Gyro kit building from junkyard.

[nickelnick]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and ultralights but have been very excited to get my own. I am interested in building a gyrocopter from scratch instead of paying vast amounts for kits. I was wondering how hard this would be to do, as I saw a you tube video of a guy who said all you need is "a couple bags of smoke, and a case of beer....oh yea and a junk yard" to build a working gyrocopter.

As I look at one, It seems to me that the most expensive part on there might be the engine and rotor. The frame i could make myself and have a rotor fabricated. I've thought to buy the plans for one of these, however I have seen a couple of them and some are not as easy to understand.

Can anyone give a newbie computer geek like me some recommendations for building something from scratch or finding something working at a low cost if this doesn't sound like a good idea? Looking to spend only a few thousand, not including a ballistics chute for the just in case...

Thanks!

[Resasi]

Yup. Only a few thousand may not be that easy... as Jake, who has the couple of bags, and frequents this forum may tell you.

Don't want to appear too negative but the problem is that you can find low cost second hand, but there are drawback to watch out for, also training is a must which bumps things up a bit.

It is getting into the air quite cheaply, but generaly costs quite a bit more than people first imagine. Certainly my son and I built one from plans, cost us quite a bit more than we thought it would, but in my book well worth it for the fun we had, people we met...and it flew too.

This forum is a good start though. Tons of good advice and help from people who know, and care that those new to the sport don't go and kill themselves. There is a serious mass of information about every aspect of building your own... but not real cheap.

Just a thought, Ron Awad's Gyronimo would have been pretty low cost, another was Adam Hewlich's Bee, any ideas roughly how much they cost anyone?

[gyrojake]

Don't forget the old drill motor !!

[Mike484]

I think he already got into the bag of weed and forgot where he put the old drill motor.

[Resasi]

C'mon, Jake, time out from the dooby and tell the guy roughly how much you can do it for in that 'Junkyard' of yours.

[BEN S]

Noobie here,
I just saw a youtube video of guys testing bullet proof vests, and it looked like totally awesome! I want to get into it, but you know without spending any real money, so can you guys give me some advice on how I can shoot real bullets at myself without having to buy one of those expensive Aramid fiber weaves?
Not trying to burst your bubble, but it sort of changes the tone of the question when you put it like that doesn't it? End result can be the same...do the research, put in the time, get the training and build a good solid kit and STILL can't guarentee you won't end up dead, its called experimental aviation for a reason, your the test pilot!

[jcarleto]

The keys to GyRonimo's low build cost were knowing gyros inside and out, knowing people in the community with used parts and/or skills and having ready cash and/or goods to trade the moment great deals fell in your lap. Not impossible to duplicate the process, but more difficult for someone not familiar with gyros or the gyro community.

The junkyard thing is somewhat helpful for some parts, but most aren't generally good sources for 6061 aluminum and AN nuts and bolts unless you have a much better grade of junkyard than those to which I am accustomed.

My suggestion is to pick up an old Bensen and do a drop keel mod if you want to keep costs down. There are lots of them around, it seems. You should take someone along that knows gyros or you'll just be buying stuff for the recycle bin. There are plenty of "past it" gyros out there too.

Now...if you could get your hands on a set of plans for a "Jake-built" machine and scratch-build that...you might have something.

[gyrojake]

Originally Posted by Resasi

C'mon, Jake, time out from the dooby and tell the guy roughly how much you can do it for in that 'Junkyard' of yours.

O.K. now that the smoke cleared!!
You should be able to find a good engine:
2cycle, from $1500 to $3500 used. A new one $5000 to $25,000.
4 cycle, from $250 to $1,000 used. A new one $3,000 to $15,000.

Rotors that are worth flying; go from $800 to $1,500
New rotor system; $1,800 to $5,000 new.

Rotor head can go fro $250 to $500 used. A new one can go from $600 to $2,000.

Air frame materials about $200

Nuts and bolts about $150

rims,tires, axles,brakes about $400

Tail prefab, from $500 to $4,000. home built tail-Alot of work at about $250 to$500

I do not have plans for any of my machines, but I do have a nice 503, tall tail,clt machine for $12,000 with no rotors. I keep my Skywheels.

Hope this clears up some questions.

And by the way, WHY does everyone take that vid so LITERALLY ?

~~JAKE~~

[jcarleto]

Originally Posted by gyrojake

And by the way, WHY does everyone take that vid so LITERALLY ?

The price of stardom, sir.

[Resasi]

Because your a convincing actor??

[Joe Pires]

Might want to reverse his prices for the 2 and 4 stroke lines.

[RICK MARTIN]

Nick,

The first thing you should do before you spend any money is get out and find your local group of gyro guys and start hanging out with them on the weekends. And that might require some traveling. If you don't have the determination/persistence to go to them, you might as well hang it up right now.

Spend time with them. Be patient. Ask lots of questions. Try to get a ride. And then start thinking in terms of 8,000 or so for a decent used machine (Jake's machine is worth every penny - it's a new machine). And don't even think about buying a machine without taking a knowledgeable person with you to inspect it!

Call me. 941 812-7182