Transitional towing

[EI-GYRO]

The link below shows a Bensen autogyro, complete with engine, being
towed in the same manner as a gyroglider.
This is a useful exercise prior to wheel-balancing/crowhops, as it gives
a reasonable idea of the flight and flare characteristics of the heavier
machine while still in the familiar gyrogliding environment.

Apologies for the preliminary advertising and idiot commentary:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/au...query/autogyro

[Resasi]

That was great Fergus loved it.

Balsy gran/mum hope they had a thermos with a 'cuppa' for her at the end

[C. Beaty]

Those are Bensen factory made plywood blades. The kit blades had an exposed steel spar on the bottom surface, the factory blades did not.

Also, the original spindle rotorhead. Force feedback into the cyclic stick was in an unstable direction; increased “G” load produced a rearward (noseup) force in the stick.

Love that 1st generation Ford T-Bird.

[Aussie_Paul]

Ah, brings back wonderful 1961 memories.

Aussie Paul.

[WHY]

After watching the videos and pictures posted by Xuanyiji on the "flying video" thread and reading about the near total lack of instructors in China, I have been thinking about how a towed glider with the special feature of a "powerful pre-rotor" like a small single cylinder 2 stroke engine mounted down on the mast with a "shaft drive" to the rotor, might be a small improvement for instruction. It would get the "glider" up quick and give longer instruction flights.

Tony

[EI-GYRO]

True enough, Tony, but the main learning tasks of gyrogliding are
rotor management, takeoff, flare and landing, rather than straight-and-level
flight.
If you use a prerotator, you lose the first, and most important of those skills.
A 600 metre, or 2000 feet, strip is sufficient to give you about 15-20 seconds of airborne time, which is sufficient.
The guys in China seem to be using recently-built (probably not yet open)
roadways, so runway length shouldn't be a problem.
They dont seem to be doing any gyrogliding, a la Bensen.
They may or may not be doing hang tests, but the nose-up flight angles
suggest maybe not. Either that, or they are flying behind the power curve.

Their takeoffs would suggest they dont fully understand the power curve.
Some of the landings suggest the same.

[WHY]

Hi Fergus

Fully agree on the need to learn rotor management, acceleration and flare on landing. My thought on a pre-rotor was that "after" these had been learned and mastered "then" the pre-rotor could be used for longer flights.. Was just trying to think of some ways to provide a little better "alternative" training for them since it looks like instructors are almost non-existant.

Tony

[Buckingdummy]

Lol I am getting my wife on the 4 wheeler to pull me around tomorrow.

[EI-GYRO]

Oddly enough, one of the very few people to get killed on a gyroglider, was a guy who
got his wife to tow him when the other guys said it was too windy.

But I know you were just kidding.

Take it handy, dont rush, and you may get there.