A flying machine made in Andalucía

Just over 100 years ago, Spanish aeronautics enthusiast Juan de la Cierva invented the autogyro, the first rotary-wing aircraft. This unusual flying machine, also called a gyroplane or gyrocopter, has made a comeback in Spain this century, when advanced models were developed at ELA Aviación, a company founded by Emilio López Alemany.

At the very beginning of the last century, engineers endeavoured to invent an aircraft that would not crash when its engine stalled. The most successful result was achieved by Juan de la Cierva.

The famous aeronautics enthusiast was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in Murcia in 1895. From childhood, the boy spent all his pocket money experimenting with gliders in his father's shed. At the age of 17 De la Cierva began building aircraft, and two years later the teenager designed and built a large three-engine bomber that was accepted by the Spanish government. However, it crashed on its first flight due to engine failure. From then on, De la Cierva concentrated on developing a safe means of air travel. In 1919, he developed the concept of using a rotor to create lift at low airspeed and thus eliminate the risk of stalling.

The single-rotor type of flying machine (the predecessor of the modern helicopter) was called an autogyro (‘autogiro’ in Spanish), though also known as a gyrocopter or gyroplane. In 1923, De la Cierva made the first successful autogyro flight at Getafe aerodrome near Madrid.

Later he took his brainchild abroad, to Farnborough, England. After great success in England, Juan de la Cierva was invited to the UK to continue his work. In 1926 the Spaniard, with the financial support and assistance of Scottish industrialist and aviator James George Weir, founded the Cierva Autogiro Company, Ltd.

A great aviation enthusiast and the successor of Juan de la Cierva was born in 1958. Emilio López Alemany contributed to a new epic chapter in the history of gyroplanes.

In the early 90s Emilio was gripped by the idea of building his own autogyro. His first model was a motorless prototype that, towed by a car, was able to lift a few metres off the ground. This allowed Emilio to study and learn to fly in an autogyro, as there were no schools or documentation about them at that time. The invention of the towed gyroplane was successful and made Emilio fall in love with the advantages of the rotary wing over the fixed wing.

In 1996 Emilio built his first motorised autogyro and gave it the initials of his name - the ELA-03. After seeing that his flight exceeded all expectations, Emilio, together with his wife Rita Nieves, decided to create the company ELA Aviación, and a few years later, they presented the first two-seater autogyro - the ELA-04.

After discovering the potential that the gyroplane had over the aeroplane and helicopter, the family decided to devote their business solely to the project. In addition, their sons, 17-year-old Emilio José and 15-year-old Daniel, who by then had already shown a passion for autogyros, were also involved in the developing and producing.

Due to the growth of the company and the constant increase in the number of orders received, the owners decided to expand. As a result, they moved production facilities from the small Griñón aerodrome near Madrid to the Casarrubios del Monte aerodrome. It was there, in Toledo province, that mass production autogyros with Rotax engines, the world leader in this field, began.

Global sales success of the ELA 07 led the company to expand its production capacity once again. Thus, in 2005, ELA Aviación finally moved to Andalucía. Fuente Obejuna situated in Cordoba province was chosen because of the local aerodrome, which was perfect for testing new prototypes secretly.

The Andalusian period was dedicated to the research and development of a new star project, the two-seater enclosed cabin autogyro. Over the years, ELA Aviación developed up to four different prototypes of closed-cockpit autogyros, which, failing to meet the company's standards and values of safety and ease of flight, were not commercialised, despite being operational.

When Emilio Lopez senior decided to exit the company’s ownership in 2011, his son Emilio José López took over aircraft development. He started a new autogyro from scratch, focusing on the design of the enclosed cockpit. Ten years ago, he managed to put the ELA 10-Eclipse into flight. Its demonstration at the AERO Friedrichshafen air show 2014 became an event on a global scale. The ELA 10-Eclipse was launched on the market with impressive results.

As the company told SUR in English, their production of autogyros is unique in Spain. To their pride, ELA Aviación is among the top three in the world. Moreover, about 80% of the gyrocopters produced are sent abroad. The international nature of the company is immeidately clear from the telephone greeting - in English only. The company collects feedback and testimonials from its customers living in different countries - Germany, Sweden, France, South Africa and others. Most of them say that the Andalusian autogyro is very easy and safe to fly. The company itself is flattered by this feedback though they emphasise that they do enjoy making and selling gyrocopters, but what they are really passionate about is creativity.

To end the story… Following the global success of the 10-Eclipse, the company has developed a new model, the ELA 10-Eclipse EVO, that has revolutionised the sector. This most exclusive gyrocopter has a power of 140 cubic centimetres, a maximum speed of 200 km/h and a range of 600 km. Earlier this month the ELA 10-Eclipse EVO was exhibited in Torre del Mar, where crowds were delighted to see a gyroplane with a striking design, refined lines and a futuristic spirit.