CarterCopter + the Monarch!

[Dean_Dolph]

The following is fresh out of the EAA Hotline Newsletter via the broadband! Is this insight into what we are seeing with Larry Neal's Monarch?

CARTER LOOKS TO LICENSE LANDING GEAR ---
During a Sun 'n Fun press conference, Carter Aviation Technologies announced it is working with autogyro maker The Butterfly, LLC to develop a superior landing gear system. The project, which may lead to Carter's first external licensing agreement, uses a patented Carter strut, "Smart Strut," which works with TBL's G-Force gear to provide 16 inches of stroke at the wheels. A patented mechanical valve determines the impact energy and applies the proper pressure to vary the deceleration rate based on the aircraft's impact velocity - without exceeding gear load limits. The valve works without external sensors and automatically adjusts to handle any combination of impact velocity and weight up to its design limits. During proof testing, the gear was able to absorb 1,200 feet-per-minute landing impacts with a 3000 lb gross weight with no damage. When final tests are complete Carter and TBL will look at a licensing agreement. "Our whole research and development program is geared toward increasing safety and efficiency within the aviation industry," said Carter President Jay Carter, Jr. "We are extremely pleased with the results that we are achieving with the Monarch. I believe this new system represents a quantum leap in safety for autogyros and we are excited about its future impact. For more information, visit http://www.CarterAviationTechnologies.com.

[Heron]

Dean:
It was awsome (the reaction), I hope it translates in many articles to expose Larry's products.
They could not believe their eyes.
Larry's landing gear (G-Force) already has an utilitary patent and with the Carter Strut is even better. Mores tests and options are on the way.
Heron

[Hognose]

If just HALF of what Heron told me about at SnF comes to pass, Larry will sell a bunch of gyros.

The Monarch is very nicely priced for a complete kit, and that includes the Rotax and the G-Force landing gear.

The Smart Strut is so smart (or I'm so dumb) that it took about three tries for Jay Carter to explain it to me, but basically what it does is provide a metered deceleration of constant G over the entire stroke of the strut. In the case of the Monarch, I think that's 16 inches (I don't have my notes here).

When the strut gets to the bottom of its travel, a valve closes so that there is no bounce back. It is incredible to watch. One volunteer at SnF thought that Larry had crashed! Nope -- just looks that way.

cheers

-=K=-

[Heron]

Kevin
Since August 2003 everything Larry has told me came to reality, the G-Force Landing Gear was created after my fisrt visit and there are only a few tests to be completed for the whole project to be released for marketing.
It is awsome and all that I dreamed from gyros is now available (almost) and we are going to have a big gyro wave in the near future.
Gyrowave International Corporation is an idea from about 4 years ago and Larry´s expertise on gyros will make it possible.
Believe!
Heron

[Udi]

If Larry's landing gear can make vertical descent landing a standard procedure rather than "survivable", it would revolutionize this sport. This would be the best thing for gyros since sliced bread and CLT.

Udi-

[barnstorm2]

Udi, Heron,

I fully agree. If this technology is able to develop and perhaps cheaper better pre-rotation/jumptakeoff equipment the gyroplane will be revolutionized. The gyro will be meet the early dreams of cheap easy VTOL.

I am no helicopter pilot but the feedback I get from my friends that are training in R22's tell me that in hot weather these machines are making less of a vert takeoff and landing than my gyro is!

[rfi]

I can vouch for the Monarch gear. I watched Larry Neal make one vertical landing after another at Olney, Texas about three weeks ago during the Texas Rotorcraft Association fly-in. There is absolutely no rebound---it just squats and stays there. I can't wait to get my hands on a couple of those struts.

[Kevin_Richey]

I can vouch for the Monarch gear. I watched Larry Neal make one vertical landing after another at Olney, Texas about three weeks ago during the Texas Rotorcraft Association fly-in. There is absolutely no rebound---it just squats and stays there. I can't wait to get my hands on a couple of those struts.

Not to take away from Larry Neal's work, but aren't these the same type of landings that I've seen in a video of Dave Seace doing a stop-and-drop in his Dominator? Also, I believe there was a some wind the day the video was shot.

Can other Dominator pilots do the same thing, or was this a result of Dave's light weight?

[Hognose]

Not to take away from Larry Neal's work, but aren't these the same type of landings that I've seen in a video of Dave Seace doing a stop-and-drop in his Dominator?

Kevin and all,

it is the same general idea but as Ernie describes the stop-and-drop on his web page, and as I've seen happy Dom drivers doing it, it's from about three feet. Larry did it in front of me from about twenty. No disrespect of Ernie or of the great Dominator gyro is intended when I say that you could probably only do that in a Dominator once.

In fact, I mentioned it in so many words to Larry, "Man, the Dominator guys are going to have to stop bragging about 'stop-and-drop' now..." so it was kind of funny to see you mention the same comparison I was making.

But while they are the same general idea, there is a big difference in the Dominator and Monarch vertical landings. The Monarch gear lets you descend at a higher rate from a greater height, and bounce less than a Dom does on a stop-and-drop.

Check out the videos on PRA 34's website.

cheers

-=K=-

[rfi]

Kevin, you are right in that Ernie Boyette's dominators can land pretty much vertical too. I saw Ernie make a vertical descent several years ago from around 15 feet.
One seldom sees a Dominator being "dropped in" from several feet but I guess it could be done on a routine basis.
I watched Larry do in in no wind conditions and with throttle closed probably a dozen times and then Matt Pearson took off in the ship and did a bunch more vertical landings although his were mostly with power and behind the power curve in a nose high position.
Larry's gear has one advantage in that there are over and under main axle tubes which keep the wheels vertical all of the time regardless of the position of the air shock.

[GyroRon]

Being a Dominator Driver I think I can add to this. The reason I believe you don't see more dominators doing stop and drop landings - well two or three reasons to be exact - Is mainly because nowadays Ernie uses Airshocks off made for a car or light truck. To keep the gyro from sagging over to one side or another you have to pump these shocks up to a very high pressure, close to 180 PSI. By this time the shocks are relatively stiff and they wouldn't absorb much impact. The older machines used coil over motorcycle type shocks that seem like they would be much more suited to this type of landing.

Oh the other main reason you don't see many Dominators doing stop and drops is that we don't need to. Don't know why it would be needed.

[BenMullett]

This sounds like first rate technology - good for Jay Carter and the Butterfly guys.

It never occurred to me that the Cartercopter(tm) gear was scalable to our sort of size and weight requirements. This Monarch sounds like a useful machine.

BTW, friends in NZ tell me that R22s were used a good bit for pest control hunting and deer carcase extraction - and sometimes there were ummm.... "difficulties" getting in the air with a solid pilot and a big deer on a warm day, so some guys evolved this technique of long-roping the deer carcase to the R22 gear.

The plan was to get airborne, dragging the carcase forward to build airspeed and get translational lift, and hope you had enough flying speed before the deer goes over the cliff.....

Sometimes the deer wins. Wonder if that neat landing gear might help? :rolleyes:

All the best, Ben.

[Kevin_Richey]

Being a Dominator Driver I think I can add to this...you don't see many Dominators doing stop and drops is that we don't need to. Don't know why it would be needed.

Ron:

I think that the ability to descend vertically to land, whether it is a few feet or 15, is to make emergency landings in terrain that isn't the best such as on a normal paved or grass strip. It could save your rotorblades, prop, mast, etc. from all the destruction that a rough terrain promises...

Which leads me to the next item...you told us on the forum several weeks ago to watch Rotary Flight Dynamics for exciting things in the pipeline...
What can you tell us further, or are you sworn to secrecy?

[GyroRon]

What I meant by my comment was - being a smarty pants - that a Dominator pilot doesn't need special gear to save us from our screwed up landings cause Dominator pilots are a more skilled Breed of gyro pilots..... I was being a smartass.

I know the stop and drop would be useful if you had to land in a very small or rough area. But I wouldn't make it a normal practice. The Dominator normally has the shocks set very firm and the landing wouldn't be very soft. The Monarch may be able to take a harder hit, But it too has a limitation and someone is bound to exceed it.

As for what Ernie is coming out with that will be new and exciting..... I know he had some pics of it out in public display at Bensen Days, but I am not sure he wants the cat out of the bag. You could email him, call him or start a thread to him here asking and he could tell you if he wants the info out there. What I think he won't mind me saying is he has designed it with Dick Degraw. Dick is the builder of the Gyrhino jump take off gyro. So.... There is a good chance this new dominator will also do jump take offs. I also can tell you it is going to be a two place and side by side. the last tid bit of info I will say is the price to buy will be very low.

[Heron]

Ron my friend . . .
Do your home work!
Heron from half way down under