Vortech Sparrow

The Vortech Sparrow is an American autogyro that was produced by Vortech of Fallston, Maryland. When it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction. Vortech also supplied rotor blades and some key parts for the design.

Available in 2005, by January 2015 the aircraft was no longer listed on the Vortech website.

Design and development
The Vortech Sparrow was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 254 lb. It features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit without a windshield, tricycle landing gear, plus a tail caster. The acceptable power range is 50 to 60 hp. The standard engine used is the twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 50 hp Rotax 503 engine mounted in pusher configuration.

The aircraft fuselage is made from metal tubing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 23 ft. The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 254 lb and a gross weight of 500 lb, giving a useful load of 246 lb. With full fuel of 5 u.s.gal the payload for the pilot and baggage is 216 lb.

The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 50 hp engine is 100 ft and the landing roll is 50 ft.

The manufacturer estimated the construction time as 150 hours.

Operational history
By 1998 the company reported that more than six kits had been sold, were completed and flying.