The Turbo Golden Butterfly gets MLS system

[GyroDoug]

The Turbo Golden Butterfly now has an option to have a Metro Launch System pre-rotator. This new MLS pre-rotator takes the rotors on this big boy all the way up to flight speed, before you start moving down the runway. With 305 HP available for thrust, even with no headwind this big heavy gyro can now takeoff in about the same distance as the Monarch or the Aurora with a MLS pre-rotator. That's one powerful pre-rotator!!!

I'm pretty impressed with how fast it can bring those big rotors up to full flight speed.

Also note the big cargo pod attached to the side of the Golden Butterfly. It's even big enough it could be used as an emergency stretcher for a small to medium sized person. Probably wouldn't work for a 6' 4" - 300 lbs. guy. But it sure brings a lot more utility to the Gyro and the golden can be fitted with one on both sides if your trying to use it for a utility hauler.






YouTube - The TURBO GOLDEN BUTTERFLY MLS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm9fz3wH8o8)

(if for some reason the the above doesn't work, just do a search for "the turbo golden butterfly mls" and you should be able to find it.

[animal]

what powers it? I did not hear the engine running.
looks good.

[GyroDoug]

what powers it? I did not hear the engine running.
looks good.

Animal,

It's an electric pre-rotator. Runs on 48 volts of power. All you hear is the chain and the gears spinning up. Pretty cool.

[StanFoster]

Doug- That is very impressive. I have always thought a powerful pre-rotator is key to short takeoffs in a gyro. Had I still had my SparrowHawk, improving its pre-rotator was going to be my next mod. On a good day with no wind, 175 rpm was the best I could get, and 150 was usually the max. Consistent 200 plus was my goal. Its nice to have the rotor rpm,s up to enough speed where you can just firewall the throttle and go. With 305 rpm's, that will be fantastic! Stan

[GyroDoug]

Doug- That is very impressive. I have always thought a powerful pre-rotator is key to short takeoffs in a gyro. Had I still had my SparrowHawk, improving its pre-rotator was going to be my next mod. On a good day with no wind, 175 rpm was the best I could get, and 150 was usually the max. Consistent 200 plus was my goal. Its nice to have the rotor rpm,s up to enough speed where you can just firewall the throttle and go. With 305 rpm's, that will be fantastic! Stan

Stan,

I agree with you but I wanted to make a small clarification. The 305 number quoted in the video is the horsepower of the turbo engine and talking about available thrust to get you moving down the runway in a hurry. Larry didn't quote the exact number of RRPMs he achieved with this pre-rotator, but he did tell me it took the rotors up to full flight speed. I've never flown in a Golden, so I am not sure exactly what rotor rpm is typical flight speed but i would guess it would be just a little over 300 RRPM.

What the MLS system does, is take the rotors up to flight speed so all you need is somewhere between 20 to 30 mph worth of wind going across the rotors and you are airborne. In a single place Butterfly with MLS that means typical takeoffs in less than 100 Ft. I suppose that we are now looking at similar figures for the Golden Butterfly. That seems pretty incredible for such a big and heavy Gyro, but the MLS takes away the need to run down the highway in order to top off the RRPM and with a 305 HP Turbo engine pushing you down the runway you can get up to 30 mph pretty fast. That's still not a jump takeoff but it sure is pretty close.

[Greg Mitchell]

G'Day Doug and all,

Spoke to Larry today.

Larry's goal here is to be able to land and TAKE-OFF from a std soccer pitch, with cargo etc.

Those blades are really humming along.

There are more details to come regarding upgrades and additions to the Golden Turbo Butterfly.

[Friendly]

How are the chains released from the rotor? A bendix is supposed to kick out when it is driven instead of driving. Can you post some pictures of the chain release? I would like to know if the chain breaks it will not stop the rotor or jam it some way.

It did get the rotors up to speed very fast, for electric, it did it amazingly fast.

[bones]

1 questions if you guys know the answer, so you get the 48v easy enough, 4 of 12v batteries, bloody heavy though, but still fairly easy to get, but how does it recharge the battery pack?
Or what am i missing?

[Terry_Smith]

When I was in Texas last August, I saw the MLS for the Golden Butterfly that Larry was working on. And, like everything else that Larry builds, it's STURDY to say the least. I'm glad to see he has it operational. It looks fantastic! I can hardly wait for Larry's "other" plans for gyros to come to fruition!

[PW_Plack]

1...you get the 48v easy enough, 4 of 12v batteries, bloody heavy though, but still fairly easy to get, but how does it recharge the battery pack?

Bones, I don't know how Larry's doing it, but it's fairly simple with relays to put the four batteries in series for prerotation, then back in parallel for charging.

But those would have to be some meaty relays.

[GyroDoug]

Sorry everyone but I don't have details on how he is doing it nor do I have close up pictures of the system. Knowing Larry, I don't know that he is going to want to disclose all the details so that everyone can copy what he has developed. All I can tell you is he has developed a very robust system for the Turbo Golden (a very robust machine already) that takes the rotors up to 300 RRPM (very quickly) and allows a very short takeoff run (for such a heavy gyro). He did tell me that because the Golden has a higher liftoff speed (because of the weight) it will not be able to get off the ground in 100 ft like the single seat models but it will still get off very short (200 to 300 ft), even with a considerably bigger gross weight than most other tandem Gyros.

[Heron]

Mitch, soccer pitch? :D some kind of baseball mixed football?
The field is 70 to 100 meters long, plenty for a regular Golden to take off without walls or other structures on the ramp.
Good thing with electrical motors is that they have no fear, :) will spin up if given power enough and fast.
Golden flies at 350 rrpm, 300 sounds good enough to launch . . .
Glad to see it all getting there!
Heron

[All_In]

Very, very cool indeed!!!
That is great news!