EdL
Comm Rotor Gyro, ASEL
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2018
- Messages
- 144
- Location
- Lakeway, TX
- Aircraft
- Magni M-16, Piper Warrior
- Total Flight Time
- 1300
Lots of great thoughts and perspectives in some other threads. Rather than put this particular idea into one of them, it seems reasonable to post a different thread.
Until the Eurotubs became more established in the US over the past decade or two, the vast majority of gyros were plans-built, often single-seaters, often flown by people with no (other) aviation rating. Both the increased popularity of the Eurotub designs plus the re-definition/enforcement of the FAA's Ultralight category has caused a shift in all of this. Still today, though, the majority of gyro pilots are either Sport Pilot Gyro only and/or started their flying in gyros. That's changing with SP add-ons for Private Pilots, but that's a relatively recent phenomenon.
By contrast, the significant majority of fixed-wing pilots are at least Private Pilot. Although many types of fixed-wing Ultralights and Experimental Light Sport craft exist, the majority of fixed-wing craft are either full-up certificated or meet LSA standards - for close to the past 100 years, I bet.
With absolutely no derogatory meaning intended, the gyro history/population/desire has historically been more akin to dirt bikes than street motorcycles. Fixed-wings are on-road cars, mostly (a GROSS simplification but hopefully one gets the point). Most fixed-wing pilots who add a gyro rating, myself included, do so for the "motorcycle" experience of the gyro - sometimes as a dirt bike, sometimes as a street bike. The "street bike" version of gyros is a recent phenomenon, I'd contend.
But anyone who rides a dirt bike on city streets had better follow city-street-driving rules; not "just" for the legality of it but primarily for the safety. Anyone who brings dirt-bike thinking and freedom to street driving may not like the outcome.
As one considers pattern work, etc. it may be worth considering whether or not we're trying to apply dirt-bike rules to city streets - among drivers who may not have ever seen a dirt bike before and have little idea what they can and will do. In fact, especially if one were to ask the non-flying population, they’d see gyros as “one of those things that guy landed on the White House lawn”.
Along these lines, the FAA is most familiar with gyros in the older, Bensen days ("dirt bikes"). Their regs lag the changes brought by the Eurotubs so far. Hopefully that's changing - but I suspect it will only change when they see gyros as safe to the non-flying public.
Just a thought...
/Ed
Until the Eurotubs became more established in the US over the past decade or two, the vast majority of gyros were plans-built, often single-seaters, often flown by people with no (other) aviation rating. Both the increased popularity of the Eurotub designs plus the re-definition/enforcement of the FAA's Ultralight category has caused a shift in all of this. Still today, though, the majority of gyro pilots are either Sport Pilot Gyro only and/or started their flying in gyros. That's changing with SP add-ons for Private Pilots, but that's a relatively recent phenomenon.
By contrast, the significant majority of fixed-wing pilots are at least Private Pilot. Although many types of fixed-wing Ultralights and Experimental Light Sport craft exist, the majority of fixed-wing craft are either full-up certificated or meet LSA standards - for close to the past 100 years, I bet.
With absolutely no derogatory meaning intended, the gyro history/population/desire has historically been more akin to dirt bikes than street motorcycles. Fixed-wings are on-road cars, mostly (a GROSS simplification but hopefully one gets the point). Most fixed-wing pilots who add a gyro rating, myself included, do so for the "motorcycle" experience of the gyro - sometimes as a dirt bike, sometimes as a street bike. The "street bike" version of gyros is a recent phenomenon, I'd contend.
But anyone who rides a dirt bike on city streets had better follow city-street-driving rules; not "just" for the legality of it but primarily for the safety. Anyone who brings dirt-bike thinking and freedom to street driving may not like the outcome.
As one considers pattern work, etc. it may be worth considering whether or not we're trying to apply dirt-bike rules to city streets - among drivers who may not have ever seen a dirt bike before and have little idea what they can and will do. In fact, especially if one were to ask the non-flying population, they’d see gyros as “one of those things that guy landed on the White House lawn”.
Along these lines, the FAA is most familiar with gyros in the older, Bensen days ("dirt bikes"). Their regs lag the changes brought by the Eurotubs so far. Hopefully that's changing - but I suspect it will only change when they see gyros as safe to the non-flying public.
Just a thought...
/Ed