Love the look of the Xenon - but a little nervous

[gwarwick]

just getting back into flying.

Gyros have always appealed to me.

The xenon looks wonderful and praise on this site is reassuring however I have seen some unpleasant comments on french web site http://autogire.nuxit.net/

I have also heard from other sources some cautionary words about not meeting specs.

Can anyone comment. I am contemplating buying one - a wide range of opinions would be helpful

Thanks in advance for any advice

[autogire.com]

Guy,

The Xénon has changed.
It's true that the first version with the Hirth F30 wasn't powerful and the rate of climb was bad. Now with the 914, I hope thats getting better (I have never flown with the Xénon, I only saw flying the first version)

About the weight, I don't know it, but be careful, I've worked with Magni and now with ELA and I can tell you that the manufacturers give you faulse weights. Indeed they weigh their gyros without accessories, that is to say without wheels pants, sometimes without instruments... and so on...

When you buy a gyro, don't forget your scale...

[PTKay]

I don't know the French history of Xenon,
but what I see since 1 year here in Poland
is a serious company flying and testing at my home
airfield in Modlin one machine after another.

All of them very well manufactured and
flying very well.
(I had a test flight in just one of them.)

Met Raphael several times and he certainly is a professional.

Haven't visited the factory yet, but plan to do it soon.

Just my $0.02...

[Cobra Doc]

I got a good look at Rob Dubin's machine. As a former helicopter mechanic, I couldn't find any fault with it. Rob can attest to the fact that I was all over (and under) it.

[John Stahl]

Guy
I feel that the proof is in the pudding.
I will wait for a few years and watch the results. If it is as good of a machine as I think it is we will know. If there is a flaw we will know it also.
Personally I don’t buy a first run car modal. I wait three or four years and give them time to work the kinks out.

The real test for the Xenon will be how the company responds to a problem with there aircraft. Will they blame the pilot (like the RAF folks did) or will they fix it.
From what I have heard they fix it.

John

[PTKay]

I wait three or four years and give them time to work the kinks out.

John,

this machine is almost 10 years in development,
flown and tested with different engines,
lots of "kinks" already sorted out...

;)

(...but you never know if there were all of them....)

[ventana7]

As Paul has said, most of the kings seem to be ironed out.

I can speak as both the importer and as a consumer.
Our first machine was/is truly fantastic. The things we objected to were small stuff-- such things as bolts with locknuts but not drilled for pins, wires going through a bulkhead without total chafe protection, etc.

We made suggestions and the factory listened and changed those things on our next machine and on subsequent ones.

I truly think all the big stuff was solved long ago over the 5 years since Xenon was concieved. And now even with the small stuff the factroy continues to improve the product and be responsive to customer input.

At Sun n Fun this spring people asked for air conditioning, fancy graphics, glass cockpits, etc. Raphael went to the drawing board and now just a few months later all those things are available.


Rob

[gwarwick]

Many thanks to all of you who took time to answer my query

If I can summarise the consensus - bugs ironed out or on their way - don't forget to buy scales

Thank you all again

[bones]

Guy,
As the others have mentioned there were problems with different machines at times but they all got sorted as far as i am aware, i will gladly talk you through the performance figures out of the manual, while Raphael and derick were here earlier this year, the temp was in the high 40C, and the performance was right on with the manual said it should have been, the figures given are worked out in line with international standards.
As for weights, my machine was checked a part of the Australian standards checks, at 286 kgs, that was with coolant in radiators and oil in engine how ever zero fuel, which is exactly as stated i believe.

Drop me a line again and we can organise to get together and fly, now that i have started instructing i am loving flying more and more.
Mark

[birdy]

now that i have started instructing
Bloodyell!!!!!, dose this mean there will be more people flyn round ere like you do??:boink:
[ bout time i retired i recon, not enuff room up there for 2 of us.]:D

[Resasi]

If it has been through Aussie certification and operate satisfactorily in those conditions it's a good sign.

Still interested to see how it performs against the new M-23 prototype, which is admittedly only a two seater.