About Us

We are the NEW ZEALAND AUTOGYRO ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, re-incorporated on the 9th July 2007 – Registration Number 1965345, registered with the Companies Office in the Societies and Trusts Register as an Incorporated Society.

Our goals are:

• Maintain a membership of like-minded Gyro enthusiasts
• Promulgate relevant Gyro specific information to our members
• Assist RAANZ with any lobbying required to the New Zealand Government or specifically to the CAA
• Promote Safety amongst our members thus creating a culture of safety
• Be a single source of information for any person wanting to know more about the world of the Gyroplane in New Zealand

Flying legally in New Zealand
To fly a Gyrocopter legally in New Zealand both the aircraft and the pilot need to be legal.

Aircraft
Gyrocopters in New Zealand can only be registered as microlight aircraft.
Microlight aircraft in New Zealand 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 in the form of a Certificate of Registration.
They must also have a current annual condition inspection (similar to a WOF for a car).
The annual condition inspection is completed by a RAANZ approved inspector. 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, 06 327 8778)
• Colin Alexander (Tauranga, RAANZ, 07 574 7973)
• Brett Oswald (Whakatane, RAANZ, 07 304 9882)
• Paul Scherrer (Upper Hutt, 027 526 9726)

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.

Pilot
To fly a Gyrocopter the pilot needs to have a microlight license with a Gyrocopter group endorsement.
The licence can only be issued by RAANZ, and the pilot must be a current member.
In addition the pilot must have a current medical declaration, talk to RAANZ for more detail.

Training
A license will only be issued after a flight test with a RAANZ approved instructor.
Currently there are 2 full time training facilities in New Zealand, one in the North Island and the other in the South Island. See the links section of our web site for more information on training.

Build or Buy
You can own a Gyro in one of three ways:
Design yourself
You can design and build your own gyro from scratch.
Build from Plans/Kit
There are many excellent designs in the form of plans and kits that, once purchased, will accelerate the build process and get you flying quickly.
Factory Built
Nowadays there are fine examples of factory built Gyroplanes that ship to you “ready to fly”. This is a great option for someone who wants to focus on flying rather than building.

Safety First
Gyroplanes are easy to fly but you MUST have instruction first. You cannot (EVER) jump into a single seat or dual seat Gyro and just “figure it out”. Please NEVER attempt this.
Flown correctly, Gyro’s are just as safe as any other form of aviation.

Also please note - Gyro, Gyroplane, Gyrocopter are all names for the same thing.