To fly a
gyrocopter legally in NZ both the aircraft and the pilot need to be legal.
Gyrocopters
in NZ can only be registered as microlight aircraft.
Microlight
aircraft in NZ are either class 1 (single seat) or class 2 (dual seat). Both
class 1 and class 2 microlight aircraft need to be registered with CAA, and
have a current annual condition inspection (similar to a WOF for a car).
The annual inspection
can be done by either a SAC or RAANZ approved inspector. A list of SAC inspectors
can be found at http://www.sportflying.co.nz/Pilot.htm
and for RAANZ at http://raanz.org.nz/db/php/ias.php.
Due to the specialized nature of gyrocopters the Autogyro Association
recommends that the inspection is carried out by one of the following inspectors:
Garry
Belton (Marton, RAANZ)
Colin
Alexander (Tauranga, RAANZ)
In addition
class 2 microlight aircraft also require a flight permit which must be carried
with the machine at all times. The flight permit is issued by CAA after an inspection and is valid as long
as no major changes are made to the machine. To obtain a flight permit logbooks
for the aircraft, engine and AD’s are required.
Maintenance
of a gyro can be done by the owner or any other authorised person. For class 1
microlight aircraft no official records need to be kept, but for class 2 microlights all maintenance done on both the engine and the
airframe must be recorded in the appropriate logbooks.
The rules
and regulations regarding microlight aircraft are a lot less stringent than for
experimental or GA (general aviation) aircraft and costs are much lower.
To fly a
gyrocopter the pilot needs to have a microlight license with a gyrocopter group
endorsement.
The licence
can only be issued by one of the two microlight organisations in NZ, namely RAANZ or SAC,
and the pilot must be a current member of one of these two organisations.
In addition
the pilot must have a current medical declaration, see here
for more detail.
A license
will only be issued after a flight test with a RAANZ or SAC approved
instructor.
Currently
there are 2 full time training facilities in NZ, one in the
Gyrate is based at Tauranga airport and is
run by Tony Unwin (tel: 021 038 0760). He uses a two
seater MT-03 Eagle for training.
Lloyd Heslop (tel: 027 442 4500) offers flight training in
Nelson in a 2 seater, side by side, RAF2000. They operate from two
airfields; Nelson and