Helicycle Hatchery

[All_In]

OK you told me you put the tank back in... where are the pictures?????

Also Stan, you got some strange (sick) friends that love your helicycle way tooooooooooooooo much.

To bad you can't share his comments in public, (very sick) but I'm still laughing.....

I think he is in love!!!

 

[StanFoster]

John- yea...I would be banned if I typed what my friend said about my Helicycle.


I now have my fuel tanks all back in after my top tank was replaced. Even though this was a lot of work taking all them out...dropping the transmission...controls...etc.....it would have been a lot more work later after the cabin was all buttoned up ...windshield bolted in....rotorhead on...swashplate on...rotorblades on....God..I dont even want to think about it.

My goal was to get this chopper back to where it was before I go to Homer Bells huge 25th anniversary fly-in this weekend.

Next week I will resume work on getting the swashplate hooked up to the three control rods you can see in the one picture...and putting my rotorhead on.

My rotor blades will be coming soon....and the build will continue.

I could have been working on my wiring....but I hated to see fuel tanks laying around....and other stuff that used to be part of this chopper. Now its back to its heaviest weight...and getting heavier!

Stan

 

[All_In]

Oh man, that does really look SWEET!!! As my kids have got me saying too.

 

[StanFoster]

Today was when I tested my fuel tanks. I filled them all up with water...and anxiously awaited to see no dripping...or so much as a drop. After sitting all day...there wasnt one drop ....so I now feel ready to go on with my swashplate and rotorhead assembly. My rotorblades are coming soon....and things are going to be busy again. :yo:

My 17 month old grandson Colton stopped by for a visit to the hanger...and I took these pictures of him. I have completely ruined that young lad. He holds his little toy helicopters above his head...and makes helicopter noises. It is so cute to watch.

Heres some pictures of him operating some switches. He goes for anything with a button or a switch on it.

The one picture where Colton is headed for the tail rotor....is exactly what he was doing. I stopped him just in time as he always spins his rotors and tail rotors on his toy choppers. That little fart is something else...but whose grandchild isnt? I am working on ruining my grandaughter as well...but she isnt walking yet.......give me time....more time.....I am very patient....:yo:

Stan

 

[All_In]

Oh that is the cuties thing I've seen in a very long time!!!!

He's going to be a helicopter pilot, you wait and see. You just planted the seed so young and you'll keep watering it each time he see you fly.

PS:
Stan I can't find your Air Commander Thread? How about a bump for me.

 

[StanFoster]

My rotorblades will arrive next week. I will then have to cut out 16 doubler plates as can be seen at the root of this rotor blade I posted a picture of. These spread out the loads at the hubend. They have to be cut out and then shaped to the airfoil section. The aluminum has to be thoroughly cleaned and prepped for bonding. Once I have these blades bonded...tip weights installed and various other details...I will ship these back to the factory for balancing and machining.

They do these in batches...and it can be months between batches...so I will hit it hard and get er done....


Stan

 

[animal]

Wow, thats alot of cutting but I am sure you will make it will look great.

 

[StanFoster]

I am starting back again on my Helicycle today. My rotorblades will be enroute, so I want my swashplate installed, rigged, and completed before my blades arrive. Pictures tonight. Stan

 

[StanFoster]

I installed the swashplate today. First order of business was leveling the rotor driveshaft both ways. I had to shim the left skid a tad over an inch to level it. I measured the base across my transport wheels...and it was 58.5 inches. I divided the 1.0625 inches I had to shim it by this 58.5 inches...took the tangent of that and and this computes to a 1.04 degree tilt to the left. My inclination gauge only reads to within quarter degree, now I know exactly.

The swashplates machining was superb...its fit down the rotor driveshaft was precise. The heim control rod ends fit with 0 slop. They are very fussy on this stuff. The swashplate has timken bearings in it and was a pleasure to install. I rigged it so it has 6 degrees fore and aft...and rigged the swashplate level with 3 degrees right input to the cyclic.

The last pictures are my laser beam aligning the back of the stabilzer bracket. Its supposed to be at the dead rear...so I just split the rotorshaft down the center with the laser beam...and made sure the plane of the laser light was dead center on the tail. I then clamped the stabilizer bracket to the hood bracket...drilled it for its bolts....then painted it. Its now on permanently.
Next will be the rotorhead .....

I have more pictures to post later....time to play with my grandson.

 

[Vance]

Nicely done Stan!

Thank you for the inspiration, Vance

 

[animal]

Looking good Stan, getting closer.

I bet you can't wait to get your blades mounted.

 

[StanFoster]

More pictures of the swashplate. It starting to feel like a helicopter.


You can see full left and right cyclic. Everything is set to specs... I am experiencing what other Helicycle pilots have been telling me...this chopper is very easy to rig....and the maintenance and adjustments are very minimal.


Stan

 

[Resasi]

Stan such a real pleasure to see the care and loving attention that is going into this piece of art.

Know what you mean about the grandchildren, they are so very special...and... you can hand them right back when they get a little tetchy. My third is on the way. Hoping it might be a boy. Girls are nice but boys can be real fun too.

 

[animal]

Stan what are the setting of the swashplate? how much tilt angle does it get?

looking more and more like a helicopter now for sure.

 

[StanFoster]

Tim- The swashplate is now set to specs....6 degrees forward tilt, and 6 degrees rearward tilt. 7 degrees left tilt, and 6 degrees right tilt. The cyclic stick itself moves roughly 45 degrees laterally and for/aft to move the swashplate 12-13 degrees.......that is why the Helicycle is not sensitive to small stick movements. It has a nice large movement to adjust the rotor. Also the collective has progressive geometry designed into it. At take off... the collective has to move quite a bit at this stage to change the rotorblade pitch, this gives you more finesse for better precise pitch changes needed at this point. But when you are autorotsting in, and you need to add pitch much faster, the geometry of the collective linkage is such that small movements towards the top third of travel give more pronounced pitch changes. You dont need finesse at this time, but some serious angle changes to the blades. B.J. Schramm has done a wonderful job designing this chopper, and the testimonies I keep hearing from Helicycle pilots makes this build so enjoyable , and looking forward to adding more positive testimony myself as I experience flying one for myself. I have never enjoyed NOT flying as much as I have while building this. Stan

 

[PR_Arecibo_DC]

Stan,
nice job...

When the time comes for you to fly it for the first time, do you going to video taped and post it in youtube.com? I bet you that a lot of people including myself here are waiting for that moment anciusly like your self... We have a both way trill here...

Have fun and be safe

Jose

 

[StanFoster]

Jose- I will make sure the first flight by Doug Schowchert , and my first flight will be on a movie clip. My first solo in the R22 is on U-tube and I was happy my instructor ran my camera right.

There does seem to be a little interest in this project..

I took one blade grip off to show the inner workings of this beast. That shank will contain the elastomerice bearing that they are holding back from me until my checkout. There are a couple of requirements before they hand those bearings over to a customer.

1, They have to have prooif of you at least soloing an R22...with a sign off by a CFI.

2. The machine must be gone over by one of their factory technicians...and then test flown also.

Eagle R & D want to keep us safe.

Stan

 

[Gyropilot007]

Stan:

I'm very excited and happy for you. What a tremendous accomplishment. I really can't wait to hear stories of your flying adventures. And your copter looks like a work of art! One day I hope to see it in person.

Bob

 

[PR_Arecibo_DC]

Stan,
When you say "and I quote" ,

<QUOTE> The machine must be gone over by one of their factory technicians...and then test flown also. Eagle R & D want to keep us safe. </QUOTE>

-Do they come to your location or you have to take it all the way there?
-Do they do all the Test Fly?

Jose

 

[StanFoster]

Had to laugh at my grandson at the controls.....Barbara is saying....no,,noo


Stan