Starting with training

[peterb]

Butch Brown from Magni South Africa has a farm in the ellis ras erea
www.magnigyro.co.za

[Condor]

Roelf Palm is an instructor and is based at Potgietersrus (with his MT-03)

Contact him at 0826537475

[MPL Pilot]

We,ve been doing emergency landings, power out after take off, the gyro is amazing

What happenned to the blade flap with this ? :

Hi Low Level

I must have missed something, havn't had blade flap.

We are so busy at work at the moment, have not flown for 2 months now and hardly get a chance
to see what is potting on the forum. We got a massive contract and have been doing trouble shooting with the machining of castings.
Pressure is mounting and the orders have been pumping, we struggle to stay ahead. Not complaining, acctualy bragging!
Johnny recons I should go solo soon, only if I can get to the airfield!

Fly safe
Pierre

[MPL Pilot]

Hi Guys

I will start with training again on Saturday 20 March after a big bump.

If I can warn new students, make sure all the flight schools papers are in order, the aircraft has a valid ATF and insurance, or check with RAASA.
Pierre and Willem are very helpfull to make sure you are on the right track.

Fly Safe
Pierre

[MPL Pilot]

I was amazed yesterday how Johan did a "obstruction avoidance manoeuvre", and turnabout on a ticky. We'll concidering how little space or rather distance is needed to preform such a "stunt" a person can understand why the gyro is a safe aircraft.
If there is an advanced Gyro Pilot course to learn all these things that experienced pilots can share, what an expierence it will be to fly a gyro!!!

[Gyronaut]

Not advertising or punting my services but just so everyone knows... I offer an advanced flying course at Aerosport at Fisantekraal. My latest advanced student has 18 000 ATP hours with BA and over 200 gyro hours. I wouldn't recommend an advanced course if you have less than 200 hours minimum.

I cover advanced short-field take-off's, teardrops/hammerheads/pirouettes/torque-turns back to point of takeoff, quick-stops, spiral dives/side-slips to landing, Vertical-descent landings and precision hover-taxiing and low-ground work considering all the hazards such as wires etc. Great fun-stuff but you have to have total control and not be 'head in the cockpit' to get the most benefit.

5 hours total and a huge confidence builder if done right.

Rgds

Len

[MAGNIficent]

Len,

Start a new topic with : ADVANCE GYRO TRAINNING

This trainning is so important and a lot of Pilots wanted just that.

MAKE it KNOWN, it is just the opportunity I have been waiting for to go to the CAPE.

[MPL Pilot]

Hi Len

That is good reason to come and visit you when I am ready.

I agree with magnifisant, it a good idea to start a new post, there is so much to learn from the experienced pilots.

Fly safe

Pierre

[MPL Pilot]

Hi gyro addicts

After 2 weeks of testing the UFO at Wagtail, I finaly had the oppertunety to start with training again last weekend. This time the instructor is Johan van Gaarderen.I have to admit, I have had a couple of bad take off's and landings, fortunatly the instructor gently helped me right .
Something that made an impact, that I did not realize before was, to watch the rotor blades with pre-rotation. eg: the moment the blade is higher on the left than to the right, move the control stick accordingly. This is where rotor flap start, and can be avoided. When the blade is 90 deg to the cockpit, is the right time to change it's course.
Have the contol stick forward as soon as the front wheel was on the ground!! And then the same as before, watch the rotor blade as the rotor speed comes down. Johan von Ludwigh says, you can see when it is going to happen, take corrective action!!
We'll I suppose all the gyro guro's know all these thing's, when I heard it for the first time, I wondered what am I doing here! Gellukig is oom Johan baie geduldig.

Fly Safe
Pierre

[MPL Pilot]

Since the previous training lesson, I realized, I have to get used to the ELA, it is not as nippy as the MT03.

Before take off this morning, I asked oom Johan if we can approach the runway like a normal landing, except, not to land. Keeping the gyro just above the ground all the way to the end of the runway. All 1.4 km of it.
His answer was, "If that is what you want to do, do it".

We'll, After doing it twice, just getting used to the result of input on the control stick, the landings I did improved dramatically.

Just for that improvement, today was a good day

Fly Safe

Pierre

[Gyronaut]

Hi Pierre

Keep the posts coming, I enjoy your enthusiasm and am following your progress closely.

Your instructor obviously knows what he is doing so please don't think I am critical in any way, I would simply like to assist you so I'd like to make 2 comments to possibly make it even easier for you.

The first is about rotor flap. Forget about watching the rotors and make a firm habit of keeping the stick firmly forward and centered at all times if your rotor RPM is below X. (perhaps slightly into wind if its strong side-on but still full forward). X varies depending on your rotor length but generally + 110 RPM for 32ft and 140 RPM for 28ft rotors. Blade flap happens when the advancing (into wind) blade flies while the retreating blade stalls. Neither will happen if the blade has no angle of attack or if both blades are 'flying'. The angle of attack is increased as the stick moves backwards. Once both blades are 'flying' (110/140) it will not happen so you can relax.

2. If you have a long runway, do some wheel balancing exercises. Full power, stick back, until the nose comes off the ground, then back off the power to about 75% and keep the nose-wheel off the ground with small stick movements fore and aft. As it drops pull back and as it lifts too high push it forward. All this time with the stick centered and steering the gyro on the ground with rudder. If it gets airborne you have too much power, back off power slightly and land again on the back wheels. You will be behind the power curve but so what, you're on or very near to the ground. Strange as it seems but this exercise has HUGE value in perfecting landings. The reason for this is simple. You become accustomed to the perspective from that close to the ground, your brain realises that its ok to maneuver close to the ground etc. When you come in to land next, do a shallow power-on approach, round-out normally (you will find you do it much closer to the ground now because your fear of ground maneuvering is gone), fly it as close to the ground as you can (theres that perspective practice paying off), slow down by reducing power, keep the gyro flying as close to the ground as you can for as long as you can by coming back on the stick but not allowing it to climb or settle onto the ground until you can't hold it off any longer. Keep the nose up, the back wheels will touch down at a very low speed. The result will be a greaser of a landing. Once you have that waxed you can start playing with the finer skills of aiming for a spot, compressing the whole lot into the round-out etc.

Wheel balancing has improved every single one of my students' landings immensely in a very short space of time. Keep doing it until you master it and you won't worry about landings again.

Good luck and ENJOY !!

Rgds

Len

PS, stand next to the machine and look at where your feet are relative to the front wheel - this helps in judging the height of the nose-wheel off the ground because it is right under your feet so tell your brain the ground is the diameter of the wheel away from your heels.

[MPL Pilot]

Len

Thank you for your input.
This is the only reason for this topic, learning from pilots with experience.
Your statement , stick firmly forward and into the wind seems to be the only way for safe prerotation. Understanding what is actually happening to the rotorblade before the centrifugal force stiffens it as rotor rpm increase is critical for the prevention of blade flap.
Now that you mention, "balancing the gyro on the rear wheels", it sounds like fun! Fortunately the runway at Wagtail is gravel and grass. With the little experience I have, it could only be a disaster on a tar runway.
I will ask oom Johan if we can do that, the more experience and confidence can only improve my ability for safe landings.

Pierre

[Learjet]

Something that made an impact, that I did not realize before was, to watch the rotor blades with pre-rotation. eg: the moment the blade is higher on the left than to the right, move the control stick accordingly. This is where rotor flap start, and can be avoided. When the blade is 90 deg to the cockpit, is the right time to change it's course.

Understanding what is actually happening to the rotorblade before the centrifugal force stiffens it as rotor rpm increase is critical for the prevention of blade flap.

Hi Pierre, if you don't have a copy already, buy or download (for free) the FAA's Rotorcraft Flying Handbook http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/ which gives some very nice explanations about blade flap and gyroscopic precession etc. I found it very informative.



All the best with your training,
regards, Dave

[MPL Pilot]

Dave, thank you, got the book.
Looks interesting.
When I see gyro pilots make terrible and fatal mistakes, what is it, that could have prevented such misfortune?
Only thing I can think of is to be informed and not taking risks, so all info is welcome to minimize stupid mistakes.

I read the topic of Old no 7's accident, and did not know, it is the pilot that has the last say in direction for landing and take off.
If I knew that a couple of years ago, at Plett airport, I wouldn’t have almost killed myself trying to land down wind with a microlight, because that was someone else's
choice.
I enjoy flying, but, do not want to injure or kill myself doing it.

Thank you all for information to make aviation a safe sport to enjoy.

Pierre

[saraf]

HI MPL

All I can say, Make sure that you get a experienced Instructor to train with.

The more you train the better you will become and there is NO substitute for training.