Hi Shawn:
You're correct. The use of the word 'gyrocopter', while discussing the attributes required for future rotorcraft, is an oversimplification of a complex situation.
The world's two most advanced helicopters at the end of WWII did not use tail rotors and I suspect that the tail rotor will be a serious impediment to very fast forward flight in the future.
Boeing has stated
" The Chinook was developed in the late 1950s, less than a decade after the B-52 bomber entered service. Since then, two follow-on bombers have been fielded, but no new heavy-lift helicopter. There are many reasons for why rotorcraft technology has not significantly advanced in the past 60 years, but I do believe that it is now on the threshold of a new generation. To put it flippantly, today's rotor-blade, which has the dynamics of a wet noodle, and the little fan at the back will never stand up to the rigors of future fast forward flight.
Just a not-so-humble opinion.
