Zeeoo,
IMHO the reason why autogiros are under-developed in the commercial/recreational sector is because they are neither one thing nor another.
They cannot hover or take off vertically, so they cannot fly point-to-point as a helicopter can. However, they are not particularly good aeroplanes either - poor forward flight performance and relatively poor handling qualities. They can of-course fly very slowly and have excellent STOL capability without being overly sensitive to gusts, but is that really important for a recreational vehicle? Where could you go (realistically) that a STOL aeroplane couldn't?
I think the fact of the matter is the autogiro, is a bit of a mongrel that doesn't do enough of anything specific to have a clear market to go after. If a nice cheap one was available, why would you buy it rather than a micro-light aeroplane, which is arguably safer and easier to fly - and will definitely be less expensive to operate.
Autogiros are interesting from a high speed flight point of view, there is much work, past and present that suggests that autogiros, or hybrid helicopter/autogiros may hold some potential for increasing the forward flight speed capability of rotary wing aircraft without the cost and complexity of the tilt-rotor configuration. However, this does not have much relevance tp a kit/recreational craft.
In short, I think the question the 'customers' would have difficulty reconciling with themselves is simply:
'What's the point of having a rotor if it can't hover or take of vertically?'
The autogiro has some characteristics that are desirable, but unfortunately the mix of characteristics does not really satisfy the need of any particular market completely. In addition, both helicopters and aeroplanes can do pretty much everything an autogiro can; so what’s its unique selling point?
This is why I believe that machine hasn't found widespread application and probably won't in the future. Though, the relatively low cost and complexity in rotary wing terms will ensure it continues to be a cult favourite amongst rotary homebuilders.
Hope this helps
CRAN
