Gyramblings of a gyro-gypsy!

[Smack]

Perhaps attend an AOPA "Rusty Pilot" seminar?

 

[Kolibri]

Chris, I enjoyed your upbeat report of such a fun trip. Thanks for sharing your fun.
The weather has still been amazing lately!

Regards, Kolibri

 

[GyrOZprey]

Two brilliant hours of "Airgasm" ...

Two brilliant hours of "Airgasm" ...

...as Mike Boyette terms it on a recent FB post ( Descriptive word coined by Ernie originally - according to Mike)

Severe clear ... totally un-Kansas-like winds under 5 kts at surface & to over 1,000 AGL ... a last warm Indian summer day before winter arrives this week-end!

I flew West - for a change ... circled around Jim's cousin's place a couple of times - en route to KHUT ... the nice quiet local towered D airport ... time to brush up on those rusty "talk-to-tower" skills! Did 3 T&G's/pattern option & departed back towards Newton & then out to the farm ... enjoyed some "fun-flying" around the farm fields ... then cruised around fully savoring the magic of gyro flight in perfect, relaxing conditions! It was hard to come down ... but 2 gyros needed to be cleaned & covered - for a month( or more ) of storage! ... got done just as the last light faded!

I took lots of Gopro video clips - that came out GREAT ... but someone used my dedicated video editing Mac computer when I was away in Sept & ... it's all messed up - - can't get my downloaded files to where they need to be to process/edit/ make Utube movies .... so I'm stumped & out of time to mess with it any more ... the offending party was told - to bloody well put it back to how it was, & get rid of those alien files - so I can use it again! GRRR :tape:

 

[gyrodeputy]

Radio Calls simplified

Radio Calls simplified

I took my first flying lesson out of Salt Lake International Airport, a class B airspace.

I was taught several very simple things to remember:

1) Less is often more. If it does not need to be said minimize your traffic.
2) Initial Contact is simple:
IPAIDS
Identity (Experimental Gyroplane 910NE)
Position (15 miles southwest of Rapid City Regional)
Altitude: (7800)
Intentions and Destination: (Landing Rapid City)
Squawk: (Squawking 1200)

3) If you are not sure what you were told, ask again...NEVER assume an instruction. That is how people die and a quick way to loose your license.

So this is what it would sound like after I leave Custer and am heading to Rapid City Regional Airport:

Me: Ellsworth Approach Experimental Gyroplane Nine One Zero November Echo

EWA: Experimental Gyroplane Nine One Zero November Echo go ahead

Me: Gyroplane Nine One Zero November Echo Fifteen Miles southwest of Rapid City, Seven Thousand Eight Hundred for Landing Rapid City Regional Airport, Squawking 1200.

EWA: Gyroplane Zero November Echo Squawk two, four, six, eight

Me: Zero November Echo two, four, six eight

(after a short while)
EWA: Gyroplane Zero November Echo, Radar Contact 12 miles southwest of Rapid City Contact Rapid City Tower at 125.85 good day

Me: Gyroplane Zero November Echo 125.85 good day.


It is not rocket science, but a different language. I highly recommend becoming conversant as it opens up a lot of aviation doors and pathways.

Remember: IPAIDS, Identity, Position, Altitude, Intentions and Destination, Squawk

 

[swilliams]

Thanks Heath.

Sincerely SWilliams

 

[GyrOZprey]

Great summary Heath

Great summary Heath

Thanks ... I like easy memory aids ...IPAIDS ... THAT I can use! :first: ( i do that on my untowered radio announcements anyway) ... I just sometimes get the order mixed up or forget altitude/intent ... practice & discipline to follow a fixed order will help!

 

[gyrodeputy]

Here is another

Here is another

Thanks ... I like easy memory aids ...IPAIDS ... THAT I can use! :first: ( i do that on my untowered radio announcements anyway) ... I just sometimes get the order mixed up or forget altitude/intent ... practice & discipline to follow a fixed order will help!

Although this one is mainly for fixed wings and complex, I still tend to run it through my feeble mind prior to final approach:

GUMPS

G:Gas on the Main Tank
U: Undercarriage (Gear down and Locked)
M: Mixture, Full Rich or as required
P: Pumps on
S: Seat belts and doors secure

 

[All_In]

Love the pictures and the rest of the story!

Thanks for sharing!!

 

[AirCommandPilot]

Vance, I used to do the same thing when going into a new airport. I would write down what I expect to hear and say word for word and fill in the blanks as I got the info.

 

[GyrOZprey]

and reporting from "Down Under"

and reporting from "Down Under"

... well actually I'm home now for a little bit - to wrap up 2016 farm business - but just had a month in OZ sorting out Mum's effects, salvaging family historical artifacts & doing estate business - but took every chance to get in some time with the Ozzie gyronuts!

My trip began with several days spent with the delightful Polyak family , - gleaning a couple of hours flying with senior ASRA CFI Sam Polyak ... checking out how my gyro flight skills had progressed since my first trial flight with him in the blue TE prototype ... way back in Feb 2014 ( then just a 122 hr student pilot)!

On both days the wind was very unfriendly ( full cross & erratic) ... but I somehow aced both take-off rolls with max PR on a lumpy short strip with trees & a large hill dead ahead & kept him happy that I was worthy to fly his "baby" -the limegreen/yellow 914 TE. After so much flying over flat terrain of Texas & Kansas ... flying around the hills & valleys of the Yass area was quite disturbing ...especially when we came down below the ridges & all I could think was being ready to find rough rotor winds in the lee of the hills ...as Sam's place is in a narrow valley - to land - you are just going to get bumped around as you fly the approach .... the downwind,base/final which is quite hair-raising having to clear the powerline over the longer rougher strip( in the hayfield) then follow the creekline avoiding the trees - knowing you have to stick it ... no go-arounds ( due to powerlines& trees at the S end of the 900ft strip!) last pic = Google earth screen shot with powerlines in red line!
the Aussie countryside is riddled with powerlines ... going off in all & any direction ... usually crossing that nice, open, somewhat flatter area -one has spotted for an ELZ !!

The camera always flattens the terrain ... trust me that bump in the distance is a serious hill - when looking down the runway! (Pic #2) .... due to the location of a horse farm in that area we always make a left turn to climb out over the more gently rising terrain!

The last 3 pics are of one of the first- production run blue TE's with the proud new owner getting flight training @ Caboolture ... where I got to visit with Waddles & co. for a couple of hours on Saturday during my week @ the Mooloolaba holiday pad!

 

[Texasautogyro]

That should remind you a bit of Bridgeport or Utah flying. It sounds like quite a bit of fun for sure!

 

[All_In]

Way to live life to the fullest!!!

Thank you for sharing the adventure.

 

[loftus]

Great experience Chris!

Although this one is mainly for fixed wings and complex, I still tend to run it through my feeble mind prior to final approach:

GUMPS

G:Gas on the Main Tank
U: Undercarriage (Gear down and Locked)
M: Mixture, Full Rich or as required
P: Pumps on
S: Seat belts and doors secure

While we're about checklists, I've adapted one I adapted from the Gyroplane Handbook which was LIFER - I use one I call WILFER. What I like about it is it can be adapted a little depending on context and the aircraft you are flying and now even works as I get ready for my multiengine sea rating as I added the word 'wheels' under W
W - Wind, Wheels, Whereabouts
I - Instruments scan
L - Lights. (Location)
F - Fuel - pertains to full pumps, mixture and carb heat if any, amount of fuel
E - Engines - particularly again scan engine instruments, and now anything appropriate for twin engine flying
R - Radios - radio frequency settings etc, and calls to be made, transponder
Here's a pic of it sitting under my GPS on the MTO

 

[GyrOZprey]

Facebook memories ....

Facebook memories ....

FB Flashback .....Dec 2013 ....flying again ( any opportunity) after the OZ'rora rebuild following the 2013 mother's day pitch-pivot bolt fiasco!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b-sw9uMHY0&t=162s

yesterday afternoon I had a fun 1.5 hours playing in the wind in the yellow 912 Titanium N234TE AKA "Peeka" ... winds 340 @15 g 19 when I started( mellowed to about 13 steady by 4 pm! ) Pattern @ KEWK was busy late in the day ... lots of radio & fitting in with FW practice!

Only spot track to show!http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ehs1DVzSScODM1ge1lp0nPI28gbrFTs8
- my wanderings around the neighborhood .... playing with approaches to our hayfield strip, hovering in the wind beside friends places ... instead of the usual circling ! Such a magic day ... super clear, got up to 60`F, thick cool air with fantastic climb & smooth cruise!

 

[GyrOZprey]

Flying out the old year .....

Flying out the old year .....

....planning to fly in the new!

Marvellous mellow weather in Kansas this week-end..... I get in 2 more days of perfect flying conditions before next weeks big Arctic deep freeze descends upon us!

Today I tested my lightweight primaloft/gortex weather gear ( readying for the April Aussie trip) .....toasty warm for 1.2 hrs ... enjoyed my 3airport & farmLG circuit XC immensely!

Hoping tomorrow the conditions will hold as forecast and do a brunch flight to Benton (Stearman field) then go checkout the new runway @ Beaumont Hotel!

I came to the end of the page 68 in my log book today ...and will start a new page for 2017 ....... my flight stats for 2016 .... 103 hr PIC 300 landings (100 hrs in Titanium Explorers ) 4.4 hours additional instruction and my first flight review! 45 hours crosscountry flights.

had Gopro running today ... but still awaiting my Editing Mac computer to be useable again!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ROTORHEADS ....bring on 2017!!!

:whoo: arty:

 

[Rambler]

Happy New Year Christine.

 

[GyrOZprey]

Flying IN the new year ....

Flying IN the new year ....

First flight 2017 ... late afternoon 1.3 hours ... 15kt S winds (AWOS) ... going S my GS was 50KT @ 70Kt AS ... coming home .scream'n along @ 93kts!

Yesterday's air was crystal clear ... today was very murky with the southerly windshift! Tomorrow heavy fog expected ... but last warm day before the deep freeze!

1Gyrogrinn'n
2Jason's wife's family's new place (near ... my nemesis airport Stearman field 1K1"... I sure as hell remember that bloody oddball frequency NOW!!! )
3 following a watercourse - tree-lined, SE track on departing KEWK
4 ElDorado lake - on a murky day!
5,6 checking out the lake marina & a bunch of boats in dry-dock for winter - drop down for closer looksee!
7 where turnpike & railway cross the N end of lake
8 snap of the iFly track of my meanderings!

 

[All_In]

I really do enjoy sharing your trips with you!!!
Thanks for posting!!!