Groen Brothers Aviation announced that total sales of the company’s SparrowHawk gyroplane and SparrowHawk/P modification kits have now reached 100. Sales have strengthened since the introduction of the new FAA Sport Pilot rules, the company says, since gyroplane builders with the appropriate license can now fly the SparrowHawk using a drivers license instead of an FAA medical certificate.
In a separate announcement, Groen Brothers announced that it has awarded its Pioneers of Vertical Flight award to Rob Dubin, the first person to fly a gyroplane in consecutive flights through all 48 of the continental U.S. states. Dubins seven-month journey in his SparrowHawk began on February 25 in Phoenix and he completed his ambitious voyage, flying a circuitous route around the country that brought him to St. George, Utah, in early October.
Flying his SparrowHawk, Dubin flew more than 10,000 miles at an average speed of 55 mph and stopped at more than 140 airports along the way. He provided friends and supporters the opportunity to follow along with flight updates and photos from this cockpit on his web site, http://www.gyroamerica.com/. And he wasn’t alone in his quest-Dubins wife, Dee, accompanied him on the ground, driving a motor home with an SUV in tow, meeting her husband in the evenings at small airports along their route.
The gyroplane is the ideal choice for a journey like this, Dubin said. Its unique design gives it the ability to fly low and slow if desired, and do so safely. The SparrowHawk was perfect for enjoying an aerial view of the beauty this country affords.
Groen Brothers presented the award to Dubin at the Copperstate Regional fly-in last October.
