Gyroplanes

Talk about airplanes! At last count, there are 39 (and growing) FAA certificated S-LSA (special light sport aircraft). These are factory-built ready to fly airplanes. If you can't afford a factory-built LSA, consider buying an E-LSA kit (experimental LSA - up to 99% complete).

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Edgefly
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Gyroplanes

Post by Edgefly »

Any of the folks here have a Gyroplane flying ?

Dale
RotorRambler
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by RotorRambler »

Edgefly wrote:Any of the folks here have a Gyroplane flying ?

Dale
Hi Dale

I'm currently between gyroplanes and hope to be in another one soon.

What's your interest in gyroplanes? Fly one? Have one? Want one?

Ira
Ira McComic
http://www.Light-SportGyroplanes.com
Interested in gyroplanes?
Click below to learn more about this book at Amazon.
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Edgefly
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Edgefly »

Ira,
I am in the learn-about phase. I've done a little research online and have had an interest in this type of vehicle for some time now. No question they have been slow catching on but I think they could be a part of personal flying which grows significantly in the next few years. I can envision where it might fit into my flight mission inasmuch as I'm located in a rural area about 30 miles equidistant from the two closest public airports. I do own a few flat acres and have very often thought about my own strip which would end up being about 1200 ft long and with actual obstacles of 50-75 ft right at the edges of the strip. I am currently flying an Aeronca Chief and could make it mostly with ease but, there always those hot August days and my pattern activities would possibly be of concern to others. Obviously, this is an agricultural area and probably not a problem as far as the people around me but this is one of those planning considerations. and there are STOL aircraft which can handle the physical situation. It may be depending on the vertical angle with respect to the runway achievable with a Gyro that many of these problems go away. The cross country speed and travel comfort available are other factors and I haven't found that information in any broad sense. But then, I generally fly to go somewhere not to play jet jock or impress the locals with my derringer do so I can imagine a compatibility between my desires and Gyro machine. From what little information I have, it seems the cost factor will be much the same as a new LSA.

Thanks for your input. I'll check out your reference material.

Dale
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drseti
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by drseti »

Edgefly wrote:I am in the learn-about phase.
I am also in the learn-about phase, Dale. The best resource I have found to date is -- Ira's book! (Bought one on Amazon.)
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
RotorRambler
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by RotorRambler »

Edgefly wrote:Ira,
I am in the learn-about phase. I've done a little research online and have had an interest in this type of vehicle for some time now. No question they have been slow catching on but I think they could be a part of personal flying which grows significantly in the next few years. I can envision where it might fit into my flight mission inasmuch as I'm located in a rural area about 30 miles equidistant from the two closest public airports. I do own a few flat acres and have very often thought about my own strip which would end up being about 1200 ft long and with actual obstacles of 50-75 ft right at the edges of the strip. I am currently flying an Aeronca Chief and could make it mostly with ease but, there always those hot August days and my pattern activities would possibly be of concern to others. Obviously, this is an agricultural area and probably not a problem as far as the people around me but this is one of those planning considerations. and there are STOL aircraft which can handle the physical situation. It may be depending on the vertical angle with respect to the runway achievable with a Gyro that many of these problems go away. The cross country speed and travel comfort available are other factors and I haven't found that information in any broad sense. But then, I generally fly to go somewhere not to play jet jock or impress the locals with my derringer do so I can imagine a compatibility between my desires and Gyro machine. From what little information I have, it seems the cost factor will be much the same as a new LSA.

Thanks for your input. I'll check out your reference material.

Dale
Dale,

You may not be at this point yet, but ideally I think the best way to discover how well a gyroplane may suit you and your situation is to talk with an instructor and arrange some introductory lessons. You can find a list of instructors at
http://light-sportgyroplanes.com/instructors.php

Best wishes for your new adventures.

And, Paul, thanks for the endorsement.

Ira
Ira McComic
http://www.Light-SportGyroplanes.com
Interested in gyroplanes?
Click below to learn more about this book at Amazon.
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c162pilot
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by c162pilot »

About two years ago I had the opportunity of flying the AutoGyro Cavalon at Bay Bridge Airport in MD. From my recollection it was a lot of fun, more like flying a fixed wing than a helicopter. We flew low and slow over the Chesapeake Bay at about 1,000 feet at around 90 Kts. As you may know you can not purchase ready to fly S-LSA AutoGyros in the USA they have to be assembled from kits. Having grown up in Europe where AutoGyros are more popular I have always wanted to fly in one since I saw 'Little Nellie' in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. I am not sure I would feel comfortable on an open air Autogyro but the enclosed cabin of the Cavalon was very conformable and secure feeling and had a high quality of fit and finish. I was surprised to learn that Autogyros or Gyroplanes need more power to push them through the air due to the drag from the rotor and there fore are not as efficient as standard S-LSA from either a speed or gph perspective, the Cavalon that I flew had a Rotax 914. Both takeoff (due to the pre-rotator) and landing where exceptionally short and I could see the benefit of autogyros when you only have a small landing strip to get in and out of. I am not sure if the Cavalon would be an ideal cross country machine but I know it has been flown to Florida from Bay Bridge in a few stops. Just my thoughts.
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zaitcev
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by zaitcev »

RotorRambler wrote:You can find a list of instructors at
http://light-sportgyroplanes.com/instructors.php
Not bad... I was just about to ask Dr. Shuch if he were going to teach himself to fly a gyro by watching a Ken Brock video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb8FmjIWvP0
roger lee
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by roger lee »

I flew Gyros back in the 1980's. Taught myself Gyro's after I taught myself to fly Ultralights and reading those books was everything. I can remember my first flight like it was yesterday.There where no two seats and trainers in those days. Flew Gyro's for about 3 years. They have a few of their own quirks. Things like induced blade oscillation from the pilot or poor handling on rough ground, ect.. Then off to helicopters for 6 years and it was all a great time.

What great memories.
Fly everything and leave nothing behind. :)
Roger Lee
Tucson, Az.
LSRM-A, Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
(520) 574-1080 (Home) Try Home First.
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drseti
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by drseti »

zaitcev wrote: I was just about to ask Dr. Shuch if he were going to teach himself to fly a gyro by watching a Ken Brock video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb8FmjIWvP0
Nice video, to be sure. But (to paraphrase the old lawyer joke) a CFI who teaches himself to fly has a fool for a student.
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
facebook.com/SportFlying
SportPilotExaminer.US
rgstubbsjr
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by rgstubbsjr »

Flew a few Bensons, back in the day. The instructions I received were: Push this and go some direction. Go fast to go up, go slow to come down. Keep it moving, don't let it stall.
I didn't break anything (or anyone) so I guess I did it right. They were fun, but quirky is a serious understatement. I see the new Gyros are a lot more sophisticated. I'd like to try again, one of these days.
Wm.Ince
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Wm.Ince »

roger lee wrote:. . . "Then off to helicopters for 6 years and it was all a great time." . . .
What great memories.
Fly everything and leave nothing behind. :)
Another rotor head . . . who woulda' thunk it? . . . . :D
Bill Ince
LSRI
Retired Heavy Equipment Operator
Vance Breese
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Vance Breese »

I fly a Cavalon by Auto Gyro GMBH.
She is an enclosed two place side by side that weighs 650 pounds and is powered by a Rotax 914.
She came in three big boxes and took three of us three weeks to put her together.
I fly out of Santa Maria, California and been known to give people who weigh less than 242 pounds a ride.
To learn more about the Cavalon go to www.airgyro.com.
Regards, Vance Breese
Rotorcraft, Gyroplane CFI
KSMX
Edgefly
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Edgefly »

Well, I've now spent a week or so scavanging the internet, Youtube and other entities finding out about Gyroplanes, their performance and availability and capability. I haven't been able to establish their ability to make landings and take--0ffs inside a roughly 1/4 sq mile area without using a more or less conventional pattern and approach as fixed-wing aircraft. There are some advertising shots showing near vertical "jump-starts and some talk about very limited space requirements for landing. However, it appears to be much the same as SuperSTOL aircraft where peak performance is measurd by the distance from where the first touchdown is made to the point where the tires stop rolling. Amazing ZZ' !! Yes, but totally ignores the fact that no obstacle clearance is achieved and the three mile final with engine blazing and creeping upon the touchdown point from an inglorious altitude of 10' AGL belies what I consider STOL. I hope I'm wrong but I'm afraid STOL performance of Gyros is not really different. Please let me know if you know something different.
Vance Breese
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Vance Breese »

I don’t disagree with your research.
I have been banned from the spot landing at several aviation events because people feel I have an unfair advantage flying a gyroplane. I have won most that I have been allowed to compete in.
The only real advantage a gyroplane has is it won’t stall or spin. I can fly straight and level at 17kts and if I fly slower she simply descends under complete control.
Because of the high wing loading I don’t get bounced around in turbulence as much as a fixed wing.
If the mission is just short takeoff and landing I suspect there are many airplanes designed for that would suffice in your situation.
I love flying the Cavalon and find it suits me well.
Most of my flights are less than 200 miles and the Sothern California coast where I fly is well known for turbulence and poor landing areas.
Regards, Vance Breese
Rotorcraft, Gyroplane CFI
KSMX
Edgefly
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Re: Gyroplanes

Post by Edgefly »

An interesting link posted about rotary wing aircraft on POA-

http://boba dusty.com/aviation/chopper101.html

Maybe affects any of us out there with helicopter or Gyrocopter companion traffic. Might be especially useful in the Gas fields of Northern Pa. Spring 2014 brought out a lot of small helicopters simply flying supplies to drilling sites. Most of which were slinging gear s15-20 ft below the skids and using no radio comms at all on uncontrolled airfields. I think the practices highlighted in the link are meaningful to any pilot and especially at uncontrolled airports.

Dale
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