Clean blades

[Chuck Irby]

Out of the last ten days, I have been up nine of them. In doing my preflight checks, I hate to admit it, but I only looked at my blades. I failed to wipe them down with a rag and alcohol as I have done in the past. They didn't appear to be very dirty and I was only up for an average of 45 minutes each day.

I cleaned the prop and rotor blades, and the tail before I flew yesterday. It seemed to make a significant difference in acceleration and speed. Several times I looked at the speedo expecting to see 60 to 70 and actually saw 80 and 90.

Has anyone else noticed a difference this drastic between clean blades and blades that weren't so clean?

[StanFoster]

Chuck: Last summer when the bugs were out...I was cleaning my blades every other flight. I was having good luck with Armorall and the bugs came right off.

I did an experiment one day and just cleaned one blade. The other one was pretty bugged up. I flew it and I dont recall any airspeed difference...but I sure could tell I had more stick shake.

[Chuck Irby]

Thanx Stan, Have you cleaned with alcohol so that you can make a comparison between the two? Your blades are aluminum aren't they?

[StanFoster]

Chuck: My Air Command had composite blades...and I have composite on my RAF. I have only wiped dust off of them so far as no bugs yet.

I havent tried alcohol...sounds like it would work. It just seemed the Armorall leaves a slick feel to it that the bugs dont adhere to as well. Laminar flow is real important on these blades.

My Bensen blades were aluminum..and had rivets...and had all those segments letting air come through destroying any laminar flow.

I used to use mag wheel polish on them and it seemed to work nice.

[Chuck Irby]

Stan: So you aren't sure about using Armorall on aluminum?

[StanFoster]

Chuck: I never have tried it on aluminum. I would just try a small spot to make sure it doesnt react and make it dark.

[rehler]

Chuck,

Over the years I have continued to be supprised how much better my gyros would fly after I cleaned the blades and prop. I usually let them go too long and I seem to kill a lot of bugs.

I hate to take the time to clean them, but I am always pleased that I did after I took off for my next flight.

[Chuck Irby]

Thank you Ken, I appreciate you and and all you guys who are so willing to help us newer gyro pilots.

[barnstorm2]

Steve McG. Once made a post on the old forum in which he said he WAXED his blades and found the flying characteristics very different. I think he did not like the change. He fly’s mc clutchens

[davreich]

Hi,
Pledge in the pump bottle. Just like my fixed winged friends. I was thinking of trying RainX. Anybody use it on blades? Dave

[Harry_S.]

Ya'll are right. Buggy rotor blades affect performance. In bug season I have to clean mine before every flight. I use a wet rag and a drying towel. I start at the tip end and work a 3 ft. section at a whack. I guess I do both blades in less than 10 min.

I use McGuires' cleaner/wax about every 6 mos. and the blades stay slick.

[Gary_in_Orygun]

I wipe down my machine and blades with a spray wax (green bottle, can't remember the name) AFTER each flight. That way I also give the machine a general looking over, so that if anything has gone astray, I'll know it before I get out to the hangar for the next flight. The wax does make it easier to get the bugs off after each flight.

[GyroRon]

I have tried a lot of stuff on my blades in the past and found that Armor All type products work the best for me. I used them mainly on aluminum Dragon Wing rotorblades. Didn't hurt them a bit and the bugs don't stick it them as bad, real easy to wipe clean.

[cgmg]

Last summer I was doing touch and goes on our grass landing strip. On about the 10th takeoff, things got really squirrelly with the machine. The slightest movement of the stick made the gyro respond like I had moved the stick full travel in that direction. I was doing quite a dance with the stick, trying to maintain directional control, and get back to the airstrip in one piece.

As soon as I cut the throttle, I started dropping like a rock. Finally figured out I was going to have to power myself down to the ground. When I finally touched down, I think my engine rpm's were around 4500. Any less than that, and I immediately just dropped. Stopped the machine, looked all the controls over, couldn't find anything loose, or out of place. Ran my hand down the leading edges of the blades, felt nothing.

Decided to try another liftoff, but stay at the 4 foot height to test the machine. Everything felt ok until I broke ground. Again, the slightest change in stick position made the machine lunge toward that direction. Started to reduce engine speed to land, and again started to just drop like a rock. Fortunately, still had plenty of runway left, so reduced power ever so slightly, and just let the machine very slowly ease to the ground.

Got back to the hangar, and pulled the machine inside. This time, with the lights on, checked the blades real closely. What I had not noticed on the last inspection, since the machine was in the shade of the hangar, was that the last four or 5 feet of each blade was covered in yellow grasshopper guts! I have Dragon Wings, and you literally could not see any aluminum shine from about 2" behind the leading edge, clear to the trailing edge!

It took me almost 30 minutes with IPA & water, and then Pledge, to get the blades clean again. By now it was too late to test the machine again. The next day I called Ernie about my experience, and he said that the grasshopper guts had indeed screwed up the blade airfoil, and I was suffering from extreme loss of lift due to the buildup, which made the machine respond so dramatically different.

Went out after work that day, and the machine flew great again. I paid more attention to the little critters on the runway, and did actually notice the grasshoppers when I looked for them. Now, if I see grasshoppers, I stop after 5 takeoffs, and clean the blades. I guess since I was doing continuous touch and goes the day of the incident, I didn't notice the difference in the machine in time. Luckily for me, I was able to control things well enough to get to the ground safely, but there was a huge pucker factor going on both times.

Anyone who flies on grass, especially with crops all around like ours has, keep your eyes out for the yellow gutted buggers, and don't wait as long as I did to clean them off.

Mark

[gyromike]

I have never had a situation as bad as Mark's, but I have seen myself lose 10mph at my normal cruise power setting due to dead bugs all over my blades.

Cleaned them up, and everything was back to normal.

I just use a wet rag to get the bugs off, and then follow up with a little Protect-All polish.

[Aussie_Paul]

What blades were you flying Mike?

Aussie Paul.

[ScottTinnesand]

During prerotation in an Air & Space 18A, you can get 15-20 more RPMs after cleaning bugs off the blades. It makes a HUGE difference for jump takeoffs.

Scott

[gyromike]

What blades were you flying Mike?

Aussie Paul.


Rotordynes.