What are gyroplanes?

Gyroplanes are rotary-wing aircraft that have both an engine to drive the rotor and an engine for the thrust propeller.

These gyrodynes can fly faster than helicopters, because they have additional lift aids (wings), which come into effect when the thrust propeller is engaged for faster forward flight, allowing the rotor speed to be reduced to prevent the advancing rotor blade from entering supersonic speeds.

The maximum speed of the advancing rotor blade = Mach 1 ~ 330 m/sec ~ 396 km/h.
(Rotor tip speed = 220 m/sec plus forward speed 110 m/sec = 330 m/sec = Mach 1).

The world record for a helicopter was set with a Westland Lynx in 1988, at 400.6 km/h.

The speed record for a gyroplane is over 450 km/h.

Example of a RACER   Racer | Airbus