Loftus, thanks for the question. The project was stopped before the first flight. It was a military project and fell under their command / rules. The user requirement was a 1 metric ton MAUW, with a 100m / 320 ft distance to lift off. She is fitted with a 36ft aluminum rotor and the Subaru 3,3 litre Turbo powerplant. The Trooper is now in the process of being prepared for the Civilian Commercial environment. We are busy with the SA Civil Aviation Authority to apply for the Proving Flight Authority. The Trooper is currently not high on the priority list, hence going slow. We are in discussions with our local National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) (See what they do on
https://www.nsri.org.za/) The intention being to have the Troopers available over the holiday seasons to assist with lifeguarding operations around the coast. Basically having lifeguards on board that can jump and support the person in trouble.
We are however busy with the Tourist which is based on the Trooper but with the pax in an open cockpit (Like the Trojan) but sitting at the rear in a side-by-side configuration. We had some enquiries from honeymoon couples that wanted to go on a tour around the country, hence this configuration.
For all the Wagtail Gyros we basically use the same keel, undercarriage, propeller, rotor design, controls, seats, instruments, etc. There is enough place for adjustment in / on the rotor-head, engine thrust angle, rudder assembly, etc to tailor the basic product to fit any required fuselage. This from the LDG, Trojan, Trooper and Tourist. The concept was brought from the military where the plan was for the mixed fleet to be maintained and kept operational with a minimum batch of spares that had to be interchangeable.
I trust this answers your question.