- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,357
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
More fun flying The Predator.
I found myself procrastinating about flying on Sunday.
It was gusting to 32kts when I had lunch with a potential client at the SMX.
I went to the hangar to begin to inventory the parts required for repairs to my friends Cavalon.
I spent a lot of time tapping around the mast area to see if there was any evidence of delamination.
I had recently serviced the nose gear on The Predator and I wanted to make a maintenance flight before I took anyone up in The Predator. I am still experimenting with the nose gear.
I checked the ATIS at 4:00 and the wind was blowing 270 degrees at 16kts. I walked out and checked the windsocks and they did not exactly agree with the one up high on the old hangar moving through about 30 degrees looking a lot like a snake getting ready to strike.
About 4:30 I finished my preflight and figured I would be much happier if The Predator was finished up and ready to go.
This would be a simple maintenance flight with no video camera or radio hookup.
I climbed in and felt at home as I went through the start list. Master on, magnetos off, boost pump till the low fuel pressure light goes out, full rich, one third throttle, check brakes, CLEAR PROP. She caught right away and settled into an uneven idle as I continued. Lean for taxi, alternator on, transponder on, GPS on and set to destination. Radio on and check ATIS, ground frequency in the radio and tower on standby. Radio call sheets organized.
I taxied to Mike and called ground for a taxi to runway 30 with Juliet. I repeated; gyroplane one four two Mike Golf, taxi to runway three zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.
She was steering nicely despite the quartering tail wind.
When I reached the run up area temperatures and pressures were in the green and the magneto check when well with a drop of 28 rpm on the left and 32 rpm on the right magneto. Transponder to mode C, radio to tower frequency and taxi to the hold short line.
I asked for left closed traffic and runway three zero was clear for takeoff, left closed traffic approved. I love this pilot stuff.
I taxied directly into the wind toward the centerline and was half back at 100 rotor rpm before I reached the centerline, full back at 120 rotor rpm as I turned right on the centerline. I left the power where it was until I started backing up. I like to feel the rotor get hold of the wind and I opened the throttle at 220 rotor rpm. The takeoff roll was less than 50 feet. The magic had begun. The Predator lifted and turned her nose into the wind as I climbed out at 50kts showing 27kts of ground speed on the GPS.
I found a lot of lift and sink and had fun trying to manage my airspeed and altitude. I was seeing ten to twelve knots of wind shear. I could feel the wind whipping around my face and the magic continued.
I was seeing 78kts of ground speed on downwind at 50kts indicated air speed. On final I found some lift and had to reduce power twice to hit my spot. I moved to the right of the runway in case I needed to land across the 150 foot wide runway. I had plenty of ruder and decided to land straight ahead. We caressed the runway and as soon as the rotor began to gain rpm I gave her full throttle and she leapt into the air wagging her tail as the wind whipped around.
On the second landing a wind shear took the lift away and I needed to flare aggressively. I took pleasure in managing the situation. Takeoff was short and I called left downwind for 30 to land and gyroplane two Mike Golf was cleared to land. To make taxi way Alpha four I needed to fly quite a ways down the runway and I found her making uncommanded climbs and descents. Touch down was as nice as could be but the rotor became a little unruly as I taxied across the hold short line. “You going to the hangar Vance?” Experimental Two Mike Golf; taxi to the T hangars via Alpha, Mike, monitor ground. Have a good night!” I asked for a wind check and it was 260 degrees at 17kts gusting to 25kts.
I had only flown for four tenths (24 minutes) and made three takeoffs and landings.
I spent 25 minutes in the afterglow before I even pulled out my log book.
The simplest flight can really get me going.
Thank you for coming along.
I found myself procrastinating about flying on Sunday.
It was gusting to 32kts when I had lunch with a potential client at the SMX.
I went to the hangar to begin to inventory the parts required for repairs to my friends Cavalon.
I spent a lot of time tapping around the mast area to see if there was any evidence of delamination.
I had recently serviced the nose gear on The Predator and I wanted to make a maintenance flight before I took anyone up in The Predator. I am still experimenting with the nose gear.
I checked the ATIS at 4:00 and the wind was blowing 270 degrees at 16kts. I walked out and checked the windsocks and they did not exactly agree with the one up high on the old hangar moving through about 30 degrees looking a lot like a snake getting ready to strike.
About 4:30 I finished my preflight and figured I would be much happier if The Predator was finished up and ready to go.
This would be a simple maintenance flight with no video camera or radio hookup.
I climbed in and felt at home as I went through the start list. Master on, magnetos off, boost pump till the low fuel pressure light goes out, full rich, one third throttle, check brakes, CLEAR PROP. She caught right away and settled into an uneven idle as I continued. Lean for taxi, alternator on, transponder on, GPS on and set to destination. Radio on and check ATIS, ground frequency in the radio and tower on standby. Radio call sheets organized.
I taxied to Mike and called ground for a taxi to runway 30 with Juliet. I repeated; gyroplane one four two Mike Golf, taxi to runway three zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.
She was steering nicely despite the quartering tail wind.
When I reached the run up area temperatures and pressures were in the green and the magneto check when well with a drop of 28 rpm on the left and 32 rpm on the right magneto. Transponder to mode C, radio to tower frequency and taxi to the hold short line.
I asked for left closed traffic and runway three zero was clear for takeoff, left closed traffic approved. I love this pilot stuff.
I taxied directly into the wind toward the centerline and was half back at 100 rotor rpm before I reached the centerline, full back at 120 rotor rpm as I turned right on the centerline. I left the power where it was until I started backing up. I like to feel the rotor get hold of the wind and I opened the throttle at 220 rotor rpm. The takeoff roll was less than 50 feet. The magic had begun. The Predator lifted and turned her nose into the wind as I climbed out at 50kts showing 27kts of ground speed on the GPS.
I found a lot of lift and sink and had fun trying to manage my airspeed and altitude. I was seeing ten to twelve knots of wind shear. I could feel the wind whipping around my face and the magic continued.
I was seeing 78kts of ground speed on downwind at 50kts indicated air speed. On final I found some lift and had to reduce power twice to hit my spot. I moved to the right of the runway in case I needed to land across the 150 foot wide runway. I had plenty of ruder and decided to land straight ahead. We caressed the runway and as soon as the rotor began to gain rpm I gave her full throttle and she leapt into the air wagging her tail as the wind whipped around.
On the second landing a wind shear took the lift away and I needed to flare aggressively. I took pleasure in managing the situation. Takeoff was short and I called left downwind for 30 to land and gyroplane two Mike Golf was cleared to land. To make taxi way Alpha four I needed to fly quite a ways down the runway and I found her making uncommanded climbs and descents. Touch down was as nice as could be but the rotor became a little unruly as I taxied across the hold short line. “You going to the hangar Vance?” Experimental Two Mike Golf; taxi to the T hangars via Alpha, Mike, monitor ground. Have a good night!” I asked for a wind check and it was 260 degrees at 17kts gusting to 25kts.
I had only flown for four tenths (24 minutes) and made three takeoffs and landings.
I spent 25 minutes in the afterglow before I even pulled out my log book.
The simplest flight can really get me going.
Thank you for coming along.