I have been daily commuting by air in my gyrocopter to work on the four cherry stairways near Chicago. It takes 2.5 hours each way by truck…and 1 hour by air. I cant count the number of times I look out the window at my escape machine that will lift me up and out of this urban jungle back to my freedom in the sticks.
I will post some pictures.
The first is a rain encounter I had the other day. I was well aware of it as I have live radar aboard. I knew it was just ten miles wide.
The second pic shows I-55 headed to the loop area of Chicago..with the Sears tower. The rest are my gyro parked in back at this homes huge built in airplane hanger. The detail in this home will be astonishing. My stairs are just simple solid cherry straight ones…..one of the four has a winder…45 degree section and a landing.
Stan
Stan
Replies
Wow, nice toy and nice house. Watch your head on that rotor blade.
Stan,
You're having entirely too much fun when you can combine the hobby that you love with the work that you love!
Yeah, I'm jealous... and glad you having this much fun.
Marc
for some reason... this is my favorite in the series....
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how many homes front on this runway ?
Mike: Every home either has a plane inside the house...or parked outside. The poorer people have to leave their $500,000 plane outside while the richer ones park their $1-4 million insides.
I was doing a back taxi to take off the other day...a guy was out waxing his $500,000 plane. I waved as I went buy....the snooty guy just looked the other way. I was flying trash. I may as well had cardboard wings and crow feathers out my butt. <G>
It is the best flying of my life, having that escape machine all fueled and ready to go at the turn of the key to take me home.
Stan
Better than a work truck. How do you tie down the rotor when you let it set outside like that, or is there even a need for that? BTW what is her name? I don't like calling it 'it'. That sentence is so Clintonian. Have a great, fun time...dan
PUT DOWN THE CAMERA AND KEEP YOUR FUGGIN HANDS ON THE STICK!!!I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
Your signature line reminds me of something a carpenter told me the other day, "I'm not very good, but at least I'm slow."
I had a good laugh at both.I wish I had a reason; my flaws are open season
Puts a whole new meaning to" I gotta fly"...where's the gyro tool trailer? Outside of the gates the trucks were unloadin',
The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees.
The man standin' next to me, his head was exploding,
Well, I was prayin' the pieces wouldn't fall on me.
DW says - "he may be fast, but he sure is inaccurate!"
Forrest - not respected
"we may be slow, but we're EXPENSIVE"I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
Stan,
The first paragraph of your post reminds me of "The Red Barchetta" by Rush.
What town/area of Chicago is the home located in?
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Vector yourself over Joliet Municipal (KJOT) and your about 2 miles from where I grew up. The whole area used to be my stomping grounds when I was kid.
so that what a Mcmanison looks like
BB
All big houses are not McMansions. The ones that are built well, designed well, are just plain "mansions"
Doug
Brookeridge?
Jruss: you nailed it.
Stan
the guy waxing the plane must be on the poverty side of the strip. who waxes there own plane unless your welfare check got held up in the mail. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
LOL, good point.
jt8
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."-- Mother Teresa
Might have been the hired help pizzed off he couldn't or wouldn't ever get the chance to do what Stan was doing......
I never understood peoples ways of being snobbish or arrogant, it is way too easy to say hello or return a gesture when they are passed to you. Semper Fi
"To be young and a conservative, you have no heart"
"To be old and a liberal, you have no mind"
Winston Churchill
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985
sweet.... guess you took the job knowing you'd be able to ....do exactly what you are doing...
weird i never found to many fly'n people to be snobs... didn't matter if they were fly'n a 150 or a g5... most were just happy to be talk'n planes...
hate the snob but guess he was mad you were have'n fun
enjoy
p
I used to do some work around a lake in Anchorage AK. Lots of planes on floats, One helicopter. Everybody was friendly and nice to everybody else until the helicopter was mentioned...
I guess fixed wing and helicopter are about like oil and water
yeesh. Next you'll be talking about how your ex-supermodel wife thinks you work too hard and wants you to relax while she pursues her career as a brain surgeon.
Nice photos . . . so where do you put the ladder rack? <g>
For the budget minded, there is usually a gyro or two on ebay. For instance:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KB-2-Gyroplane_W0QQitemZ190097656433QQcategoryZ63680QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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For a little more $$, you can have what I think was Stan's previous model of gyro
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Experimental-Gyro-Model-RAF-2000-GTX-Custom-Look_W0QQitemZ260101692949QQcategoryZ63679QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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jt8
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
-- Mother Teresa
Is that the one near Darien? If so, my old company's CEO used to live there with his twin-engine job. Also, many years ago I helped remove a bunch of trolley cars from a barn right near that strip.
Nice photos Stan,
Definitely cool, flying to the job and walking right into work on something worthwhile. I had a '66 Cessna 150 for about ten years. Flew it to work a few times when I had jobs near airports. I took my bike along and rode to the site.
The best times are getting up early and doing dawn patrol before going to work. An hour or so of goofing around in the early morning light and quiet air, puts a big smile in my heart and on my face. It's what I imagine Orville and Wilbur had in mind for us future pilots.
Just another day of commuting. The 4 stairs are coming along nice especially sense I am gaining 3 hours a day by flying in.
I leave in the dark...the first pics are too dark to post...heres the almost full moon later in my flight. The home is the one with the lake to the left of the runway.
I,m surprise they not a bass boat in the lake
It's nice to see the wealthy enjoying aviation and good living, all in the same place. I've visited with a number pilots who live happily on the airport, most of them in more rural settings and much less opulent cicumstances than your client.
I'm content with a comfortable room in the back of my T hangar. I can stay overnight and start fresh, before dawn, arriving any place in New England in time for breakfast with the locals and a day of exploring the area. Sure is a great way to leave the problems of Earth behind, isn't it?
Stan, cool house, cool pics and cool idea!
This has probably been answered but I'm interested for a couple of reasons. What is the range and speed of your machine?
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
blue.....I can cruise at 88 mph for 2.5 hours....or 80 mph for 3 hours...
Stan
Nice! Does it use regular gas? Do you just drop down to a Shell station and filler up?
I've got an investor that started talking about needing a helicopter to make the commute and I think he would do this. His route would be about 3 hours at 80 mph.
Edit: I just measured his flight and it would only be 119 like the bird flys. It would take him 3 hours by car or 1.5 hours by bird.
blue
"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Edited 4/3/2007 8:07 pm ET by blue_eyed_devil
I had another commute. The balusters are all on except the fourth stairway. I can see the end coming but will miss flying to work.
Really enjoyed your photo's. What make gyrocopter do you have? What FAA requirements do you need to fly one?I live North of the Golden Gate Bridge and work at San Francisco State University and how many times I have thought of flying home in something like what you have - I cannot begin to tell you. With no traffic I can make it home in about 45 minutes. With traffic it is more like an hour to a hour and half and I am only 35 miles away.My only concern would be our winds around the Golden Gate.Take care and keep the photo's coming.Stan
I too liked the pictures Stan. Like Mike I too was drawn to the approach pic....
Semper Fi
"To be young and a conservative, you have no heart"
"To be old and a liberal, you have no mind"
Winston Churchill
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN, 1985