Cricket departs UK

Steve_UK

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Oct 15, 2010
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I'm not a pilot but have been lucky enough to fly in Mi-24 Hind, Mi-2, Mi-17, Lynx HAS3, Gliders, GA
Hi


Latest UK CAA amends show
 
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I am pretty sure cricket departed England last year and will not return, at least not until they beat the Aussies again and I cant see that happening anytime soon. :)
 
I know the gyro and yes it was one of ours. Henstridge first then up at Riss. I believe that it has been sold to a previous owner.
 
Yes she has followed me back to Ireland!
She just wasn't happy in England, since everything changed for single seat gyros there.
I built her in 1994, and sold her in 2001.
Last year I thought that I might build a replica of my original Cricket and contacted the current owner, he suggested that I might buy her back again, so I did, I bought her back again, from Karl Touhey, last year.
I was really hoping to build a new one, using all new parts but I'm glad now that Karl put the idea of a restoration project to me.
She had more than one owner in the last 14 years and they had all knocked a good few hours out of her. I have started a full strip down and restoration, airframe and engine, and should have her back to her former glory sometime later this year.
I will post some photos soon.
 
Hi Mike, thanks for the update.
 
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Thank you for the photos

Thank you for the photos

I always thought that the orange and black colour scheeme looked good, a bit menacing but with character. I will either paint it orange again or maybee red and black.
 
Hello Brian

Hello Brian

Hello Brian,
I remember Tony Unwin and the pink VPM.
And more than just Kemble...Tony Melody and Shirley and Chris Julian, David Beavers and his father, ans so many more, all the good old crew, in a different time, in a different England.
I still can't understand all the steps and events that took place to wipe out the single place gyros in the UK. lost airfields and crazy licencing requirements dont help. You know more of the detail than I do.
From a gyroheads point of view, I feel privileged that I was there then, but I'm lucky that Im not there now.
 
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the pink panther from what I recall failed due to a nyloc nut in the control run coming loose.
there are still some single seats operating in the UK but no more single seat licences without jumping through huge hoops, I think you need to complete a 2 seat course up to solo sign off, then do 5 hours conversion to single seat whilst being instructed by a single seat instructor who has done 5 hours on your specific gyro. then you continue the course from there. I think that is how it goes. madnesss
 
See photo attached of BWUZ arriving in Ireland
 

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Thanks Sandl, it sounds like gyro-ing is as good as finished in England for now. I know that there is a high number of Cessena drivers bought 2 seat factory built gyros over there, and there would be nothing wrong with them having a long training sylabus and high hours requirement. If your going to spend 100000 dollars on a microlight aircraft, you really dont want to smash it up, so loads of instruction, no problem.
But the single seat home build movement should have been separated from the new factory built 2 seat brigade.
If it were France or any other European country, people would not put up with it (maybe they would in Germany/Austria etc)
Its all very sad, is there any reasoning at all as to why things are as they are over there, has anybody in power offered any logical explanation?
 
Yes not many single seats left now
British rotorcraft association does not appear to promote or support single seat gyros in my experience I have sent you a PM explaining more
 
Thanks for the private message, you explained it all fairly well.
If its all true, whick I.m sure that it is, then no harm in posting it to get afew comments going.
Its about time that you single seat pilots stood up for yourselves in England.
 
Figures just published by the UK CAA show that the number of registered gyrocopters in the UK is at an all time high at 329 machines.

The sport has grown significantly over the past 10 years - the downside is the demise of the single seater but the upside is growth and a boom in factory two seater sales. Gyros are out and about going cross country. So gyro-ing is in good health as a whole.

Some previous figures - number of registered gyros

1985 - 115
 
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SSDR might save the single-seater if that route could be used.

Otherwise, hand it all over to the tandem tubs.
 
SSDR might save the single-seater if that route could be used.

Otherwise, hand it all over to the tandem tubs.

Seems rotary wing are not included in the relaxation of the laws Fergus. Either they think we're incapable of making rational decisions or they value our lives over the fixed wingers.
 
Seems rotary wing are not included in the relaxation of the laws Fergus. Either they think we're incapable of making rational decisions or they value our lives over the fixed wingers.

or they want to squeeze us out in to oblivion

we are not 2 seats, nor microlights nor SSDR so are regulated into the ground, insurance will soon desert us I fear ... then we will all be safely on the ground polishing our hanger queens and looking back on this as the good old days. no one flys, no accidents sorted
 
At a guess I'd say that the claims of factory machines dwarf any made by single seat homebuilts. Not that that would stop them.
It does seem there has been a concerted effort to bring about the demise of homebuilt gyroplanes. This started with the PFA saying that the plans available were inadequate. Ridiculous considering the simplicity of a bensen.
It's all very depressing on many levels and is indicative of the way we are going as a country.
 
The tandem tub brigade have very good commercial reasons for preventing all
single-seat operation, and so far are very successful at this.

This is why a formal and organisational separation from them is essential.

The CAA/AAIB have a very knowledgeable gyro test pilot on board.
He did the tests for the last RAF2000 fatality and obviously knows his stuff.
Get him on board with you, and you could make progress under SSDR.

SSDR is the correct home for singles anyway, both costwise, and flight purpose-wise.
It would get you out from under the weight of SectionT, approval, (which is quite appropriate for passenger-carrying machines, but not for singles), and
probably bypass the ludicrous rules whereby the demise of the original designer renders the design unfit for flight,( a la PFA ).

Leave the A to B stuff to the tandem drivers. Fly local, have fun.
 
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