It Followed Me Home

MrMarty51

Newbie
Joined
Apr 15, 2023
Messages
33
Location
Yellowstone River Channel, Miles City Montana
Aircraft
Gyro Plane, yet to be determined.
Total Flight Time
twenty
My name is Martin. Born in 1951. Live on the same property and in the same dwelling that My dad built during about 1945.
Retired from the Montana DOT as a mechanic, machinist and welder. 31 years in there.

Years ago, there was an enterprising man that had put done many things to support his family of five daughters.
One business that He owned and operated was an auto salvage yard, named Parts Unlimited. Someone had taken black paint to the P in parts and brushed out part of the loop. He never did correct the spelling, He knew it would be a lost cause.
Another thing He did was had an interest in flight.
He out together his gyro plane and I had heard that He did fly it some.
I know that was in the mid to late 60s or possible early 70s.
Johnny eventually had a mishap with His gyro plane and decided that taking care of those five daughters was more important than flying.
I got to know the family through My wifes brother, he is married to one of the daughters.
Johnny had developed some form of brain cancer and passed on about 35 years ago.
I am one that that family calls on when they need help.
One day they had me go into the garage to get a step ladder.
Here is this set of wing looking things on the floor against one wall.
I inquired, that was Johnnys gyrocopter.
Okay. Several weeks later they need some help, BIL and I in the garage, whats the plans for the gyrocopter ? Dont know but I will find out was His reply.
Later, if You want that gyrocopter You pull it out of the ceiling joists and get it out of here.
OK. My son and I we go over and load this contraption onto the little trailer.
Not knowing what I have I contact a friend that owns a 1947 Luscumb, He is sick and cant make it over.
I explain what I have and He then explains what it is.
And so, here it is, still setting on the trailer.
I will be piecing it together to see what is missing and what it will take to get it into the air.
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I agree with Mike. Even if you do manage to get it airworthy you will have an unstable machine. Unless you do some stability modifications.
 
Hoooo boy.
I am on a very very tight budget and cant afford any more than it is going to take to get my truck running.
It would be fun to fly this thing but with Your advise will most likely dismantle it and use the components to build and fabricate other tools and toys.
I had thought of a snowmobile engine then machine up a propeller adapter for the crank shaft.
Find a rotor drive and rotor and incorporate that into the vertical frame.
A lot of money and I could most likely never be able to afford that.
If someone in the forum is interested in these components and arrange for shipping, I would crate it up and get it to the local lumber store, where they have a fork lift, and get it on its way.
No sense in having another one of those SOMEDAY projects setting around. Lord knows I have plenty of those. 😹
 
Sometimes the pup that follows you home turns out to have ticks, fleas, mange, parvo, and maybe even rabies. Make the best you can of it!
 
I built a couple of sets of Bensen wood blades in the early 70s. They were docile and fun blades. It appears your blades may not have been stored in optimal conditions. Pity.
 

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I built a couple of sets of Bensen wood blades in the early 70s. They were docile and fun blades. It appears your blades may not have been stored in optimal conditions. Pity.
No. They are both cracked full length.
I am thinking they are made of Birch but I just dont know.
I do have a friend here that has a fully equipped cabinet shop.
If I knew what kind of wood that is then I could have Him machine Me up a set.
Then I imagine they both would need to be balanced.
Hang from a scale and weigh each one, then the heavy end setting on the scale and one of them sanded half way the length and to the scale, then the small ends balanced, heavy one sanded half way then to the end setting on the scale.
I think that would get them both close enough to the same balanced weight that it would not shake the machine apart.
I was puzzled as to why there was no rotor drive mechanism, yet, there is a device that allows the rotors to spin and pivot.
My pilot friend explained that the person flying the machine would get the rotor assembly to spinning then start the engine. The movement of air would then keep the rotor spinning.
That makes sense to Me.
I am thinking regardless of all of its faults I am going to have to assemble this unit, get an engine mounted to it and make an attempt at flying it.
Maybe even eventually purchasing a power rotor unit for it. I am sure that with a power rotor that lift off would be greatly shortened.
It is going to be close to the end of summer, August or September before I can do anything at all. Just having back surgery. Two disks removed and titanium units installed. A couple of straps with screws attaching and binding it all together. The titanium disks have cadaver bone embedded within. The cadaver bone fuses with the back bones to make three disks into one solid unit. The low center titanium disk was inserted last July.
This second operation is some what more painful than the first and on the first disk replacement they had to go in through the front, guts.

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Because it’s a gyroplane not a helicopter. Gyros autorotate so no rotor drive as you call it. Honestly you are about 50 years too late. The way you are describing how you want to do things is how it was done in the 60’s and 70’s. Modern gyros and parts that won’t kill you are quite expensive. The market has practically passed up the homebuilder unless you have a vast knowledge of machining and engineering.
 
You are a little off on your explanation of autorotation MrMarty51.

The basic principles and how things work are explained in the Gyroplane Flying Handbook.

https://www.ronsgyros.com/Gyroplane_Flying_Handbook.pdf

This will help you to understand some of the systems of a gyroplane and what the various controls do.

Good luck with your procedures!
 
You are a little off on your explanation of autorotation MrMarty51.

The basic principles and how things work are explained in the Gyroplane Flying Handbook.

https://www.ronsgyros.com/Gyroplane_Flying_Handbook.pdf

This will help you to understand some of the systems of a gyroplane and what the various controls do.

Good luck with your procedures!
That is encouraging. I am a child of the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
I am one that hesitates and stalls to throw anything away.
I know that I can make it work and function as new or close to it.
A 1957 Harley Davidson that was mine when I was 13 years old.
It had came out of a circus. The person that had been riding it in the various acts had retired it. My dad paid for it from maple flooring He and I had removed from an old mansion we had disassembled. He paid $75.00 for it. No front fender, rear fender had been chopped and the circus rider had installed a headlamp and tail light to make it street legal. I had traded it for a 1955 Oldsmobile, over the years wondered what happened to the little Harley. Found out a friend had it out at their farm but they were going to fix it up. I tried to get it back for about two years then finally let go. About four years after I found who had it, out one evening for supper, here he and his brother comes in to the restaurant, wifey and I having supper, he comes to the table, You still want that motorcycle ? YES I DO. He replies, $500.00. And do 45 years later My little Harley comes back, all in pieces.
No fenders. Tank, frame/rolling chassis. It was a mess. Too much to explain how bad it was.
Every nut, bolt and washer, with proper head stamps is available, even new repop fenders, mine are original factory, used and worked over. Only thing that cant be had is the fuel tanks.
And so here it is in todays condition.
1957 Harley Davidson, 125cc, Model B Hummer
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And for a comparison as to just how big this beast is, here is it and I. 😹
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The wifeys best friend came over this morning.
I pointed, they placed.
How it now sets.
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And the rotors was built by a company named BW Rotors.
I’ll do some scrounging for that.
This is all the pieces. There are new tail sections cut, painted and needs the hinges transferred over.
Going to be looking to see if there ever had been a parts manual printed for these. I’m sure there must be something available.
 
It has gyro glider cheek plates and the rotor head torque tube looks like it's facing the wrong way or maybe it's set up for an overhead stuck. I've never built one with an overhead stuck so I don't know how the torque tube is oriented

What's the red car? Is it a Datsun SPL311 or maybe an MGB?

Jim
 
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It has gyro glider cheek plates and the rotor head torque tube looks like it's facing the wrong way or maybe it's set up for an overhead stuck. I've never built one with an overhead stuck so I don't know how the torque tube is oriented

What's the red car? Is it a Datsun SPL311 or maybe an MGB?

Jim
MG-B Roadster. I was going to sell it and told My son that I was going to sell it and buy a jet pump powered boat for the river.
He expressed his desire to want it fixed up and so I passed it off to Him.
New front brake calipers and it could be road worthy.
There is a piece of pipe attached to the rotor tilt.
Looking at how the angle braces are bolted to the axle and then to the rotor head torque tube, thats the way that the original builder had it mounted.
I too thought it should be the other way around.
 
It has gyro glider cheek plates and the rotor head torque tube looks like it's facing the wrong way or maybe it's set up for an overhead stuck. I've never built one with an overhead stuck so I don't know how the torque tube is oriented

What's the red car? Is it a Datsun SPL311 or maybe an MGB?

Jim
Maybe it was built as a gyro kite?, that would explain the forward position of the head....
My worries would be that AL age hardens and becomes more susceptible to fatigue....
It would make a nice wind vane on a post with some tiny rotors with a foil that stalls after 15kts.......
 
I am beginning to think that the original builder never had an engine mounted to this unit.
I think He was using it for a gyroglider. The Brother In Law mentioned that his FIL used to tether it.
I would like to find a set of plans for the KB-2 GyroPlane. I’ve done some searching but so far have found nothing.
I did read a whole bunch of that book that @Vance posted and that is most helpful.
Also have watched some youtube videos of the KB-2 powered units and I think I would like to try and fly this thing.
I will remove the torque tube and rotor assembly and double check that it was not drilled to fit the other direction.
I’ll also post a close up pic of the rotor assembly and see whats up with that.
 
I am beginning to think that the original builder never had an engine mounted to this unit.
I think He was using it for a gyroglider. The Brother In Law mentioned that his FIL used to tether it.
I would like to find a set of plans for the KB-2 GyroPlane. I’ve done some searching but so far have found nothing.
I did read a whole bunch of that book that @Vance posted and that is most helpful.
Also have watched some youtube videos of the KB-2 powered units and I think I would like to try and fly this thing.
I will remove the torque tube and rotor assembly and double check that it was not drilled to fit the other direction.
I’ll also post a close up pic of the rotor assembly and see whats up with that.
It is my understanding that the PRA website has a wide variety of gyroplane plans available in the members only section.

I have not accessed it so I don't know if Bobby has it up and running since the website was restored.
 
It is my understanding that the PRA website has a wide variety of gyroplane plans available in the members only section.

I have not accessed it so I don't know if Bobby has it up and running since the website was restored.,,,,
I went over there.
I will join so that I can discover more of the gyro communities. Just can not afford to sixty bucks right at the moment. I need to get through this back healing process, get back to work so I can afford to have some fun, once again. 😎
Thank You very much, and everyone for the information, hints and tips.
I do have enough fabrication equipment, and enough skills, that I could duplicate everything on this air frame.
An excellent metal retailer here too. I believe that I could specify whatever grade of Aluminum stock I would need and they would be able to get it in for Me.
I had aquired, from Pacific Steel and Recycling, a couple of the heavy highway signs that the DOT had hauled to them for lack of reflectivity. The larger interstate signs are 5/16ths inch thick instead of 1/4" thick like the average highway signs.
I do have enough of that 5/16ths sign left that I could make up new side plates if these were believed to be compromised from being so aged.
 
All of the Aluminum should be 6061T6. The hardware would be best if it were replaced with AN hardware with either lock nuts or castle nuts. The rotor blades are best cut up and burned. Wood just isn’t the best thing to use anymore. They used in back then because it’s all they had. If you don’t know how specifically how to build them and orient the wood so it gives you the best strength they could blow up once up to flying RPM. There are many used sets of various brands of metal blades. Good luck to be honest you have a long road ahead of you. Getting training will be another problem. There is only one CFI that trains in a machine even close to that. Steve McGowen in Georgia. I’m not saying it can’t be done. It can just gonna be a pain in the pocket book and butt. I wish you luck and I truly hope you make it happen. Welcome to the Gyro family. We are a bunch of weirdos.
 
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