Tandem vs Side by Side; Perfect vs Ideal.

[Jabbanaught]

Do you have info i do not have ?...

[Gyronaut]

Flynote, Vic - I am sure you recall our conversation in Johans hangar at Tedderfield.
I will be presumptious and assume you listened to my 5c worth of advice.

Stunning machines, stunning support locally and other than rotor mismanagement on the ground or landing on the nosewheel, I know of NO reason not to love these machines!

I am a convert and state for the record that anyone with an MT Autogyro MTO3/MTOS/Calidus or Cavalon is welcome to use my hangar space in Cape Town when you visit. (We have 2 permanent Calidii there already)

Jabbanaut, congratulations on your choice!! Please come and take me for a flight when your baby arrives.

[FLYNOTE]

Thanks Lennie! Jip the leap has been made. I have disembarked my Xenon on my profile and embarked the Calidus
Now we just need to get the woer woer here so that I can check out her legs! Hope you managed to get space on the SAA flight back to CT for that humongous trophy you received at the Aero club awards evening! It was great to kuier with you and Christine at the function but I am honestly saddend by your deteriorating drinking habits. Orange juice the entire evening !! Just for the record...Christine passed her flu on to me. Thanks Christine But it was worth it!

[Gyronaut]

Back to the pitch stability debate and Mak and my poles...
Please watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNSCGV_x_f0 at around 12:30. This guy - a real rocket scientist, uses the SAME analogy that I did.
I think he knows more than most and I agree with him.

[FLYNOTE]

It's been a long haul from Germany but she has arrived. Now for the proof in the pudding and aint the tasting gonna be a sweet one !
Thanks to Gerrit Roux who assisted in the unloading of the 4 Calidi inside the container. You will note from his expression that he is only assisting in order to check out that his Calidus behind mine being unloaded is not scratched in the proses. Check out his eyeline... he is not even noticing my gyro, only taking a very keen interest in what is going on in the rear end of the container.

[Grumpy]

Baie mooi

[Gyronaut]

Pragtig! Vlieg hulle al? Vertel vertel ons is vrek nuuskierig!?
O ja en wys baie fotos asb.

[FLYNOTE]

Had a lekka treat last night when Theuns and Ninnie rolled out the red carpet, brought out the Meerlust Rubicon which I as a red wine lover do not normally partake in due to the price of a bottle which just goes to show what a hell of a commission Theuns makes on each Calidus that he sells ! How else could he afford to treat his clients to the most expensive wine around Grappie grappie...not a good one but still a grappie
The entire evening was such a joy! The eats , the hangar talk, the drinks and oh yes...the bell of the ball ZU RJS
Bring on the tandems again!! I realised to my dismay that the factory sprays one or other substance on the seat material of the Calidus which I must be allergic to because after just sitting in the Calidus for a few moments I developed an incredible itch in my nether region. I will be doing my conversion at Kitty Hawk ( the coordinates on their website are incorrect!) on Saturday morning and then take her home to Tedderfield after the 10 hours approving flights. I firmly believe that this will cure the itch problem.
For now I'm a very happy chappy. Thanks Theuns and Ninnie for a great experience since the first day that we chatted about the Calidus. Everything from day one went smoothly and you cannot be faulted for your excellent service and professional attitude to the business you run.

[THI]

Baie geluk!! Many safe hours.

[mak]

Baie geluk Johan, hoop julle sal baie gelukkige en veilige vlieg ure he. Ja, dit is nie lekker as mens nie daai gejeuk kan krap nie.

[FO Gyro]

Congrats Flynote. Trust you'll have many safe hours with your new gyro. Do give us your impressions on your machine, and if it lives up to your expectations.

[Yoda]

Baie geluk Johan! Geniet hom!!

[crazydoc]

Baie geluk flynote!
Jy het saterdag soos n skoolseuntjie, wat sy eerste fiets kry, gelyk.Hahahaha. Enjoy en veilig vlieg! Goeie keuse .

[FLYNOTE]

Two weeks... two long frigging weeks out of town with a spanking new Calidus dozing away in my hangar and only pix to keep me entertained and drooling out in the gopse.
But the day arrived on Saturday! I was finally going to take her flying. Got back into town at 12h00 and at 13h15 I opened the doors to my hangar ... and there she was ! Shining in all her silver glory, shining tinted canopy ... and a flat rear tyre
So now to jack the undercarriage up. Ever tried it on a Calidus? Hell swaer ! Try a spot behind the right wheel for the jack and up comes the nose wheel. Try another and she flips to one side. Try another and she flips to the other side... 3 hours of frustration and no go to get that wheel off the ground. But wait... there is a solution. Tyrefix. The stuff in the can that inflates and seals. So I attach the nozzle to the valve and start filling up the tyre with the stuff that will sort out my problem. And I keep filling because you are supposed to empty the can...not so? Not so ! The next moment the tube, now probably at 10 bar, pops out between the rim and the tire followed by a bang reminiscent of a .38 special going off in a confined space. This is stuff that calls for clean sets of underwear. No replacement tube, no flying on Saturday. Sunday morning at 7h30 Theuns arrives through the mist and rain from Kitty Hawk to supply me with a new tube, show me the simple procedure of lifting the Calidus under the boom and putting Amerseal in each of the three tubes. Now...no more flats and we can fly at last, which I did for 4 hours only landing to refuel.
She is very fast. Very. I find it strange to see the ASI hovering at 100 to 115 mph all the time. 30" mp and 5000 rpm seems to be the sweet spot. 18/19 lit ph. and...fast. She climbs like a homesick angel. She is light on the controls and extremely responsive to stick and rudder inputs. Landing is a piece of cake, power off or with a touch of power on. The airflow over the rudder gives sufficient control on landing either way.
The enclosed cockpit is wonderful. The sense of space and flying in a bubble is tremendous. I found the seat less comfortable than the Xenon. You do have a numb bum after 4 hours but nothing that a foam addition wont fix. We always added foam to all our gyros. Nice thing about the Calidus is that apart from the seat which has to be "customised", she is delivered to you with a full house as specked.
The aluminium rotors are definitely a different kettle of fish compared to composite. Composite seems more "solid" in turbulence. You tend to feel every movement in the air with aluminium rotors while composite just sails through any column of air to ensure that smooth gyro ride which makes gyros so special. The plus side for aluminium is naturally the weight issue, cost and no pitting in rainy conditions.
So back to the initial debate; Tandem vs. Side by side; perfect vs ideal. Calidus works for me.
Am I biased? Of course I am! Who in his right mind will knock his own gyro?

[Gyronaut]

Jo jo jo it is a thing of beauty it is!

Congrats again Johan and I am really pleased that you are getting so much pleasure from this wonderful machine.

Hope to see you in the air somewhere soon, definitely in May at Gariep!

Lekker vlie!

Len & Cx