Build thread on the GT-VX2 Explorer.

[Sv.grainne]

Spent the better part of yesterday with Denis visiting Gyro Technics. Got to see blue in person and watch Denis fly his VX1. On the way back to Texas with a beautiful set of Razor Blades!

 

[DavePA11]

Where is Gyro Technics located?

 

[Sv.grainne]

Kasota, MN

 

[Resasi]

Good to see you have managed to collect your Razor Blades Bobby, Denis enjoyed your visit.

Hope you had a great day with Denis and a good trip back.

Enjoy your build, it was certainly a machine I fancied...if it could have been approved in the UK.

I have that task still to come with the GT-VX2, but you will have had a chance to see Blue and may have an idea of how that will go.

You will also shortly have a chance to see how Blue compares with the Genesis. It seems to be a great machine, fly safe.

 

[Sv.grainne]

Leigh:

The visit for me was awesome. Going to do a write-up with some photos of my visit once I get home. Stopped for the night in Northern Oklahoma

Factory is amazing, Denis and crew are wonderful, even got to ride the Tug and watch Denis fly his VX1.

Amazed at the precision machine work in everything that they do . Seeing pictures does not do justice to the products.

I have my Razor Blades and should have my kit in a week to 10 days. Getting excited is a bit of an understatement.

Watching Denis fly the VX1 with the 582 makes me excited to hear of you flights with The 912ULS!

 

[Resasi]

Been a while since any pictures have been posted. As I have mentioned I am locked out of the US and unable to carry on the build, but as I have also said, a number of times Denis is a man who cannot leave things alone. If he feels improvements can be made...made they are.

As Blue is one of the exhibits at the various shows Denis attends he casts his eye over her...and then does a tweak.

Just got some pics of some of the tweaks and they blow me away. As some of you know an unfortunate hard landing on the Black flexed the keel and allowed contact with the prop tips. Unacceptable to Denis.

A further bracing strut can now be seen extending from below the upper rear black radiator down to the keel just ahead of where the prop tips pass. This will hugely reduce keel flex in the event of a tailwheel first contact with the ground.




...in addition, the new tail wheel suspension already shown in the thread is now in place on Blue

Brace and suspension working together on an encountered problem. That is progress.

The throttle is now in place in close proximity to the pre-rotator engage handle. As you lift that you tighten the belt engagement and increase pre-rotation rpm, the throttle, just above can easily be eased forward as engagement is increased.

The black trigger at the back of the throttle is the choke.


The RDAC box has been increased in size to accommodate terminal strips



RDAC installed on Blue.


Installed and covered.


In the front pod, a look inside with the MGL Explorer EFIS tilted back shows the neat wiring and complete absence of clutter.


I continue to be blown away by the attention to detail that Denis brings to this design of his 912 ULS GT-VX2 Explorer. A bare-bones light rugged single seater with some grunt, and the range to be able to...explore a little bit further, and rougher terrain than just the local area that the great majority of two stroke single seaters can handle.

 

[Sv.grainne]

I had a chance to look at Blue while I was visiting. Really looking good and I'm sure you are chomping on the bit to get back to finish her up. I have a write-up with photos from my visit that I hope to post in the next day or so. My kit is in Miami and hope to have it in Houston next week. Got my first shipment of hardware today, 3 more scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Hang in there.......

 

[All_In]

Denis is an artist as well. Most excellent improvements!
Life always seems to through delays at us Leigh.
I do not have to imagine how you feel in delays much from medical and Corvid. Started to believe flying again would ever happen.
However, I'm back in the air again as you will be too my friend.
It is worth the wait. There is a higher level of JOY when you had to wait.
Just never give up and never surrender.

 

[Brian Jackson]

Denis' work has been inspiring to me. Great to see such attention to detail. I like that new tailboom brace. Did the same thing on mine in the same connection locations. I've seen bracing on other ships simply running vertical to the engine mounts but never thought that was practical on this style of gyro due to the tailboom deflection transferring load to an outboard member that's already under stress. I like where he put it. And damn if it ain't pretty!

 

[Resasi]

Denis had not been happy about the nosewheel for a while. It was Chinese, cast aluminium, heavy, and he worried about both its availability and quality. So as Denis often does, he let me know that he was going to change it...and he has.

Off came the old wheel...



And on goes the new replacement that he has designed and made.

Certainly more sidewall and flex/air-cushion on this one.


As Denis succinctly puts it.

 

[Resasi]

If I had to sum up Denis it would be unrelenting in search of perfection.

 

[GyrOZprey]

I KNEW .....Denis would come through with an awesome (&most aesthetic) upgrade to prevent any future keel-flex & prop/ruddercable damage! ....when I saw the results of that extreme "field-test" hard landing!
And the sheer beauty of that new nose-wheel!
KUDOS again to Denis & Gyro-Technic ...onwards upwards & constant improvements!

 

[StanFoster]

Resasi......This is my first look at your gyro thread....and I am blown away. I always thought of you as a superb and intellectual person with the nicest personality to match.

Your gyro belongs in a dust free museum display.....it is so gorgeous. Denis had some very awesome stuff just starting to hatch at Mentone when I used to fly up to 2014. What a total display of workmanship that is way beyond natural.

I feel very fortunate to have talked to you in person Leigh, and regret not really getting to know Denis....but I distinctly remembering shaking my head in amazement of what I had seen him build up to 2014.

You are a professional pilot Leigh that I could not achieve if you gave me 10 lifetimes....

What a fitting display of workmanship that bookends your display of lifelong professional flying.

 

[Resasi]

Stan it was cerainly a pleasure of mine meeting you at a few Benson Days. I followed your exploits with your Sparrow Hawke, lusty antisocial neighbour, staircases, and your N360 SF Turbinator which was a magnificent little helicopter. That too was a beautiful work of art. I guess you and Denis have a lot in common with a true caftsmen's passion for perfection whether building guns, planes, staircases or complicated automated machines.

Flying, definitely inherited from my father, has always been a passion. Building the Hornet with my younger son was a great experience though I cringe at our very rough and ready efforts now. It did fly very well though and gave me a little bit of insight into the how and why of gyros, Stuart went on to be a Tech2 with Delta, and my eldest in the airlines in the UK and been in command of various types of heavy iron, very proud of them both.

As for the professional bit Stan, what could be better than being paid to do what one truly enjoys. As you yourself have said it fulfills you, and gives you joy building stairs, and flying does that for me. I started gliding with the airforce cadets at school and never looked back.

This with Denis is a final hoorah and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to work, watch mainly, and see this creation of his, into which I have been allowed to have a little input, come to life. COVID really has created a very frustrating barrier, but the good Lord willing we will have her flying at some stage, out there and definitely getting Blue a little dusty.

 

[StanFoster]

Thank you Leigh for the kind comments. Building stairways is a reward in itself...My dad lived to be 93 doing what he loves....and even though I am 67....as long as I am in good health, I could not imagine giving up what gives me intense pleasure.

 

[Resasi]

And long may that continue Stan.

Gloom lifting, we may be moving forward again, have found a DAR we might be working with.

Managed to get examples of the FAA gyroplane build log from both Bobby and Tyler on the Forum, big thanks to both of you. Collating all our paperwork.

Denis has in the meantime been working with another builder on a build assist GT-VX1, and a possible further improvement on Blue.

There is news that the US travel ban on UK residents may soon be lifted and I hopefully will be able to see my son, grandchildren, sister and her family and cousins, and of course Blue again soon, here's hoping.

 

[Sv.grainne]

And long may that continue Stan.

Gloom lifting, we may be moving forward again, have found a DAR we might be working with.

Managed to get examples of the FAA gyroplane build log from both Bobby and Tyler on the Forum, big thanks to both of you. Collating all our paperwork.

Denis has in the meantime been working with another builder on a build assist GT-VX1, and a possible further improvement on Blue.

There is news that the US travel ban on UK residents may soon be lifted and I hopefully will be able to see my son, grandchildren, sister and her family and cousins, and of course Blue again soon, here's hoping.

Great news, looking forward to you getting back and finishing up. I spoke with my DAR yesterday and all he wants to see is the build log spreadsheet and any photos I used to document the build. No hard copies required!

Bobby

 

[Resasi]

Bobby you are doing really well, and your DAR sounds as though he is being pretty reasonable about things. Yes the travel ban seems to be lifting...but there is going to be a flood of people who have all been waiting to get over to the US for over a year. Flights are going to be packed, and the weather in Kasota is heading into winter now which generally runs from November to March.

I am familiar with Minasota winters having originally started the build in winter hoping to be out and done by March April, little knowing how the build would go, the problems we would run into with our DAR, COVID, travel ban, Uncle `Tom Cobley and all. Coming from Africa and with 22 years working in Saudi, and having never willingly lived anywhere cold, I really do not function well when temperatures drop for any length of time,

Its not all been bad, Denis has upgraded and done many improvements during the extended stay. He's been able to display Blue at the various shows he has attended as a visible testament to the beauty and workmanship in his kits. I am just grateful that I and immediate family have escaped relatively unscathed when so many have been very badly effected in so many ways, and have now had a protracted lesson in patience. Having waited this long I may well wait a few months longer before we finish the build.

P.S. Will wait to see how the strobes do on your gyro.

 

[Sv.grainne]

Understand. Hoping you can get over here soon and finish up and then fly Blue. I think the body shop is going to start my repairs tomorrow!

 

[Resasi]

Yes it really has been a while for the travel ban to be lifted. I have now been trying to plan a return to Kasota to try and finish what needs to be completed on Blue, hopefully in time for an inspection and travel down to Wauchula for Bensen Days

Denis had been considering changing the pump stick configuration for a walking beam assembly, and decided for a number of reasons to go ahead with that. Accordingly the parts have been designed, produced, are now back from being anodised and highlighted and await fitting.

As usual they look superb.



The seatbelts previously on Blue and the Black were short, did not have a connecting strap across the chest, and Denis had found a tendency for these straps to slip to the outside of his shoulder. There was also no lap adjustment by the buckle for easier access, and a new type has been sourced which had addressed both these shortcomings.




Another small addition now available is foot steps on the keel. These below he has just added to the Black, his machine.
Denis really does go down to very small details, and all, exquisitely machined.