WindRyder

[whbriley]

anyone know where you can find a windryder these days? did anyone continue making the pod, etc? sure was a sharp design.

 

[GyroRon]

It is a dangerous design, best to stay away from it Bill.

 

[whbriley]

Hey Ron,

Thats what I hear about my new gyro the snobird... I flew to Trenton the other weekend and they told me you sold your plane. They also thought that I was you at first. I hope you can get your crew to fly down for the event. I cant get Gary to fly down in his RAF. thats not far at all for someone enclosed.
I flew to Spartanburg the other day in my plane and it took me just about an hr to get there. IT usually takes 4 to drive it.... I was teaching Gene Fulton and some of his friends how to fly powered paragliders. see ya soon--in florida, I hope.

 

[Bill Clem]

Yeah, you can find one in my hangar. It belongs to Dick Goddard who was one of the flight test pilots for the manufacturer. While it has a high thrust line, it has a huge horizontal stabilizer, with multiple vertical stabilizers, one on each end. I suspect that they serve to "catch" airflow, slowing any rapid pitching moment. Dick is very knowledgable about the aerodynamics, the flight tests and the changes that were made in the design over the 5 year development period.

 

[dick]

It is a dangerous design, best to stay away from it Bill.

Your right Ron, As is any high thrush line aircraft with out the right amount of horzontal and vertical stablelizers. Todays newer CLT built designs need not neer the tail feathers to fly as stable. However others would be suprised just how stable this guy is in the sky. One thing to note, this Windryder is built a little different then the production models sold. For me anyway I hold judgement untill I have first hand experience, then it becomes (in my opinion) There's a whole lot of bias attitudes towards other designs, some warranted, others not. There's one being redesigned down in Texas toward the CLT. Might fly even better then mine. Always looking forward to hearing from you.....................Dick

 

[GyroRon]

I believe that not only is there the high thrustline issue, but also a issue of more vertical area in front of the CG and than behind, in other words if you got out of coordinated flight, the gyro may swap ends.

It certainly is a good looking gyro, but I still don't believe it is something a newbie like Bill needs.

 

[dick]

Ouch Again

Ouch Again

I believe that not only is there the high thrustline issue, but also a issue of more vertical area in front of the CG and than behind, in other words if you got out of coordinated flight, the gyro may swap ends.

QUOTE]

Again Ron, My Windryder is built differently, and does address that. Have a nice day..................Dick

 

[whbriley]

Ron,

I got over 100 hrs in gyros, and about 2000 total time in various aircraft. Am I still a newbie?

 

[Brent_Brown]

Yes only Ron is not one. You should still have your red helmet on doing pushups.

 

[whbriley]

brent,

nice one man. that brings back some funny division "cherry" memories. dont see that these days.

 

[Brent_Brown]

I knew you would like that one.

 

[Doug Riley]

Ron's comment no doubt arises because of Harry Cordon's fatal accident in a Windryder. Descriptions from witnesses depicted something like an Air & Space-style slip-roll divergent coupling. There have been a couple other gyro crashes that looked suspiciously like the same thing.

Even If the gyro has no tendency to "swap ends" in yaw, if it pod's center of pressure is low, it may roll uncontrollably INTO the direction of a slip -- the opposite of what an airplane with wing dihedral does. Banking toward the slip accelerates the rate of slip, which causes more banking, and over she goes. It's a sideways drag-over.

The design solution is to add side area above the CG (using a very wide mast "sail" like a submarine or simply raising the whole pod into a CLT position).

 

[whbriley]

brent,

On the 31st we are having a cook out at the lumberton airport. come down if you can. dont know what gyro you are flying these days. either way, you are invited.

Doug,
I know people have good intentions on this list about safety and I respect that. We all know that gyros are dangerous, but we assume risk and we fly.

 

[Brent_Brown]

I might make it. I should be flying the 670 gyro this weekend.

Back to the deal here. Who has all the molds, Drawings for the WR.

 

[dick]

The design solution is to add side area above the CG (using a very wide mast "sail" like a submarine or simply raising the whole pod into a CLT

position).[/QUOTE]

I agree with that Doug, And your right. But it needed more for me. I wanted a larger vertical (hinged) rudder with wider horazontal and bigger vertical stationary forks in cleaner air further back from the cabin. With that it dosn't have a mind of its own under any condition I have flown in thus far. 20 years i've been in it and it always goes where I point it...................Dick

 

[Doug Riley]

Dick:

Does it behave in cross-controlled flight?

(One of my students once gave the tandem Dominator an "acid test" of slip stability. I asked him to try a touch of cross control. He floored a pedal and racked the stick over at 75 mph until my eyeballs were both on the same side of my nose. Nope, no instability in that mode...).

 

[dick]

Dick:

Does it behave in cross-controlled flight?

Acid test, I like that Doug, Never heard of anybody trying to invite the devil to bite in the ass like that, glad to see your still with us, but I have tasted my spline in maneurvers. I will say this, when i've demoed this Gyro for the military & airshow events I did push it as far as I could safely with out getting into un-controlled flight (still don't know where that is with this Gyro). As far as fast forward goes the tail rudders restrict getting into too much of that over controlling. With that clean arrow dynamics, it flys more like an arrow at high speed and becomes more restrictive...........Dick

 

[GyroRon]

Bill, with 100 hours you are still in the Newbie status. Granted your not a total newbie like someone that just took their first lesson, but you are very likely still in learning mode. It was not to be taken as a negative in any way, hope you don't take it that way.

I have roughly 700 hours in gyros and I would say I am out of the newbie status, but not yet been doing this long enough to call myself a pro either.

Brent your a trouble maker

 

[whbriley]

Ron,

I just like busting your balls. I think you are a good man--with a lot of opinions (like me). we are always learning... hope to see you soon.