Thy gyrocopter is so slow and the controls are so bad I get to my destination faster with my minibike. Yes I agree it is easier to fly over terrain but that is pointless if I can get to my location faster with a minibike. Not only that, but you cant reverse in the gyrocopter. Almost literally, the vehicles kind of 'skips' when trying to reverse. Lets say it is the most realistic vehicle in any video game ever made. That doesn't make it any less stressful to go out of my way to spend a skill point and the resources crafting it.
The minibike has a max velocity of 7/10 and needs fairly level terrain to traverse. If you got mountains and hills between you and your destination, you typically need to travel around objects which will lengthen the time to get to your destination. The gyro has a max velocity of 9 and 15, and can go in a straight line to your destination once you get higher than the trees (some POIs are higher, but you can easily steer around them). So having a higher speed than the minibike and having the ability to easily travel in a straight line makes the gyro a better choice for long trips, especially if you are traveling between all the traders you found in a day when their inventories restock.
The gyrocopter needs a little bit of a runway to land properly and take off, though in a pinch you can crash land the gryo by slamming in the ground and then exiting it during the bounce up. You do it in the correct timing and you won't take any damage. If you run out of fuel, you will simply glide downwards and not die, so it is very safe to use normally.
The gyrocopter uses a pusher style thruster, which allows it to take off on a short runway. Because of the design of those types of systems, it does not go very fast in reverse on land (as the blades are not designed to push air in the reverse direction). It also behaves like a plane in terms of flight controls, but will be more rudimentary compared to modern planes. Modern gyrocopters have better flight controls, but you are building this one in the game out of parts you salvaged, so it is more realistic that the controls are not like modern airplanes.
I play single player, but typically have at least 3 of the vehicles by end game. The bicycle is typically my first as it is the easiest to get early game and improves my mobility, then I either wait for the motorcycle or the 4x4. I always strive to get the gyrocopter later as I find it best to travel between traders later in the game to stock up on ammo and parts when they restock. That allows me to do it in one day typically and then I just use the local traders for quests and normal day to day interactions. However, I don't use it when I have short trips as it is better to use a different vehicle. It is similar to tools. Yes I can use my pickaxe to break down a wooden door, but an axe is always going to be a better choice.
You died because you nosedived and had very little health to begin with. That is not a fault of the controls or of the gyrocopter, but clearly a death caused by user error.