RON’S GYROS

Flight trainer helps students take to the skies

Over the centuries, many people have looked to the skies and dreamed of flight. Luckily, the mission of one Searcy business is to make that dream come true.

Ron’s Gyros is a world-class flight-training facility. Owner Ron Menzie has decades of experience and strives to provide the best flight training possible.

“I want to fulfill my customers’ dreams of flying,” he said. “It’s my passion.”

Menzie began his flying career in 1968 and has logged more than 10,500 hours in gyroplanes and more than 1,500 hours in fixed-wing aircraft. A gyrocopter — also known as an autogyro or a gyroplane — is a type of aircraft that is half helicopter and half airplane. It has an overhead rotor that creates lift for the vehicle, while a second propeller is used to provide thrust.

For more than 39 years, Menzie, a dedicated pilot examiner, has operated Ron’s Gyros, providing training to hundreds of students. The facility provides a comfortable training environment with a 6,000-foot runway with taxiways. Menzie holds an Advanced Ground School Instructor rating and is a certified flight instructor for gyroplanes. He is also a lifetime member of the Popular Rotorcraft Association, having served on its board of directors for 15 years.

“Our mission is to promote safety in aviation,” he said.

Students can expect to receive 20 to 30 hours of instruction, and after the student has proved competency in all flight maneuvers in the lesson plan, the instructor and student will fly in the student’s two-place gyroplane. After completing initial training and transitional training, students need to have their own gyroplane ready for their solo flight. For more information, visit ronsgyros.com.