autogiro
/ɔːtəʊˈdʒʌɪrəʊ
/(also autogyro)
noun (plural autogiros)
A form of aircraft with freely rotating horizontal blades and a propeller. It differs from a helicopter in that the blades are not powered but rotate in the slipstream, propulsion being by a conventional mounted engine.During the war a tiny number of helicopters and autogiros were employed, sometimes actually seeing action, though success was sporadic at best....
- Gyrocopters, also known as autogyros, are a type of aircraft that look like a cross between an aeroplane and a helicopter.
- With that he escorted Jones to a hotel, insisted on paying the bill and when he drove his cousin back to the airfield next morning the autogyro had been filled with fuel - and given a polish.
Origin
1920s: from Spanish, from auto- 'self' + giro 'gyration'.