Ebay Air Command

['cycleflyer]

This looks interesting- Any one have a comment onthis old gyro?

[Scary Gary]

What old gyro?

[wdr_601]

What old gyro?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Air-Command-447-gyroplane-gyrocopter-/270732379536?pt=Motors_Aviation_Parts_Gear&hash=item3f08e84590

It must be this one.

['cycleflyer]

Yes this is the one. I'm real curious about this one. Is it better than a Benson ?

[BoneyM]

Too late I am bidding on it, that's a great price, and its just over the border from my home town.

[automan1223]

Nice old widowmaker, You could turn the engine right side up, get a quote from Air command to make it a CLT model and you could have one nice flying gyro.

J

[Friendly]

For that price it is better than a Bensen. The modifications to make it eaiser to fly would not run the price up by much and you would have a sweet little gyro. Look at Rotorhead's videos of his aircommand.

[SideKick]

That one looks just like mine did three years ago when I bought it. The only differences were that mine had no guages and brakes on the mains with the same pre-rotator and mine was not a legal ultralight. I think the pre rotatator would have to come off to bring the weight down to legal.

['cycleflyer]

Yeh, it looks like fun . Why the big deal about CLT ? Evere see Garry Goldsberry fly his old Benson ?

[Passin' Thru]

Yeh, it looks like fun . Why the big deal about CLT ? Evere see Garry Goldsberry fly his old Benson ?

Would you believe his old Bensen is VERY close to CLT? :rolleyes:

[gyronutjoe]

I think their was a recall of some kind on the mast having fatigue cracks in the single mast and have to replace it with a double tube mast.

[Timchick]

Yeh, it looks like fun . Why the big deal about CLT ? Evere see Garry Goldsberry fly his old Benson ?

Gary Goldsberry's Bensen has a direct drive engine with a prop pretty close to 52". The Air commands have a gear box and a larger prop, higher thrustline. You can not compare a low rider air command to a Bensen.

[Gyro28866]

Thanks Tim
For stating that you cannot compare and apple to a peach!

[BoneyM]

Getting back to the topic, is this machine worth the money, I see the price has gone up again, and I am sure at the end of the auction it will be four times that price set now.

['cycleflyer]

Good point on CLT Benson VS AC.
I'm looking to own a SIMPLE gyro that will fit into a garage with 8' high doors. Why not use Mc. eng. with a FOUR blade (smaller Diameter ) prop to achieve even lower thrust ?
AND has any one ever considered a electric motor to attach to gear hub , then leave motor on ground after spool up ?

[Timchick]

A Bensen with a Mac engine does not have a thrustline problem. People get away from the mac engines because they can be finicky and hard to find parts for. I put a Rotax 503 on my KB-2 (modified Bensen) and kept a short 52" prop on it so the thrust line would stay the same. I had to use 2:1 gears in the gear box for the short prop. It flew pretty good but I think if I had it to do all over I'd like to try a short prop conversion with a Rotax 582. My old KB-2 was flying down at Bensen Days. Several people were flying it. The new owner is still taking lessons.

[Friendly]

Good point on CLT Benson VS AC.
I'm looking to own a SIMPLE gyro that will fit into a garage with 8' high doors. Why not use Mc. eng. with a FOUR blade (smaller Diameter ) prop to achieve even lower thrust ?
AND has any one ever considered a electric motor to attach to gear hub , then leave motor on ground after spool up ?

The Mac engine allows a lower mast and still remain near CLT.

You might make a remote prerotor work, but you can not leave it on the runway and you need to begin your taxi immediately after rotor spin up.

Gyros look very simple in construction which leaves one to believe the design is simple. They are not simple. There is too much to go into. You will just have to do your homework and read, read, read.

For a beginner, it is far better to get a good used gyro at a fair market price, than to buy something too cheap and spend a fortune to get it stable in flight.
Please join a local PRA chapter and go to some flyin , talk and learn. That is your cheapest and best investment.
Its not to steer you away from any purchase. Just want you to be happy and stay with us.

mark

[Mike484]

Unless there's someone waiting to jump in at the last few minutes of the auction it looks like this would be a great buy, wish I had a way to get it from New York to Texas, I would jump all over this one.

[NoWingsAttached]

Tell you what. You guys chew on all the things that are wrong with it while i bid n buy it. it needs to be taken apart, every nut and bolt, and gone over, but guess what? I can turn it into a CLT in three weekends for under $250.00. SO I vote, "so what", and say it is a GREAT project for a seasoned builder but you should probably not buy it and fly it as is, especially as first gyro.

[Riff Raf]

Dang!
The rotor blades and hub bar are worth the price.
Wish I was close to NY.

[SideKick]

I was considering going to NY to get this thing if it stayed around 2000.00 to use it for parts. I ended up selling for $ 7100.00. Someone must have wanted it realy bad.

[Gyro28866]

That bird sold for $7100.00. WOW.

[Scary Gary]

Yeah WOW !!!!!

[Bill]

So did anyone in our Forum win it?? $7k+ isn't out of line for a low-time AC 447.

[BoneyM]

Not I :(, I did have my wife bidding but after 2000.00 she gave up and the price I think was 7100.00 at the end of things.

[gyro john]

cycleflyer did you get the highest bid?

['cycleflyer]

No I did not.I have stood on the ramp and watched Goldberry do his rodeo in a 'box' and think a Benson with a Mac or 1/2 VW is the way to go.

[gyromike]

I doubt a half-VW would fly a Bensen very well, if at all. They only put out 35 to 40 HP.
A full VW would work, but they weigh about 50 lbs. more than a Mac.