Interesting post and I will comment briefly as others have covered most of the points raised.
I built and flew a benson gyro 1992-99 and enjoyed it immensely but too many friends died due to the lack of understanding of the cg / line of thrust issue which was resolved with the new designs following proper testing such as the one mentioned in Scotland. How did I survive dunno really, but I was very careful about weather and didn’t push the envelope preferring “ panic on Power off “ when things got windy or turbulent, the same adage works with the R22 I believe.
Sold the gyro and Converted my license to PPL-H in 2000 and I did it on an R22 with that low inertia rotor system and to comment on auto rotations they are the same as in any helicopter if you get the entry right and maintain the right attitude / RRpM and practice , practice and keep practicing especially the entry and last 100ft to the ground which in an R22 you only get one chance at! I will say that having flown gyro’s for a few years and done 100’s of landings it does help when putting that R22 onto terra firma as the ground rushing up at you isn’t as scary. Hovering is the best thing you can do with your trousers on once you crack it and it did take me a few hours if I’m honest before I was ok at it and I still get “the Grin “ years later .
I then got the chance to fly a Hughes 300 and it was a lovely machine in autorotation with its relatively high inertia rotor system and being well balanced overall. Nothing like a gyro in auto and again if the entry into auto is right the rest is hard to mess up and I usually manage to put it down without bending anything . I had the good fortune to be taught on both the R22 and H300 by some great instructors and still consider myself to be learning every flight I make .
So if you do decide to learn to fly helicopters find the right instructor for you and don’t be shy in changing if things don’t go well .....it’s your money and in the end your life which is at risk.
Now over the years I have looked over my shoulder at the new gyro’s appearing on the scene such as your Cavalon and the Magni 24c and doing the maths on cost it’s a no brainer for both purchase and especially running costs, as others say if you can’t afford it don’t fly helicopters and the ever true if it flies, floats or f**ks then best rent it. I’ve flown them recently and considering buying one but my only dilemma is that their a bit like flying a fixed wing when your landing and compared to my old Bensen b8mr rather tame in handling with heavy controls and smooth engines.
Whatever you decide to do get good instruction and never be afraid to admit you don’t understand .Most of all enjoy every second of it !
B.G