By Angela Satterlee
You could call it a gyro-dynamic experience, but for Sue Benua, EAA Lifetime 1262570, it was an unforgettable trip.
Sue arrived Thursday in Oshkosh after a weather delay of three days, flying her 2017 turquoise AutoGyro Cavalon, for a long trip of more than 1,000 miles from Stow, Massachusetts, to AirVenture. She didn’t make the entire trip alone, however. Sue met up with friend Joe Green in Zanesville, Ohio, on Sunday, July 14, where she continued on her journey with Joe in his bright red AutoGyro MTOsport 17. Both AutoGyros can now be spotted, along with a few others, at AutoGyro Booth 217, right outside of Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Exhibit Hangar A.
Sue is excited for AirVenture 2024, not only because of how she arrived, but also because it is her first time camping on the grounds.
She is a proud member of EAA Chapters 196, 106, and 1454, and flies out of Minute Man Air Field, (6B6), in Stow, Massachusetts.
She started attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2021 and has been a volunteer every year in various areas including the Ninety-Nines, Women in Aviation International, AeroEducate, and the WomenVenture group. But she typically spends the most time with the AutoGyro team, a place she called a second home.
In 2018, Sue had just settled in from a move and was looking to reconnect with flying again, but she kept running into common issues: either the airplanes in her area were down for maintenance or the instructors weren’t available. So she decided to take matters into her own hands and began looking for an airplane of her own. “I wasn’t looking for something high powered and fast,” she explained. “I wasn’t trying to get someplace in a hurry. I want to enjoy the flying.”
Sue was unfamiliar with the gyroplane design at first and spent the majority of 2018 researching the model that would best fit her needs. When she found AutoGyro USA in Stevensville, Maryland, out of Bay Bridge Airport she immediately lined up lessons. “I did as much training as I could during that first week, and decided that I just kind of fell in love with the gyroplane and its capabilities and how fun it was. I just had a blast! So that’s when I bought it,” Sue exclaimed.
Sue bought her gyroplane in 2019, the same one she did her training in, calling it a perfect match. “Everyone is attracted to it when they see it on the ramp, and I was no exception, and it’s fun to fly. It’s a capable machine. It gets me where I need to go. I find it very comfortable, with good ergonomics. If you’re doing six hours of flying, you want something that you’re not feeling uncomfortable in after the first two.”
Sue looks forward to AirVenture every year now and loves the community that it provides for all aviation lovers. “It’s fantastic just to have so much enthusiasm and everyone is automatically friends because you all have this shared passion and common connection,” Sue said. “The show is wonderful. It brings us together!”