A gyroplane and a motorcycle!

[Rando]

Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kxu543VwlA

[ARtraveler]

That is quite a ride. Thanks Rando. Has anyone here owned, own, or flown a gyrocopter?

The pilot obviously knew what he was doing. Watching it gave me the heebie jeebies though. That is up to close and personal to the open air for me. :yikes:

[Rando]

That is quite a ride. Thanks Rando. Has anyone here owned, own, or fly one a gyrocopter?

The pilot obviously knew what he was doing. Watching it gave me the heebie jeebies though. That is up to close and personal to the open air for me. :yikes:it wasn't me in the video but I have owned and have flown several gyros over the years. I still believe they are the best kept secret in aviation! What fun to own and fly.

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

Are they cheaper then a spyder?

[Bob Denman]

The insurance guy in me was cringing... :shocked:
There almost seemed to be too many things to be watching for! :yikes:

[Chupaca]

That has to be a lot of fun. Just have that fear I'll get the orange screen with limp home...:yikes:

[MisterP]

An interesting video, but if the motorcycle had gone much slower to keep up with the gyro, he would have had to put his feet down. I exaggerate, obviously, but IMO there were a lot better choices for aircraft that could give the bike a run for his money. I used to own a Quicksilver GT500 that could do 100 mph, as an example.

Gyros have always been a small fraction of the ultralight / light sport segment. They got bad press a number of years ago when a few broke up in flight. The term in my head is "mast bumping", others more knowledgeable can correct me. The market segment took a beating, as did ultralights in general from other unfortunate accidents with video available for the media frenzy.

The rather bland statement at the end about discussing the flight with the FAA after the flight was a bit misleading. That discussion should have happened before the flight, because they broke the law. Aircraft must remain more than 500 from any person, vehicle or structure in the USA. Since they mention the FAA I assume it was filmed here somewhere.

[Rando]

Are they cheaper then a spyder?My first one cost $4,000.

[Bob Denman]

At THAT price; Let's play two***! :2thumbs:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=111683&stc=1


*** With apologies to Ernie Banks! :bowdown:

[Rando]

That has to be a lot of fun. Just have that fear I'll get the orange screen with limp home...:yikes:It just happened to a friend of mine, engine failure. In a gyroplane, the rotor keeps turning regardless of the engine, hence autogyro or autogiro as another name for them. In this case my friend suffered a complete engine failure but no damage to him or the gyro. It happened to me once. Totally my fault.

http://www.macombdaily.com/general-news/20150713/gyrocopter-pilot-unhurt-after-landing-in-st-clair-shores-schoolyard

[Rando]

At THAT price; Let's play two! :2thumbs:The one in the video is for sale. Not sure how much he is asking though. Only 39 hours on it. FMI. www.rotaryforum.com or www.pra.org

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: I'll bite...
What sort of license is required, in order to launch yourself in one of them? :dontknow:

[Rando]

:shocked: I'll bite...
What sort of license is required, in order to launch yourself in one of them? :dontknow:As an ultralight, no license but training is mandatory unless you prefer the alternative to living. Empty weight of 254 pounds or less to quality as an ultralight. Hard to achieve safely but doable if the pilot is not too heavy since to keep the machine light, you must use a small HP motor. You are also restricted on only 5 gallons of fuel.

The one in the video is an ultralight gyroplane.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43566

[Bob Denman]

If that 254 pound weight limit includes all of my bacon double-cheeseburgers; I guess that I'll just have to watch... :shocked:

[MisterP]

If that 254 pound weight limit includes all of my bacon double-cheeseburgers; I guess that I'll just have to watch... :shocked:

just the aircraft empty weight. The manufacturer usually states an allowable gross weight, which is where the cheeseburgers come into play.

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: I wonder how much helium I can swallow? :shocked:

[ARtraveler]

:shocked: I wonder how much helium I can swallow? :shocked:

If you start taking lessons, please, please, please, GoPro it for us. It should be good. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

[Bob Denman]

...This? :D



https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=34yQay7wJIU

[MisterP]

PLEASE do not inhale helium, or let your friends or family do it. Death can occur suddenly and without warning. I hate when some celebrity does it on TV. Until a celebrity dies suddenly, the dangers will not spread.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/760299

[Bob Denman]

But you've got to admit; he had the most EXCELLENT impish grin... :thumbup:

[Joe T.]

it wasn't me in the video but I have owned and have flown several gyros over the years. I still believe they are the best kept secret in aviation! What fun to own and fly.


Humm, what are your thoughts on 'Bunting Over?' Unrecoverable, as I understand it.

I first saw a Gyrocopter when I was about 14-15 (mid-1960s). It was an ad in Popular Science for a Benson Gyrocopter. Man, I wanted one of those!! But, being a poor kid, I couldn't afford anything like that. A very used motorcycle was my limit. But, that didn't stop me from dreaming.

I was at a friend's house some time later. His parents were there and we were all sitting at the breakfast bar talking. His father was a B-17 pilot in WWII and was shot down over Italy. He still was heavily associated with aviation.

His parents were very fun people - always happy and nothing could cause them to get too serious. After all, they both survived the Great Depression and WWII. By the 1960s, life was a peach.

I mentioned to Mr. Bodycomb that I wanted a Benson Gyrocopter so bad I couldn't stand it. For the first time I knew of, Mr. Bodycomb got real serious and looked me straight in the eye:

"Joe, you don't want a Gyrocopter. They have a very limited flight envelope. If you manage to get out of the flight envelope, the Gyrocopter will fall out of the sky and you will die. When this happens, it is unrecoverable."

This was nearly 50 years ago. I remember Mr. Bodycomb saying that as if it was yesterday. He got my attention.

Having said the above, I really would like a GYROPLANE!!!

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess - - - -

Joe T.

[Rando]

Humm, what are your thoughts on 'Bunting Over?' Unrecoverable, as I understand it.

I first saw a Gyrocopter when I was about 14-15 (mid-1960s). It was an ad in Popular Science for a Benson Gyrocopter. Man, I wanted one of those!! But, being a poor kid, I couldn't afford anything like that. A very used motorcycle was my limit. But, that didn't stop me from dreaming.

I was at a friend's house some time later. His parents were there and we were all sitting at the breakfast bar talking. His father was a B-17 pilot in WWII and was shot down over Italy. He still was heavily associated with aviation.

His parents were very fun people - always happy and nothing could cause them to get too serious. After all, they both survived the Great Depression and WWII. By the 1960s, life was a peach.

I mentioned to Mr. Bodycomb that I wanted a Benson Gyrocopter so bad I couldn't stand it. For the first time I knew of, Mr. Bodycomb got real serious and looked me straight in the eye:

"Joe, you don't want a Gyrocopter. They have a very limited flight envelope. If you manage to get out of the flight envelope, the Gyrocopter will fall out of the sky and you will die. When this happens, it is unrecoverable."

This was nearly 50 years ago. I remember Mr. Bodycomb saying that as if it was yesterday. He got my attention.

Having said the above, I really would like a GYROPLANE!!!

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess - - - -

Joe T.A bunt over or power push over is fatal. That's where proper training comes into play. A good, modern gyro, when flown properly, will not bunt!

I recommend you join the forum and read about it. www.rotaryforum.com (http://www.rotaryforum.com)

Do a search for power pushover, bunt, CLT, HTL, etc...