New Hornet(s) in the works!

[Resasi]

Now that Dennis, is called 'gilding the Lilly'.

But then it looks great, and works too. Can't get better than that.

Prerotator that gets 200 rrpm without much effort sounds pretty good, be interesting to see what it is capable of getting, and how much the whole shebang weighs.

Prerotators are of great interest to the gyro fraternity because although gyros land on a dime it is the take-off distance that is the key factor and a good prerotator can make a lot of difference in that run.

Vertical take off has been possible from the earliest of days but it is complex and heavy. On the lighter gyros the Butterfly prototype of Jay Carter's was very successful but sacrificed agility, and depended upon a special rotor that only he made, and was not going to make available.

There are various systems out there, but all seem compromises.

Hope that you manage to have some time to put towards training now, I think you have pretty much finished the bird. There will now be plenty of time to hit the books and get your head round some of the theory while waiting for Spring.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[Kevin_Richey]

Originally Posted by robo_nipsy

(Look at that dirty prop!! Man, am I slipping!!)

A dirty prop is a sign of a pilot enjoying their flying machine!

[PW_Plack]

January Rotorcraft has been distributed and includes Part I of a nice build article.

[robo_nipsy]

Originally Posted by PW_Plack

January Rotorcraft has been distributed and includes Part I of a nice build article.

Thanks Paul for the nice plug for the article!

This has made made me once again VERY honored and proud to be part of the PRA!

I did want to point out one item however.
I just sent an email to Lisa stating that there was a slight error.

On page 1, the small picture for "On the cover" it states "Denis Schoemaker in his Hornet"

In reality, the pilot shown is Chuck Freese. He is our Chapter 17 president and my amazing test pilot.

As most of you know, I have not had my training yet. I will be pursuing that this spring.
I did get the chance to do some taxi work last fall. What a wonderful feeling that was, to feel the blades spun up and getting a feeling for balancing.... I can't wait for some more schoolin'!

Thanks again everybody!

Denis

[GyroDoug]

Denis,

You have an amazing machine and now a lot of people are going to know about it. I think that's great! Although the pictures just can't fully do it justice, it is even more amazing looking in real life. I can't wait to see you get to start flying it yourself. Best of luck with your training!

[Russ Hobbs]

Denis you should be proud. Your build is well thought out and the machining is second to none.

[tgkelly]

@danmcgee or anyone else

Some time ago I downloaded Dan's release 14 plans and recently discovered that I didn't get all six files. I have 1,2,4,5 and 6 and I'm missing 3. I don't remember where I got the files and can't seem to find them anywhere. If you could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.

Tnx
Tom

[jehicks87]

Denis,

I'm curious... have you thought about having all of your "updates" set up for others to download and incorporate into their builds?

Regards,
Jake

[Resasi]

I guess a worry that anyone might have, is someone incorporating 'your' mod, not doing it correctly and then it failing.

I have a great admiration for those who have put designs out into the public domain for free. They do/have put caveats and disclaimers, but it still took faith and trust in the common sense of others to do things properly.

[jm-urbani]

Wouaw,
congratulations,
I have just read the story of your first tests, it is impressive .... I will have to do the same in a week weeks .... myself ... no-body will pest my snoopy gyro for me (folks are not mad after seing my bird no way )
regards

[robo_nipsy]

Originally Posted by Resasi

I guess a worry that anyone might have, is someone incorporating 'your' mod, not doing it correctly and then it failing.

I have a great admiration for those who have put designs out into the public domain for free. They do/have put caveats and disclaimers, but it still took faith and trust in the common sense of others to do things properly.

Leigh,
Very well put.

Yes, I have very often thought about releasing a set of plans with (some) of my "tweaks", but as Leigh mentions, the liability issue is enormous.

It is a shame that Don Shoebridge pulled the plans after the V14 release.
It took huge courage and effort on his part to take the project as far as he did.
It sounds like he just got tired of all the negativity, and said the hell with it...

That's too bad....
Is the design perfect? No, but it was evolving very nicely. A few more version updates and it could have easily become a very popular "garage build" gyro version in the years to come...
Is my machine perfect with the modifications I made to it? Not by a long shot! There is ALWAYS room for improvement!
But, I do feel I have made some improvements from the stock design. (otherwise I wouldn't have changed the things that I did.)
There were a few "areas of concern" that I saw, along with some input from others here on the forum.

So far, with the flight testing that my test pilot has done for me, it seems that my machine is turning out to be a wonderful performer!

I put a LOT of time and detail into every component. I have a very intimate knowledge of how everything is assembled. I know when I start flying this thing myself, I will have complete trust in the machine. (this does not mean that I will ever skimp on pre-flights or such)

So, getting back to the "areas of concern" and the changes I made.....

I feel like I am facing a bit of a moral dilemma here....
Do I take the time to put together a set of plans with the modifications I have made and make it available to the public, and hope for the best in regards of liability and negative backlash....(The same thing that Don Shoebridge went through)?

Or, do I continue handing out the V14 plans to whom ever asks for them, with the knowledge that they might build and fly a machine with a few "questionable" design elements that I decided that I was not comfortable trusting my life to????

Don't know.....

d

[Resasi]

I think Don had improved on the Bee with the dropped keel, and, that there were still areas for improvement, there always are.

You Dennis had the expertise to see and improve. Not sure that simply drawing attention to areas of concern would expose one to liability.

Don's caveats I think cover him.

[jehicks87]

Denis, I went back through this entire thread last night and I answered many of my own questions by paying more careful attention to your posts.

I'm still incredibly impressed; it is a beautiful machine. My favorite parts are the tail, the folding mast, and the brackets you made for the landing gear struts. Beautiful!