More Illinois views

[StanFoster]

I was really enjoying myself flying finally under sunny conditions over Illinois Saturday.

[StanFoster]

another view

[StanFoster]

I am loving this machine

[Chuck Irby]

Nice shots Stan. Do you always have a grin on your face when you're off the ground. I probably do. Beautiful farm land and many good places to land just in the case of a PO. I really like the instrument panel also.

[StanFoster]

Chuck: Thanks. I of course was self taking that picture..so had to fake the grin.... :) Actually it was such a nice flight yesterday...I just meandered around,,,no particular place to go. I just cant get over how nice it is to fly in a heated cabin. I dont know why I didnt do this much sooner.

As you can see..I have my doors on. I can assure anyone that my Parham stab handles those doors nicely. I have noticed very little yawing,...and I have been flying on some real windy days. No problem with hands and feet off the controls at all. Totally comfortable...thats really what I am smiling about.

[ngreed]

Looks like fun, and looks like you are having fun

[Harry_S.]

Stan;

I'm not a photographer and don't know beans about digital cameras (I wish I did) but I just had an idea- ouch-, If you put the sun behind you when flying and set your lens speed at it's fastest and aimed the camera at the rotor track, at about the 1 o'clock position, and snapped the picture; if it would show the dark and light streaks of the blade tips?

When the conditions are just right and the sun behind me, I can see a flash of yellow when looking up at the rotor tips and can see if the yellow blade is higher.

[StanFoster]

Harry: When I take a picture of a gyro's rotor turning ...the rotor blade only moves a few feet in the picture...judging by the rotor blur.

If a guy had a strobe set up somehow...maybe that would show the tracking.

I have been moving my chord block 0.005 at a time. I havent noticed any more or less cabin hop with the first adjustment. I adjusted it another 0.005 ..but havent flown it since.

[Harry_S.]

Stan;

Maybe a series of pics at the slowest lens speed might catch it?

You're on the right track in moving the chord block .005 at a crack, but you will probably have to replace your 1/4 in. locknuts, as I did. It won't be detrimental to move the chordblock bolt head one full flat and see what the results are. That's what I did a while backand am doing it again, since I installed my new two bearing head. I don't know why it threw my rotor out of whack but I have to "re-tweak"

[StanFoster]

Harry; I flew today for an hour testing the new chord setting. I now have worse cabin hop...so...at least I know to go the other way. I am now going to go back to the initial setting...and then move it another .005 the other way.

I was trying to nail down my minimum power required airspeed today. I could throttle back to 3980....and hold an indicated 48m.p.h. and it would hold altitude. Any less rpm and it would start to descend. Any speed slower or faster than 48 IAS and it would descend.

I then did two flights 180 degrees apart and checked my average airspeed with my GPS. It indicated my average speed was 50 mph..so my airspeed was off by 2 mph. Anyway..I am just going to mark my ASI at 50 for best rate of climb.

[ben]

steve,
is that your old air command on e-bay????

[GyroRon]

His name is Stan ;) and yes that is his old machine. I put a bid or two in on it.

[StanFoster]

Ben: Yes...that was my Air Command. It is going way too low ..but its usually the last few hours that gets the bids going. I am trying to keep track of where it goes.

Anybody wondering about it....I can assure you that is a nice machine. Brand new 582 Bluehead and new b-box installed last May 15th.

I would have never sold it if it werent for the partially built RAF I stumbled upon. I was out today for an hour just milling around in 33 degree air and warm as toast.

[GyroRon]

There is a much newer Aircommand with 582 posted for sale either here or on the defunct Norms forum. Centerline thrust kit and all for somewhere around 10-11 grand.

I have spoke with Stan alot privately about gyros and his old one in particular and even though it is a good flying machine, I would budget in the 1500 bucks or so and some time and upgrade Stans old machine to CLT. I figure if the bidding stays under 9 grand it will be a good buy even after the CLT conversion.