌏🇦🇺

Thanks.. Your video is wonderfully quite informative 👌keep it up 👍 From where I can download construction plans of a Gyroplane or Gyrocoptor with n without electric BLDC motor 🤔

SportCopter website shows Copyright 2021, yet their supposedly Current Model shows “coming in 2017” and “will be introduced in 2019” attached to new (not future) planes.

What grade and size is the teeter bolt on the single seater with the white cabin on it ?

I would like some comment on stick vibration please

SO, YOU CAN SHUT THE ENGINE AND GLIDE DOWN LAND WITHOUT POWER SAFELY, BUT CAN YOU ACTUALLY GLIDE IT FOR ANY DISTANCES LIKE A MOTO GLIDER.?

What were the donor engine brands and specs Mark ? I recon Honda would be a favourite.

I've got a similar video that I've had trouble uploading due to the size. The problem is a lack of production. The same prototype has been around for years and and the progress to production has a very slow appearance. Wonderful ideas that fall into the bizarre, liquid hydrogen fuel cells for gyros... Lots of good ideas that never end, its a bit like German helicopters during WW2, they kept coming up with new technology etc.

I remeber Little Nellie in an old James Bond movie.

Very interesting machine. A couple observations that might have very logical explanations, bar one though.. Jim is very detailed, but I found it a little disconcerting that he didn't know the displacement of the NA, non-Rotax engine sitting there that was first featured. Plus, when he said he was also working on using a "GM" manufactured engine, assumedly the FI and turbo'd he referenced later, *that* shook my bones! 😳 GM are not known for issue-free 4 cylinder engines..not even close. The thought crossed my mind that maybe the use of such an engine was a cost-cutting measure to help offset many other costly design advantages like its suspension etc. Speaking of which, the design of Jim's machine with its practically (my word, cuz sounds optimistic) 0 feet landing, 20 takeoff, would come in mighty handy when that GM motor self-destructs at the worst possible moment. Even religiously diligent maintenance and premature oil changes etc are probably not going to save you. The tried and true Rotax is probably your best bet to complement an otherwise seemingly very impressive aircraft. But I am far far FAR from being an expert, and I have to believe Jim must have confidence in what must be a miraculously new and improved small GM powerplant or he wouldn't consider using it. A couple other observations.. Mark, I think that it's important to always have respect for an aircrafts props, especially ones that are not caged. I know the engine is off and you're just making (a pretty good) video, but I just think that your overall safety stance should be one of not being near or inline with such an exposed threat. My suggestion would be to even momentarily address your audience, at the time you and Jim were standing beside it talking about its air-controlled stick positioning and doors, and basically point out that to it's a good habit to have to always respect that threat. Obviously the habit is useful all the times someone is anywhere near it when running. And if we fast forward to the future, can we even assume that some 'genius' won't think that a remote key fob starting would be a good idea to pre A/C the cockpit or some other nonsense? I know it may sound out-there a bit, but human gadget idiocy is all too prevalent it seems as nanny/luxury tech marches blindly forward in the face of common sense. One other concern I have with any gyroplane is a very bad luck head-on bird strike on the prop. A question for veteran pilots of a gyro, doesn't this still make quite the safety-case for a fixed wing aircraft over one of these? Or are these props so hardy they can slice and dice a big goose without breaking a sweat? Sorry if my post comes across as too negative. I actually enjoyed watching and learning very much. I was especially interested to hear how adamant Jim was on the future of hydrogen electric use. As I age, and as more and more incredibly irritating tiny-penised boy-racer types in their lowered Civics and raised pickups with their abnoxiously loud aftermarket exhausts do a few 'extra' revs when they think they have an audience, I am all for anything that makes our environment a quieter, more peaceful place to endure aging...err..rather, grow old in. And of course, the exhaustive hours perfecting a tough but light suspension with all its obvious benefits makes Jim's gyro a force to be reckoned with...I reckon..

I didn't mention. I Want One.

nothing to compare with those stainlesssteel eurotubs !, no welding not cricks, bolted frame = safety !, good stuff, a pity we don't have them here in europe

you should have flown it!!

How much is the M2?

Shooting coyote out of that doesn't seem like a good idea to me. For one thing a semi automatic would most likely be the choice. A shell case thru a pusher prop isn't cool even if it's a 22.

S L O W...! but useful for the right mission.

You have to be crazy to fly a gyro!