It's a done deal.

[KenSandyEggo]

Looked in my bank account last night and there was payment in full for my gyro. The new owner is doing it right. He has F-W time, so he's having his CFI (RAF trained, but NOT a factory CFI) flying in tonight commercially and tomorrow morning he's going to familiarize himself with the gyro for several hours. He says he's going to convert his own to a S-H configuration. I believe he flies with a stab. The new owner will arrive Wednesday with a trailer, get some flight time in and then haul her home probably on Friday.

Not sure what to do about the J-2 in Little Rock. I'd like to get her to California first so I can install an updated radio and a transponder and encoder before she goes to Charlotte. The prez of the Rotorcraft Museum at Ramona e-mailed me and said they are picking up and dropping off rotorcraft all around the country quite often, and he's talking some big-sized helis. I might get lucky and find them near the east coast dead-heading back with an empty trailer. Now I'd be quite a distance from Charlotte, but I guess I can worry about that later. I'll have the usage of a ferry-tank, so who knows...maybe I'll take an adventurous trip from San Diego to Charlotte later this year. Or they may have an empty trailer heading out east down the road. Decision, decisions. :p

[donshoebridge]

Idea: Fly commercial to SC just before ROC, pick up the J-2, stay a couple of days at ROC, then fly cross country home in the J-2. What a trip that would be. I know... Too big of a first bite in a new bird.

[KenSandyEggo]

I could just go ahead and fly her from Little Rock toward Charlotte with a stop along the way for the fly-in.

[Chuck Roberg]

I assumed you were going to get some time in a J-2 with a CFI first. Did you already get checked out. Sorry if I missed something. :)

[barnstorm2]

Congratulations!

[Harry_S.]

Ken; Play it cool...take your time...think about it...think about it again...then maybe think about it again...then make a decision.

But whatever...lots a luck, fella.

[GyroRon]

Ken, I will go fetch it for ya and store it in my hangar for you if need be.

[MikeBoyette]

Ron,
Then Ken would have two bent blades instead of your one :) . I couldn't resist brother!

[KenSandyEggo]

Bad man, Mike....bad man. Thanks Ron, I appreciate it. I was going to E-mail you to see about some hangar space somewhere. I will probably live around the Matthews area, but that's not a given. The smart thing would be to have you haul her down for me. The exciting thing is for me to ferry her from at least Little Rock and maybe San Diego.

Think about what, Harry? Check the title of this thread. Buyer's CFI will be here tonight and we'll go flying in the a.m. Owner will arrive Wednesday with the trailer and probably fly with his CFI some. Tyhanks anyhoo.

I'm not sure what I'll need to transition to the J-2. I do have a rotorcraft rating but I won't do anything stupid. Ron Herron will probably go up with me for a few hours. Would that be enough familiarization? I don't know. Any opinions from people who have actually flown a J-2? Si was supposed to come down and check out the guy north of me that recently bought one and I was hoping to get some time with Si. The guy put it on hold as he wants to finish his heli CFI rating first.

[GyroRon]

Ken Hangar space is rare around here, but I will try to make room for you in my place if you need it - you just got to promiss not to make my hangar look like yours with the junk thrown about! ;)

This winter I will have some free time on my hands and I could be hired at a good rate to build you your own hangar out at the creek if you want.... Think about it. Rent is only 50 bucks a month, and you could have a hangar built big enough for your gyro and a airplane for well under 10 grand and you own the building.

[KenSandyEggo]

"......you just got to promiss not to make my hangar look like yours with the junk thrown about!'

I'll be sure to sweep the gravel every once in awhile.

I may take you up on it (building a hangar), but depends where we finally wind up.

[Harry_S.]

Think about what, Harry? Check the title of this thread. Buyer's CFI will be here tonight and we'll go flying in the a.m. Owner will arrive Wednesday with the trailer and probably fly with his CFI some. Tyhanks anyhoo..

I was making reference in how to move your J 2, to Charlotte. ;)

Cheers :)

[barnstorm2]

I want some J2 pictures!

Any chance of the J2 at ROC?

I would like to try and go to ROC. The trick is making it into a vacation for both me and Lisa. She at the beach and me at the airport.

What are the dates?

[KenSandyEggo]

Harry........oh. :o

[KenSandyEggo]

Here's my last glimpse. I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't heavy. Here's the new owner, Larry Nicholson, getting ready to head back to Kansas with a stop at AAI for a few days training with Terry Brandt. His CFI that visited for a couple days will then take up his training closer to home. I know Larry will give her a good home. Check out his grin. While I'm sad :( in a way, I'm really looking forward to getting my J-2. :p

[KenSandyEggo]

Tim, this is the actual gyro I'm getting. My schedule is all up in the air. We have to sell our condo here in San Diego and then we're moving to Charlotte. The exact date is still unknown. I still can't decide if I should attempt to get her here and then install a new radio, TX and encoder and then worry about getting her to Charlotte, or if I should fly her from Little Rock to Charlotte, or just truck her from Little Rock to Charlotte. I really would like to get her to San Diego for awhile, but that may prove to be impractical.

[animal]

Here's my last glimpse. I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't heavy. Here's the new owner, Larry Nicholson, getting ready to head back to Kansas with a stop at AAI for a few days training with Terry Brandt. His CFI that visited for a couple days will then take up his training closer to home. I know Larry will give her a good home. Check out his grin. While I'm sad :( in a way, I'm really looking forward to getting my J-2. :p

that looks like a happy Buyer.,do ya think the trailer is strong enough?
I am going to lousiana this week to deleiver the Scorpion,wonder if the J-2 would fit my trailer. ashamed to be comeing home with an empty trailer.
and going to have an empty shop also for awhile.

Tim H.

[KenSandyEggo]

A J-2 is pretty big. I think the "wing" fuel-tanks would have to be removed also to fit most trailers. I'm going to get in touch with Mark, the prez of the Rotorcraft Museum near here and see about getting her here first. I need to find out what he means that they might be able to do it if I "help" with the costs. Depends what "help" means.

[animal]

A J-2 is pretty big. I think the "wing" fuel-tanks would have to be removed also to fit most trailers. I'm going to get in touch with Mark, the prez of the Rotorcraft Museum near here and see about getting her here first. I need to find out what he means that they might be able to do it if I "help" with the costs. Depends what "help" means.

well what ever you end up doing I hope you and it will be our way by ROC. would love to see it flying there.

[Rotornut]

Nice Pic Ken. Now to get ready for "The Big Show" Bensen Days 2006.
Sure would be nice to meet you in person, been chating now for years.

MJ :)

[Thumpernator]

WOW.

I didn't realize Ron was selling his J-2. VERY nice machine. I was lucky enough to fly in it with Ron a couple years ago in Arkansas. Ron lives close to Brenda's family.

You're going to love it, Ken.

BTW, I probably missed it, but why are you moving to NC?

[Jazzenjohn]

I was looking at the pic of your beautiful new machine and I have to ask..... didn't it come with a prerotator??? :rolleyes:

[KenSandyEggo]

Nope, John. You have to hand-spin the blades up to between 4 and 5 hundred rpm. ;)

Dave, property prices have sky-rocketed here to where it's almost silly not to cash in and move somewhere where homes are a lot less expensive. Our condo has increased in value over 400% in 10 years! We can use the equity to buy something a little larger (ours is a 900 sq. ft. condo) with a yard for Demetra to dig in and another investment property, free and clear. That's the "official" reason. Stefanos is in Charlotte and I miss him like crazy. We also purchased a small home about 80 miles north of San Diego that we're renting out. So if things are not to our liking in Charlotte, we can always move back to California.

[StanFoster]

Ken: Thats a nice looking gyro...and congratulations on cashing in. Sounds like you have a win win situation.

Stan

[KenSandyEggo]

This is the last photo taken by Larry just before I left the airport. He still had some chocking and securing to do and left later. My smile doesn't look too convincing, does it? Oh well, the end of one gyro-era and the start of another. Can I legally fly a certificated gyro with sandals and no socks? :confused:

P.S. Larry e-mailed me a Quik-Time movie of me spinning up. Is there someone I can e-mail it to who can post it somehow so you all can see what an easy 200+ rrpm looks and sounds like? It's a short movie of 1.6 MB.

[pwendell]

Can I legally fly a certificated gyro with sandals and no socks? :confused:

Only on the Left Coast. In Charlotte, you'll be sh*t out of luck. :p

[david holmes]

Ken,
You are in for a shock -- going from U.S.'s best climate to Charlotte. Last week Charlotte had TWO days in a row of 100 degree temps -- preparing for your arrival.
I'll NEVER go back to NC during Dog Days.

[C. Beaty]

Ken, you’ll find flying with swash plate control takes a bit of time to become accustomed to. If you’ve ever held the stick on a Brantly helicopter, you’ll be familiar with the feel.

Your RAF/AAI used a Bensen style offset gimbal head that provided feedback of a portion of rotor thrust, providing a stable feel and serving as a guide in avoiding disturbances. The stick on a J-2 will be dead except for trim springs.

I suggest you take a tape recorder and spend a few minutes with Ron Heron discussing dos and don’ts of the J-2. Ron is THE J-2 expert.

[GyroRon]

Ken,
You are in for a shock -- going from U.S.'s best climate to Charlotte. Last week Charlotte had TWO days in a row of 100 degree temps -- preparing for your arrival.
I'll NEVER go back to NC during Dog Days.

But Dave.... the LAST 3 days we have barely made it into the 80's. Yes it gets hot here in the summer, but normally we don't see many days in the 90's, and 100 degree days are extremely rare. It is humid here though, so make sure to pack some rightguard!

Oh and make sure to pack some clothes for the cold days too. We sometimes even get a foot or two of snow in the winter! :)

I loved living in Florida, but I missed the changing of the seasons. Here we have all four seasons. Okay Florida does have at least 2 seasons - Summer / lovebug season, and winter / snowbird season...... ;)

[Alan Coats]

Here's the new owner, Larry Nicholson, getting ready to head back to Kansas with a stop at AAI for a few days training with Terry Brandt. His CFI that visited for a couple days will then take up his training closer to home.


Ken,

Who is Larry's CFI and where is he located? I haven't found a CFI listed in Kansas. Also, where is Larry located?

I live in Oklahoma, near the Kansas border and have been looking for a CFI closer that Arkansas.

Thanks,
Alan

[Thumpernator]

I second what Chuck said about flying the J-2. When I took the controls from Ron, I was all over the place in the roll axis. Took a while to get to a point where I felt like I was flying it, instead of it flying me. Didn't find that same problem with pitch.

Ken, I would highly recommend spending a few days in North Little Rock, getting a lot of instruction from Ron. As Chuck said, a tape recorder would be an excellent idea.

Damn, I should have bought it from Ron when he offered it that day. Trouble was, I don't think Ron would have taken an IOU. :)

[KenSandyEggo]

Chuck, Ron made me aware of the lack of feel/feed-back in the roll axis and that it takes some getting used to. I'm hoping to get out there after he comes back from Oshkosh and do some flying with him. Never sat in a Brantly.

Greg Bradley will be Larry's CFI. He lives in Texas and instructs for Air Command at Caddo Mills. I can't think of the small town in western Kansas that Larry lives in. Greg has some RAF time and in fact was building one. He stopped construction when he saw the CLT design from AAI and is going to convert his before he finishes it. He'll be instructing Larry in his new gyro (my old one). He came out and we flew for a few hours before Larry loaded it up. He practiced take-offs, air maneuvers and landings from the right seat with me in the left.

[bartc150]

Okay Florida does have at least 2 seasons - Summer / lovebug season, and winter / snowbird season...... ;)[/QUOTE]


Ron, you nailed that one.

[GyroRon]

Okay Florida does have at least 2 seasons - Summer / lovebug season, and winter / snowbird season...... ;)


Ron, you nailed that one.[/QUOTE]

Bart I used to live not too far from where you live now. I was in the southeastern part of Cape Coral right on Coronado Parkway.

The slogan the locals liked to use to describe Cape Coral - and most of southwest Florida in General - is..... Welcome to Cape Coral, Home of the Newly Wed and the Nearly Dead! :eek: :D

[bartc150]

I'm originally from Port Charlotte. I had to move to the country to get away from the traffic, and Q-tips. :D

[davreich]

Hi,
Ran across this on EBAY. Thought Ken might especially be interested.

McCulloch Aircraft J-2 Gyroplane and How To Fly It Book Item number: 6550326296