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Meet the aircraft
Magni Gyro developed the M-24 Orion in Italy with an enclosed side-by-side two-seat cabin and a pusher propeller. Its freely turning rotor produces lift through autorotation in flight; a separate engine-driven propeller provides forward thrust. The enclosed cabin differs from the open-frame layout of many recreational gyroplanes.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A comfortable cabin still takes some getting used to
Schröder’s visit to Mona Hörig’s school began with a turn in its airline simulator before the real gyroplane flight. The new M24’s cabin impressed him with comfortable seating, ventilation and room between the occupants. Hörig’s demonstration then showed him an aircraft he found quiet, steady and enjoyable to look out from. Changing seats brought a less polished performance of his own.
fliegermagazin · December 2014. Rotax 914 M24 Orion VIP with Mona Hörig at Mannheim; the MSFS 2024 manual describes a different Rotax 915 installation.
fliegermagazin · Read more ↗Rotor preparation has dedicated controls
The cockpit guide identifies separate pre-rotator, rotor-brake and trim controls. Its checklist also calls out the cyclic-retaining cable.
M-24 Orion · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube 1st Gen Pilot · 27 min ·
Flying the Magni M24 Orion Gyroplane – Full Flight Experience!
A pilot shares a Magni M24 flight with cockpit and exterior views.
Real aircraft · Magni M-24 Orion
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Magni M-24 Orion
Magni Gyro developed the M-24 Orion in Italy with an enclosed side-by-side two-seat cabin and a pusher propeller. Its freely turning rotor produces lift through autorotation in flight; a separate engine-driven propeller provides forward thrust. The enclosed cabin differs from the open-frame layout of many recreational gyroplanes.
Magni M-24 Orion
Magni Gyro → · Explore the family →
Magni M-24 Orion
Wikipedia contributors · Magni M-24 Orion ↗Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: 2008
Developed from: XM-23 Orion
Wikipedia contributors · Magni M-24 Orion ↗Magni M-24 Orion · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1344662234
Pilot accounts
A comfortable cabin still takes some getting used to
Schröder’s visit to Mona Hörig’s school began with a turn in its airline simulator before the real gyroplane flight. The new M24’s cabin impressed him with comfortable seating, ventilation and room between the occupants. Hörig’s demonstration then showed him an aircraft he found quiet, steady and enjoyable to look out from.
Changing seats brought a less polished performance of his own. Used to sitting on the centreline of tandem aircraft, he struggled to judge his position from the Orion’s left seat. The unfamiliar view affected both departure and landing, though Hörig remained relaxed beside him. He left enthusiastic enough to joke about taking the gyroplane home instead of returning by train.
fliegermagazin · December 2014. Rotax 914 M24 Orion VIP with Mona Hörig at Mannheim; the MSFS 2024 manual describes a different Rotax 915 installation.
Read the full account · fliegermagazin ↗Side-by-side seating changes the conversation in flight
For Boxall, an enclosed cabin took some adjustment after years in open gyroplanes. Without the bulky flying clothes and wind around his head, he found himself looking outside more easily. The M24’s steady cruise also left him free to enjoy the surroundings, while its side-by-side seating made sharing that view much simpler.
The arrangement mattered to his teaching as well. Instead of describing a button from behind a student, he could point to it directly. Landing required a change in his own habits, because the sight picture differed from a tandem gyroplane.
Light Aviation · December 2010. Instructor’s M24 Orion report, including early flights in Italy; Rotax 914 configuration, separate from the later MSFS 2024 installation.
Read the full account · Light Aviation / Gyro Aviation ↗A helicopter pilot reconsiders the point of a gyroplane
Ramsay began the day wondering whether a gyroplane combined the disadvantages of both helicopters and aeroplanes. In the enclosed M24 with Steve Boxall, she discovered a kind of flying that challenged that view. The controls felt heavy compared with those of the helicopters she knew, but the outlook and freedom to explore soon became absorbing.
Slow flight, a steep descent and the short landing gave her a different appreciation of the aircraft’s purpose. She still preferred other types for particular journeys and off-airfield outings, especially within her own budget. Yet she ended the day ready to admit that her starting judgment had missed something: the gyroplane offered a distinctive way to enjoy simply being airborne.
FLYER · August 2023. Morning M24 flight at Popham with Steve Boxall; Rotax 914 aircraft. Her afternoon flight in an open M16 is a separate part of the article.
Read the full account · FLYER ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2024M-24 Orion
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
M-24 Orion
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.33 m (14 ft 2 in) overall |
| Height | 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Empty weight | 285 kg (628 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 450 kg (992 lb) European ultralight limit (USA:550 kg) |
| Powerplant | 1 × Rotax 914ULS flat four, 85 kW (114 hp) |
| Main rotor diameter | 8.23 m (27 ft 0 in) |
| Main rotor area | 53.20 m² (572.6 sq ft) |
| Propellers | 3-bladed Arplast, ground adjustable pitch, 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) diameter |
| Maximum speed | 194 km/h (121 mph, 105 kn) |
| Cruise speed | 145 km/h (90 mph, 78 kn) |
| Service ceiling | 4,000 m (13,000 ft) service |
| Rate of climb | 5.0 m/s (980 ft/min) at sea level |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Rotor preparation has dedicated controlsM-24 Orion · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The cockpit guide identifies separate pre-rotator, rotor-brake and trim controls. Its checklist also calls out the cyclic-retaining cable.
Manual PDF pages 5 and 7; documented cockpit
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗A compact panel retains a yaw stringM-24 Orion · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The illustrated panel includes an engine-information system, radio, transponder and conventional flight instruments, with a yaw string ahead of the cockpit.
Manual PDF page 5
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Gyroplane controls rather than helicopter controlsM-24 Orion · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The M24 manual identifies dual centre sticks, a trim button, a mechanical pre-rotator and a rotor brake. The pre-rotator is used to spin up the rotor; it is not the same as a helicopter's continuously engine-driven rotor system. The cockpit diagram shows how these distinct controls are arranged.
Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.3,5
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗This manual describes a Rotax 915 installationM-24 Orion · Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024
The MSFS 2024 guide identifies a Rotax 915 iS engine. The older Rotax 914 aircraft in the pilot accounts are different configurations.
Official M24 manual · PDF page 6
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A comfortable cabin still takes some getting used tofliegermagazin · December 2014. Rotax 914 M24 Orion VIP with Mona Hörig at Mannheim; the MSFS 2024 manual describes a different Rotax 915 installation.
Schröder’s visit to Mona Hörig’s school began with a turn in its airline simulator before the real gyroplane flight. The new M24’s cabin impressed him with comfortable seating, ventilation and room between the occupants. Hörig’s demonstration then showed him an aircraft he found quiet, steady and enjoyable to look out from. Changing seats brought a less polished performance of his own.
Axel Schröder
fliegermagazin · Read the source ↗Side-by-side seating changes the conversation in flightLight Aviation · December 2010. Instructor’s M24 Orion report, including early flights in Italy; Rotax 914 configuration, separate from the later MSFS 2024 installation.
For Boxall, an enclosed cabin took some adjustment after years in open gyroplanes. Without the bulky flying clothes and wind around his head, he found himself looking outside more easily. The M24’s steady cruise also left him free to enjoy the surroundings, while its side-by-side seating made sharing that view much simpler. The arrangement mattered to his teaching as well. Instead of describing a button from behind a student, he could point to it directly.
Steve Boxall
Light Aviation / Gyro Aviation · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Magni M24Microsoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Magni M-24 OrionWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1344662234 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Magni M-24 Orion
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024
Magni M-24 Orion: The spring supplies gyroplane cyclic resistance.
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