New Gyro

i would love to see some of these new concepts actually fly......
 
Doesn’t make much difference what sort of Flash Gordon style fiberglass pod is hung under an overloaded Bensen rotor; with enough power, it will fly.
 
Chuck, I have had that argument with people for years and at one point I put a rotor on a Honda Odyssey dune buggy and flew it on a towline to prove my point, I have almost built a sawhorse with a rotor and engine to prove that with a good rotor system and power it will fly, I may still do it sometime just for kicks.
Norm
 
Unfortunately Norm, people who get carried away with the technical aspects of gyroplane flight often ignore aesthetics.

Aesthetics is one of the most important parameters of consumer products.

But still, “modern” gyros remind me of the fiberglass kit cars that were popular 20 or 30 years ago, With the right fiberglass body bolted to a VW Beetle floor pan, the owner could imagine he had a Ferrari.
 
But still, “modern” gyros remind me of the fiberglass kit cars that were popular 20 or 30 years ago, With the right fiberglass body bolted to a VW Beetle floor pan, the owner could imagine he had a Ferrari.

Remember the "Bradley GT " ? We had a neighbor build one when I was a kid. My father used to say the "GT" stood for garbage truck !
 
Nice looking with good access but I just won't consider a design that requires the canopy to swing upward to exit. I'd hate to survive a crash only to burn to dead because I couldn't exit quickly. When it comes to enclosed gyros it's two side doors or no enclosure.
 
Any canopy can trap you if it's made so lexan or other virtually un breakable material, if they are made from plexiglass you can break it to escape.
Norm.
 
Canopies are usually not made from Lexan which is flexible. Usually they are polycarbonate molded forms either blown or vacuum formed.
 
Abid, polycarbonate sheet is "Lexan".
 
Lexan is a brand name , like Cresent is for wrenches.
It IS a polycarbonate thermoplastic!
And it is true , you can not hardly break it!
there are many plexiglass type plastics that WILL break with some effort, and they do heat/stretch form over compound curve molds easily!
Polycarbonates seem to only heat/drape form over simple curve molds!
But I am sure there is an expert that will let us know?
 
Typical of the European LSA's and Gyro's - built for places with cooler weather than here. Can you imagine an extended taxi with that canopy closed up ? Nice little flying sauna they got there !
 
The name is certainly interesting. In a marine toilet, the "joker" is a (hopefully) one-way valve in the plumbing leading out of the bowl.
 
Abid, polycarbonate sheet is "Lexan".

Yes Lexan (brand name and its copies) are a type of Polycarbonate that flexes and usually not used for moldings. Different Acrylics clear with good optical properties and some others are usually used for molded canopies and molded windshields. I have never heard of Lexan type materials being utilized for molded canopies.
 
Abid, I guess you do not build fighter plane canopies...

The F-16, for example, uses a variant of polycarbonate.
Brian
 
Two years ago I ask a snowmobile winshield manufacturing company about building me a nice windshield , talks came to an end when he found that they may end up on an aircraft but he gave me some pointers about making my own, lexan and other plastics of that family contains water so before you can bring it up to forming tempturture you need to cook it at a lower temp to remove the water.
Norm
 
Abid, I guess you do not build fighter plane canopies...

The F-16, for example, uses a variant of polycarbonate.
Brian

Brian
No I don't. I am sure that variant also costs s bundle that you won't pay for if you bought a gyro canopy :)
 
Polycarbonates seem to only heat/drape form over simple curve molds! But I am sure there is an expert that will let us know?

Polycarbonate is used in impact-resistant eyeglasses and windshields.

For instance, the one on this F-16:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJ3aXrvaCs

After seeing this, does anyone still entertain the idea that you can break out a Lexan window? The best that you could do would be get it out of the mounting.
 
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