Gyrobee again for sale

[drtomcor]

My wife has been bugging me about that machine in the garage, so I said I would sell it, asking $1,000,000. This will give me flexibility in negotiations, honey.

OK, enough of the lame humor. I am selling my Gyrobee, never flown by me. You can read about it here:

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31128

and watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYua0woZ_B8

Took some lessons, just haven't had enough time to get the sport pilot add-on, and I don't want to pretend it's an ultralight, because it really isn't, and it's already registered.

N446FH has been well protected in my garage, and I run the motor every couple of weeks. I have cleaned the carbs, because there was white crud in the bowls initially, probably ethanol residue; only ethanol free premium in it since then.

I have added a very nice trailer and blade box. Also added ICOM A14 radio, new helmet, MicroTim altimeter, and different size carb jets are on hand. Plus a few gallons of Blue Marble.

This machine ought to be with someone who can get full enjoyment from it. Asking $10,000, with is less than my purchase plus the add-ons. Thanks

Tom Corsolini

 

[Gyro28866]

That is Adam Helwichs' ole bird.
Seen it fly many times.
One clean little bird.

 

[77jbob]

Is it not considered an ultralight ?

 

[drtomcor]

Adam estimated 275 lbs. I brought it down to Ron Menzie and he did the hang test, said it was in the correct zone. But he only taxied it; we were busy flying his machine.

I heard a person could cover the numbers and fly it without a cert, pretending it was an ultralight, but I thought that was a way to put myself in a big messy mess. So, no

 

[Doug Riley]

The 7-gal. tank, prerotator and 503DC put an otherwise standard Gyrobee over the 103 limit. You'd at least have to sacrifice the tank and one or the other of the other items; maybe both. DW's are very tough to hand-start.

One could buy an N-numbered craft, declare it scrapped and re-assemble it as a 103 ultralight. But the burden's on you to show that it complies with all the rules.

 

[GyroCFI]

Back in the day

Back in the day

We were allowed to put an overflow tube in the tank at the 5 gallon mark so it couldn't hold more than that... is that an option still?

 

[Jazzenjohn]

Yes, it is legal to put an overflow tube at 5 gallons.

 

[Adam H]

Sorry to see you sell it without flying it, Tom. Whoever buys this gyro better take good care of it, keep it clean, don't bend it up! It was a fun, light, simple, award-winning machine, I hope someone gets as much enjoyment out of it as I did.

 

[drtomcor]

I'm with you Adam. If it doesn't sell, I'm glad to keep it, because there's always a way to make more time, lose 15 pounds, and go flying. As a noobie, I have to say the part about an instructor flying your single seat machine before you do yourself is kind of awesome. I mean, you know, how does he know?

No offense to Ron M., but he seemed unattracted to doing just that, even though N446FH was in the magazine as a winner that year. I would probably try to find an instructor with an open machine, book a week of time and get it done.

 

[GyroRon]

I will say something that some will disagree with, but if I had that gyro, I would make sure it has no N numbers on it, and fly the poop out of it as it sits right now, with zero worries. I don't believe that the FAA has the time, or desire, or cares one bit about a 15 pound overweight single seat gyro. And quite honestly, if they were to ever question it, I don't believe that the pilot would really be in any kind of bad trouble, just a warning not to fly it further till they get N numbers or find a way to cut some weight. Around here in my neck of the woods, we have people that Ive known for over 20 years, that fly fat single seat ultralights, and they never get bothered, and they don't just fly them out of backyard strips, but instead from normal airports and they go to many large fly-ins per year where FAA people are at. The FAA is under staffed and has much bigger issues to deal with than bothering someone flying a gyro in a responsible manner, that might be a few pounds heavy

 

[gyrojake]

I will say something that some will disagree with, but if I had that gyro, I would make sure it has no N numbers on it, and fly the poop out of it as it sits right now, with zero worries. I don't believe that the FAA has the time, or desire, or cares one bit about a 15 pound overweight single seat gyro. And quite honestly, if they were to ever question it, I don't believe that the pilot would really be in any kind of bad trouble, just a warning not to fly it further till they get N numbers or find a way to cut some weight. Around here in my neck of the woods, we have people that Ive known for over 20 years, that fly fat single seat ultralights, and they never get bothered, and they don't just fly them out of backyard strips, but instead from normal airports and they go to many large fly-ins per year where FAA people are at. The FAA is under staffed and has much bigger issues to deal with than bothering someone flying a gyro in a responsible manner, that might be a few pounds heavy

I agree with that 100% . In fact the FAA is very generous with leniency when it comes to gyros. As long as people are not making complaints about your flying practices and your not crashing and damaging private property, they don't have much time for our home built machines.

 

[Doug Riley]

Tom, re your post #9 -- Ron gave me my first gyro ride. I was 13 and it was early 1969.

Ron is a master gyronaut who has survived all this time by being prudent. Many other instructors, including the revered Ken Brock, also wouldn't/won't fly their students' homebuilt gyros.

Not being as smart as those guys, I've flown my students' gyros on a few occasions. Two of them had problems with their control limits (one lacked forward stick travel, the other lacked aft travel). One other turned out to have zero prop pitch -- the only "pitch" it had was the camber in the prop's blades. It would fly nicely between 8 and 25 mph. It redlined at 30.

I did decline to fly one whose prop was mounted backwards. Somebody had spent too much time around tractor aircraft.

It's often better to get someone with time in a very similar gyro (in this case, a 'bee pilot) to evaluate your new aircraft, than to have your instructor do it. He may have flown his last thousand hours exclusively in Subaru-powered heavy iron.

 

[drtomcor]

About post #9, the 15 lbs needs to come off of me-haha.

I have thought about gyro Ron's suggestion a lot, but wonder if doing that with an already numbered craft is bad form, meaning a big fine someday.

 

[GyroRon]

peel the numbers off, repaint the tail so no ghost faded old numbers are visible and go fly the thing. Is it legal? No. Is it the right thing to do? No. But are there alot of people doing it? Yes.

Flying with no rating, no annual, no current paperwork, etc.... and a N number on the tail IS asking for trouble. But quite honestly, if its small and light and looks like a ultralight, has no N number on it, no one is going to question it unless you really piss someone off and they ask for proof of it weighting under 254 lbs.

I wouldn't advocate this if it was a 400-500 pound gyro with a big subaru engine on it, but a lightweight ultralight gyro that comes in a little overweight because you have a 503 and a pre rotator, I just don't see it being a big deal.

Its like driving on the highway... speed limit is 65mph, yet everyone is going 75-80. Everyone going over 65 is breaking the law. But generally it is acceptable to go up to 10 over on the highway. Go 90-100 mph in that 65mph zone and you are pushing things too far, and will bound to get a ticket sooner or later. Having a 280 pound " ultralight " to me is like going 66 mph in a 65 mph zone. Not anything for anyone to be concerned about.

Do make sure to get all the training you need though, even if it isn't required to fly a " ultralight " .....

 

[Jazzenjohn]

I agree with everything Ron and Jake said. If you're not generating a ton of complaints for noise or buzzing houses or stuff like that, a gyro that looks UL pretty much is UL. If you wanted to make it legal, that would be easy too. Take off that 25 pound prerotator and put on a lightweight electric one, take off the sheet aluminum horizontal stab and replace it with something lighter, and drill a drain hole on the tank at 5 gallons. Done.

Just because a gyro is ultralight doesn't in any way mean you don't need to learn to fly it!!

 

[Leyote69]

Hello Drtomcor: Do you still have the gyrocopter or has it been sold? Thanks Tom R.

 

[drtomcor]

Yes I still have it

 

[All_In]

peel the numbers off, repaint the tail so no ghost faded old numbers are visible and go fly the thing. Is it legal? No. Is it the right thing to do? No. But are there alot of people doing it? Yes.

Flying with no rating, no annual, no current paperwork, etc.... and a N number on the tail IS asking for trouble. But quite honestly, if its small and light and looks like a ultralight, has no N number on it, no one is going to question it unless you really piss someone off and they ask for proof of it weighting under 254 lbs.

I wouldn't advocate this if it was a 400-500 pound gyro with a big subaru engine on it, but a lightweight ultralight gyro that comes in a little overweight because you have a 503 and a pre rotator, I just don't see it being a big deal.

Its like driving on the highway... speed limit is 65mph, yet everyone is going 75-80. Everyone going over 65 is breaking the law. But generally it is acceptable to go up to 10 over on the highway. Go 90-100 mph in that 65mph zone and you are pushing things too far, and will bound to get a ticket sooner or later. Having a 280 pound " ultralight " to me is like going 66 mph in a 65 mph zone. Not anything for anyone to be concerned about.

Do make sure to get all the training you need though, even if it isn't required to fly a " ultralight " .....

Just a heads up!
There are at least two FAA officials in Washington DC who have an interest in gyroplanes that read this forum regularly but never post.

I've been told that one of the reasons we did not get to be included in the Sport Category is that we do not follow the rules, and teach our community to not follow the rules.

I hate rules, can almost always find a legal catch 22; but I would love to be included in the Light Sport Category.

 

[animal]

If I remember right, wasn't it. not having a rating, that they pinned on Doug Hughes for his Gyro not being ultra light. I agree with All_In on this one.

 

[chrisk]

Just curious what this issue is with getting the sport pilot certificate. Was it finding a local instructor? Was it the written test? Ground School?