ELA 09 Junior

The ELA 09 Junior is a Spanish autogyro designed and produced by ELA Aviación of Córdoba, Andalusia, introduced in the mid-2010s. The aircraft is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.

Design and development
The 09 Junior was designed as an entry-level aircraft for pilots new to gyro flying. Reviewer Werner Pfaendler explains the choice of the aircraft's name and the marketing philosophy: "Junior refers to the target group (newcomer in the gyro aviation) and the price. It does not refer to technical components and instruments that comply with the high standards of the ELA senior gyros. For 35,000 Euros (ready-to-fly, no tax) customers get an excellent, sturdy gyro in plain white. Optional accessories include metallic paint (2,600 Euros), radio ATR 500 (1,500 Euros), or landing lights for 65 Euros and more."

The design features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear without wheel pants, plus a tail caster and a four-cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft has a two-bladed rotor with a diameter of 8.25 m and a chord of 22 cm. The 09 Junior has a typical empty weight of 240 kg and a gross weight of 450 kg, giving a useful load of 210 kg. With full fuel of 45 L the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is 178 kg.