Obviously most fixed-wing pilots know very little about them if they think they're death traps. There are lots of fixed-wing ultralights around. The explanation for this gets pretty complicated, and as I've already mentioned, I'm not an expert, so I'll use an analogy to help you understand. If you are familiar with maple seeds, then you should be able to understand easily. If not, look elsewhere for a better explanation.
Gyroplanes use that same principle of autorotation that maple seeds do.
Now, if an airplane can be thought of as a glider being propelled forward through the air, a gyroplane can be thought of as a giant maple seed being propelled forward through the air. If that doesn't help, I'm sorry, but that's the best way I can put it. It's easier to just accept that they can fly and don't worry about exactly how they do it. Below is a thumbnail gallery of some of the many different models out there. Click on the picture for full size, and click on the link below each to go to the dealer's site for that machine.