Mike Goodrich is here and we have installed GWS on our trainer. We also did some testing with flap angle measuring system installed.
GWS is in Beta test with us. So far what I have seen from the data (10 data points of airspeed, G loading, rotor RPM, Outside Air Temp and altitude every second) is that I have gone in very gusty conditions today (15 gusting to 25 knots) and flown legs at 35 knots, 55 knots and 75 knots and in these flights I have gone as low as 0.62 G and got a bunting risk alert. I was in below 1 G for about 7 seconds total with lowest being 0.62 G for 0.3 seconds and I did nothing except hold the stick in place and let it recover and it did. I can see if I was ham fisted and abrupt and took actions that worsen the situation that I would have gotten bunting risk warning to bunting red alarm warning. Of course I did not do that because I know better. I had various 0.7 or 0.6 G transient hits due to turbulence and they came and went without any issue or alarms. This simulates the real weather flying and how gyroplane handles the normal transient low Gs. Basically without any real issue. The rotor RPM decays at the fastest rate at around 0.6 G, even faster than 0 G according to Jean Claude calculations as unintuitive as it sounds.
I have induced flapping alarms by going on takeoff roll with stick forward, starting at 140 rotor RPM trying to bring the stick more than half way but not all the way back and moving forward (this one was actually quite difficult to induce flapping warning, I really had to push stick well forward and really try and increase the throttle or the rotor RPM would pick back up. I induced a flapping warning from 80 rotor RPM, but it went away fairly quickly by nursing the rotor RPMs up.
All this data is recorded and can be graphed and specific points can be zoomed in on. No matter what I think happened or say happened, the data tells the real story. All this time the flap angle measuring device shows the flap angle via blue tooth on a phone app.
Its a great tool to simulate what a pilot may tell was the story and see if it actually creates the flapping danger the pilot said happened without actually being in danger. All I have learned so far, its difficult to flap the rotor. You really have to plug up multiple things badly. I guess if you have really lost the plot that bad, you can do it and you probably need more training or practice in handling situations like the tower. You have to remain pilot in command no matter what a tower tells you to do. You are ultimately responsible for the decisions you are making and accepting. As an engineer this data is great to see and it tells the real true story of what is going on.
If you are at Bensen Days definitely attend the GWS presentation by Mike Goodrich and Chris Buchanan. Chris was surprised at how accurate GWS has been so far. He flew in the back seat as the data collector with me. Mike is trying to make the presentation as simple as he can taking out the math bits so it should appeal to everyone.