Bense MAC nostalgia

[gyroplanes]

Enjoyed your pictures again Stan. I found this one of my old MAC 90 Bensen. It was my best looking and flying gyro to date. I jumped on the Rotax band wagon when they came out, sold the MAC to a gyroglider flying farmer in Indiana and was going to put a Rotax 532 on it.

I didn't realize I needed to swing such a big prop to get equivalent thrust and that necessitated a new mast, motormounts, push rods, and prerotator cable.
So I sold the airframe to Mark Malek and built the machine in my avatar from the ground up to accomodate the Rotax.

[Brian Jackson]

Tom,
What year was that photo taken? Also, when did Rotax start making headway in the gyroplane powerplant market? That is one nice looking gyro by the way! Are you sorry you sold the Mac or was that particular move to Rotax a good trade for the work involved in building a new machine?

Thanks,
Brian Jackson

[StanFoster]

Tom: Niice picture. I still want my mac bac..... :D If just to sent in the corner of the hanger.

Stan

[gyroplanes]

Tom,
What year was that photo taken? Also, when did Rotax start making headway in the gyroplane powerplant market? That is one nice looking gyro by the way! Are you sorry you sold the Mac or was that particular move to Rotax a good trade for the work involved in building a new machine?

Thanks,
Brian Jackson

The picture of my gyro was taken in 1982. It was a beauty. The prop hub, engine mounts and all other steel parts were chrome plated (and baked) The paint was four colors of Imron polyurethane and the airframe was satin black anodized. It won the reserve grand champion award at Oshkosh that year.

I believe I first saw a Rotax powered gyro in Shelbyville, IL. at the (1983?)regional fly-in, it was built by Dennis Fetters. It had a belt reduction as the gear redrive wasn't available yet. He had belt problems and low thrust.

Dennis then worked with Igor Bensen on a Rotax powerplant for the Bensen gyro. Igoe wanted to offer it as an alternative and upgrade to the McCulloch. Igor's faux pax was to try continue to use the short prop and mast combination.

Igor was trying to spin a 48 or 50" prop with a 38hp engine, a combination that couldn't produce adaquate thrust for the gyro.

It was frightening to watch as Igor swooped down to build airspeed and then try to eek out some altitude, only to swoop down again. It was the best example of pilot skill in an underpowered gyro that I ever saw (until Alan Tatarian's attempt to make Martin Hollman's Bumble gyro fly at Oshkosh years later)

Igor was up in his years and starting to lose it. It was the last time I saw him fly a gyro. This took place at the PRA convention in Shelbyville, Il. I believe.

Had Igor listened to Dennis and offered a mast and longer (more efficient) prop combo as an upgrade, he may have brought the gyro market to the next level. Instead, Dennis Fetters worked with a local ultralight designer and came up with the Air Command gyro. The rest is history. Bensen went out of business a few years later.

[animal]

[QUOTE=gyroplanes]Enjoyed your pictures again Stan. I found this one of my old MAC 90 Bensen.

who had that Commuter helicopter? I bet most do not know that is the fore father of the baby Belle. I always have like that helicopter,that one looks like the single seat version.
they fly really great I have a video of one a guy had for sale back in 1997.

Fly safe
Tim h.

[Brian Jackson]

The picture of my gyro was taken in 1982. It was a beauty. The prop hub, engine mounts and all other steel parts were chrome plated (and baked) The paint was four colors of Imron polyurethane and the airframe was satin black anodized. It won the reserve grand champion award at Oshkosh that year.

I believe I first saw a Rotax powered gyro in Shelbyville, IL. at the (1983?)regional fly-in, it was built by Dennis Fetters. It had a belt reduction as the gear redrive wasn't available yet. He had belt problems and low thrust.

Dennis then worked with Igor Bensen on a Rotax powerplant for the Bensen gyro. Igoe wanted to offer it as an alternative and upgrade to the McCulloch. Igor's faux pax was to try continue to use the short prop and mast combination.

Igor was trying to spin a 48 or 50" prop with a 38hp engine, a combination that couldn't produce adaquate thrust for the gyro.

It was frightening to watch as Igor swooped down to build airspeed and then try to eek out some altitude, only to swoop down again. It was the best example of pilot skill in an underpowered gyro that I ever saw (until Alan Tatarian's attempt to make Martin Hollman's Bumble gyro fly at Oshkosh years later)

Igor was up in his years and starting to lose it. It was the last time I saw him fly a gyro. This took place at the PRA convention in Shelbyville, Il. I believe.

Had Igor listened to Dennis and offered a mast and longer (more efficient) prop combo as an upgrade, he may have brought the gyro market to the next level. Instead, Dennis Fetters worked with a local ultralight designer and came up with the Air Command gyro. The rest is history. Bensen went out of business a few years later.
Mr Milton, what an amazing story. I had no idea your history in gyros reached that far back. I'm truly in awe.

I'm really hoping to meet you again at Mentone.

Best wishes,
Brian Jackson

[Rick Whittridge]

There`s nothing like the MAC!
I`m Dedicated to keeping the Mac`s Alive!

[gyroplanes]

[QUOTE=gyroplanes]Enjoyed your pictures again Stan. I found this one of my old MAC 90 Bensen.

who had that Commuter helicopter? I bet most do not know that is the fore father of the baby Belle. I always have like that helicopter,that one looks like the single seat version.
they fly really great I have a video of one a guy had for sale back in 1997.

Fly safe
Tim h.

I was a Commuter II two place and was the forerunner to the Belle (Safari) this one was first flown by a member of our chapter back in 1975. They guy played with it for years, up graded it, had my aviation vocational students paint it, and sold it for $10,000 flying around 1992. I understand it's still flying today.


The Commuter helicopter was designed by Harold "POP" Emigh who also designed the Emigh Trojan airplane.

[gyroplanes]

Mr Milton, what an amazing story. I had no idea your history in gyros reached that far back. I'm truly in awe.

I'm really hoping to meet you again at Mentone.

Best wishes,
Brian Jackson

Actually, that was my third gyro. My first was a partially assembled stock Bensen (with the webbed seat) boat fuel tank, tube and fabric tail and MAC engine. I upgraded that one to become my second iteration by adding a Wunderlich instrument pod, Menzie mufflers and a seat cover (the gyro in the picture)

This picture was taken at the PRA fly-in convention in Rockford, IL. in 1975 or 76. It was the first convention I flew at. I earned my Pvt pilot gyroplane rating at that convention. The FAA had a representative always present. His name was Theo Moore. Theo gave talks (amazingly, one was on adverse yaw from ailerons) and did check rides.

This summer marks my 30th year in the club and actively building and flying gyros. I actually got started back in the early-sixties, before there was a PRA.
I always wrote to Bensen aircraft for pictures and information. Igor sent me the first issue of the PRA magazine and an invitation to join. I couldn't afford it as I didn't have a means of income yet (too young).

I have a bunch of slides of the early PRA conventions. I should have a showing at Mentone some night. Better yet, Fran Jansen (former PRA BoD member) has vintage 16mm films she will let us copy to DVD or video. Her husband Russ, was a Bensen dealer, PRA chapter president and pioneer gyro pilot.

[skyguynca]

Wow Tom, you are full of surprises!!!

[StanFoster]

Tom: You da info man. Nice posts.

Stan

[gyroplanes]

Ain't nothin' but my age showing!

[animal]

[QUOTE=animal]

I was a Commuter II two place and was the forerunner to the Belle (Safari) this one was first flown by a member of our chapter back in 1975. They guy played with it for years, up graded it, had my aviation vocational students paint it, and sold it for $10,000 flying around 1992. I understand it's still flying today.


The Commuter helicopter was designed by Harold "POP" Emigh who also designed the Emigh Trojan airplane.

yes i am very much up on the design,in fact I even have some very old air progress magazines and sport avaitions that have write up on them and the first adds for them includeing the helicopter trainer where they had a Comutter 1 on a castering stand. I talked to the guys at Safari today and we talked about the commuters and some of the upgrades that have been done to the Safari,I have seen a single seat Commuter for sale on the Vortech web site, and even though Safari would be willing to train me in one of their ships.they basicly told me I would be better off to pass on that machine.
I was not really planing on buying it anyway,but wanted to find out how you would get signed off legally in a single seater.
I am looking at that RF-170 that is for sale in the for sale area. I have worked out a good price and I am just waiting to get My Scorpion sold.

btw do you have any more pics of the Commuter?
kind of neat for others to see a part of homebuilt helicopter history.

[gyroplanes]

Here is another shot of my gyro at an airshow with the commuter II in the background.

And a shot of it flying. The owner and a friend used to hover it around and slowly fly the runway. One day a new helo pilot came around and said "lets try it" he yanked collective, dumped the nose over, shot up several hundred feet, and proceeded to fly it around the pattern. When they landed the owner / builder was white in the face.

also, here is a picture of my Bensen's instrument panel

[animal]

Here is another shot of my gyro at an airshow with the commuter II in the background.

And a shot of it flying. The owner and a friend used to hover it around and slowly fly the runway. One day a new helo pilot came around and said "lets try it" he yanked collective, dumped the nose over, shot up several hundred feet, and proceeded to fly it around the pattern. When they landed the owner / builder was white in the face.

also, here is a picture of my Bensen's instrument panel

That is a cool pic i bet that thing sounded good also,wish i could find one I could afford. I would like to have one just to play with and just becouse they are so rare. would be fun to carry to airshows and put on display.

sounds like the owner when for a ride..lol

[Jonvee]

This is a scan of a postcard that was in the documentation of the first used gyro I purchased back in 1980. Of course that is Bensen front and center. Ken Brock told me he is on the right. Dressed in black next to the black gyro. I do not remember the date of the gathering.