Hognose
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
- Messages
- 2,182
- Location
- Seacoast New Hampshire, USA
- Aircraft
- PA-28/J-3/various
- Total Flight Time
- Gyro - 2.5! FW, hundreds not thousands. Helo, 0 (some day!)
Talked to Larry Neal tonight. We mostly talked about his business but also covered the latest test flights at Olney, which are not up on Carter's website yet.
Essential points -- they are flying a new rotor with more length (IIRC this one is 35 feet and the old one was 32), integral "spinner" or "hub fairing," and integral droop stops. Smoother than ever and they are flying consistently at pretty high Mu values (in Feb with the old rotor they were maxing out in the .8 neighbourhood). He likes the new rotor and the engineers are reducing/reviewing the data now.
In addition, the powerplant has changed. It's got the same GM crate motor putting out 350/380 HP, but the new propeller has made a real difference. The prop is putting out over 1800 lbs thrust vice 1400 on the last one, which is a pretty significant improvement.
There are some other changes -- the machine's a bit heavier, but better balanced (no more great wad of ballast in the nose), the ballistic chute is improved, etc. Between the Feb. flights and these April flights they also made two mods to try to resolve a yaw condition that was cropping up at high speed (160kt) back in February. Because I wasn't expecting to talk about the CCTD, I hadn't done my homework and didn't ask Larry about this.
This could be the breakout year for the CCTD, guys -- and for the gyroplane. And this isn't even Larry's big news.
cheers
-=K=-
Essential points -- they are flying a new rotor with more length (IIRC this one is 35 feet and the old one was 32), integral "spinner" or "hub fairing," and integral droop stops. Smoother than ever and they are flying consistently at pretty high Mu values (in Feb with the old rotor they were maxing out in the .8 neighbourhood). He likes the new rotor and the engineers are reducing/reviewing the data now.
In addition, the powerplant has changed. It's got the same GM crate motor putting out 350/380 HP, but the new propeller has made a real difference. The prop is putting out over 1800 lbs thrust vice 1400 on the last one, which is a pretty significant improvement.
There are some other changes -- the machine's a bit heavier, but better balanced (no more great wad of ballast in the nose), the ballistic chute is improved, etc. Between the Feb. flights and these April flights they also made two mods to try to resolve a yaw condition that was cropping up at high speed (160kt) back in February. Because I wasn't expecting to talk about the CCTD, I hadn't done my homework and didn't ask Larry about this.
This could be the breakout year for the CCTD, guys -- and for the gyroplane. And this isn't even Larry's big news.
cheers
-=K=-