New Hornet(s) in the works!

robo_nipsy :
Would love to see few pictures of your split mast setup when you have the chance to post it also. (if you don't mind)

I just like to see how different people do their own. I like the looks of the Hornet and the Dom. Both are eye catching to me with the drop keel.
 
I'm going to bump this up again as I am very interested to see how these two Hornets are doing.

They looked as though they were well on the way and had some interesting improvements/mods to the plans.

Does anyone know what progress has been made on these gyros or why we haven't heard from Dennis?
 
Thanks..

Thanks..

Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I've been so busy with work lately and don't have a lot to report. I sure do appreciate the interest of others and the little pokes to help keep the fire lit under my butt however!!

It sure seems to me like the economy is starting to turn around! My little shop is swamped right now..And that is such a good feeling after last year!! So, work comes first, Hornet comes second...Damn, I wish it did not have to be that way!

I moved the Hornet down to my basement, thinking it would be a be a nice warm place to work on it. Big mistake...It's the "out of sight- out of mind" thing. I have intentionally kept it out of my shop because I thought it would be too distracting to others during the daily business, but now I'm thinking that is just exactly what I have to do. Get it out there where it is in my face and so much easier to work on...Might have to do some rearranging first...

I have been doing some design on the tail and the control system, and I am gearing up to make some good progress again. I have all the aluminum stock sitting on my rack for the rotor head components along with all the bull nose end mills with the .032" corner radius so I can do all the pocketing with no sharp corners, etc, etc... My design is working downward to the control linkage to assure that intermediate links for the control rods are in perfect alignment. I think I have some neat ideas here.

I have redesigned (and machined) the attachment plates to the top mast section to eliminate the drilling of the mast. I also have the folding mast section mostly redesigned to redistribute the forces outward over a larger area.

I will try to post some more pictures before long, but the next 2 weeks are still going to be very hectic for me. I have a couple automation projects that are due........Speaking of that, I've been thinking of posting a couple pictures of what I do on a daily basis on the off topic.... (all the stuff that keeps me from working on my gryo!!!) I sure do enjoy reading the things that Stan posts about his stairs and such, and I thought maybe folks would get a kick out of seeing my little "contraptions"...A lot of it would have to be vague and nondescript however as I have non-disclosures with my customers..........But I would like people to know that the reason that I have not had time to work on the Hornet is NOT because I have been sitting on the couch watching reality TV!!!

More posts to come soon....Promise!!
Denis
 
Dennis, glad to hear things looking up business wise.

BillyGyro put his project in his shop and found that customers loved it and it aroused a lot of interest, however can see it might be distracting for business, then again maybe not.

I am sure that many of us would be delighted to see what other projects you are working on, Stan's are certainly most interesting.

Certainly looking forward to any improvements and ideas you might have had on the original design, and any we might incorporate on ours.
 
He's back.....

He's back.....

Hi all,
Well, after a long spell with no progress, I was finally able to make some more parts today. :)
I started with some new engine mount angles. I don't have my engine yet, but Brent has his. He tried to set his engine on, but the bolt hole spacing did not line up. (I think the plans are laid out for a 447 maybe..)
The prints show a fore/ aft center line spacing of 145mm. From some measurements that Brent took, and from a pdf of a 503 that I have, it appears that the spacing should be 153mm. Bent's engine was as close to the mast as it cold be, so we decided to move the rear hole back .314". So if anyone else is building a hornet with a 503, on print #70-00009, the engine mount hole on the right side, I moved the 1.250" dimension to .936". Also, the engine mounts were VERY tight fitting, so I increased the diameter from .750" to .785". This still allows for a good .015" of compression when the rubber mount is inserted. (other peoples mounts may vary).

I am sorta working from the top down now... As soon as I get some more head work done, I will start on the intermediate links for the control rods, and then onto the cyclic assembly...I am still leaning towards a pump style control...We'll see. As I get closer with some design changes, I'll post some pictures and see if others have any input..
Here are a couple pictures of today's progress..

Thanks,
Denis
 

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  • New Hornet(s) in the works!
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Oh Dennis, how Stu would have loved following you. He struggled with the engine mounting, and boy did we go through some material.

I had ordered our 503 engine with the oil pump, then had to remove that and go with pre-mix which I thought a retrograde step. We did not have the expertise or experience to work round that one

Lovely looking machined parts there. Mouth watering.
 
robo_nipsy :
Would love to have machine i could learn on. just to play around....
 
Hello Denis,

I am starting one too in Sarasota Florida. If you're willing to make extra parts, I'll buy them from you :)

Gil.
 
Gil,
I would be happy to provide you with some parts, the only issue would be your expected time frame....You can see by the dates on my posts that it is quite hit and miss as far as when I have time to work on my machine. (My automation projects come first)... If you are not in a huge rush, I'm sure I can help you out....
When Brent and I first started our machines, for some reason we started building 3 frames. Brent has all of the extra parts. I'm not sure when we switched to just building 2, but I think we have most of the main components already complete. I will see him this weekend at our Chapter 17 meeting. I will see if he wants to part with them.
And, I can help you out on others...
One note though...You see that I am building the rotor head components for mine and Brent's machines. There were many here on the forum that were gracious enough to provide with with prints of various designs. I took all the info and modified it (very slightly) to my own style. While I am very confident that what I have designed is as good as if not much better than some of the available units out there, you must remember that I too am a newbie to this sport...I would not feel right about about selling this portion of the machine to others. In a few years, after I have some experience...Then things may be different.
I'll PM you early next week and let you know what we have available.

Leigh,
Don't think that I haven't gone through some scrap material too!! It is frustrating when you have to re-make a part.....Especially when the only reason the part gets scrapped is because some idiot (me) with fat fingers typed in the wrong number!! Grrrrr! My biggest chance of error is in parts like those engine mount angles you see in the picture.
These are one which have a right and left hand configuration...I try to save time by only producing a print for the right hand model, and then just inverting the numbers for the left hand unit as I program it into the mill. That's where the errors occur...Me saving time...Yea, right!:mad:
d
 
Dennis, you just made me, and I am sure Stuart, just feel a whole lot better. Thanks. :)
 
Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank you Denis, let me know.. I am in no rush. I plan on spending only 300-400 a month, so ... I will be ordering my first batch of tubes on Friday. I'll take what your friend Brent doesn't need. I want to build my hornet without the folding mast by the way, so I don't need parts for that. Anything else, I am interested in. Not sure what engine I'll use yet, 447 or MZ201. I'll make the engine mount last.

Have a great day,

Gil.
 
Parts...

Parts...

Gil,
The parts that I have do include some of the tubes...Keel, drop tube, tail boom, etc:...If you can hold off on your order that you were gong to place this Friday until I find out what we have, it might be to your benefit..
I also stock some of the 6061 aluminum extrusions in my shop for (some) of the other parts you will need. Of course we can compare pricing with your supplier vs what I have to make sure you are getting a good deal...
I will contact you this weekend with an inventory list.
Denis
 
I don't know how big you are Gil, but unless you're smaller than 175 and fly from cold, sea level airports, I'd go for a 503 or the MZ. Even if you were less than 175, I'd still give a great deal of consideration to the bigger engines. The only advantages of the 447 are that if you are buying used it is less expensive, and it is slightly lighter.
 
Hello John,

Well, I'm 6'2'', 200Lbs. I read the Bee flies fine on a 447.. The MZ201 has 45hp, 6 more than the 447. Don says the Hornet can be made ultralight with a 503.. Florida gets very hot in the summer.. I worry about the MZ201 belt drive, the weight of the 503, low power of the 447, and the price of the MZ202.. That is one decision that will drive me crazy ;-) Maybe the MZ201 with a quality belt..

Good night :)
 
Personally, I'd pass on the 201, not because I've got any experience with it, (few here do). I do have experience with an ultralight with a 447. I wouldn't do that again unless cost was so important that it was a choice between a 447 or not flying. I'd go for the 202 or the 503 at your weight. While the cost and/or weight savings might seem important now, in the long run you'll be much happier if you go with the 202 w/gearbox or a 503. I'd venture to say you would never look back and say "I wish I'd have gone with the 447"

When it comes to stuff like "I read the Bee flies fine on a 447" I've found that later I wished I had talked to someone with direct experience instead of just reading. The Bee flies OK on a 447 and good rotor blades with a pilot of our weight, better for the lightweights. Some people will never wish for more than that. Many, perhaps most people, later wish they had gone with the 503 in the first place. Upgrading from a 447 to a 503 is fairly common and you can find many threads of people doing it. Nobody goes the other way.
 
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Gil,
I'll second John's comments.

As I am currently 200lbs in stocking feet, I'll vouch for the benefits of some more power than a 447 offers. Yes, the 447 bee will fly with you in the chair (near sea level), but expect to be using most of the engine's capability most of the time. On the up side, you will learn energy management (which is good)... or land more often than you planned (which may be less good).

On the other side of the coin, too much power in a light gyro (like the Bee) can be a detriment to an inexperienced gyro pilot. When at sea level the DesertBee has some torque roll just as the wheels break ground, but it's easily manageable. Just be sure your instructor knows what you're going to transition into from his two seat trainer.
 
Don says the Hornet can be made ultralight with a 503

It was designed as an ultralight. Has Don actually built his Hornet yet? And yes it very probably can with a 503 if you go barebones.

Without any experience on gyros, but a lot of flying time, working with marginal power in the air is not in my experience the way to go. Yes it does teach energy management but once you have learned that lesson it can be a bit of a drag having to do that all the time, and yes it does get hot in the summertime so you will have density altitude working against you.

We decided against the 447 go 503 and to try for ultralight. When it appeared we might not make the weight limit, we switched tactics and decided to certify and build as we wanted. This allowed us to add some of the goodies that make the flying experience a little more pleasant. Pod, more instruments and an electric prerotator and batteries, for the DW's we wanted.

Working with Tom Milton as our DAR went well, and certification went smoothly. If we were to do it again I would spend a bit extra and go for the 582 having experienced the change in handling of the Bensen when we did that switch. ie 503 to 582, just for the extra margin of power it gives. I do realize however that Don did run the numbers for the 447 and 503 only, and not the 582. I do think it could be safely done, probably not a job for a beginner though.
 
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