Aviomania G1sa Genesis "Straight Arrow"

dinoa

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
798
Location
florida
Before going on to my first encounter with the G1sa Genesis let me say that I have no commercial affiliation to Nikolas.

This was originally posted in a thread titled "Aviomania's 100 Euro Soda" describing some nice formation flights last week http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26929. My impressions were mostly subjective as I didn’t intend on doing an evaluation but simply wanted to check out the new gyro in the hangar and test some engine adjustments. Flights were carried out near Thiva, Greece August 9 and 10, winds calm at dawn and dusk and up to 20 knots in the afternoon. Near mountain cols and to the lee of mountain ridges wind speeds often exceeded 20 knots and turbulence could be strong. Relative humidity was about 70%.

First off I found the design appealing to my eye more so up close than the pictures I had seen. The ground handling was predictable with better than average brakes, brake lever on the stick grip. steerable nose wheel, straight tracking even during high speed taxi. Prerotation was straight forward with a nice over the center prerotator engagement lever that you could take your hand off until disengagement.

This particular gyro was the first of five ordered by our group. It was flown equipped with 24ft Dragon Wings rotors and powered by a Rotax 532 of 64HP nominal output with 2.58 ratio B box driving a Ukranian 3 bladed 62 inch prop. Other particulars can be found on the Aviomania web site http://www.aviomania.com/.

Rate of climb felt as good or better than my Air Command CLT with a Rotax 582. Before venturing beyond the airport boundaries I checked response and maneuverability. No control slop, low cyclic control gearing requiring long control inputs. And then the most pleasant of surprises despite Nikolas having warned me. The G1sa was neutral in all axes to power changes. No yaw changes after chopping the throttle or suddenly going to full power. The same was true for the pitch axis. Open and close the throttle and the machine continued straight and level. Side slips even at extreme angles were no problem with no indication of roll coupling. Everything felt just right first time up.

Nikolas told me that he had probed the low to zero G envelope at height wearing a personal parachute at various speeds and power settings. This was a very dangerous undertaking by a very dedicated individual. He assumed that if anything went wrong he wouldn’t have the rotor to worry about since it would have already parted ways. While there he also confirmed that his design had no tendency to torque roll. Not willing to tread anywhere near this part of the flight regime I left Nikolas to his word. Rapid power changes at 1 G showed little roll tendency.

A tried some high speed passes and saw about 95mph at full throttle. Same solid feel despite the moderate turbulence. Nikolas said his indicated airspeed error wasn’t more than about 3 mph.

Landings were all positive with no tendency to bounce, rebound or duck walk. Cross winds up to about 12 knots were handled nicely the same as take offs. The nosewheel stayed firmly planted except prior to lift off at my weight of 165lbs.

A report isn't complete without some negative observations. The build quality as regards details except finish are not of the same standard as the design execution. To be so would require things like leather upholstery and mahogany stick grips. The build is Spartan with the essentials adequately provided for. Also my personal preference for stick position has my wrist resting on my thigh instead of my arm partially extended. Nikolas says he has three sticks he uses with one that would suit me.

A few words about the man behind the Genesis. Nikolas is a trained aeronautical engineer. He is soft spoken and rarely prone to hyperbole. His flying capabilities match his design acumen. He flies straight as an arrow.

Dino
 
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Nikolas and I have talked back and forth a few times...and I feel he is a class act. I wouldnt be building a Genesis if I wasnt impressed a lot with it and who stands behind it. It is another great gyro company.


Stan
 
Gyros are such a tiny fringe area of aviation that few professionals find it attractive as a vocation. Most gyro “designers” are empiricists designing by cut and try methods.

I wasn’t aware that that Nicolas was an aeronautical engineer but it was obvious to me that he had formal training in engineering.

The gyro community is fortunate to have Nicolas on board.
 
Chuck- I know I am not the only one here that thinks this...but your last post carries a lot of weight...as many of us highly respect your input. You are one of the few people that could tell me the earth was indeed flat...and I would at least think about it! Thanks for all your inputs over the years that probably have the highest accuracy percentage of anyone.


Stan
 
BJ Schramm said:

“By this time I think you're beginning to get the picture. Would be kit helicopter owners need to realize that it's not the design you should be looking at, but the designer.”

http://www.helicycle.com/BJ/q5.htm

In other words, don’t be mislead by pretty party frocks. BJ was referring to the Mini-500 but those sentiments apply equally well to gyros.
 
Kai, Stan, Mr Beaty, Thank you for your kind words!!! I am blushed now.

Dino, First of all let me say that you are a person that I highly admire!. Your knowledge, not only on aviation related subjects but on anything (or Everything) is something that impressed me very Much. I learned too many things from you in the 2 days we spent together and I am happy and proud to know you.

Thank you for the objective report on the Genesis Solo and the kind words on me ( although over rated). The objective of the Genesis is to make available a safe and pleasant Gyro to everyone and try to keep the price within reach. Our effort on that does not stop here but we will strive hard to improve on all aspects.. that is why we are open to customer feedback.

Mr. Beaty, if you are an Engineer or not the knowledge to built a safe Gyro is available. I have a fraction of your knowledge on the subject of Gyros and rotors but, if you keep your ears open, search and put 2 an 2 together you can do it.

Some clarification on the low G regime. I have tested the torque reaction at low G’s progressively and safely. I have reached the point at which rotor speed dropped to 250 in 2 seconds. The roll tendency was little and recovery was easy by loading the rotors ( slight bank and pull to turn). Stick shake warns you that you are over doing it.
THAT IS NOT a maneuver to be practiced… it can kill you ( that is why I had a parachute). I could make a mistake, or a down draft at the right time could make the maneuver unrecoverable…. But now I am satisfied that the Genesis is a forgiving gyro…. Or at least…. It does not bite.
 
Mr. Beaty, if you are an Engineer or not the knowledge to built a safe Gyro is available.

Yes it is, Nicolas but without a basic knowledge of physics, it is often difficult to understand.

Take pusher vs. tractor for instance. Many people believe the excellent safety record of Autogiros during the Cierva era was due to the fact that nearly all were tractors.

That’s because they relate to their childhood Kwaky Duck toys on wheels that were pulled by a string; the toy always followed the string. Pushed with a stick, the toy would swap ends.

But as you know, the end of an aircraft that holds the propeller is irrelevant with respect to stability. A line of thrust is a line of thrust.
 
Some clarification on the low G regime. I have tested the torque reaction at low G’s progressively and safely. [Unquote]

Nikolas, my intention wasn’t to preach safety. It was to present that you are willing to go into the danger zone to confirm what you have calculated.

Dino
 
Mr. Beaty, if you are an Engineer or not the knowledge to built a safe Gyro is available.

Yes it is, Nicolas but without a basic knowledge of physics, it is often difficult to understand.

Take pusher vs. tractor for instance. Many people believe the excellent safety record of Autogiros during the Cierva era was due to the fact that nearly all were tractors.

That’s because they relate to their childhood Kwaky Duck toys on wheels that were pulled by a string; the toy always followed the string. Pushed with a stick, the toy would swap ends.

But as you know, the end of an aircraft that holds the propeller is irrelevant with respect to stability. A line of thrust is a line of thrust.


I see whet you mean Mr. Beaty....




Some clarification on the low G regime. I have tested the torque reaction at low G’s progressively and safely. [Unquote]

Nikolas, my intention wasn’t to preach safety. It was to present that you are willing to go into the danger zone to confirm what you have calculated.

Dino

I know Dino, The clarification was intended for some individuals who MAY think that since it can not torque roll, bunt or PPO then it means that this Gyro can not crash!!! So for those individuals (and there are some) i felt the need to stress that sustained low G's have other problems and dangers.
 
Hello from new Russian member :)

Nikolas, our countries have strong economic connections so one day you will probably find some new customers here...
Didn't you think about making fully or at least half-enclosed machine? For example like Sport Copter Vortex single gyro? In our climate I would defenetely prefer to be covered at least from the face wind.
P.S. Sorry for poor English ) Hope I'm understandable.
 
Hello from new Russian member :)

Nikolas, our countries have strong economic connections so one day you will probably find some new customers here...
Didn't you think about making fully or at least half-enclosed machine? For example like Sport Copter Vortex single gyro? In our climate I would defenetely prefer to be covered at least from the face wind.
P.S. Sorry for poor English ) Hope I'm understandable.

Andrey, привет

Just to inform you that Nicolas he's in Italy for a week participating a Rotax
engine course. ( He will come back more clever.)
Regarding your question the only thing that I can reveal is that there are many surprises on the way....
 
I think it's great that there is so much renewed interest in gyroplanes across the world. The more people that are interested, the greater the advances in designs and availability. Airplane GA may always dominate the sky's, but they may soon have more whirlybirds to contend with.
 
Having followed both Giorgos and Nicolas on the Forum for some time, seen the Genesis start to take shape, and watch both it's and Nicolas's progress in this venture, I have been fascinated and delighted to see the progress made. I am a long time admirer. Congratulations.
 
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