I've been fascinated by aviation longer than I dare to think about. I remember my Dad giving me a Revell kit of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, which took my 12 years old fingers a lot of time to decently put together - but once it was, the Liberator got place of honor in my messy boy's room.

Only a little later my uncle "Ouwe Dirk", a younger brother of my fathers, gave me a big color poster of the Fokker F27 Friendship, then not even in production, but later the topper of Fokker. Unfortunately Fokker has been gone for many years, but quite a lot of the original F27 Friendships are still flying, as are many of the F-27's (mind the hyphen!) that were license built by Fairchild in the US.

Ouwe Dirk is still alive, and still interested in aviation. He's 87 now (2009), a retired Delft (NL) University of Technology professor of aerospace engineering, and every now and then I phone him to ask some questions about aeroplanes, aerodynamics, construction, metallurgy or related subjects. The man's a walking encyclopaedia or aviation-related knowledge.

Myself, I never got involved with the design or construction of aircraft - I just confined myself to flying the odd kite. Gliders, single-engined Cessna's and Pipers, and even (only once, and very illegally because not insured...) a P-51D Mustang, from the control-equipped backseat that the owner had thoughtfully installed. It was, almost, better than sex (wide and wicked grin)!

But that's a long time ago now. I only fly desktops nowadays, staring at a computer screen where MicroSoft FlightSimulator X unfolds its admittedly amazing capabilities. And at night I dream. Like all of us do, who once were involved with aviation. We can't help it. Nor would we want to.

Although the autogyro concept is far from new, its popularity only began in the 1950s when the Bensen Aircraft Corporation ore or less burst into the sport aviation scene with their ground-breaking Gyrocopters and Gyrogliders. When the brilliant engineer behind this success, Dr. Igor Bensen, introduced the B-7 Gyroglider (1955), its simplicity of design and ease of flight immediately captured the public's imagination. The B-7 had no engine but was towed into the air kind of like a kite. Shortly afterwards the engine-powered B-7M Gyrocopter was introduced, and a new age of powered homebuilt aircraft had descended upon flight-minded humanity. Bensen's revolutionary designs have been copied and modified but, in the opinion of many, never surpassed.

There had been earlier Bensens, like the B-6 Gyro-Glider in the picture. Built in 1953 it was the first Bensen design that truly caught the public's attention. The principle behind the gyroglider is the same as for the autogyro or gyrocopter, which is quite simple: its rotorblades are free spinning in response to the movement of air over their surface - very much like the propellor of a toy pinwheel. With a relatively modest forward tow speed (by car or boat) of about 23 mph, the rotorblades reach a speed of about 250 mph, providing lift for the Glider to take-off. The rotorblades have a fixed, built-in pitch, so all the pilot needs to do is steer the Glider with the handlebars almost as one would steer a bike. Once airborne, the tow-line is released for a free and controlled flight, that can easily last 15 minutes or longer. Indeed, even with a relatively mild wind of perhaps 23 mph, the B-6 can take off from standstill like a kite!

On July 27, 2009, Cessna Aircraft Company announced its Model 162 SkyCatcher, which is in compliance with ASTM International standards for Light Sport Aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin before the end of 2009. The SkyCatcher is a two-seat, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft in the Light Sport Aircraft category, defined in the United States as an aircraft with a gross weight under 1320 pounds and with a top speed of no more than 120 knots.

The 162 is powered by a Continental O-200D 100-hp air-cooled, carbureted engine and a fixed-pitch propeller. The aircraft will cruise at speeds up to 118 knots and will have a maximum range of 470 nautical miles. The Cessna 162 SkyCatcher features a Garmin G300 avionics system. Information is presented in a single, split-screen primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD), or as two full-screen displays with an optional second screen. The SkyCatcher will be capable of Visual Flight Rules/Day/Night operations.

Cessna, in association with King Schools, has developed a new Web-based training system for sport and private pilot certificates that will be available through the Cessna Pilot Center network of flight schools. Cessna launched its SkyCatcher program at AirVenture Oshkosh in 2007 and has since amassed more than 1,000 orders.