Butterfly Monarch - a few questions

[Heli]

Hello everyone, I am new here and new to Gyros as well, so please bear with me...

I have not flown one yet but I have visited a gyro club close-by and seen them in action many times, and feel I can pull the trigger and start working on getting mine while being trained by the club members. My body weight is 64kgs/140lbs.

Since the goal is just pure fun, single flying in restrcited areas due to the regulations where I live, It seems that the Butterfly Monarch or Emperor, with its CLT and landing gear is something that could work for me, and bring extra safety in rough terrain.

I have many questions of course, but the first one are:

1) how does the extra weight of the 2 types of g-force landing gears (the magnum and the g-force one) affect the center of gravity and influence the CLT.

2) Do that landing gear produce more drag ? is this noticeable ?

Thanks
Rob Brandys

 

[Timchick]

Rob, there is an option to hold the g-force gear in the up position during normal flying and it can then be released/lowered in case it is needed for an emergency landing. Flying with the gear in the up position should eliminate a little bit of drag.

 

[GyroDoug]

Rob,

I'm glad to hear that you are looking at the Butterfly line of Gyros. While the Butterfly line is not the only well designed and stable Gyro available, it is certainly a great example of what to look for in a modern Gyro and it does have some features that are not available anywhere else. Which model will be best for you depends on what you are looking for and what your priorities are. At your weight either model would give you good performance, so it becomes more a question of how loaded with features do you want to go.

In my opinion, adding the G-Force landing gear is an option that will add an extra margin of safety and should be high on anyone's priority list. The Metro Launch Pre-rotator is a high power Pre-rotator that can really shorten your takeoff distance. That may or may not be important to you, if not I would stick with the standard electric Pre-rotator. Larry makes all kinds of options available for the Monarch (not so many for the basic Emperor model) like wheel pants, and fairings for the landing gear legs. With the ability to keep the wheels up in the high position until you are getting ready to land and want to be able to use the enormous cushioning capability build into the G-Force Landing Gear, and the fairings to keep drag to a minimum you will find there is very little drag down low to cause you any concern. Larry has designed all of his Butterfly models to not only have Center Line Thrust but to have a Center Line of pressure and drag also. (with or without the G-Force Landing Gear) You will find that when you add power in a Butterfly or you quickly cut the power, there is no tendancy for the nose of the Gyro to rise or fall. Instead it stays relatively horizontal and just starts climbing or starts to descend, depending on the power setting.

Either of the models you are considering will be easy to learn to fly and will provide you with a stable aircraft to fly. The Monarch has a bigger engine with more power and is designed to have more upgrade options available for it. Other considerations asside, it will provide you with more flexibility to customize to your idea of what an ultimate Gyro should be, and it would be my first choice for you, but there may be other considerations I am not aware of. As a Butterfly Dealer I would be happy to talk to you about the different options and answer any of your questions. While I may not know the answer to every question you could ask, I sure know where to find the answer and I will be more available for you to communicate with than trying to catch Larry in person. You can e-mail me at "[email protected]" or if you would rather talk in person feel free to call me on my cell phone at (801) 628-7598. Best of luck with your adventure to get started flying the absolute most fun type of aircraft in the world. Gyros Rule!!!!

 

[Heli]

Doug and Tim, thanks a lot for the answers.

How many hours would it take to complete the kit of a Monarch with the g-force ?

I can outsource the metal work to a metal shop since there are no 51% do-it yourself requirements where I live, and just enjoy the assembly part.

Rob

 

[Heron]

Rob
As you are a light weight you have two options, less or more power, like the 582.
You will be able to have an extra tank for enough fuel to go places.
Every gyros is different, small things here and there . . .the performance range is what you will be looking for.
Play around the patch requires less stuff, but if you decide to travel, long or short, better have a Flying Swiss Army knife.
Heron

 

[GyroDoug]

Doug and Tim, thanks a lot for the answers.

How many hours would it take to complete the kit of a Monarch with the g-force ?

I can outsource the metal work to a metal shop since there are no 51% do-it yourself requirements where I live, and just enjoy the assembly part.

Rob

Rob,

You could have a Monarch Put together and Flying in about 125 hrs. There really isn't much metal work to do to build one. Mainly you are drilling out holes to the proper size, reaming and de-burring, fabricating some easy parts (like a Nu-bush) and bolting the whole thing together. While you may have never done this kind of work before, I believe you will find it an educational experience and you will enjoy the process more than you ever thought you would. Also by the time you put it all together you will understand the machine very well and be in a good position to do maintenance and inspections on it. I highly recommend being as involved in the whole process as you can, even if you don't have to. One of the great things about the Butterfly line of Gyros is that they have lots of options and you can really customize your machine into exactly what you want it to be.

 

[tyc]

... I highly recommend being as involved in the whole process as you can, even if you don't have to.

Oh yeah! Experience has repeatedly shown me that nothing but nothing beats "hands-on experience"!

Just my two cents for what it's worth.

tyc

 

[fiveboy]

Rob, not to hijack the thread but I wonder if you could give us a quick over view of whether gyros are well known in Japan, how many there may be and what the overall regulations are for one to fly a gyro in Japan. Are there open areas like other places where you can just fly around free of oversight, or is everything very controlled?

 

[GyroDoug]

Little More Time

Little More Time

Rob,

I was talking to Larry today and I asked him how many hours it should take to assemble a Monarch and he said you could assemble an Emperor in about 100 hrs. but a Monarch would typically take about 125 hrs. Just thought I should correct that bit of information (I have gone back and edited my earlier post)

 

[All_In]

Greetings Rob and welcome to the forum and more fun than should be legal!

 

[Heli]

Hi everyone ...thanks again for all the replies and welcome.

The reaons why I was looking at the Monarch is because the 582 engine is water-cooled, has more power and is regarded as superior to the 503..

In Japan it gets very hot and humid around summer and you might need more power during this time, not to mention the risk of overheating etc..

But again, I am not an expert and perhaps a 503 would work too.


In terms of regulations in Japan:
"Ultralight" Gyros are: empty weight up to 180kgs (396lbs) for a single seater and up to 225kgs *(495lbs) for a tandem. Fuel tank maximum: 30 liters - 9 gallons.

You don't need a license to pilot an ultralight but need to register the machine (lots of paperwork) and register yourself and get an official persmission for take-off landing fron the area or use an area that has been allowed before, such as a club-owned spot.

Officially..you cannot fly more than a certain altitude (200 m/655ft) and more than 9km/6.6miles distance from the runway. Of course, flying above residential areas and roads is not allowed.
On the good side: no taxes, no fees, no inpsection and no insurance needed to fly your gyro.

Therefore, a light machine which maximizes the "fun" part of flying vs. confort/range is best, since we cannot fly very far.

There are a couple of clubs and 200 registered gyros..and perhaps only 100 fly on a regular base in the whole country..so the sport is far from being very popular compared to motor-paragliding etc..

Summer can be 90F & 80% humidity but winter is not too cold, 50F and very dry (25-40% humidity), and usually sunny.

Rob

 

[Heron]

Rob
In short time you will want more range and regret your registration choice.
Go for the gadgets, go for the next category, have ticket will travel . . .
It is better have it than not . . .power, fuel, equipment.
Heron

 

[scottessex]

Heli, the weather sounds like Florida, lots of 503's flying just fine.
The 582 does make more HP but I would not call it superior, as the rotax 503 has the best reputation for the most reliable 2 stroke aircraft engine ever built.

I'd go with a regular butterfly, and forget about all that heavy super swizzle G force stuff, adds too much weight, Light gyros are fun gyros.

Sorry, but adding all that extra stuff is like putting a windsheild on a dirtbike. just does not make sense.

 

[Heli]

Scott, thanks for the input.

How much extra weight are we talking for the g-force landing gear option ? Maybe Doug would know.
Rob

 

[Heron]

I say . . .about 5 G´s worth of savings if you ever need it . . .
Fishing with a light rod is fun, but if a big catch comes along you will miss it!
Than it is all fishermen´s tales . . .
Heron

 

[Kingchocolate]

I would have to strongly disagree.
I would not trade my g force all terrain supposition for anything.

You can have a lot more fun with the landing gear.

 

[scottessex]

I am not dogging the G-force, just that if you want a low weight, low cost fun gyro with a cheaper 503, the butterfly without all the extra's is the ticket.

 

[Kingchocolate]

I can see your point. :yo:

 

[Joe Pires]

Heli, the weather sounds like Florida, lots of 503's flying just fine.

I fly a 503 on a Dominator Ultrawhite, in Florida all summer long. I weigh about 220 atm, and it flys me without issue.

 

[GyroDoug]

Rob,

I am glad to see some of these issues being raised here as it gives me a chance to address them and I am sure there are a lot of others that have the same questions but just haven't asked them yet.

I agree that keeping a Gyro light weight adds to the fun factor. And as light as you are I believe the Emperor Gyro with a Rotax 503 would have adequate power to fly you well. The Monarch Gyro is 80 lbs heavier but comes with more power and will fly you equally as well. The biggest difference will be the Monarch is designed to have more options added to it, and will simply give you more flexibility.

Adding the G-Force landing gear in my opinion not only adds to the fun factor and landing capability of the machine but also adds a substantial additional level of safety to the machine. I would highly recommend it's addition to either model. Adding it to your machine will add less than 15 lbs. to your total weight so it could be done to either model and still bring you in under the weight limit you have.

Adding the Metro Launch system will greatly shorten your required take off roll, which may or may not be important to you. But if it is you can have the most powerful pre-rotator available on the market and it will only add an additional 10 lbs. to your total weight vs the standard electric pre-rotator. So again you can come in under your weight limit if you want to. However to get this option you would need to go with the Monarch Gyro rather than the Emperor Gyro.

With a low pilot weight and flying at altitudes close to see level, you are going to get great performance from either of these packages. The biggest difference will be the Monarch will simply offer you more options for customization and a different engine package. Adding the G-Force landing Gear really doesn't add much weight and for the added safety and capability I wouldn't be caught with out it.

Not everyone in the Gyro world see's the value of the G-Force Landing Gear, but in their defense, they have been flying for years without it and don't have a problem without it. However that doesn't mean a Gyro can't be even safer and funner with it. It's kind of like all the people flying without a Horizontal Stabilizer. They have a hard time seeing why everyone should have one, but as a new Gyro Pilot starting out I can't think of a good reason not to have one. And I am sure you will be glad you have it on your Butterfly too.