gurney flaps

j bird

Gold Supporter
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
1,825
Location
Cave Junction,OR.
Aircraft
Dominator/Airworthiness Certificate 9/06/12
Total Flight Time
26.5 duel,RAF,Sparrow-Hawk,Cavalon,Calidus.
Hey Chuck, any thoughts on gurney flaps on gyro rotor blade's, increase lift etc.?
 
It certainly feels like increased lift when installing a rotor that improves rate of climb and flies with reduced power but that’s deceptive.

If a gyro weighs 1,000 pounds and flies, the rotor is developing 1,000 lbs of lift, if it doesn’t fall out of the air in a 45[FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]º[/FONT][FONT=Liberation Serif, serif] turn, it is developing [/FONT][FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]1,400 pounds of lift. Why do we need more lift?[/FONT]

[FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]What we really mean when we say a rotor has “good lift” is that it has low drag, leaving more power for climb and maneuver.[/FONT]

[FONT=Liberation Serif, serif]Gadgets that work on race cars might not work so well on flying machines. Gurney flaps on rotor blades will increase drag and pitching moments, neither of which is a desirable trait for a rotor. [/FONT]
 
Chuck, are you aware of any aircraft that uses gurney flaps?

I'm trying to think of a situation where you would want them other than when you are already using flaps.
 
I used to try Gurney flaps on gyros for several times last years. They worked very good when I needed 1) to correct gyro so it flies straight and level with stick free 2) to increase effectiveness of the vertical tail surfaces and rudder. This mostly was when I was invited to test other guys gyros - I always have some ready bent aluminium angles and double-side scotch with me for these purposes. These small pieces of aluminium always worked so apparently that buiders were shocked with result =)
Once I was invited to test a gyro which I've already tested before and it flew more or less good while it was open cockpit but now its builder installed a huge nose pod and it apparently resulted in lack of longitudal stability and rudder authority. Installing Gurney flaps to its tail we immediately got it flying much better.
Another test was to install Gurney flaps to eliminate torque roll in a Calidus. There is a thread here about this exercise: https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/ro...ng-torque-roll
I also often see Gurney flaps on helicopters vertical tails.
 
Alex, I’ve probably asked you this before but I’ve forgotten your answer: Were you a member of that group that flew across Siberia to Alaska, then to Seattle where you bought an automobile, drove to Florida and then to Norfolk/Newport News where the car was shipped back to Russia? That must have been 20 years ago.
 
No Chuck, that adventure happened before I met gyros. Victor Shumeiko was the guy in this group who mostly talked to you that time. This was likely in 1998. In 1999 I met him and he infected me with gyroplane passion =) He still often warmly remembers that trip and your discussions with him.
They also bought two Dominator tandems from Ernie, I learnt to fly gyros in them. One of these is still flying somewhere in Russia.
 
Too bad you weren’t along, Alex. That trip around the World by an unusual route must have been quite an adventure.
 
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