Aeronautics: Giro Pilots

Anyone who can fly an ordinary airplane can, with little additional instruction, fly an autogiro. But the reverse is not true. If a ‘giro-trained pilot should go up in an airplane, throttle down the engine and pull back on the control-stick, as he may safely do in a ‘giro, he would have his first—possibly his last—experi-ence with a tailspin. An attempt to land vertically as in a ‘giro would be similarly disastrous. Yet heretofore a student who passed his first Department of Commerce tests in a ‘giro was given an ordinary private pilot’s license which entitled him to fly any licensed aircraft.

Last week it was revealed that the Department of Commerce has created a new license for autogiro pilots, qualifying the holder to fly autogiros only. Hereafter, for a full private license the student must perform in a conventional plane. Holders of limited commercial and transport licenses may qualify for special autogiro ratings, just as they must qualify to fly each class of airplane.