New RAF owner

[cgmg]

After a 760 mile round-trip yesterday, Cathy and I became the proud new owners of an RAF!

Mark Knight, gyronaut extraordinaire, accompanied me on the drive, and served as my technical advisor. It didn't take him long to give me the high sign, but we spent almost an hour going over what was there/missing.

We met Greg Bradley, the previous owner, and Roy Ferguson, another Air Command owner and pilot. Turns out Mark and Roy both learned to fly from Don Randle, so they had stories to swap.

After an hour and a half of packing, we headed for home. There wasn't one square inch of spare space in the truck when we left! Fought a 20 mph crosswind all the way across Missouri, and Route 36 is no road to be towing a gyro on!

Attached some pictures of the new machine. Also, if things work out with the EIS people at Grand Rapids Technology, the airspeed indicator, VSI, and engine Tachometer, will be for sale. I really don't like analog instruments, so if EIS can give me an easy sensor installation for our 2.2 Subie, those analog things are goners. And I want as clean a dash as possible.

The gyro currently has a DOHC 2.5 Subie on it, but I am selling it, and using the money to buy a FI 2.2. That will be plenty of power for the two lightweights who will be flying it. I also have concerns about the crankshaft on this 2.5.

Any RAF owners who have an EIS in their machine, please let me know. I want your advice on how it's working for you, and how all the probes/sensors get installed.

[StanFoster]

Mark: That looks like a real nice one. I am happy for you and Cathy. It will be nice to see you two flyig in real comfort year round.


This gives me the green light on that other project. :tape: :)



Stan

[Heather Poe]

Mark,
You might want to search through this forum for information on a horizontal stabilizer for your aircraft. The topic has shown to invoke some strong opinions.
Heather

[cgmg]

Heather,

Already have one. It came with the Air Command winglet type, the lightweight one. Planning on talking to Larry Boyer about his mod, but for sure putting the stab on!

Also know that we'll need to move the axle back, but this machine has a Don Parham suspension, so hopefully can get advice from someone on how to do that.

[Aussie_Paul]

Heather,

Already have one. It came with the Air Command winglet type, the lightweight one. Planning on talking to Larry Boyer about his mod, but for sure putting the stab on!

Also know that we'll need to move the axle back, but this machine has a Don Parham suspension, so hopefully can get advice from someone on how to do that.

Great stuff Mark. The machine is at a stage of completeion that conducting the "drop the engine redrive combo" mod would be quite easy.

The AC stab with winglets will be great.

I have been training in, and personally flying, a beautiful Raf during the last week that has an effective stab, and the Raf stabilator, and I hate it after I have had almost perfection with the Rafs that we have conducted the complete set of mods on I developed over the last 4 years.

I would offer any assistance that you may require, and steer you to the owners of the very stable Rafs that are out there.

Once again great to see someone excitimed with their project.

It is much easier to do all the mods when the machine has not been finally put together.

I personally do not put the "s" in the rear keel. It adds weight and loses some regidity of the rear keel, and is much more work, BUT it probably does look better.

Aussie Paul. :)

[cgmg]

Paul,

Thanks for the offer of help. I've sent you a PM with some requests.

[roheim]

Congratulations Mark & Cathy!!! Can’t wait to see you flying her to the club meetings.

Bob

[cgmg]

Bob,

Thanks for the note. Still have a lot of work ahead of me, but flying to the club meetings instead of trailering in is one of my goals with this machine.

[Brent_Brown]

What is the trouble with the crank in the 2.5? I see alot of them flying. Was this motor damaged?
Brent

[dragonflyerthom]

Congrats Mark

You will not believe how comfortable you will be. Even with the doors off. Finding a Soob 2.2 will be time consuming. It is great you are putting on a H/S. This will improve and dampen any oscilliation that you may get into. Your RAF looks really sweet. I know you and your wife will enjoy the time you will be able to spend togeather. Good luck on your rebuild.

Thom

[Harry_S.]

Congratulations Mark, and may we welcome another member to the RAF fold. I'm pretty certain the mods you finally add to your machine will result in a truly airworthy flyer.

I concur with your option to shuck the DOHC 2.5, as Don P. has endorsed the single cam 2.5.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stan...What's in the pipe?!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul...:humble: :humble: .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Cheers :)

[Aussie_Paul]

Paul,

Thanks for the offer of help. I've sent you a PM with some requests.

Got that Mark and will reply as soon as I can.

Aussie Paul. :)

[ben]

mark
not for nothing sohc 2.5 in it

[cgmg]

Brent,

Nothing wrong with the engine right now. Mark Knight had his DOHC break the crank in less than 30 hours, and he believes Jim Logan had the same problem with his.

Mark has talked extensively with Don P., and the word is there's something to do with roundout causing the breaks. The cranks break in the middle, not on the drive end, as you would expect.

Since we'll both be brand new with the RAF I'm not taking any chances. It is either a FI 2.2, or a SOHC 2.5. Since we are true featherweights, we really don't need the 2.5. And I can probably come out almost even by selling the DOHC 2.5, and buying a 2.2. There are people who don't believe, or don't worry, about the DOHC, so there's a market out there for this one.

[StanFoster]

Mark: Now you are a talking. :peace: Nothing beats flying in instead of hauling in. You and Cathy will discover a new found freedom of flying year round....out of the wind...and with heat as well. Your stab you are putting on it will make it easier and safer to fly.

Stan

[route66]

Congrats Mark,
I look forward to watching your project grow. I spoke with Jim Logan at Benson Days and he showed me how RAF had redesigned the shaft and bearings from the crankshaft to the re-drive, which he felt was the cause of the crank failures. You might want to drop him a line and he can explain it better than me. I switched from a 2.2 sub to the 2.5 sohc and once we checkout the 2.2 it might be for sale. I will let you know in the next couple weeks as my mechanic was going to set it up and bench test it before trying to sell it. Not to complicate a possible future sale, just a few unseen problems I encountered:
Finding the right wiring harness for the 2.5 and adapting it for aircraft. $500.00 + 10 hours
Pre- Rotator Bracket is different. $100.00 + shipping + Duty Tax $175.00
Alternator bracket is different. $100.00 + shipping + Duty Tax $175.00
Belts and misc. $50.00
Re-Drive update. $250.00
+++++++
While I don’t have a whole bunch of hours I have flown both the 2.2fi and 2.5dohc, I sure like the 2.5 better. Before you make a big step in downsizing you might seek a few more opinions and cost out the changes.

I wish you the best on your new flying machine and hope to see you in the air soon!!

[Canadian Rhino]

There is no replacement for displacement!:whoo:

[cgmg]

Brandon,

Thanks for the offer on the engine. Right now, it looks like I have a 2.2 with low hours on it, and Mark Knight has lined up the fuel injection conversion for me. He's also confirmed that the wiring harness on the DOHC 2.5 will work without any mods on the 2.2.

Please do let me know if the engine is for sale, anyway. We still have to install the fuel injection on the 2.2 and test stand run it for a couple of hours to make sure there are no unexpected hiccups. Rather find out on the ground than in the air.

If for some reason, the fuel injection swap doesn't work, Mark will sell the 2.2 with the original carb, and I'll be in the market for an engine.

[StanFoster]

Mark: I dug this picture out of my SparrowHawk Embryo thread. Its not a very close picture..but it shows two eyes. The rear has an aluminum clevis that attaches to the rear eye of the turnbuckle.

If you need a closer shot...I will take one tomorrow.


Stan

[cgmg]

Stan,

Thanks for the picture. On my Air Command, I just had a pin turnbuckle end bolted to the rudder, with a small washer on top and bottom of it. It seemed to work well for my single-place.

Could I do the same thing with the RAF? Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the rudder connection in my files, and the hangar is 20 minutes away.

What is the advantage of the aluminum piece between the turnbuckle end and the rudder horn?

[StanFoster]

Mark: It was supplied with my SH. It just looks like a nice way to connect to the eye of the turnbuckle. Its a nice little clevis and makes the bolt going through the eye share 1/2 the load above and below it. It wont be getting any side torque to it. Just seems very clean, simple and strong to me.

Let me know if you want a real close up shot.


Stan

[cgmg]

I have the Don Parham suspension on our RAF. Paul Bruty recommends moving the landing gear back 3" to allow for the extra tail weight.

Moving the two sets of keel supports back looks do-able, but don't see how the top mount is movable. And it appears that if I move the keel attachment points back 3", that will cause a misalignment where the top strut mounts onto the tubular portion of the support.

Anyone out there done this mod with Don's suspension, or does anyone have an idea how to go about it?

[cgmg]

Thought we finally had the engine running last weekend, and then things went to h###. Lost all spark, and in the process of troubleshooting, found out the throttle position sensor is bad. Doesn't affect the spark, but at least we found it before getting any further. Tried to see if the Subaru dealer could troubleshoot the coil, ECU, or ignition module. They say no, unless it's in the car. Kind of hard to do with what I have. Ordered a new throttle sensor, and found good prices on another coil, ignition module, and ECU. Mark and I are now investing in an OBD-2 code reader. But enough of that.

Getting down to avionics and sensor installs on our RAF.

Looking for help on a couple of things:

I'm using my Icom A4 and a Sigtronics Sport 200S intercom system. Found what I needed to hook up my external antenna. Have a call in to Comtronics for an interface cable. Is there any other good source of interface cables out there? Couldn't find anything that looked useful on the Net.

Also, I want to install an oil temperature sensor on my 2.2, fuel-injected. What's a good way to do that?

I'm sure there will be more, but these are the first two I need to tackle right now.

Thanks

[LARRYEBOYER]

Mark. Great to have you on board. You can do a keel mod or get a good stab and put a stabalator on it and you have a great combo. There is one for sale by Steve Mcgowen. Snatch that up quick.

[cgmg]

Need some help from someone with Sportcopter Rotor head, and their rotor brake!

After four requests, and four promises to deliver, still don't have directions on how to set up either the upper prerotator gear, or the rotor brake.

Can anyone out there either send me either the installation directions for the upper prerotator gear, and rotor brake, or take closeup pictures of each? I especially could use pictures of the rotor brake assembly in a machine. It would be great to see it in brake and released position.

Spent over an hour tonight trying to figure out how the rotor brake handle should be set up, or how to mount it, with no luck. It's really hard to figure how the spring should work, since nothing is fastened down yet, and you can't keep any tension on it.

Hopefully someone can come through on this!

[Timchick]

Blake Avant just added a rotor brake to his Sport Copter. Maybe he can take some photos of his install.

[Steve Osborne]

Mark,

You might have better luck asking this question under Single place designs

[cgmg]

After struggling for about 5 months with trying to figure out why my 2.2 engine didn't want to run right with fuel injection, we have found the cause!

Going to make this a little bit of a contest. If someone figures out the cause, based on what our experience was, lunch is on me at Mentone this summer.

Here's the scenario:

I started with a 2.2 engine that had been on a friend's RAF, carbureted. The engine had about 300 hours on it since new.

We took the intake and wiring harness off the DOHC engine that came with the kit originally. Couldn't ever get the engine to run steady with that harness. Tried different throttle position sensors, coils, MAF's, and other sensors. Even after trying a different ECU, no luck. Sent the harness to Don Parham, and he said there were issues with it, needed to try a different harness. Bought another one from Don and put it on the engine.

With the very first start, the engine ran like a champ. Shut it off, we could nurse it into starting and idling well, but could not stand any throttle advance. Or, it would start after numerous cranks, idle terribly, if at all, but would run like a champ at mid to full throttle. Tried different throttle position sensors, coils, MAF's, and other sensors. Even found yet a third ECU. No luck. Unplug the ECU, and it would start and run great first time, never again.

Finally, Mark found another complete injection system from a '95 engine. Send the harness to Don, and he does his magic. I took everything off the engine, and installed everything complete from this intake and harness. First try, starts and runs like a champ. After 10 minutes, shut it off, will not start. If it does, idles roughly, stumbles, and slowly dies.

By now, we have about 20 hours on the phone with Don, trying everything he can think of, to no avail. There is no reason for an engine that ran so great with a carb, to not run with the fuel injection on it.

Finally, two Sundays ago, Mark Knight noticed something that he was sure was the cause of our problem. We checked with Don, and he confirmed that had to be the culprit.

Yesterday, tried the engine after correcting the issue, and it starts like a champ, runs like a champ, idles smoothly, without fail, every time we turn the key. No longer have to unplug the ECU to return to a good start.

First hint: the previous owner had the tensioner pulley break on him. Replaced it and the belt to get back in the air. Never had another problem with the engine after that. Mark ended up with it in a horse trade after the other owner bought a 2.5.

Second hint: Finally found a code reader that could read this engine, and it had no codes stored related to the cause of our migraines regarding this engine.

The third hint: It cost me $29 to fix the problem.

Later this week I'll post the answer. Let's hear it from the mechanics out there. Everyone around me who has heard this story says it all makes sense, now that they have the answer.

Oh, Stan, you can't get in on this, since I gave you a heads up the last time we talked. And no fair anyone calling Stan for help.

[CLS447]

Was it the crank position sensor ?

Glad that you got her going.

Do you still have the carb & intake ? Will it fit a 2.5 ?

[StanFoster]

Hey: Anyone...call me....we can split the dinner.....:lol:


Just kidding. Mark, That was a tough one for you guys but I knew your perserverance would pay off. I will be looking forward to seeing you fly. Illinois is getting a lot of two seat enclosed gyros.


Stan

[dragonflyerthom]

one cog off on the timing belt. and used the wrong mark

[cgmg]

Chris, not the crank sensor, but you are close. All of the sensors were changed out with the various harnesses.

I do still have the carb intake, and will check and see if it will fit the 2.5 this weekend. If someone out there knows already, let us know. I will be selling the carb intake.

Thom, not the belt off one tooth. Did have that happen early on, but Mark realized it as soon as he turned the key. He could tell by the way the exhaust sounded, even though it wasn't running well.

[cgmg]

OK, here's the source of all our migraine headaches, and a major drain on my finances!

Look closely at the tangs on the crankshaft gear, and you'll see one that's a little shorter than the rest. That's what kept throwing the computer off, after the second and any consecutive starts without powering the ECU down.

What you can't see in the picture is that about 1/3 of the front surface of the remaining tangs has been worn away. Evidently, when the pulley started to go bad, it was wobbling and grinding away the tangs on the crankshaft gear, until the pulley broke. Our suspicion is that one of the flying pieces broke the one tang. No big deal for a carb with points ignition, but fatal to fuel injection. The bad part is, no code was generated to tell us what the problem was. Only Mark's eagle eye, and the tang lined up where he could actually see it.

[cgmg]

Since I now own a smooth running 2.2 liter FI Subaru engine, it's been moved off of the test stand it's been struggling on since last December.

If you'll notice in the first picture, you're seeing an orphaned engine stand. Where, might you ask, is the missing engine? That's in the second pic, and the guy asleep on the tire is Mark. It's late on Saturday afternoon, and we're both about brain dead from trying to get all the wires run or connected to the right places.

That's after testing the engine out on the runway, with the prop on. Then disconnecting everything from the engine, and moving it to the gyro. Then pulling the wire harness, and snaking it around all the obstacles in the way on the machine. We spent about 1.5 hours lengthening a ton of wires to make them reach where they needed to. It would be really great if RAF had built two tunnels on the back wall of the cabin, not just the one. Then, almost everything would have been the right length.

The third picture is of the dash, which is about to be removed to make 4 or 5 final terminations which I elected to save until we really knew where everything was going. Fortunately, I had been warned to pull extra wires, as we needed a couple. And quite a few that I wrestled out the back of the machine had to be pulled back into the cabin rear, as I didn't realize how much of the harness stayed in the cabin.

Next weekend I actually get two days to work on the machine, so should make quite a bit more progress. It felt so good to drive home Saturday night, and know we made more progress in one day than in the last 5 months.

[StanFoster]

Looking good there Mark.



Stan

[cgmg]

Latest update:

Finally, after almost 10 months of backbreaking, expensive, frustrating work, our little bird successfully taxied today! First Mark K., then the two of us, then me all alone, and then Mark again, taxied it.

Was ready to bring her home, but severe storms coming prevented that.

No pictures right now, will shrink and post some tomorrow. The downlights of the last two weekends included(and this is not an all-inclusive list):

Twenty more hours spent on it each weekend.

Leaking seat tank. Anyone who's dealt with this knows what a pain that is.

Two major wires crossed. 3 harnesses torn open, and 1.5 hours, to find my mistake.

Dead short in my automatic auxiliary pump setup. Figured out how to wire it properly, after 1 hour of brain strain. But it still surges slightly when main pump is shut off, and the aux pump engages. Flip the manual switch for it, and the surging goes away.

More wiring mistakes with my EIS. Not just wiring, but mixed up sensors, too. You can't get any better service than those guys. Sandy gave me her personal cell phone number, and let me call her between personal errands to consult with her Saturday morning.

Pre-rotator cable end breaks off at cabin end. Fix that, and the friction plate nut loosens, so no rotor spinning. That took us a little time to figure out how to correct.

First taxi test tells us we need to move the main gear back. Reversed everything for a 1" improvement. But the Parham suspension is not easy to reverse, we can tell you.

No brakes. I adjusted them 4 times to get some bite. The problem now is, not sure I can push the thing at my hangar, since there's such a fine line between working and not working that I have to let them drag slightly.

Three adjustments of the Sport Rotor rotor brake setup.

Bad readings on the rotor tach. Had to make the pickup touch the high tooth to get good readings. Easiest of all the problems to fix.

The high side is she taxied well, and with a longer runway, could have gone airborne.

Having an issue with needing excessive forward stick pressure, so will make some phone calls to several RAF flying friends to see if they can give me any pointers. At full forward stick, the pitch adjustment cables are absolutely slack.

Even with all the above travails, it felt so good to finally taxi the darn thing!

Now even Cathy believes this thing might actually fly.

Oh, and Stan, good thing I kept your Nicopress tool. Used the heck out of it the last two days.

More later.

[CLS447]

Mark, I hope you guys get her all sorted out real soon!

Tell Mark that I said Hi also. I will probably be needing help from you guys !

I will be Faxing all my info for my repairman/inspection rating to my FSDO this morning.

The man wants to come see my machines & check my logbooks before he issues it to me.

Have you done anything with yours yet?

Keep up the good work !

[lanichol]

Mark,

I am curious as to how the tail now looks with the wingletts.

This is the first gyro I sat in, which was several years ago when Greg was modifying the axle and wiring the dash. Then the AAI mod came along...changed alot of peoples views. I purchased Ken's AAI modified RAF which was probably sitting in the hanger when you picked yours up from Greg.

[StanFoster]

Mark-You and Cathy will absolutely love flying that RAF. You have done mods that will only make it nicer to fly. I will look forward to seeing you two at Shelbyville. Stan

[cgmg]

Chris,

Mark and I will have Tommy do our airworthiness inspections at our Shelbyville fly-in Sept. 7-9th.

Don't know when we'll be able to get to our FSDO office together after that. We'll keep you posted on how ours goes then.

We will get everything sorted out, it just seems to take forever.

[cgmg]

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of Sunday's activities. I apologize for the clarity of the one taxiing picture, but our camera is low budget.

First picture is Mark warming up, checking things out prior to taxiing out

Larry, the second attached picture is a closeup of the Parham stab, with the keel extension. Paint won't get done until this winter. Flying is a higher priority right now.

The third picture is of the one pass where Mark almost went airborne. But, he was beyond the no-return point, so wisely opted to stay ground-bound.

The last picture is of the guru who has now done four Subaru engine installs/upsizing. This is how we look at the end of each day we toil on this labor of love. If we're sitting on this seat, it means our day is done.

Couldn't have begun to do this project without Mark's help. The things he knows, and is able to build, constantly amaze me. And, when I was at my lowest, he always kept me going.

Stan, I know we're going to love this machine. Thanks for reminding me why the effort will all be worth it.

[Harry_S.]

Hi Mark,

You're gettin' closer all the time...keep at it, it'll be well worth the effort.

Oh, could you resize your pics to 800X600 for the thumbnails?! This would show the details better for me old peepers. :help:

Thanks Mark.


Cheers :)

[cgmg]

Harry,

I've tried sizing them to 800x600, but then they're still too large to attach. I end up resizing several times to get them down enough to attach, then they look like what you see here.

I'm using IRFANVIEW software to do these, maybe one of my other settings in that software is wrong.

Sorry.

[cgmg]

Trial picture for Harry:

If this is easier for you to see, let me know. It's a 45% reduction in MS Paint.

If it works, I'll resize and replace the pics in the previous reply.

Thanks

[dragonflyerthom]

Mark that is a great size for HSI connection.

[Harry_S.]

Oh YEAH...that is perfect Mark. Thank you much.


Cheers :)

[cgmg]

At about 5:30 today, our RAF took it's maiden flight! With Mark Knight at the controls, it looked like he had been flying it regularly!

We haven't done the cam grind yet, so it wasn't possible for both of us to commit aviation. The max rpms at takeoff right now are 4900.

Mark, who has been a tried and true Air Command gyronaut, now is lusting for an RAF. He said he can't believe how easy our machine flies, compared to his!

We have a few things to tweak first thing, Mark will fly it one more time, and
then we proceed with the cam grind.

A picture is attached, which is a little dark, but I was out of camera battery, and just had one shot at it.

More pictures later.

[Timchick]

Congratulations!

[StanFoster]

Mark-Way to go! You will love the way it flies. Stan

[Harry_S.]

OKAY, ALLRIGHT, YIPPEE, way t' go, Mark. :D

Got a question tho, Mark.

How come only 4900 r's? How much pitch do you have in your prop? 5100-5200 rpm would be ideal for the RAF.

A rule of thumb is 100 rpm per 1* of pitch.


Cheers :)

[rfi]

Harry,
He has a fixed pitch Prince P-tip. That is why he is doing the cam grind, so he can get more rpm.

[Harry_S.]

Harry,
He has a fixed pitch Prince P-tip. That is why he is doing the cam grind, so he can get more rpm.



OOOps...my bad.

There you go...another good reason why I didn't go and change over to the Prince prop. ;)


Cheers :)

[cgmg]

Well, at 6:30pm this evening, I committed aviation, all by my lonesome, in my new RAF. I wasn't quite that lonely, as Mark Knight was watching over me. Taxiied up and down the runway twice, then took to the air. No surprises, except for how smoothly it flew.

Flew for about 10 minutes, dialing in the pitch and lateral settings for me. Then, set up for a landing. Mark said it was a great landing, but I used half the runway getting down! It is really cool here right now, and the air is dry, so my descent rate was really slow.

The cam grind did not give us the expected results, so I will eventually have to send the prop in to be re-pitched. At takeoff, I am seeing 4900 rpms, which is more than enough for my weight. I was climbing at 500fpm at that rpm, on a day like today.

Rotor rpms are on the low end of acceptable, at 300 at cruise for me. But that was with only 6 gallons of fuel on board. For the next few weeks, I will fly with full fuel, which should help keep them up. My goal is to get them around 330 at cruise, which is what two other fliers in the club recommend. Not wanting to make too many changes at once, until I get a few more hours under my belt.

A special thanks to Mark Knight, Don Parham, Jeff Milburg, and Dan Probst, who all were a huge help with the creation and flight of this RAF. Mark and Don have spent hours over the last several months helping me get this thing running and flying. Jeff Milburg spend 5 1/2 hours with me one Saturday dialing in the controls. He gave me three pages of notes on how to set things, and how to fly it. Mark Knight was the test pilot initially. Dan Probst also flew my machine, and gave us feedback on a few things to tweak.

Dan then went up with me, and just talked and followed me through two takeoffs and landings. He then told me it was time for me to do it myself, that I had the basic feel of the machine. Since we were at a club fly-in, I opted not to solo in front of a crowd. That's why my solo happened tonight.

Stay tuned for further flying stories.

[dragonflyerthom]

Sounds great Mark. Congrats.

[CLS447]

Way to go, Mark ! I'm glad to hear it.

[Harry_S.]

UP, UP and AWAY.

Good on 'ya, Mark.

You get the proper fan back there and..........................fun times ahead. ;)


Cheers :)

[StanFoster]

Mark-I have been wanting to do a cross country to se3 your machine. Congratulations on your accomplishments. STAN

[cgmg]

OK, we got out this morning, and remembered to take the camera this time.

Three pictures attached. One is Cathy taking a long turn at flying the machine. The second is showing you her hand is actually on the stick.

If you look closely, you'll see the Baggie with our RAF's required paperwork. Learned this little trick from Marty Weaver. All the paperwork is in the Baggie, velcroed to the side of the cabin. Easy to get papers out, and if the Baggie gets worn, easy to replace.

Last picture is of a golf course community about 3 miles from our home. One of our good friends was playing his last tournament round of the season, and asked us to buzz them for good luck.

The flight lasted a little over an hour, and Cathy was in control for about half of that, with the exception of the rudder pedals(which are pretty much not needed at altitude). Her legs are so short, I have to build some extenders for the rudder pedals for her. If anyone has any good examples of how to do that, please post some pictures.

OK, Stan, I'm 3 pictures closer to catching up to you!

[StanFoster]

Mark @ Cathy-I am so happy for you 2. Enjoy many years of flying together ! Stan

[cgmg]

Stan,

Thanks for the kind words. We hope that we have many years of flying together ahead of us.

It's only taken three flights with me for Cathy to agree the time and effort of the last 9 month's build experience was worth it.

She's already suggesting we buy a golf cart to pull the gyro into the hangar with! I may actually take her up on that offer. It's a real pain for my 145 pound skinny little butt to push that hog into the hangar.

I'm slowly shaving a smooth wheel track in the grass outside the hangar. Come spring, I plan to dig a trench to lay boards in the ground. The first 10-12 feet outside the hangar is really rough. After that, I have no trouble maneuvering the gyro around.

[Harry_S.]

Feels great doesn't it, Mark...having Cathy along with you?! Enjoy!!!

I made a towbar that attaches to the tail wheel axle...it's a snap to move my machine in and out of the hangar. Don't know if it would work on your machine with the stab you have?!

I posted pics of it somewhere in the RAF threads.


Cheers :)

[Larry Boyer]

Cathy appears very comfortable flying the RAF. I can tell by the relaxed grip she has on the stick. Some newbies put a death grip on the stick.(I was one) congrats and fly safe.

[cgmg]

Harry,

I have a picture of your tailwheel cart saved into a Word document. May have to dig it up, and get one made. It has to be cheaper than buying a golf cart!

Larry,

Yes, she is relaxed, after only two times having the stick. Unless I ask her which direction the hangar is! She still has a problem with keeping track of which direction we're flying in, and approximately how far away the hangar is.

But that issue will resolve itself itself once she has more practice. And it really doesn't matter as long as I'm with her.

[LARRYEBOYER]

She sounds like a keeper to me!!!Not critizing my spouse cause she is one wonderful lady is so many ways, but aircraft ain't her cup of tea.

[cgmg]

Larry,

Of course she's a keeper, but not just because she loves to fly.

In addition to numerous gyros now, she's been up in hot air balloons, gliders, a 1939 Taylorcraft, several smaller fixed wings, and probably 10-12 helicopter rides with me, over the last 15 years.

She's done parasailling in Mexico so many times I've lost count. That's one I haven't developed the stones to do yet, and probably never will.

[Harry_S.]

She's done parasailling in Mexico so many times I've lost count. That's one I haven't developed the stones to do yet, and probably never will.



Aw, come on now Mark.

You're flying an RAF now and you don't have the stones to go parasailing?!

Don't let the anti-RAF group hear that. ;)

I would think parasailing the same as flying a gyroglider with pontoons. I've done that...wouldn't you?!


Cheers :)

[cgmg]

Harry,

No I wouldn't try a gyroglider with pontoons! I fully realize what my capabilities are, and know better than to try that. Understanding my capabilities and limitations is why I allowed two trusted gyro pilot friends to be the first people to fly my RAF. No way was I going to do it myself.

Regarding the bashers:

I too, believe the RAF is unstable in it's stock configuration. I've made what I believe, with considerable input from respected instructors, are adequate modifications to my machine to feel safer doing the type of flying my machine will see. You will not see me making any recommendations/statements to anyone else regarding the stability of any RAF, mine included.

I'm just happy to have it finished, and flying. Anyone who wants to argue with me about is going to have a hard time, since they'll be arguing with themselves.

[StanFoster]

Mark: Thats the right attitude. I just kept flying my RAF...posting pictures....and loving it.:D

You and Cathy will enjoy that nice machine a lot.

By the way, you must not have seen my PM about my nicopress tool? I may be needing it soon.:wave:


Stan

[Steve Osborne]

Same here, the hobbs is up to 800 hrs now.

[cgmg]

Stan

I did see it, but had to quit the computer right after reading it, and forgot.

If you can wait a couple of weeks, I'm hoping by then to make an airmail delivery on the weekend. Not enough daylight now to get over there and back.

Otherwise, I'll drive it over after work one day. I'm 30 minutes closer if I leave for your place from work.