Calidus vs Ela Eclipse 10 What is your opinion?

airmale

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Aug 21, 2017
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Location
Payson AZ
I am close to buying a auto gyro I have not seen either of these aircraft but will before I buy. But for the people who have seen the Calidus and The Ela eclipse 10 of these two tmodels what is your take on which craft you would rather have and why. Thank you in advance for you input.
 
It depends on your mission.

What about gyroplanes do you find alluring?

What gyroplane did you get your training in?

What did you like and dislike about it?

I have not flown the ELA Eclipse so I can't compare them to a Calidus.

The ELA appears to fly well and is nicely finished.

I liked the Calidus a lot; fast and smooth. I found the power-pitch-yaw coupling disquieting and was busy on the rudders. It seemed a little cramped.

I prefer an open tandem like the American Ranger and I enjoy its effective empennage. I have not flown an American Ranger with the canopy.
 
Andy, not to hijack your post but just want to say, I see you live in Payson, I love Payson and the rim area, spent many times in my teenage years hunting and camping in your area, just want to let the folks know, awesome place to live.
 
When I went to Texas to test fly the Magni, there was an ELA in the hangar. We came back to find fuel leaking out of the ELA onto the ground. Apparently fuel tank problems are common. You might look into if the tank is removable or easily replaceable. It sounded like it isn't, but I'm not sure.
 
Composite fuel tanks are troublesome with fuel formulations changing seasonally and year over year. Stick with pure Mogas instead of car gas. I learned that lesson the hard way manufacturing trikes. Switched materials and have never had the same problems again. Vinyl Ester resins are supposed to be ethanol resistant but not ethanol proof. It sucks even more when fuel tanks are designed to be part of the structure and not removable. You are really toast and can only do half baked repairs like a sloshing compound or an insert-able fuel bladder. None of them last long term. Ask me how I know. I have the T-shirt.
 
ELA seem to be still struggling with the fuel tank issue ... saw a friends one stripped down ... the tank is glued to the body & cabin liner ... needs a challenging full rebuild to replace / bladder liner NOT a good solution ... need to redesign with proper fuel tank material, easily removable for replacement! ... ROYAL PITA design! ...shame , - they are fast , agile, sexy & nice fliers!
 
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Whats wrong with looking at the american ranger or the titanium explorer,both are really nice and well built from what I have read.
 
eddie;n1134981 said:
Whats wrong with looking at the American Ranger or the Titanium Explorer, both are really nice and well built from what I have read.

He is comparing the Calidus to the Eclipse. Both have enclosed cockpits.
The Ranger and the Explorer are open cockpits.
He is in Northern Arizona; it snows on occasion there.
If he plans to fly through the winter, Cabin Heat would be a desirable feature.
 
I agree with you on that Bill that's the reason I bought an RAF, enclosed cabin and heat. I fly year round and really

enjoy flying in the winter.I have flown a lot of open cockpit planes and don't enjoy the bitter cold any more.
 
There's a rumor that a new Calidus is in the works, now that the new MTO has been released.
 
Yes I heard similar - Calidus production now beyond machine #520
 
Have you considered Sport Copter's newest model, the M2?
http://www.sportcopter.com/Gyroplanes/M2/tabid/217/Default.aspx
http://www.sportcopter.com/Portals/2/brochure_rev-f.pdf

It's a side-by-side, enclosed cabin, robust "off-road" gyro with full suspension and castering NW.
Rotax 915iS (or 914 or 912).
Carbon prepreg body mounted on a beefy frame. Chrome-moly 4130 mast.
Big 6.00x6 tires. Rough field capability.
All new carbon-fiber tail, with improved performance.
Simple flat curve poly windscreen (cheaply replaceable from local sources).
Designed for the Australian cattle ranchers, with their considerable input.

I don't think any other 2-place gyro can beat it for quality, ruggedness, and utility.
And I think it's less money than either a Cavalon or M24.
Kits (with Rotax 912) start at $86,500.

It's available in Spring 2019, and the prototype can be seen at 2018 Oshkosh AirVenture.

Regards,
Kolibri
 
I am close to buying a auto gyro I have not seen either of these aircraft but will before I buy. But for the people who have seen the Calidus and The Ela eclipse 10 of these two tmodels what is your take on which craft you would rather have and why. Thank you in advance for you input.
I have flown both and own an ELA Eclipse. I am 6'4" tall and cannot close the canopy whilst sitting in the pilot seat of a Calidus, so that was ruled out. The Eclipse is a great aircraft but has a couple of problems which can be sorted fairly easily. There are two fuel level sensors low in the fuel tanks that indicate below 25 and 10 litres which have a tendency to leak. However, there is a visual level from 45 litres to zero so the sensors are not necessary. I have had both holes in the tank completely sealed and the sensors removed. Also I am just fitting a DUC Helices Flash-2 propellor as the E-Props six-bladed-propellor has not proved to be reliable. It takes off well, climbs at over 1,100 fpm and cruises at anywhere between 140-160kph with the 914 engine. Seat very comfortable, visibility superb, landing spectacular. Pre-rotate works perfectly. Mine even has heated seats now, although flying in Spain in the Summer does not require such luxury. Space for storage in three separate locations. Must be one of the best out there right now with a few tweaks.
 
I have flown both and own an ELA Eclipse. I am 6'4" tall and cannot close the canopy whilst sitting in the pilot seat of a Calidus, so that was ruled out. The Eclipse is a great aircraft but has a couple of problems which can be sorted fairly easily. There are two fuel level sensors low in the fuel tanks that indicate below 25 and 10 litres which have a tendency to leak. However, there is a visual level from 45 litres to zero so the sensors are not necessary. I have had both holes in the tank completely sealed and the sensors removed. Also I am just fitting a DUC Helices Flash-2 propellor as the E-Props six-bladed-propellor has not proved to be reliable. It takes off well, climbs at over 1,100 fpm and cruises at anywhere between 140-160kph with the 914 engine. Seat very comfortable, visibility superb, landing spectacular. Pre-rotate works perfectly. Mine even has heated seats now, although flying in Spain in the Summer does not require such luxury. Space for storage in three separate locations. Must be one of the best out there right now with a few tweaks.


May I ask about the reliability problems you had with the E-Props six-blade...? I use to fly an ELA Cougar (912) fitted with that prop, and it performs flawlessly... Little noise and good thrust... Adjusting the pitch needed a lot of patience, but once I got it right, everything worked well...
 
One of the blades on the first set that was fitted delaminated on one edge and the whole set had to be replaced. The second set deformed at the feet of each propellor blade even though the manual was followed to the letter. It may be that there was a weakness in the centre carbon fibre supports but I have also been advised since that carbon fibre blades with carbon fibre supports is not a strong technical solution. I would certainly advise anyone who has these propellors to get them checked and inspected internally as the problem is not obvious from the outside.
 
One of the blades on the first set that was fitted delaminated on one edge and the whole set had to be replaced. The second set deformed at the feet of each propellor blade even though the manual was followed to the letter. It may be that there was a weakness in the centre carbon fibre supports but I have also been advised since that carbon fibre blades with carbon fibre supports is not a strong technical solution. I would certainly advise anyone who has these propellors to get them checked and inspected internally as the problem is not obvious from the outside.

Thanks!
I'll keep a close vigilance... My prop has now 50 hours or so, with zero problems, but one never knows...
 
My recent problem was spotted on a close inspection of the feet of each propellor blade, so rather than just checking the blades along their length, it is worth having a really close look at each of the feet as they enter the holding section. These are nice propellors when they work properly, but no propellor is nice if it has a problem as they are a rather essential part of flight :)
 
Thanks for your report Fredpilot, I will be looking at the Eclipse this next week at Oshkosh ( Airventure), anything else I should look out for ?
 
Yes - look to see how you can get it inspected on annual basis and how difficult it is to get parts and support where you live. That is very important when you own a gyro since limited mechanics will work on them.
 
I have flown a number of different gyrocopters and I would say that apart from the specific issues I have had, the Eclipse comes out on top. Good point about support, but I am lucky having excellent maintenance support from an aviation workshop in France. The ELA factory can be slow to respond, just depends who you contact. Also worth checking how the front of the canopy is sealed - otherwise, a great machine to fly.
 
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