Jrlafay

Hi Jim, I see your going to train with Ron M later this year, good for you. Its been hit and miss trying to contact Dave O but Im going to start my fixed wing training real soon and see what pans out with the gyro training, maybe with Ron also.
I believe all your hours transfer over to the gyro sport pilot training at least thats what I've been told but you still need instruction from a certified instructor and sign off before going solo. Good luck.
Kent

Sounds great about Ron Menzie, Jim! You're right about getting a lot of the training done with one visit there. He comes highly recommended.

I'm excited that you're going to be flying soon! Dennis and I need some more flying buddies!

Did he tell you about the grass strip in Battle Ground he flies out of, and how there is a big hangar there for rent?

Maybe it could be a gyro nest someday??

Evan says: "Yes"

Sounds great about your rrpms, Jim. You feel the rotorblades begging for you to let them fly, by the sound they make?

Your background in maintenance sure helps, too. I've never changed or even seen the bearings in my prerotator. It only had 1 1/2 hrs. on the gyro when I got it.

Have you thought about using the original blades for your initial ground work (taxiing with the blades spinning, balancing on the mains)? If you had a slight mishap (not likely, but possible), then those blades would take the damage instead of your new ones.

When comfortable, then put on your new ones.

If you decide to not use them as such, we can talk about me buying them for me using them ground use for other guys starting out doing the taxiing/balancing work...

Dennis sure is a great help, isn't he?

Jim,

I'll relay your message to Evan.

My short answer is yes. Once your blades have been adjusted to your head, it should go back on the same way each time.

You should only need to check your tracking.

Jon

Jim: I just put in a call to the fella who had the rotorblades for sale for that price. Got his voice mail, left a message. He is now one of our hangarmates there at Scappoose.

We have three SCs and one Pitbull. Room for another one or two gyros! Just about all can leave their rotorblades on for quick rolling them out and going flying.

Although, I'm the only one flying... Need more fliers! Send help!

Jim: Glad to hear to have the time now to get going on your Vortex!

Jim Vanek's advice about fixed-wing tail-draggger time is spot on. I followed that advice in the early 1990's and when I started crow hopping, and then flying, in the gyro, it all seemed natural.

Make sure you get time in a tail-dragger that has a stick for control, not a yoke. The throttle is on the side in that type of tail-dragger, just like a gyro.

I made the mistake of just asking for tail-dragger time at Evergreen Aviation there at Evergreen airport in Vancouver on Mill Plain Blvd. I got several hours in one of their Taylorcrafts before I was told by someone in our gyro club that I needed to fly in a Champ or Cub, that have the stick and throttle in the same positions as gyros do.

The placement of the stick and throttle is important because it becomes automatic with your reflexes in both flight and ground operations.

Hi Jim: I haven't been to Toledo in years, and wasn't flying (not owning a gyro then). Dennis Debois just recently went there to test his new horizontal stab on his Viewmaster gyro. He and I were to go flying yesterday, but I ran out of time before I had to leave to meet with the FAA guy in Hillsboro for my repairmen's certificate. Dennis flew over to Scappoose to meet me there, and then flew back to BG.

I got back to Scappoose in the afternoon and got in three hours of wonderful flying in the warm weather. He and I are planning on going in the AM before I have to head off to work in the PM.

Sounds like you did all the right stuff to fix your leaks in the fuel lines!

I need to get going on studying for the written exam and get my SP certificate, then I can legally fly at Toledo. I'd really like to fly there instead of trailering the gyro...

Keep in touch, Jim!

Hey James, The blades look great!! I did the same with my old Rotordynes, it's very exciting to see them turn into mirrors eay! A lotssssssss of work, but well worth the effort!! -Kevin

wow nice gyro how much did you pay?

I have about 12 hours with Steve McGowan in Macon, GA in his 2 place parson. It is a 3 hour trip for me. But now I am at the point that I need to practice in my aircraft to get used to how it will act and fly. Hoping this year to finish up to start flying. I would say that I thought it was going to be easy to fly but, it has been years since I was in the helicopters i use to work on in the Army and they don't fly the same either. Lots of fun learning.....

The powerplant on my Windryder is a normally asperated Rotax 532 putting out 65hp to give the ship a 115mph top speed and a 90mph cruise. The Windryder gyro was designed and built in the mid 80's but never built in great numbers do to the expense so there was about 18 or so built and many of those went overseas to Austraila ( so I've read ) . As far as I can tell there is still only three or so still flying in the US. I fell in love with it when I first saw it and can't wait to take her up in the air.

I talked to Airgyro in Utah ( I think thats where Mike Burton works ) and they said they sold thier gyro and haven't yet bought a new one so they don't know when they can do training. I have several other email out and hopefully will hear back soon. Keep me informed on what you find out, maybe we can carpool,lol.

Hi James, Nice gyro. When we both get our license we'll have to meet up and buzz some barns, haha. Im trying to find a CFI or school that will give me an accelerated training course of about two weeks but your so right that instructors are hard to find. I'll probably be going out of state for my training and hope to be done by April. I uploaded some photos of my gyro but I haven't gone to Denver to pick it up yet, check them out. Good luck.

Like to hear the story on the rotor damage. Looks like sport copter blades....