McCulloch J-2

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The McCulloch J-2 was a small, two-seat civil autogyro with an enclosed cabin, built by McCulloch Aircraft Corporation. It was designed by Drago Jovanovich and first flew in June 1962. It was one of only three autogyro designs in the United States to receive a type certificate. McCulloch acquired the design in 1969 and produced 83 aircraft over about three years, selling for around $15,900.

The J-2 used a special spin-up system to get the rotor ready for takeoff. A lever on the rear cockpit wall selected the drive to the rotor, and a left-side spin-up lever was pressed downward to tension a belt clutch and put the rotor into a flat pitch while spinning up to more than 500 rpm. Releasing the lever disengaged the clutch and the transmission, letting the rotor pitch into flight and decelerate to normal rotor speed. The rotor was not engine-driven in flight, and a strong spring helped prevent accidental use of the spin-up lever. Dual controls were provided for all functions except the spin-up lever, which could only be operated from the left seat.

The J-2 was known for nimble handling and light control forces, but it had a shallow climb gradient. Early models used a two-bladed wooden Sensenich propeller; the later “Super J-2” version used a three-bladed Hartzell controllable-pitch propeller and allowed a higher maximum gross weight. Baggage up to 95 pounds could be carried in a bay under the seat, within gross-weight limits. Fuel was stored in two stub-wing tanks totaling 24 gallons (12 gallons per side), but only about 20 gallons were usable in normal operation. With typical fuel burn of around 8 gallons per hour and a cruise speed of about 85 mph, range was modest and depended on reserve requirements.

The rotor system (hub and blades) was similar to early Hughes 269/Schweizer 300 helicopters, with blade twist optimized for autorotation. Most J-2s were sold to private pilots in the United States, and at least one example was exported to the United Kingdom. In 1974, Aero Resources bought the rights and planned to restart production with the Super J-2, but no new aircraft were built.