Moments in Time,
Our Heritage
When we look back at history we see a series of defining moments - those moments in our lives which define who or what we are. The history and heritage of Gilo Industries Group is no different...
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A Year of Milestones
Gilo Industries Group attracts a $30m investment partnership with Kuang-Chi, a Chinese disruptive technology group. The partnership will allow the company to expand production capabilities and embrace exciting new manufacturing technologies to aid growth and success in the global marketplace.
In March, the RT600-EXE rotary engine completed 1000 hours of simulated flight testing, demonstrating the capability and durability of the Rotron engine well beyond its original scoped service life and setting a new rated time before overhaul (TBO) for the RT600, heralding a disruptive impact on the UAV industry.
In May, Gilo and Bear celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their spectacular achievement of flying a paramotor above the height of Everest. To mark the 10 year milestone, Parajet launched a limited edition 3-blade Volution 3 paramotor in Mission Everest colours.
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Martin Jetpack Engine Partner
In 2016, Rotron entered into an engine supply agreement for the Martin Jetpack, an experimental VTOL aircraft under development by Martin Aircraft Company Ltd. in New Zealand. Rotron have developed a new quad-rotor 1200cc engine capable of 200hp which replaced the two-stroke V4 engine used on the early Martin Jetpack test aircraft.
In October, Parajet launched the Maverick - a lightweight paramotor combining a titanium chassis with the Moster 185 2-stroke engine. The paramotor also featured a new PushOn netting system and modern polygonal fuel tank design.
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ISO 9001:2008 Certified
Gilo Industries Group enters 2015 with a growing workforce of talented and motivated engineers, designers and operational staff, all with a clear vision for the year ahead. In June the company becomes certified as an ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Standard compliant organisation.
Rotron starts to deliver customer engines to CybAero for their APID 60 autonomous helicopter and signs a new manufacturing framework agreement for Rotron to supply propulsion units for the new APID One helicopter range. The RT350 engine is also delivered to e-Go Aeroplanes to be installed in the initial production-ready model of their lightweight single-seat aircraft.
In December, Parajet begin the design and development of a new lightweight paramotor - due for launch in 2016 - aimed at pilots looking for an even more thrilling way to fly.
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A Momentous Year
In 2014, Gilo Industries Group experienced a momentous year.
Rotron launched their heavy fuel variants of the RT300 and RT600 engines; the first commercial-off-the-shelf engines available in this class of engine.
Parajet successfully launched two new paramotors; the Volution 3 with its four part cage system and improved geometry, and the Bear Grylls special edition Zenith paramotor with bespoke colour scheme and survival accessories.
Gilo Industries Group also entered into a long-term recruitment phase and aims to double its workforce over twelve to eighteen months.
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Rotron Expansion
In July 2013 work began on new manufacturing and office facilities for Rotron engine production. The year also saw testing get underway on the world's first 200hp rotary-powered racing bike - the Crighton Racing CR700P. The CR700P shows promise achieving 100lbs/ft of torque at just 9,500rpm.
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Gilo Industries Founded
2012 is heralded as a milestone in our company history, as Gilo Industries Group is formed. The Group forges a close strategic partnership with Martin-Baker, the world leader in the design and manufacture of ejection seats.
Parajet relocate to new, larger premises and launch the world's first entirely CNCmachined paramotor - the Zenith. A paramotor manufactured to give unrivalled precision and consistency in its production.
Design and development begins for the production version of the SkyQuad flying car.
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RT300 & RT600 Launch
In 2011, Rotron launch the RT300 and RT600 gasoline rotary engines which reflect a completely new approach to rotary propulsion by redefining the relationship between size, performance, efficiency and reliability. In June, Gilo is honoured by the Queen with an MBE for Services in Business and Engineering.
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SkyQuad Expedition
In January 2009, Gilo and former British army officer Neil Laughton, set out on an incredible journey from the picturesque surroundings of London to Tombouctou, – the culmination of two years of research and development to build a practical flying car.
Supported by an experienced team of overland adventurers, using an assortment of all-terrain vehicles, the 42-day expedition was an entrepid fly-drive journey through France, Spain and Morocco, and then across the Sahara by way of Mauritania and Mali, before returning home via Senegal - an intrepid maiden voyage of some 6000km.
On completion of the expedition, Gilo and the team undertook a thorough analysis and review of the flight characteristics as well as the lesson learned from such a gruelling journey. The results allowed Gilo to understand the challenges the team would face to make the SkyQuad a viable commercial platform for the technology.
In that same year, Gilo is awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society Young Persons' Achievement Commendation for exceptional achievement in aerospace.
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Rotron Founded
On successful completion of the Mission Everest expedition, Gilo continued to develop the revolutionary rotary engine that had powered Bear to 29,494ft. In 2008, Rotron Power was born...
Rotron successfully completes and delivers rotary engines for a number of MOD contracts and the Raytheon Missle Systems Killer Bee program. Rotron also forges a distributor partnership with North West UAV in the US.
Parajet launch the world’s first rotary-powered production paramotor, the Cyclone. The Cyclone boasts precise and responsive performance, high power-to-weight ratio and genuine design innovation. At its heart is the Rotron 294cc rotary aero engine.
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Mission Everest
In early 2007 Parajet turned conventional wisdom on its head. The aim, to pit two pilots against the forces of nature with a mission to be the first to fly to a height above the summit of the world's highest mountain using Parajet paramotors and reaching what explorers call the 'ceiling of the impossible'.
On the 14 May 2007 Gilo and TV survivalist Bear Grylls took off from the foothills of the high Himalaya, some 20 miles south of Everest in eastern Nepal. Once airborne, the intrepid pair flew north, over glaciers, towards Mount Everest. Once south of the infamous Nuptse Wall, a sheer ice and rock face that soars eight thousand feet high, the pilots began to circle and ascend towards their target altitude, achieving a worldrecord of 29,494ft and catapulting the Parajet brand onto the world's stage.
The expedition raised $1million for Global Angels projects in Uganda, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Mozambique; 100% of which went towards providing water, food, education, medicine and housing for kids and their communities.
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Volution Launched
Through his curiosity, and fuelled by the desire to improve the Whisper engine, Gilo designed and developed the 180cc two-stroke Parajet XT aero engine. This vastly improved power unit, which held little similarity to its inspiration, would become the centre piece of Gilo’s first paramotor.
Launched in 2005, Gilo’s initial paramotor - the Parajet Volution - was the world’s first paramotor to be designed completely from the 'ground up' and use an entirely metal chassis. Heralded as a milestone in paramotor evolution, the Volution delivered a compact and transportable paramotor with a unique aerofoil chassis and cage design offering superior strength.
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Parajet Founded
It all began in 2000 in a humble garage workshop in Wiltshire, UK. Having acquired his first paramotor and learnt to fly in the late nineties, Gilo started to design, manufacture and supply the first 12 litre long-range fuel tanks for the Japanese-made DK Whisper paramotor. Later, Gilo would secure the exclusive rights to the DK twin-cylinder paramotor engine and launched Parajet.
