Gyroglider Trailer for Fixed-Wings!

PW_Plack

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Joined
Oct 30, 2003
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Location
West Valley City, Utah, USA
Anybody here heard of Heliplane LLC?

I don't see even a website for these guys, but they've convinced the City of Minot, ND to loan them a half-million dollars to set up production of big gyroglider trailers which would be pulled behind airplanes to dramatically increase cargo capacity.

At the destination, the trailers are released to land autonomously using UAV-like control technology, while the fixed-wing tow plane lands normally.

Here's a brief video of the news story.
 
Yikes!

Sounds scary. I don't even like towing a banner, much less something that can fight back.

*JC*
 
Let's see now , if the city of Minot would have spent $50 dollars for a PRA membership and spent some time on the Rotary Wing Forum they could have saved ----how much ??????????????
 
It'll be interesting to see if this really becomes reality.
 
Sounds like another great use of our stimulus dollars. This is what happens when we let politicians spend out dollars. :der::suspicious::(
 
Give um a chance.

Give um a chance.

Such Non-Believers!!!

I'll bet you guys would have told Orville & Wilbur they were wasting their time also. I know we get a bit jaded by all the ridiculous usage of our tax dollars, but I would rather see my tax dollars spent on trying to advance the utility of aircraft than most of the things it is currently spent on. Lets not forget the power of a dream and how chasing financial success has driven technology forward at breath taking speeds in our life time. Give the guys a chance, even if you don't believe they will succeed.

I have a Dream!!!

Gyro Doug
 
I wish I could get some Gubmint money for some of my ideas, I could stay real busy building prototypes, of goofy flying crap for a small yearly stipend!! :) Probvably need millions though for the R&D.
 
Already been done.....

Already been done.....

Scott,

You have heard of GBA, ? Groen Bros Aviation have been doing that for decades...




I wish I could get some Gubmint money for some of my ideas, I could stay real busy building prototypes, of goofy flying crap for a small yearly stipend!! :) Probvably need millions though for the R&D.
 
I think this sounds like the story of someone sending a Winter coat through the mail but it was too heavy so they cut the buttons off to save weight and then put them in the pocket. If the plane is at gross with the passengers and then tries to tow a gyro trailer then even though the weight is not in the plane it will still affect the performance.
 
I finally watched the video....wow...

I finally watched the video....wow...

has it occured to the board that without powered rotors if they drop this rotoboxtoy somewhere there isnt a runway they just made a disposable gyro?
How the hell would you get that out of "the bush" without a helicopter and tow hook? Looks like a very smart way to get loan money and check out to Mexico on a one way ticket........ummm..... actually thats not such a bad idea
they could rotoplane themselves there!
Ben S




dumb, very dumb, bordering on congressional:puke:
 
Ken Brock flew his gyroglider behind an airplane tow.

Igor Bensen set up his shop in Raleigh using a goverment business-development subsidy. He had quite a rap about "the coming Air Age," when there'd be an aircraft in every garage, etc., etc. Right.

Autorotating rotors are power hogs. Their lift-to-drag ratio is 5:1 or less, while even a draggy FW plane is over twice that and sailplanes fly at 40, 50 or 60:1.

Towing an autogyro trailer to increase a plane's load capacity makes about as much sense as putting your extra luggage on a concrete block and dragging it behind your car.
 
Towing an autogyro trailer to increase a plane's load capacity makes about as much sense as putting your extra luggage on a concrete block and dragging it behind your car.

Now there's a savy business idea!!
I'm going to steal that one Doug.

I can see it now......."Tote Blocks" for everyone!!!

I'm gonna be rich I tell ya'.

Seriously, are these people for real? Have they even thought this through?

Jody
 
The control systems for autonomous landings are almost an off-the-shelf item for R/C rotorcraft now, and a rotary-winged trailer could land in a much shorter space than a fixed-wing one. Building a trailer that was its own helicopter would defeat the point, requiring its own powerplant.

I can see why a gyro-trailer would appeal to these guys, especially if the applications require it be left in place by the tow plane, or even be towed to its destination and released without the tow plane ever landing. Whether they can pull it off is another issue, and then, there's the regulatory side.

But their first goal is to demonstrate it to the military, where inefficiency is not a problem.
 
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