More fun flying The Predator.

[Vance]

No Title

Max made short work of the cracked body mount.

I finished up the rotor head and trim spring.

The Predator is airworthy again.

I made my maintenance flight and checked that everything is complete and tight afterward.

I love even a simple flight in The Predator.

The paperwork is finished and most of the tools are put away as I head home into the sunset.

 

[Vance]

No Title

I can't always get what I want.

It has been raining a bit around Santa Maria and the hills are turning green. December seems a slow time for flight training so I hoped to go flying and take in the clean air and green hills.

Thirty seven degrees had me bundled up with thermals and a warm top under my flight suit so I felt like my movement was restricted as I worked through my preflight.

I was pleased to push her outside and check flight service. It looked like a lovely day to fly with the only slight negative being AIRMET Tango for moderate turbulence below 10,000 feet.

Training is very hard on helmets and headsets so I have three and get them repaired in Texas. In a recent training flight the helmet I use in the back seat with a mush mouth started squealing making it very hard to hear and I am very uncomfortable trusting my clients to catch everything the tower has to say. The squealing was from the active noise reduction so I unplugged it and just didn’t hear as well. If they fly too fast I can't hear and they have a hard time understanding me. I called Richard at Headsets Inc. and he felt it was a moisture problem making it squeal. It had stopped raining but it got warm in the afternoon and I was sweating a lot. I figured would deal with it later.

The next flight was with a primary student who has not transitioned to the front seat so I used my regular helmet in the front. My clients don't like using the mush mouth so this was all working out.

My client was having trouble hearing me and I figured it was because he had not properly adjusted his helmet and when we adjusted it he could hear me better.

I thought the client was imagining things.

In the back of my mind I suspected the headset because a client had egressed the aircraft while still plugged in and damaged the plug to the ANR.

I could not find an identical plug and had replaced it with a nearly identical one. I thought it had been working for several months.

I didn't want to send two helmets to Texas at the same time because I can’t train without two working headsets and helmets and even with fast turnaround I would be out of business for a week.

I hopped in and was ready to go until I plugged in my headset and it sounded like the engine was running when it wasn’t. I had talked to Richard at Headsets Inc. about this sort of noise and he said it was typically one of the ear cups were not sealing well. I tightened the strap up till it was making it difficult to breathe and it still made the noise. I have six new ear cups on the way.

No problem I thought, just use the other helmet. There is a little knob that you loosen to lower the face shield and if it is not tightened again it will come out. There is a screw to prevent this but if a client unscrews the knob too hard they break the screw. The knob and screw were missing.

I went to the helmet with the mush mouth and it had both the screw and the knob so I installed them in my client helmet. The little T screw that goes down into the visor had the screw to hold a loose knob broken off in it so I needed to replace it. Somehow I got it in my head that the easy way to change out the little T screw was to take the visor loose. I would come to learn that this is incorrect. My client helmet has the clear shield as an opting and I never liked the extra bulk so I decided to swap out the visors.

I began this project at 11:30 and finished just as the sun was setting.

There are lots and lots of little parts and several times I was convinced they were not interchangeable.

I started to go for a maintenance flight and discovered the intermittent nature of the ANR.

I got my original helmet out and rotated one of the ear cups about an eighth of an inch and it worked perfectly. I should have listened to Richard.

This all worked out for the best because I have three of the little knobs ordered and a new face shield coming. I will box up the helmet with the faulty plug and send it off to Texas.

This is all much better than going through this with a client that may have traveled several hundred miles waiting impatiently as I tried to get two helmets working or the client not being able to hear me as I gently guide him through the lesson in the sky.

I have hand signals but I feel it is less professional than having a radio and intercom that works.

So I can't always get what I want but if I try it seems I get what I need.

I will fly tomorrow.

 

[Vance]

No Title

Closing out the year properly.

After a day of frustration working on helmets/headsets I was ready for a gyroplane flight.

I had things to do in the morning so I did not make it to the airport till one.

Preflight took a while and to say the weather briefing was confusing would be an understatement. AIRMET Sierra was in effect for mountain obscuration, AIRMET Tango was in effect for moderate turbulence below fourteen thousand feet and AIRMET Zulu was in effect for icing above ten thousand feet. I decided on a local flight to see the effect the rain had on the nearby hills.

It had warmed up since the morning forty one degrees but there was still a bite in the air so I bundled up.

Winds at SMX were 024 degrees at eleven knots so runway zero two was in use. It seemed like a good opportunity to practice cross wind takeoffs so I asked for runway three zero with a left turn out and a turn to the south.

I watched the wind socks on my way to Alpha Eight and almost changed my mind. I asked the tower for wind checks twice. Several of the five winds socks were nearly straight out (fifteen knots) and blowing in different directions. Even the freight dogs were using runway zero two making for a long taxi to their terminal. The wind checks came back the same as the ATIS so I stuck with my plan.

The air felt cool and damp on my face as I used a lot of left rudder for takeoff. It was a textbook takeoff with a strong climb out in the minus six hundred sixty five foot density altitude making for a nice start for my last flight of twenty eighteen. I reached pattern altitude before making my left turn out. The Predator felt particularly muscular and capable as she transported me to the heavens.

As I turned south along California Highway One I was very busy with the throttle with strong up and down drafts. I climbed to thirteen hundred feet MSL (about a thousand feet above the ground) and marveled at the beauty the rains had brought to the hills and the intensity of the experience.

The ride was surprisingly smooth despite the strong up and down drafts. I climbed to two thousand feet over the hills flying around five hundred feet above the ground staying in the lift with the throttle well back (2050RPM). According to the GPS I was making thirty four knots of ground speed at sixty knots indicated air speed while working to catch the ridge lift.

As I approached each ridge it felt like I was speeding up as I neared the ground with an impression of sudden slowing as the earth dropped away on the other side of the ridge.

I dove down into some of the little valleys and rode the lift up out the windward side. I was overcome with a feeling of the mastery of the environment and cautioned myself aloud about overconfidence as though I was speaking to one of my clients who had become too aggressive.

I made my way over Los Alamos and Gary on my way up the river and called the Santa Maria Tower seven miles to the north, inbound with Lima.

I was to make left traffic for runway two and report midfield. Before I could report I was cleared to land and long landing approved.

I landed in the last two hundred feet of runway zero two and was to taxi to fuel via Alpha. As I neared Romeo I was nose to nose with a freight dog and ground had me exit taxiway Alpha at Quebec to parking.

I was filled with joy and wonder as I filled her up and carefully followed the check list aware that my mind was still in the heavens.

One of my CFI mentors stopped by and asked my about conditions for his Cub because he and his wife wanted to make a last flight for twenty eighteen. I cautioned him that I did not feel bumps in the same way and told him that the view was worth it.

I was not disappointed when I downloaded the picture and had a hard time selecting eight. I lost some pictures to the glare of the setting sun so most of the pictures are heading north or east.

 

[Vance]

No Title

Flight of Freedom.

I received a call from a potential client who wanted to learn about gyroplanes. I wanted to explain about polar moments and asked him his level of understanding. He is a mechanical engineer and when I asked him where he had graduated; he replied Russia.

I mentioned that I had a lot of Russian Facebook friends and they seemed very serious about their aviation.

He said when your freedom is limited you have a greater appreciation for the freedom of the skies.

This conversation was resonating in my head as I drove to the airport with the top down enjoying the fresh clean crisp air. I was living the dream of freedom and was about to experience the freedom of the skies. I had nothing pressing to do and the resources to fly. This is the very definition of freedom for me.

I had to pull myself back a little as I worked through preflight and got a weather briefing from flight service.

Winds were two six zero degrees at seven knots, temperature was thirty eight degrees Fahrenheit and the density altitude was one thousand two hundred feet below sea-level.

I rolled her outside and she came to life stumbling a little from the cold with the sound resonating off the hangars. She soon settled down to a steady idle as I worked my way through my pre-takeoff check list.

One of my helmets had just been repaired and a volume control added, so I wanted to try it solo before I flew with a client. As expected there were some challenges to work through. I thought it wasn’t working because there was very little side tone but soon discovered it had to do with my new volume control. The new ear pads took a bit of adjusting but soon did a superior job and the active noise reduction was working well. I liked the volume control a lot.

As I taxied out to runway three zero I marveled at the blue skies and green hills. There was a Robinson 44 and a Robinson 22 near the self-serve and I wondered at their willingness to taxi up to self-serve. They returned my wave and it added to the feeling camaraderie in aviation and specifically rotorcraft. I felt the palm trees in the background gave the picture a nice Californian touch.

I asked for a left turn out with a turn to the south and it was approved as requested.

The Predator leapt into the air and seemed to climb out effortlessly in the cool dense air. I pulled the power back leveling off at thirteen hundred feet rumbling along only turning about two thousand RPM at sixty knots.

I loved the feel of the air on my face; clean, cold and crisp. There was a little turbulence that we sort of floated through.

I was soon to the hills above my practice area and climbed to two thousand two hundred feet and just sort of rumbled along dipping down into the little valleys and marveling at the beauty a little rain had added to the hills.

I was suddenly overcome with a desire to express the freedom of the skies and started maneuvering around aggressively with no particular goal in mind. Eventually I climbed up to 3,500 feet, pulled the engine to idle and descended nearly straight down into a little valley just because I could; laughing with exuberance all the while with the swish of the rotor being the dominant sound.

I flew over Los Alamos and headed north east toward Twitchell Reservoir.

I checked the ATIS and called the tower ten miles to the southeast inbound with Bravo.

There were two helicopters headed my way at 1,300 feet so I stayed high and then another experimental was coming in from the north and a heading of two four zero was suggested. I then heard; “resume on navigation, runway three zero clear to land.”

We floated in and touched down as nice as could be and taxied to fuel.

The joyous feeling of freedom from the flight is with me still.

 

[Vance]

No Title

I received a call from a woman in Boston with a great voice when I was in Florida asking about a flight in a gyroplane in California. Sue was going to visit with her son Rick in the San Francisco Bay area (both single engine land pilots) and drive down the coast to Santa Maria. Rick was curious about gyroplanes too.

It was overcast as I worked through my introduction, explanations, preflight and safety briefing. Sue is an electrical engineer and asked some great questions that sounded as though she had a good grasp of mechanical engineering. Rick didn’t say much.

The ceiling was still a little low at 1,600 feet when we departed and headed for the beach. I gave Sue the controls and her airspeed control was exceptional as we made our way across the Santa Maria Valley. I did not sense any trepidation. Once out of SMX airspace I demonstrate steep turns, slow flight, pedals turns and a power off vertical descent.

I gave her back the controls and Sue flew very well. She had all the aircraft controls when I was taking the pictures. If someone is making me nervous the camera stays in my pocket.

She adjusted well to the slower response on the controls with a gyroplane compared to a fixed wing. I could feel her trying to get a feel for the response pushing at things in a very progressive way.

The ceiling was a little low to do proper ground reference maneuvers so we cut our flight a little short and I made the landing.

I love the people I meet as a flight instructor and love sharing the joy I find at the controls of a gyroplane.

I enjoyed Sue’s enthusiasm a lot and she is a quick learner. Adding Sport Pilot Gyroplane to her private pilot certificate should be quick and fun.

 

[Vance]

No Title

Jonah is an amazing young man full of enthusiasm and focus. He approached our adventure with great resolve to become a gyroplane pilot.

He listened intently to the briefing and had lots of good questions.

Jonah has no gyroplane piloting experience and a lot of desire.

I gave him the controls soon after liftoff and he quickly became familiar with them.

I demonstrated steep turns, pedal turns and slow flight followed by a vertical descent and gave him back the controls.

The winds were coming up as we made our way toward the Pacific and he managed the rolling air off the beach well.

He learned quickly and would respond to the slightest instruction with immediate improvement.

It was windy by the time we reached San Luis Obispo and his wife met us for lunch.

Jonah did very well on the way back to Santa Maria and we did some ground reference maneuvers.

He didn’t feel comfortable landing so I landed her.

He listened attentively during our debriefing.

I have no doubt he will apply everything we talked about and he made an appointment for the very next Sunday.

I am looking forward to it.

 

[Vance]

No Title

Some people are so bursting with energy they are a joy to be around; that is how I feel about Richard.

Richard is the first client that showed up at the gate where we just couldn’t fly. We did five hours of ground school in the hopes the winds would calm down. His enthusiasm was unyielding.

This is a man that wants to learn to fly and we set a date for his next lesson.

He had already purchased an Air Command gyroplane and sought me out at the Ken Brock Freedom Fly in.

He has more questions than any three clients I have trained and keeping him on track will likely be our greatest challenge.

Because we had already done my standard introduction and preflight brief we moved quickly to flight. There is still the mandatory seat belt, helmet and emergencies brief and we breezed through it.

He was wound a little tight till I demonstrated how The Predator could be thrown around with some steep turns and a power off vertical descent and then he relaxed a little. If he has fear I could not find it.

We went out to my practice area and did turns about a point and S turns over a road. To say he did well would be an understatement. Except for my coaching he would have passed that part of his practical test.


His turns around a point were to practical test standards going left and after finding the right tree and farm house good to the right too. His S turns over a road were slightly irregular but still to practical test standards for airspeed and altitude.

The flight back to the airport was as good as I could have done with smooth control inputs and good speed and altitude control.

He did so well that when we returned to Santa Maria I never took the controls as I promised. I just talked him through it and he landed as nice as could be. I had not demonstrated a landing and usually take the controls when the client gets near the ground and make the round out and flare myself.

Richard didn’t want to waste time for lunch so we went up again after a careful debriefing. I made a right and then a left pattern with and gave Richard the controls. His very first intentional landing was a nice as could be. His second required a little added power. I never saw any signs of tightening up despite our somewhat precarious flight path.

I noticed the voltage was a little low and a minor oil leek had put enough oil on the alternator belt that it was slipping. I took it to the Fixed Base Operator and he cleaned the engine bay carefully and after 20 minutes of running we could not find the leak. The engine was as clean as could be.

This put an end to today’s flying; we scheduled for the next Monday.

We found the leak the next day and repaired it.

And a week goes by.

Richard called me at zero dark hundred and asked me what I thought of the weather because it was raining in Ventura about 90 miles to the south east.

I could hear the patter of rain on my window. I fired up my computer and it was supposed to stop raining at Santa Maria (SMX) before 11:00 and continue to be above weather minimums for visual flight rules till eight PM. Winds were not supposed to get over six knots.

The man in charge of the particular weather we were looking at is proud if he is correct 65% of the time so there was considerable weather risk particularly for low clouds.

We decided to meet at SMX at 10:00.

It was still drizzling when I went to the gate to let Richard in with gray dominating the sky. Winds were 320 degrees at 3kts, six miles visibility with a ceiling of six hundred feet; this is below weather minimums for visual flight rules (VFR).

As we worked through preflight toward the end is inspect the alternator belt. Because a Lycoming turns so slowly the drive sheave is big and the sheave on the alternator is small meaning it needs to be tight or it will slip. Part of the inspection is also to look for exposed chords in the belt. As I was explaining that I saw some cracks in the belt and discovered it was coming apart along about 25% of its length. Replacing the belt requires removing the spinner, propeller and propeller spacer. This is not a small job and takes around an hour. Richard took the setback with a smile even when I could not find my extra belt in the hangar.

We headed off to lunch and the auto parts store.

The rain had stopped and SMX had visibility of eight miles winds of 300 at six knots with a ceiling of a thousand feet (VFR).

As we returned to SMX with the belt in hand; instead of being grumpy about the lost flight time Richard was excited to learn about working on the aircraft and excited to learn how to safety wire things correctly. Richard has a nice feel for tools and he did a nice safety wire job on the six propeller bolts. I am not a mechanic by trade so no charge for the safety wire instruction.

Every client is different and I try to modify my approach to suit the client.

Richard listens well and responds to verbal instructions well so after the takeoff I gave Richard the controls and had him fly the pattern. Most people forget things even in a week. Richard flew beautifully on the first pattern and his first landing was so nice we both laughed aloud. The second was less elegant needing a little bust of power and a “my aircraft” in the final moments before touch down.

The most task intensive part of flying a gyroplane is the takeoff so I usually teach that after the client has mastered landings. Before the third takeoff I gave Richard the controls and his learning accelerated. By the end of the point eight hour lesson (48 minutes) his takeoffs were pretty good and the seventh and last landing was nearly as elegant as the first.

In the debrief Richard made it clear he felt comfortable flying and was ready for more.

There is a lot going on with little time to rest in a single pattern and seven landings will wear most people out.

At that time my 5:00 appointment called to say he would be late so off we went. I saw both steady improvement and new errors in the next five landings over the half hour mission.

During the debriefing I realized that despite my instruction and demonstration Richard still believed in his heart that the rudder steers the aircraft.

We have an exercise planned for next Monday to change that.

I love giving people like Richard flight instruction because of his good attitude and strong desire to learn.

In summary after 2.7 hours of dual flight instruction Richard, a client with very limited aviation experience can do the required air maneuvers to practical test standards and land and takeoff without instructor intervention. Fifteen hours of dual instruction is the minimum required for Sport Pilot, Gyroplane.

We still have to do different takeoffs and landings a few air maneuvers and a cross country. I suspect we will make it in the minimum times.

 

[Vance]

No Title

Some repairs on The Predator.

The Predator has treated me well for 1,750 flight hours that I have owned her.


One of the items on the pre-flight check list is engine leaks? The answer is always yes.


The question then becomes how much will her IO-320 B1A leak before it is too much and she is not airworthy.


The other day on her preflight inspection I found oil on the firewall and began a quest to stop the fuel pump from leaking oil.


After two half measures I decided it was time to put a heli-coil in one of the bolt holes that mount the fuel pump.


On the Predator the firewall is very close to the engine and there was no way to ensure drilling hole square with the engine in place.


I wanted to change the engine mounts anyway because they were starting to check from their exposure to sunlight. The Predator has no cowl.


I felt removing the accessory case was the best way to manage the repair and the resulting chips. It is usually best to remove and replace the sump at the same time to minimize the leaks.

As long as we had the engine hanging around we replaced the crankshaft seal.

I was pleased with how clean the inside of the engine was.

It took two days and two friends to take her apart and three and a half days to get her airworthy again.

Before my test flight I double checked everything and Jim, an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic gave her a through preflight inspection and managed the paperwork.

The test flight went well and I felt like the engine was a little smoother. It may just be an impression because of my lighter wallet.

I canceled one flight and one aviation event while she was down.

The Predator is a working girl.

 

[ToddP]

Vance,

I still enjoy your enthusiasm and excitement for this sport. I haven't flown my gyro in over 10 years and I think a trip to California for some training with you might be in order soon....

 

[Vance]

I would like that a lot Todd.

I have learned a lot on the Rotary Wing Forum and would love to give some of it back to you.

 

[Vance]

I was just packing up the computer to head for the airport when the phone rang. A family Barbeque had surprised my client so he had to cancel today’s flight. I had been watching the weather to plan the lessons and it looked to me like a lovely day to fly. The wind was supposed to come up to 17kts around 2:00 as the aftermath of a storm that passed through here yesterday so I thought I would fly to San Luis Obispo (SBP) for lunch and be back to Santa Maria (SMX) before 2:00. For a primary student with his level of experience I figured we would stop flying around 2:00. I like to increase the winds as they gain experience because no matter how well they watch the weather they will one day need to land in some strong winds. He is at a maximum of 17kts at this time and I would like to spend more time at 13kts or less.

I took extra time on the preflight because of the recent extensive work on The Predator. I was pleased to see a reduction in oil leaks and every fastener I checked was secure. I had used less than a quart of oil in ten flight hours.

I called flight service and there was AIRMET Tango for moderate turbulence and AIRMET Sierra for limited visibility, low ceilings and mountain obscuration. Freezing levels were at 9,000 feet. Visibility was six miles at both SBP and SMX. VFR flight was not recommended along my route of flight. The forecast mirrored what I had seen on Weathermeister. There were no pilot reports locally and some pireps for icing a little further out.

My departure time slipped a little and I worked through the startup check list. She fired up at the first touch of the button despite the cold and quickly settled into an unsteady idle as I listened to the current ATIS. The wind was 290 degrees at nine knots gusting to eighteen knots. I listened to it three times because it did not agree with what I was seeing. On my taxi out I carefully watched all four wind socks and looked like more than nine knots but there was no evidence of gusts. As I taxied out the new ATIS came out with the wind at 290 degrees at twelve knots with no gusts reported.

After a good magneto check I pulled up to the hold short line, took a deep breath, found a break and said; “Santa Maria Tower, Experimental Gyroplane 142 Mike Golf, holding short of Runway three zero at Alpha Eight, ready for departure, request straight out with a slight left.” ATC was dealing with five aircraft and fit me in more quickly than I expected. “Experimental 142 Mike Golf, runway three zero clear for takeoff, straight out approved.” I love to hear those words because it is the beginning of another gyroplane flying adventure.

I talked myself through the takeoff as though I had a client with me. One hundred rotor rpm cyclic half back, one hundred twenty cyclic full back, one hundred eighty full power. The roll was short and she lifted off at 45kts and quickly reached 50kts of indicated air speed climbing out at over 900 feet per minute in the cool air.

At 750 feet I started pulling the power back and still went right past 800 feet (rotorcraft pattern altitude at SMX). Typical level flight would be around 2,100 engine rpm and I was down to 1,800 rpm and reached 1,200 feet before she stopped climbing.

As I was descending back toward eight hundred feet I suddenly dropped about 50 feet with a disquieting lurch. She continued to require power adjustments as I made my way across the Santa Maria Valley toward the shoreline. I tried to imagine how to explain what had just happened if it had happened with a client at the controls. I did not have a satisfactory response.

As many times as I have made this flight I still find magic in it. There are always unique challenges. I caught big lift as I approached the shoreline and again didn’t start to descend till I had her back to 1,800 rpm. I pulled her nose up and slowed to 20kts for a faster descent. The Predator felt at ease as I made a nose high low airspeed descending turn to 600 feet for my run up the shoreline and I made my first call to Oceano (L52). I have to admit I am more relaxed flying without a student.

The Pacific was a wonderful rich blue with the white water of the surf in sharp contrast. The feel of the cool ocean air on my face always fills me with joy and gratitude to be in a place where I can experience it. I love the way my view of the beach expands with a little altitude. I feel I am living may people’s dreams.

There were lots of campers on the beach and a surprising number of them waved at the strange craft flying over the shoreline. I waved back as often as I saw them.

There were three aircraft in the pattern at Oceano all making good radio calls as we rumbled by.

I reached the Pismo Pier and made my last call to L52 departing to the north, checked the ATIS for SBP and called the tower over Shell Beach at 700 feet. I was to make left traffic for runway two nine, report down wind and ident.

As I entered the Avilla Pass I found moderate turbulence that got stronger as I neared the airport. The wind sock was whipping through about forty degrees and the tower reported winds at two seven zero degrees at eighteen knots. There were seven aircraft in the pattern and when I reported midfield downwind I was to make a short approach. I made a descending carrier turn loving how easy to control The Predator is. As I finished up my round out I let her turn into the wind to two five zero degrees touching down as gently as could be at near zero ground speed on the centerline. I love the way a gyroplane manages wind.

I was greeted with three smiling faces and guided to a parking space next to the CHP Cessna as I struggled with the rotor. These men are familiar with me so they stayed well clear till I had the rotor stopped.

I made a pilot’s report to flight service for moderate turbulence within five miles south west of SBP at 1,300 feet and below

Lunch was great and I finished my preflight by 1:30. AIRMET Tango and Sierra were still in effect and ATIS had the winds at 320 degrees at 18kts gusting to 24kts. They were very busy and still got me off quickly ahead of a helicopter landing.

I decided to fly direct to SMX so I asked for a left downwind to the east with an early left turnout.

Rotor management was a little challenging on takeoff and I waited to see two hundred rotor rpm before adding full power. Climbing out of the Edna Valley is always a treat and I was seeing about a 20kt tail wind with lots of lift as I approached the hills with some sink on the lee side over Arroyo Grande. I paralleled California Highway 101. I was again busy with the throttle to maintain altitude.

As I let The Predator rock and roll I tried to remember the trepidation I used to feel when she would diverge from my chosen path. The temporary divergence causes most low time gyroplane pilots to over control stabbing at the cyclic with little effect.

The turbulence got worse as we flew over the Santa Maria Valley and ATIS had winds at 310 degrees at eighteen knots gusting to twenty eight knots. ATC told me to make a right down wind and report abeam. I heard several requests for wind checks before I reported and runway three zero was clear to land. All six windsocks I could see were blowing in different directions. I picked the one to the right of the runway near alpha four and just sort of let her settle down to gently caress the runway.

I reported moderate turbulence along the entire route from SBP to SMX at thirteen hundred feet to flight service. Pilot reports are becoming scarce as more and more people get their weather on a computer. I am still big on calling flight service because the briefers know more about the weather than I ever will.

Because of the strong winds I pushed her inside quickly and gave myself a formal debrief.

Good smooth control inputs on the cyclic, good airspeed control, good radio work, nice takeoffs and very nice landings. Altitude awareness and control need work. Better analysis of trends would help with this. Perhaps a little more aggressive throttle work would help. It is probably just as well nobody stopped by as I carried on both sides of the briefing

I love to fly and I love to teach. Thank you for coming along.

 

[All_In]

Most excellent Advice Jon... AKA WaspAir

 

[Vance]

Jim stopped by Saturday afternoon on his way to pick up his Sport Copter Lightning in Oregon. He is an experienced aviator and has been flying ultralight aircraft for the last several years and decided to try gyroplanes.

Jim was patient as I worked through the briefing for his first flight and the required preflight briefing.

I have found that the more familiar everything is the faster and better people learn.

The weather was not cooperating and the fog had refused to dissipate by 2:00. Even after SMX had gone VFR low ceilings and patches of fog seemed to surround the airport. Visibility was seven miles in mist with a seventeen hundred foot ceiling.

I was watching the satellite pictures of the fog and it looked better to the north. Typical clearing is from the east to the west. I am extra cautious with nonstandard weather patterns.

At 2:51 the temperature/dew point spread reached four degrees centigrade and we launched making a straight out departure with a slight right from runway three zero. I gave Jim the controls around 300 feet above the ground and the transition was smooth with very little coaching from me. It was hard to imagine this was his first time at the controls of a gyroplane.

I could feel him learning and becoming more confident with the controls of The Predator. His altitude and airspeed control were exceptional as we made our way across the Santa Maria Valley.

I took the controls and demonstrated steep turns, slow flight and recognition and recover from low airspeed and high rate of descent.

I demonstrated a left turn around a point using the Nipomo water tower as our point and gave Jim back the controls saying “just keep her going”. Jim did well so I told him to go the other way. Jim just whipped her around and flew just as well to the right.

We headed off to do S turns over a road and after a brief demonstration Jim did well.

I asked Jim if he felt confident enough to land and got a tentative yes.

I told him I would set and leave the throttle at 1,600 rpm and talk him through the landing. We had 8,000 feet of runway so where we touched down was not important. Jim’s first landing after fifty four minutes of dual flight instruction was about as nice as could be.

Thursday Jim returned with his beautiful Sport Copter lightening in tow on a nicely modified U haul car trailer.

We both wanted to transition Jim to the front seat where he would be responsible for the alternator, transponder, radio, rotor tachometer and engine instruments. He is also responsible for ground handling as I have no brakes in the back seat. This can be a lengthy process and we finished just in time to go to lunch. After lunch conditions were great we launched after some taxiing around the non-movement area.

We had a brief misunderstanding about who was controlling the aircraft on takeoff that was quickly resolved.

Jim was much more comfortable in the front seat and managed most of his responsibilities well.

We repeated his ground reference maneuvers and he flew well and we returned to the airport after forty eight minutes.

Our first landing was not as elegant as his last landing but still nice. We fueled up The Predator and Jim was ready for more.

We debriefed and then briefed for about forty five minutes and headed back out for some stop and goes. Jim experimented and we had various levels of success. I only remember getting on the controls once and that was a minor thing. We made eight landings in fifty four minutes and Jim was a little hesitant to fly another mission so we called it a day.

I only had him till 2:00 Saturday because his wife wanted to get on the road. Traffic was going to be terrible going through LA on Saturday afternoon.

Every one’s mind works differently and they learn differently so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best approach for Jim. Jim tends to overcomplicate things.

I learned a lot about flying when I began to teach so I thought I would try having Jim teach himself. I made up some simplified procedural lists and wanted Jim to talk himself through the landing as though he was both the teacher and the student.

I didn’t learn how it worked because when I pressed the pre-rotator button for the first take off we were greeted with silence.

The Predator uses a Toyota starter for a pre-rotator and I had a rebuilt one on hand along with the various relays I use in the system. After replacing everything I could get my hands we still had an intermittent pre-rotator.

I sent Jim and his wife on their way and worked on her till four o’clock before I found an intermittent short/resistance in the wire from the buss in the tower to the starter solenoid. It was sometimes feeding 3.7 to 4.2 volts to the solenoid and sometimes nothing. The wire looked perfect on the outside.

I replaced the wire and everything worked great. I test flew her at six o’clock, performed an extensive preflight and she is ready for the next client with the exception of tire pressure and fuel sample.

 

[Vance]

I had an unexpected delightful experience in the life of a gyroplane flight instructor. Fabio called with good questions and lots of enthusiasm for aviation. He asked me about a flight for his son James. One of his good questions was how late can we start tomorrow night. I typically spend 45 minutes briefing and the flight is typically around 50 minutes for an introductory lesson. I believe and teach to never hurry aviation so my first response was 5:00. James is an extraordinary young man who had just finished his junior year at a prestigious college and Fabio felt he would not need as much ground.

As soon as the movers were finished at 10:30 in Palo Alto they were going to drive down together to visit the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino. If you are not in a hurry and drive down California Highway 101 they would pass by Santa Maria where I am based.

Sounded like a workable plan to me with two potential failure points. New Yorkers often don’t get how big California is and movers are seldom on time.

I don’t like to be in a hurry when I drive cross country because it is a set up for being frustrated with delays so I pushed the last minute arrival back to 6:00. Fabio called me around 1:00 and the movers were late but he still thought he could make it. I checked and civil twilight ends at 8:47. The Predator is night legal but I am not night current so I pushed the arrival time back to 7:00 and explained any later would mean a shorter flight. 6:30 Fabio called and was in San Luis Obispo and thought he could make it. At 7:10 I received the call they were at the gate.

I hurried through the paper work and I felt like an auctioneer as I went through my safety briefing complete with emergency procedures. I explained about how a gyroplane flies and briefed him on our truncated mission and what to do with the flight controls. James fulfilled his father’s brag and kept up; demonstrating remarkable comprehension. His only flying experience was in Fabio’s Cirrus. The fog was stalled over the town of Guadalupe and made for a spectacular sunset and recognition that SMX could go instrument flight conditions with very little warning.

I told the tower this would be a short flight and he came back saying; “I won’t be here when you get back Vance”. The tower closes at 8:00.

I gave James the controls when we were about 200 feet above the ground with some trepidation because of my hurried briefing. My fears were completely unfounded as James managed the speed and altitude like a commercial pilot and was as smooth on the cyclic as anyone I have flown with.

I took the controls back over the river and did some steep turns, slow turns and slowed to 20kts. James told me he could feel her sinking and I pulled the power and reduced the indicated airspeed to zero for a true vertical descent. I lowered the nose while turning to demonstrate that I had complete control, watched the airspeed increase to 45kts before I raised the nose and added power. The FAA calls this recognition and recovery from low airspeed and a high rate of descent and requires me to teach it. We lost about 250 feet of altitude performing the maneuver.

I gave James back the controls and he quickly found the airport and we made our way back. There were five aircraft in the pattern with two making a straight in. I made my calls on the common traffic advisory frequency and tried to form a mental picture of the traffic. I mentioned I was slow moving, 60kts and offered to extend my downwind for a straight in Piper that I could not find in the fading light and ground clutter.

He said go ahead and land inbound gyroplane I will slow. I took the controls and made a short approach with an aggressive bank and descent and set her down nicely at Alpha Four and was off quickly making my clear of runway three zero and Alpha Four call. The Piper was still four miles out. James loved the steep approach and the slow touch down speed.

We debriefed at a much more reasonable pace and James articulated what he had learned well. I took a quick picture before they headed down the road with good feelings all around.

 

[Vance]

Just to show my clients I practice what I teach I have been planning the flight to Livermore since Monday. I will be attending the AOPA fly in there June 20, 21 and 22.

The plan to fly out of Santa Maria, California (SMX) when the fog lifts up over Cuesta grade to Paso Robles (PRB) and stopping for gas before heading off to Salinas (SNS).

Onward to San Martin (E16) and then up to Reid-Hillview (RHV) for a last gas stop being careful to stay out of San Jose’s class C airspace.

Departing RHV over highway 680 toward Livermore (LVK).

I checked Flight Service at 2:00 Wednesday for an outlook briefing and the outlook for tomorrow suggest I will not have VFR over the Cuesta grade before 11:00 which can easily become 1:00.

A chart with the route highlighted with way points every five miles will help me to know if I am lost sooner.

A highlighted road map will help to keep me on track.

My navigation log with estimated time of arrival and total time in route will tell me sooner if something is not working out.

To manage the chart in an open aircraft I use the clear plastic envelopes and fold it to the part of the chart I am interested in.

My paper charts and compass are my primary navigation aids with the GPS as a backup.

I have made radio call sheets with the airport diagram on the back for each of the airports along the way plus the alternates.

I have emergency supplies on board, checked the batteries in the camera, SPOT, the GPS, the handheld radio and two flashlights.

I called the tower at LVK and found out they do not have a rotorcraft pattern altitude unless landing on the helipad. I made them aware of my capabilities and limitations.

Because of the potential for delays for traffic at the event I will have two hours of fuel on board when I contact the tower at LVK.

It is a three hour and 20 minute flight and I have probably spent three times that preparing.

For me this is aviation foreplay and I have found more foreplay makes for more fun and less stress.

This is what I teach for cross country planning for a gyroplane so if something isn’t working out I have options

 

[All_In]

That's what I do too. Great lesson Bro! The only difference is my GPS is now my primary and charts my backup. I embrace technology and I find it frees me to do instrument scans more often and more time looking for traffic than paper and VORs. But I could whip it out and in less than two minutes triangulate two VORs. X marks the G spot it was the only way for over 30 years, it's hard to forget.

 

[All_In]

PS: I used a sextant on a boat until Loran came out and still needed it in many locations for years. But I had one of the first Loran-C and GPS's on boats too. Still, I can whip out a sextant today and find my way. Just in case. Those skills are like riding a bike they come right back.

 

[Vance]

Another thing I teach is; don’t be afraid to scrub the mission.

I was ready to go at 8:00 and checked the weather Santa Maria (SMX) and (SBP) were both instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) as was Paso Robles (PRB) and Salinas (SNS).

It was supposed to clear up and become visual meteorological conditions by 9:00 so I headed for the airport 20 minutes away.

9:00 came and went and still IMC at SMX, SBP, PRB and SNS.

It is about a three and a half hour flight, more with a head wind. There was a strong head wind predicted along the entire route. I always have a lot of questions to answer when I stop for gas so figure three stops at a half hour a piece. I needed to arrive at Livermore before 8:30 for parking at the AOPA fly in.

I teach to never hurry aviation so the latest I wanted to leave was 3:00.

I started bugging flight service and the briefers kept telling me the fog was retreating fast along the route all the way to Salinas and just wait another hour and conditions will be fine.

There was a possibility to fly to Taft to get away from the coastal fog and then up Interstate Five to Livermore but I didn’t. I might have made it out of the Santa Maria Valley after around twelve but the mountains to the north east rise up pretty fast and the peaks were obscured by the fog.

I finally decided it was time to go at 2:30 figuring on going to Hollister (CVH) to miss the fog that still lingered at Salinas.

I took some pictures of The Predator with Lieutenant Pack in the back seat and you can see blue skies behind her.

San Luis Obispo was still 1,400 foot ceiling but supposed to improve soon.

When I heard the words; “gyroplane 142 Mike Golf, straight out with a slight right approved, runway three zero clear for takeoff” I felt like I was starting on a great adventure.

The takeoff was as nice as could be and we climbed out at nine hundred feet per minute leveling off at 1,200 feet mean sea level. The blue patches quickly closed up and the closer I got to San Luis Obispo the worse it looked.

I checked the latest ATIS (weather) and it was overcast at 1,200 feet. The Edna valley seemed to be holding the fog with mountain obscuration all around so I scrubbed the mission and flew back to Santa Maria.

I checked the ATIS at Santa Maria the wind was 250 degrees at fourteen knots gusting to twenty knots. They were landing and departing on runway three zero making for a strong gusting cross wind. The wind socks appeared to me to be favoring runway two zero but it is half the width of runway three zero which is a hundred fifty feet wide so I could still land into the wind.

Turned out I had plenty of rudder and the landing was as nice as could be.

I added it up and I have close to fifteen hours planning this flight and for me it is like aviation foreplay and I loved every minute.

I am disappointed that I won’t get to visit with some friends in Livermore and tomorrow I will do some work in the hangar. I will find somewhere fun to fly Saturday or Sunday as a reward for making good aviation decisions.

 

[Vance]

I ended up driving to Livermore leaving our home at 5:30.

I felt foolish being grumpy about a beautiful drive in my BMW M Roadster. I was living a lot of people’s dream. I have been spoiled by the magic of flight.

I had forgotten how combative driving is in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Traffic was bad from Morgan Hill all the way to Livermore and it felt to me like people will kill to gain a perceived advantage.

A Mooney pilot friend of mine told me she left Santa Maria about the same time I did and immediately climbed on top. She said it was solid overcast all the way past Salinas. Based on her report I feel it would not have been a fun flight for me.

I find that whenever I cannot see a place to land my engine starts making mysterious noises and there are poltergeists in the airframe.

I was able to visit with five gyroplane friends and had a wonderful family dinner with friends where I stayed in Pleasanton.

I attended six seminars and learned a something from each of them.

One of the more interesting things I learned is that ATC at Oakland and many other control towers have not yet been trained in ADSB and many don’t even have it turned on.

The drive home was nice once the traffic thinned out past Morgan Hill.

 

[All_In]

Good advice here my friends.

I may have missed it but my pet peeve is pilots not reporting their altitude. They tell where they are but do not report their altitude to traffic. The controller knows from radar but the rest of us are left wonder if they are at the same altitude we are. Especially if reporting approximately the same position. When close to my position I jump in and say "I'm close to A123 (tail #) what altitude are you at?"