Boston to San Diego in a gyro.

Great Chris,
Looking forward to see you on the 15.
Really liked the short flight in your ship. Remarkable smooth with winds gusting to 40 Kt.
Looks like my buddy Max has been bitten by the Gyro bug.
avk
 
Another hurdle taken! Today I got a reasonable insurance quote which also covers the US including comprehensive coverage of both gyros.

It looks more and more likely that this trip is actually going to happen!!

-- Chris.
That is great new Chris!!! We're a waiting......
 
Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.

At the Cosmosphere, visitors hear the non-biased, definitive story of the Space Race. With a U.S. space artifact collection second only to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow, the Hall of Space Museum is known by space enthusiasts worldwide. There is also a IMAX 3d theater.

http://www.cosmo.org/

The Space Center is 3 miles east of the Hutchinson Ks airport, 60 miles SW of Salina KS.
Worth the stop.

http://www.cosmo.org/photo/photo-restore.cfm?Photo_ID=4
http://www.cosmo.org/photo/photo-museum.cfm?ID=24

http://www.cosmo.org/mu_virtual.htm

(Hutchinson is also a touch and go airport for the small jets built in Wichita and for students learning to fly jets.)
 
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Larry, that's great! I was planning to fly from Salina direct to Hays. I will put in a dog leg down to Hutchinson.

Thanks again for the info, -- Chris.
 
SR-71 Black Bird, and a replica of the Shuttle cabin are the big hits.
(They mounted the bird, then finished the building).
http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/history/article.asp?id=91
http://www.johnweeks.com/sr71/kansas.html

As you go from the airport to the Cosmosphere, you pass the salt mines which are 800 ft underground, This is where all the original movies reels are stored. I have had friends that worked the archieves that said they saw the original
Wizard of Oz reel. (Yes, it is in Kansas) You can take tours.

Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure Zoo (60 acres - you could fly over the giraffes & rhinos as the zoo is way out in the country west of Salina KS)

Sedgwick County Zoo Wichita KS - poison snakes
Chimpanzee Habitat - In 1988 the Sedgwick County Zoo was selected as the first site of observer training workshops for Jane Goodall's ChimpanZoo Project. The new Habitat was designed by Jane.
 
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All right, here's the next challenge:

My friend Robert and I both have a US PPL with SEL ratings as well as a German gyro-SPL. We need to get our gyro rating on the US PPL. To this end we need one CFI to sign us off and another CFI/examiner to do a check flight with. Additionally, this will have to be done in a US registered LSA gyro as per the regs.

Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien is trying to find two instructors and a gyro so that we can pull this off. I thought it can't hurt to post a call on the forum and see if someone out there can help us.

Robert and I will be arriving in Boston on Friday, May 15th. Sunday or Monday would would be the perfect days to get the checkflights done. Our gyros are sitting in a hangar in Lawrence (KLWM). We'll have a rental car and will be able to drive around in the area if need be.

Anyone out there who can help?

-- Chris.
 
Our gyros are sitting in a hangar in Lawrence (KLWM).
Lawrence is under the Logen mode C veil. Do you have a transponder, or would you need to have one?

With regard to getting rating, you should really get in touch with an examiner and make sure your timeline is realistic. If there are no gyro examiners in the NE, your best bet, time-wise, might be to make a stop somewhere else on the way to Boston and then continue to Boston. I don't know of any gyro DPEs in the east coast... Does it have to be a gyro DPE or could it be any DPE?

Udi
 
Udi, yes, our gyros are transponder equipped, so the mode C veil is no problem.

Regarding examiners, I am in touch with Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien who has offered to help organize this part. I am also thinking that this might present a sizable obstacle. Where would you suggest we stop over on the way in order to most easily arrange for two examiners to be present?

-- Chris.
 
You don't need 2 examiners, do you? In Phoenix, AZ, you can find Jim Mayfield, a gyro DPE, and multiple CFIs. Jim is here on the forum - why don't you contact him and get some advice.

Udi
 
More and more things are coming together and if, initially, this whole adventure seemed more like wishful thinking, it now has turned into a real project nearing completion.

It turns out that I will be able to fly my German registered gyro with my German license. But still, it would be great to have a gyro rating on my US PPL, too. Hence my question: looking at the route we plan to take, is there a good place along it somewhere, where I could get two instructors in one place to get me my rating (one to sign me off, the other to do the practical exam)?

The other question is: can I do the rating in my own gyro or do I need to fly an American LSA-class gyro?

See you soon, -- Chris.
 
Chris

As far as I know, there is no such thing as "an American LSA-class" for Gyros per se.

I think they all must meet the Experimental 51% rule (unless they weigh less than 254 lbs. and otherwise qualify for the ultralight category). You may want to confirm this.
 
Chris, its up to the examiner. If he feels comfortable with your machine, including his own abilities to get back on the ground safely if the applicant can't, he'll say yes.
 
Hmmm....since the MT03 is definitely factory built and heavier than the magical 254 lbs. I am faced with a conundrum. All I'm looking for is a gyro rating add-on to my PPL.

If that can be done by a gyro CFI flying with me in my MT03, that'd be great. In this case I'd be looking to meet a CFI somewhere along the route, preferably the earlier the better.

Anybody know who I should contact? I posted my route earlier in this thread.

-- Chris.
 
As of today, my gyro is on its journey across the big drink to Boston. Which means I'm left high and dry without a gyro until May 15, when I arrive in Boston. The thought of this already gives me flight withdrawal symptoms. Just picture this: going one month without flying and then suddenly 60 hours in a row. Wow, that's going to be a rush!

As already stated before, one reason for this trip is to make many new friends along the way. I'll be reachable by email during the trip and will start a thread here on the forum as a sort of diary. If someone wants to get in touch with me, email is best. I will also get a mobile phone once I'm in the US and will post my number here, too.

Just to recap: I'll be leaving Boston on May 18 or 19. I posted the route in post #93 in this thread. Depending on the weather there might be time for a short dog leg or two, but we'll have to see when we get there.

I'm getting more and more excited!

Best wishes, -- Chris.
 
That's great news ! Hope all goes well & as planned.

Are you coming through Pennsylvania ??
 
Our EAA chapter #967 fly-in is Saturday May 23rd at Amelia Earhart Airport (K59) Atchison, KS. That's about 20 miles SW of Rosecrans (STJ) St. Joseph, MO. that is listed on your route. Me and the Magni will be the only gyro there. If it times right we would love to have you show up. In good weather we have had 100 aircraft show. I can get you free hangar space on our private field just 3 miles away.

Doug
 
@Doug, yes I'll definitely pencil it in. Would be fun to attend. Let's stay in touch.

@akoshier: Freu mich schon, dich drüben zu sehen! Halt uns die Daumen, dass alles wie geplant klappt.

@CLS447: We are going to graze Pennsylvania at the northernmost tip flying from Mass straight west to Lake Eerie.

Greetings, -- Chris.
 
I just learned that our gyros have been disassembled much more than I originally anticipated before being loaded into the container for shipping to the US. Since this was done by the manufacturer (and not by the moving company!) I have reasonable hope that it was done professionally and in a reversible fashion. Unfortunately it was impossible for me to be present at the time of loading. But I received a couple of pages of a Power Point presentation showing the highlights of putting it back together again.

Our gyros are going to be sitting (in parts) in a hanger occupied by the EAA Chapter #106 (of which I am as of recently a member!) -- thanks Angelo aka "akoshier"! That fact also bolsters my hopes to get them flying again in short order.

Only 12 days until we arrive in Boston!

Greetings, -- Chris.
 
I got your PM Chris.

Can't wait!!!

I'll help you take them apart and repack too! What fun!

See you soon!
 
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