first flight of spring in the gyrobee

gyrojeffro

Active Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2017
Messages
112
Location
charlotte, nc

haven't flew the gyrobee in about six months but its like riding a bicycle you never forget how to do it. The hardest part to get used to is the shear openness of the cockpit and the blast of air pounding my body. going from flying a enclosed airplane to gyro flying is exhilarating!
 
Freaking awesome video. Thanks for posting. It was interesting for me as a not-yet-pilot to see the reflection of the rotor in your helmet. It provided a real sense of the RRPM/Ground Speed relationship as you built up inertia before takeoff. The trees would have intimidated me I think. Was hard to see a place to land if the engine quit.

I'm building a 'Bee currently so it's always a treat to see one fly and hear from other 'Bee pilots. Cheers.

Brian
 
OK, Brian, wipe up that drool.

Very nice flying, especially the smooth blade start-up from hand-prerotation.

That black rotor head looks kinda familiar.
 
haven't flew the gyrobee in about six months but its like riding a bicycle you never forget how to do it.
No criticism intended as to your own personal skills (congrats on a safe flight), but the CFI in me wants to comment for the broader readership of the forum. In general I recommend that pilots out of currency do not assume that "like riding a bike" will necessarily apply to them. All sorts of skills can get rusty (as can bits of the aircraft) so I always advise caution and close attention to written checklist use after a long layoff.

My glider club strongly encourages making a first Spring flight with a CFI for just those reasons, before hopping into a single place ship. That's not so practical for gyro pilots, but the mental attitude carries over anyway. Let's be careful out there, friends.
 
I do a few low, length-of-the-runway flights, with gentle "S" turns, when it's been awhile.

And it usually has been awhile.
 
No criticism intended as to your own personal skills (congrats on a safe flight), but the CFI in me wants to comment for the broader readership of the forum. In general I recommend that pilots out of currency do not assume that "like riding a bike" will necessarily apply to them. All sorts of skills can get rusty (as can bits of the aircraft) so I always advise caution and close attention to written checklist use after a long layoff.

My glider club strongly encourages making a first Spring flight with a CFI for just those reasons, before hopping into a single place ship. That's not so practical for gyro pilots, but the mental attitude carries over anyway. Let's be careful out there, friends.
Thanks wasp, maybe my gyro is more stable than most gyros I'm not sure. I'm learning how to fly rc helicopters inverted and I know that takes muscle memory to figure out, so I practice on a simulator and I have crashed so many times I have lost count. I don't find flying my gyro takes muscle memory in fact If I lock up the stick, typical in a panic situation the gyrobee will do what its supposed to even in rough air. The hardest part I have found to get used to is the shear openness since I am afraid of heights.
 
Wow. Afraid of heights and flying an open gyrocopter? How do you do that? My son is afraid of heights and I leave the door/window closed and he is fine, but he doesn’t like it when I fly with the window open.

A lot of trees where you live. Out here in Colorodo it’s like a desert in the plain side of Denver.
 
Last edited:
Thanks wasp, maybe my gyro is more stable than most gyros I'm not sure. I'm learning how to fly rc helicopters inverted and I know that takes muscle memory to figure out, so I practice on a simulator and I have crashed so many times I have lost count. I don't find flying my gyro takes muscle memory in fact If I lock up the stick, typical in a panic situation the gyrobee will do what its supposed to even in rough air. The hardest part I have found to get used to is the shear openness since I am afraid of heights.
Me too. Terrified of heights. Lengths and widths not so much.

Funny though that when there's something important to focus on (training, photography, etc) the fear is under control, like shifting into robot mode. But casually gazing downward from a tall balcony (or upward, which is curiously worse for me) kicks in that primal fear. Do you find yourself more relaxed as the flight progresses or have your nerves had enough by touchdown?
 
Widths get to me. I've had to lay off the pasta to avoid excess width.

I spent maybe 50 hours gyrogliding and another 50 doing runway and crow-hop flights in my first gyro -- and I still was petrified when I finally flew out over the end of the runway, climbed to 1,000 feet and did a pattern. All I wanted to do was get around the circuit alive, and back on the ground so I could sell the damn thing. Whether this was mostly fear-of-heights, the overwhelming racket of an unmuffled VW, hypothermia (it was winter) or fear of something failing catastrophically, I can't untangle. All of the above.

The fear wore off, obviously. Humans can acclimate to almost anything.

At pattern altitude or a bit above, you feel as if you are still IN the landscape, not ABOVE it. It's kind of homey. Up at 2K ft. and above, the ground looks much less real. It gets lonely and (for me) a bit spooky to be riding a broomstick up there without visible support.
 
Widths get to me. I've had to lay off the pasta to avoid excess width.

I spent maybe 50 hours gyrogliding and another 50 doing runway and crow-hop flights in my first gyro -- and I still was petrified when I finally flew out over the end of the runway, climbed to 1,000 feet and did a pattern. All I wanted to do was get around the circuit alive, and back on the ground so I could sell the damn thing. Whether this was mostly fear-of-heights, the overwhelming racket of an unmuffled VW, hypothermia (it was winter) or fear of something failing catastrophically, I can't untangle. All of the above.

The fear wore off, obviously. Humans can acclimate to almost anything.

At pattern altitude or a bit above, you feel as if you are still IN the landscape, not ABOVE it. It's kind of homey. Up at 2K ft. and above, the ground looks much less real. It gets lonely and (for me) a bit spooky to be riding a broomstick up there without visible support.
repetition of anything enough and eventually it won't bother you, or atleast not so bad. open cockpit gyroflying definatelly isn't for everyone. I enjoy my airplane much more at 1000ft without the wind blast and a cup holder and carpeted interior lol
 
Top