Quality gyro-maintenance time

[Gary_in_Orygun]

This last Saturday I finally did something that I have been waiting to do for more than a year...I added a stripe and lightening bolt to the pilots-side wheel pants. (Those were missing since my tip-over rebuild.) The attached picture shows the mismatch.

Something so simple feels so good.

I also weighed my machine for the first time since the tip-over, with the new rotorhead and such. It came out to 860 lbs empty (all fluids installed except gas).

[CLS447]

Good for you Gary! Is that pretty much standard weight for the RAF?

[Gary_in_Orygun]

I think I have heard others mention mid 800's for empty weight also.

[Vance]

Hi Gary, The RAF brochure says it should weigh 760 pounds. What did you add to make it weigh 13% more. 100 pounds it a lot of stuff. As nice as yours looks I don't see all the extra stuff. Thank You, Vance

[Gary_in_Orygun]

The RAF brochure says a lot of things that may be true in an ideal world, but not always in the practical world. How many people can meet their build time estimates? Just about any manufacturer fudges numbers to make them look good.

My 860 lbs empty weight is not uncommon for an RAF empty weight. I would be interested to know if there are ANY RAFs at 760 lbs. My machine has one of their first fiberglass seat-tanks (which I have modified). I wonder how much heavier that is over the plastic tanks. Also, does their 760 lbs include oil and coolant?

Removing the nose pants removed 5 lbs.

My extra equipment included in the empty weight are:

- AvMap GPS
(getting a new color EKP IIIC gold unit this week
Wo-Hoooo :D )
- Icom panel mount radio
- ELT
- Strobes/nav lights
- Horizontal Stab (New Zealand)
- Sport Copter blades and head (may be a little heavier than original--includes beefier Prerotator Bendix mount)
- Carpeting
- Fuel injection (don't know if this adds weight)
- Harley Davison battery
(about 4 lbs heavier than cheaper standard battery)
- Custom sticks grips
- Doors
- Extra coats of paint on some parts (after my rebuild) probably added a little weight too.
- 2 Sigtronics headsets
- Intercom
- Anti-servo rudder tab
- 3 brass shutoff valves in heater plumbing
- 2 relays (Master and Alternator)
- Landing gear mod. (Don Parham)

438 build hours to DAR inspection and airworthiness

[Vance]

Thank you Gary, That is very interesting. I would be unhappy with a manufacturer that didn't tell me the truth. The things you added don't seem to be any where near 100 pounds. A little fuging is one thing, but over 13% seems a little much. Doesn't that throw a lot of other stuff off? Power to weight comes to mind. Thank You, Vance

[LARRYEBOYER]

My RAF weighs 849 with Blades and gas.

[Vance]

Larry, why do you think yours is so much lighter? 23 gallons of gas weigh over 130 pounds. This is most puzzeling. Thank you, Vance

[asmuzsr]

Gary
The Bunny Hugger, of Ruby as she is now called, came out at around 780. Don't remember the exact hours it took to build it but it was under 200 hours.

Tony

[Gary_in_Orygun]

Larry, subtract out the gas (at 6 lbs per gallon) so that you have empty weight. You didn't say how much gas.

Also Larry and Tony, do you have the original plastic gas tank, or the newer fiberglass one?

[Harry_S.]

For what it's worth:

My RAF, kit no. 324, with 5 gal. of gas, full oil, full coolant, wheel pants...weighs in at 848 lbs.

Included in this weight is the following:

Ken J. stab.

Alum. MIP.

Additional instruments, plus an Icom AC-22.

Rudder anti-servo trim tab.

AAI modified dual bearing rotor head.

AAE dipole antenna and associated hardware.

Two Sigtronic head sets.

A Sigtronic Intercom.

A solid Warp Drive prop hub.

Dual fuel pumps and fuel manifold.

Almost forgot...I have not installed the doors nor door hinges. Not needed in Florida. :D

I may be missing something but it wouldn't be too much additional weight.


Cheers :)

PS. I kept a meticulous build time log. To assemble the basic GTX SE kit, less paint and door installation was 365.5 hrs.

[Gary_in_Orygun]

So Harry, your empty weight is 848 - (6 lbs x 5 gal=30lbs)= 818 lbs. Gotta subtract out that fuel if we are going to compare apples to apples.

I added a few more accessories to my list above after reading your list Harry.

[asmuzsr]

Gary
When I had mine it had the old style tank.
Tony

[LARRYEBOYER]

Sorry about the confusion on the weight. I had about 5 gal of gas.

[r.coplen]

Tony,

I did a weight and balance on Ruby and she weighs 862 lbs now with the AAI mod kit. That includes an empty gas tank. (it really has about a gallon and a half in it after you pump out all the usable gas.)

We are going to do a weight and ballance on Randy Rogers RAF Saturday at our next Chapter 30 PRA meeting. I will or he will post his RAF's weight. He has a really nice machine with all the goodies.

I did a weight and ballance on my SparrowHawk and it comes in at 898 lbs. That is all fluids including unusable gas. I think I must have twenty five lbs of paint.

[asmuzsr]

Randy
You've made a couple of comments about Ruby's pedals. That because I had to move them closer for my short legs. Then they ar tilted back more. Did make it a little hard at first for me, but after awhile I got used to it. How is she? Tell her we miss her.

Tony

[birdy]

Hmmmm.......... reckon my RAF would be lucky to hit 600lb with me init and half fuel. ;) :D

[Gary_in_Orygun]

So Randy, 862 - (1.5 gal x 6lbs/gal) = 853 lbs empty weight for Ruby.

Come on guys, calculate out that fuel so we compare the same numbers. What is the SparrowHawk's REAL empty weight? Subract out that unuseable fuel number.

[tomhall]

Hi guys, I posted some RAF photos on the Training area under " School of hard Knox ". Tom T. Hall

[r.coplen]

Gary,

It's my understanding that you have to include unusable fuel in the empty weight for the balance and weight numbers for the airworthiness certificate sign off.

[KenSandyEggo]

There is no unusable fuel in seat tanks as the RAF's, where the 2 fuel-line fittings are on the very bottom of the tank.