Recent content by Rick E

Just heard back from Alberto, not sure what caused the delay in getting a response.

I’ve used the same email address. Most likely either Oshkosh or COVID issues.

Does anyone know if Ivoprop are still operating? I have tried to contact them by phone and email for weeks.

Just the standard Ducati regulator. The gyro has over 1000hrs and has never replaced the regulator, just unfortunate that it happened where it did. The Ducati regulator has a fairly poor history as I have replaced two. A better quality unit would be most welcome.

Before we left the mainland we all spent a day going over all gyros making sure they were in the best condition possible. We all obviously wore life jackets and one of the group carried a life raft. ATC monitored us as we crossed with 15 minute scheduled reporting. We waited for near perfect...

Last Wednesday a group of four Gyrocopters departed the Australian mainland and crossed Bass Strait to Tasmania. It was approximately 100nm to Flinders Island and a further 30nm to Tasmania. Fortunately there are islands scattered intermittently across Bass Strait providing some mental comfort...

I cringe when I hear a pilot say “should be okay”.

You may be right Tyger but having attended a number of fatal gyro accidents I support any initiative that promotes gyro safety. Even if only one life is saved it would be well worth the effort.

Thanks Mike, shame all manufacturers don’t copy this idea. I think without post impact fire the survival rate for gyro crashes would be much better?

This may have been covered before but I’ll ask anyway. Is anyone aware of a person or manufacturer that has or is putting any research and development into post impact fuel tank safety for gyros?

QBE, but through an insurance broker ( The Insurance House in Tamworth NSW )

Is “rotors not in motion” an insurance option available to you guys in the US? This level of cover offers insurance for us anywhere in Australia as long as the rotor or prop is not turning. This is obviously not ideal but covers your gyro from fire, theft or malicious damage while not being...

The difficulty in getting insurance for gyros appears to be the same in the US as here in Oz. Insurance for us has become the main impediment to the progress of our form aviation.

We have a lot of 914 rotaxes at our airfield and any backfiring on closedown seems to only happen when engines aren’t allowed to cool down correctly. I would imagine the same procedure should apply to all turbo configurations. You might also want to check your fuel/air ratio at the exhaust.

The police requested that the Australian Sport Rotorcraft Association attend the accident scene to assist police which is normal practice. The release of any information is under the control of police investigators. If however any aspect of a gyroplane accident compromises the safety of other...