Microlighters

Flynote posted this article under the Xenon thread but without his permission (I am sure it is OK) post this under a new heading for comment:

Re: Xenon Gyro
by FLYNOTE » 13 Jul 2011 21:58

At last!! Back in the saddle again. And now I want to clear two things in my own mind. If anything unexpected happens in my Xenon I must above all and anything fly the thing before I try and figure out what is wrong. I also know that I am not flying a fixed wing so I am not going to stall followed by a spin. No stick forward and opposite rudder required. So I need to get it sorted in my fixed wing conditioned mind set that I have the freedom to fly at the minimum airspeed which is ... Ok, zero
Jip And then I come down big time BUT my forward speed is going to play a very comforting role in my connecting with mother earth IF I manage the ultimate touchdown sensibly. This is what gyros are supposed to do. So how often have I put this claim to the test myself.
Ok Xenon, I have been out of action since Gariep. Lets do this thing.
1500 ft agl above the numbers 29 at Tedderfield. Light wind out of the NW. No cutting of throttle with RST idling for just in case. Lets do this thing to see what it is all about. Mags off, master off, switch off fuel cutoff in cabin. This is it. The silence is suddenly overpowering deafening. The only thing one hears is the comforting swish swish of the rotor. Ahhh!! So the Xenon is still flying and not 'falling out of the sky'. So I'm fine so far. Keep her doing what she is doing. Fly the damn thing. I set my touch down target for about 50 m in from the numbers but no can do. I have just come out of a hover. Zero airspeed. No stall and no spin but as I look through the nose windows of the Xenon I see exactly where I am going to end up. 5 meters from the numbers and not where I planned. The numbers approach bloody fast. Ja jy wil mos

Ok, now why did you want to do this exercise? You want to see what will happen in a real emergency. Now you are in it. This is not a simulation. You chose to cut mags and masters so this is it. O hel, here we go! 200 ft , nose down ... Aaahhh !! airspeed !! And flair for a second or two and there she goes! The theory works. A slight recoverable balloon and I am safely on the tarmac. I start the engine and taxi straight to the hangar for a shot of caffaine.
So... Fly the gyro because it will. Go down in the hover to get your air/ groundspeed right down. If things go wrong on the ground you are at least limiting your impact speed which translates to safer margins. Get your airspeed back before" landing" to initiate a short flair and safe landing. In the Xenon , the area you see through the nose windows is exactly where you are going to end up in an engine out. Wher will it be in your gyro? Have you tried above a safe area ie runway with an instructor ... And then on your own for just in case, God forbid, you have the real situation confront you when least expected.

I always teach the students to always keep on flying-even if the motor is off...keep by the basics,& don't panic.

Yes Condor, this is an important topic deserving of it's own thread.
Most instructors don't encourage full engine out training. First time I saw this was recently at Aeropark.
I think it is a good thing. The plane flies differently to when, even at idle, there is significant airflow over the rudder.
There is less rudder authority with the engine off.
Training is experiencing potential eventualities in a "safe" environment so that you are not caught by surprise when it happens for real.
Why then not simulate a full engine out?

I think we need some input from the instructors here.

Must though state that we are not promoting emergency landing procedures without the engine running.

You must practise the standard simulation over and over again and discuss the engine out with your instructor prior to attempting this.

Yes we always say how save Gyros are but as Flynote has experienced, total different story without the trusted Rattax (or other) running behind you.

We all know paint by numbers but jokes by number is a new one on me. Yet I cracked these jokes all afternoon. It seems to be hilarious to some people especially petrol attendants. You stop at a service station , roll your window down and crack a joke! Try it. You just ask for 95 and all the attendants roll on the ramp in stitches. 93 also works.Try it and they howl with laughter. So after entertaining petrol attendants at various filling stations I end up in my hangar keeping my grounded Xenon company. This seems to be a good time to entertain myself with a thought or two. I take my orange boekie out of the grounded 95- less Xenon ( sorry for the 95 joke again) and notice that my lissence is current. Now the reflection starts. Am I current? Yes , my renewal comes up in two years again. No, thats my lissence, but am I current as a pilot? Yes man, I can fly this Xenon. I know my gyro. But are you current on the Xenon SK? Whats that? A new model? Yip! The Xenon SK is a totally different animal to the standard Xenon. The SK's rudders are much less responsive than the standard Xenon. Although the glide ratio of the Xenon SK is documented in the owners manual it is not what you expect or immagined when it is demonstrated to you with your spesific weight in the pilot seat . I think and reflect further. I will not dare to be PIC in the Xenon SK without first doing a conversion on this special gyro. Now the fun part comes in when you are happily cruising along in your trusted and familar standard Xenon. The next moment you unexpectedly find yourself behind the controls of a Xenon SK. And you are in the air! You realise that you haven't done a conversion on the SK. The SK is not responding to your inputs the way a standard Xenon does. Being on unfamiliar terrain you panic ,botch the forced landing and bend your SK. If you do not do a conversion on the Ela SK or MT SK or RAF SK or Magni SK you may also bend the gyro if you end up piloting it unexpectedly. The "SONDER KRAG" models are not a piece of cake to fly if you are used to the standard models. You need to be comfortable in your gyro while she is purring but also if she suddenly goes quiet. If you can manage her safely under both circumstances, only THEN you as pilot is as current as your lissence. Strange thoughts one has while you have nothing better to do than sit and stare at your gyro when she has no 95 in her tank ... Sorry the corny joke again. 95!!! You're not even smiling! The petrol attendants have a better sense of humor than you have! They find it very funny. 95 !! Still nothing? Oh now I see ... You are the moer in because you also have no 95 for the weekend and you so badly wanted to fly to Nystroom.

Jislaaik, Johan, jy moes in entertainment gewees het! Ek't 'n plan - ek sal jou agent wees...
Ps: Die goeie ding is dat die SK modelle baie stiller is en minder geraas het op die radio

For Ozgyro: Johan, you should be in entertainment! I have a plan - I'll be your agent ...
Ps: The good thing is that the SK model is much quieter and there's less noise interference on the radio, Mate

For Jean-Pierre: Johan, vous devriez être dans le divertissement! J'ai un plan - Je vais être votre agent ...
Ps: La bonne chose est que le modèle SK est beaucoup plus calme et il ya moins d'interférences de bruit sur la radio

For the Italians/other: See "for Ozgyro" above (I know you understand English)