I flew with my best friend down in Florida last week in his gyrocopter. He flew me over to Venice on the gulf side for breakfast. We flew just feet above alligators…wild hog…water lillies….what a freakin rush. It was the best flight of my life.
Stan
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sweet.
the best part of flying, imo, is looking out the window of a slow flying machine.
Dang
Only 31k for a kit for one of those. Could be a blast to have one. Minimum air speed of 12 mph, gosh even I could not hit stuff in one.
Looks like a heck of a trip. Thanks for the photos.
Only 31k for a kit for one of those.
Here's a nice one on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $31k. IIRC, Stan's last gyro was an RAF2000.
View Image
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Raf-2000-Gyroplane-Gyrocopter_W0QQitemZ320104919087QQihZ011QQcategoryZ63679QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
jt8
"The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide."-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In pic 89 there is a digital instrument than shows 342. Is that the altitudfe?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Eddie: Thats the rotor rpm. The rotor is not powered...but is run by gravity. In a turn....the g forces increase and likewise the rotor speed. Also...a passenger or more fuel increases the rotor speed. Its self governing.
Stan
If the rotor is powered by gravity, does that mean that in a straight & level flight the rotor does not turn?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
just for the heck of it, i'll try and answer that and let Stan correct me...
In level flight, gravity is still pulling the gyrocoptor down. This results in a downward motion which causes the overhead rotor to free-turn. The result is lift, transmitted to the airframe, thereby counteracting gravity and thus keeping the contraption up and level.
Forward flight is powered by a small displacement motor iirc.
Almost a perpetual motion machine?
Nope, I don't buy that explanation. let's say the copter is climbing slightly. Yes gravity is still in play, as are lift and drag and all the other forces. But if you are climbing, defying gravity, does the rotor turn backwards? I guess what I'm thinking is that if the propulsion motor quits and you go into free fall, then the force of gravity pulling you down causes the rotor to turn and you land softly.
But not in straight flight, or climbing."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Hmmm. The rotor is always turning and always acting as an airfoil so it generates lift. I don't believe the rotor ever turns backwards as it has a wing shape built into its cross-section. The rotor's angle of attack is adjustable though.
If forward motion from the push prop behind is maintained, I believe that rotor speed RPM levels yield lift forces that are greater than gravity. So the gyro tends to climb the faster it travels forward.
As you say, if the propulsion unit stops, then gravity is on its own and the rotor turns as the gyro loses altitude, thereby creating lift which slows the rate of fall to that of a controlled descent down to a soft landing.
I hope Stan pipes in here to set us straight.
I hope Stan pipes in here to set us straight.
Right. I'm sure I'm missing something basic. or just can't see the forest for ther trees."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Stan lives 24/7/365 with spirals: stairs and gyros. He'll know which trees to cut so we get a clear view.
<<Right. I'm sure I'm missing something basic. or just can't see the forest for ther trees.>>
You're right. It's easier to see and appreciate with a fixed wing airplane. The basics of lift, rotary wing or fixed wing, have to do with angle of attack. Angle of attack is the angle at which the wing meets the air mass or "relative wind". The angle and the forward speed determine the amount of lift which the wing, rotary or fixed, produces. The angle is controlled by the elevator, the horizontal control surface on the tail.
PS: I have a private pilot's license for fixed wing airplanes. My knowledge of rotary wings is not from personal experience, just theory and observation.
Edited 4/23/2007 2:13 pm ET by Hudson Valley Carpenter
I agree with what you said. But my hang up is that Stan said gravity makes the rotor turn. I'm trying to get my feeble mind to grasp that concept."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Without charts this is hard to explain. But...anyway....the inner 2/3 of the rotor disc is the driving region of the rotor...the outer 1/3 is the driven region.
A rotor turns just like a sailboat can tack into the wind. The lift vector in the driving region lies forward of the axis of rotation....driving the whole rotor.
It all runs with weight. One thing you must never do is go 0 G with a gyrocopter. The rotor will slow down very fast and if it goes too slow...then when its reloaded...it will start flapping and its all over. One has to be really stupid to let this happen though.
Stan
Wow never thought about 0g. Wouldn't that be a nasty surprise."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Can you autorotate it to a landing if the engine quits? Can you flare and build up "g's" in the rotor head and use all that stored kinetic energy to "cushion" the landing?Cool pics. Visually reminds me of about two months of flying around Darwin, Australia and Melville and Bathurst islands I did in helos one time. About twelve different things that could kill you in the beautiful shallow water, starting with the box jellyfish and ending with the saltwater crocs.
Ed: Absolutely you can land with a dead engine. I do it all the time. It lands like a crow. A gyrocopter has got to be the most misunderstood and best kept secret in aviation.
If you start doing a tight turn...the extra g forces are felt in the rotor and its rpm speeds up. You can use this to your advantage during a landing. Right before touchdown...you can do a tight 180 turn into the wind. The rotors pick up some extra rpm's and this gives you more lift for touch down.
Otherwise...you can fly it onto the ground....but why land at 40 mph? when you can land 0-5?
A gyrocopter is just a totally different and unique way to fly without all the hastles a helicopter will give you...along with a huge hole in your wallet.
Stan
Hey Stan-It's been quite a few years since I've flown, but I have a single engine land license with IFR rating. I got about half way through my commercial, then relocated to an area where I wasn't pleased with the available planes or instructors.How does this work with gyrocopters? I'm guessin' they're experimental. Do you need a flight physical? How about a biannual flight review with an instructor? When you take someone up, is it considered an 'introductory lesson' or are you allowed to have passengers? My wife wants me to get back into flying, as at one time, it was a passion of mine. There is a local airport that has many experimental aircraft. Thanx for your time....and inspiration.
John.View Image
<<88914.16 in reply to 88914.15
I agree with what you said. But my hang up is that Stan said gravity makes the rotor turn. I'm trying to get my feeble mind to grasp that concept.>>
A pine nut has two wings and looks a lot like a propeller, so it spins slowly as it falls and is carried away by any breeze. Nicely evolved method of propagation.
In fact, the gyrocopter's rotor is an elongated propeller so the pine nut visual works there too. As the gyrocopter falls due to gravity, the pitch of the propellor or it's angle of attack causes it to turn freely as it travels through the air mass and slows the copter's rate of descent. Add some thrust from the other propellor and some pitch control from the elevator and it all works to keep the contraption aloft and moving forward.
I'll leave the more technical aspects to those who've studied them.
what a buzz ,did he build it himself ? Love flying it is good