The autogyro is one of those aircraft that always catches your eye. A common misconception is that an autogyro is a type of helicopter, but indeed it is not. The rotor is unpowered (except in some cases for a pre-takeoff boost), and instead turns by autorotation. Think of its lift ability like that of a glider's wing. Here's some incredible footage of a Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro flying over New York City in the early 1930s, roughly two years after Harold Pitcairn made the first flight of an autogy