noun
- an aircraft that uses a freely rotating rotor for lift and a propeller for forward thrust
Usage: aviation
Examples
- The gyroplane landed safely in the small field.
- Unlike a helicopter, a gyroplane cannot hover in place.
- The pilot trained extensively before flying the gyroplane solo.
- Gyroplanes are often used for recreational flying and aerial photography.
- The gyroplane’s rotor spins freely without engine power.
- Early gyroplanes were developed in the 1920s as experimental aircraft.