The Vortech Shadow is an American autogyro that was designed by Tyler Flight, Inc. and produced by Vortech of Fallston, Maryland. The aircraft is supplied as a kit and also in the form of plans for amateur construction. Vortech also supplies rotor blades for the design.
Contents
Design and development
The Vortech Shadow was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear, plus a tail caster. The acceptable power range is 150 to 230 hp (112 to 172 kW). The standard engine used is the four cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 powerplant in pusher configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from tubing and composites. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 29 ft (8.8 m). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 750 lb (340 kg) and a gross weight of 1,290 lb (590 kg), giving a useful load of 540 lb (240 kg). With full fuel of 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal) the payload for the pilot, passenger and baggage is 468 lb (212 kg).
The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 150 hp (112 kW) engine is 100 ft (30 m) and the landing roll is 25 ft (8 m).
The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied kit as 250 hours.
Operational history
By 1998 the company reported that four kits had been sold and were completed and flying.
In January 2015 no examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Specifications (Shadow)
Data from Kitplanes
General characteristics
Performance