Kolibri's Korner -- a "blog" by a new RAF owner

[Kolibri]

Howdy fellow RAFers,

Some of this may be of limited interest or utility to you more experienced RAF owners, but most of it will be good for the newbies to track. I've sorted out nearly everything that was a problem or annoyance, except for replacing that goram leaking FGT which cannot accept a complete fill-up.

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At Oshkosh 2014 I chatted with WW2 vet and airsho pilot Bob Hoover. I told him that I'd recently bought a gyroplane, and his reply was classic: "Well, I respect and admire you! I never could feel comfortable in rotorcraft!"

It's nice to be able to fly something better than Bob Hoover. btw, if you haven't met him yet, do so this year, as he's about 92. Truly, a living legend. (He escaped from a German POW camp, and flew back to Allied lines in a stolen FW-190. That probably cannot be topped in the BadAss Category.) 95% of WW2 pilots have passed on. Meet these vets while you can!

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Last week wind was 17G22 on the deck, but I went up to check it out. Twas even worse at 500' AGL, and I was buffeted about pretty stoutly. Definitely not any fun, so I quickly returned having learned my own personal limits. I am very glad to have the Martin/Boyer HS, which greatly helps to stabilize the airframe.

The 0.25"x5" Boyer HS bolts were Grade 5, which I replaced with Grade 8. The bottom/front 5" original bolt was barely long enough for its nyloc nut, so I used a 5.5" Grade 8 for that one. YMMV. I suggest to Larry Boyer that his HS be supplied from here on with Grade 8 bolt/washers/nylocs. The extra $10 in cost seems worth it, and you avoid a cheap looking zinc plate in the Grade 5.

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Another simple mod: over the rudder pedals and foot brakes, slide cut lengths of 7/8" I.D. - 1.25" O.D. rubber hose (Ace Hardware, $3/foot). Works perfectly (though with some effort) on that .75" square tubing, and my feet no longer slip off or fatigue from the shiny, hard metal surface. Makes quite a comfort difference when wearing thinner soled shoes. I'd considered skateboard tape, but wanted some cushioning as well.

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new control stick grip: when purchased it had the cheesiest/cheapest bicycle rubber grips with big toothy protrusions and no ergonomics -- about suitable for a 4th grader on a small-town paper route. No pilot feng shui at all. I just replaced them with Bell Cruizer grips (Walmart, only $5) which are a joy to behold (pun unavoidable). They taper to a soft point, which works very well for a gyro stick. Very comfortable rubber composition. And, they look purposeful and professional. Very happy with them.

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fire extinguisher: a very elegant solution presented itself, as I Velcro strapped a halon extinguisher (good for gasoline, electrical, and all other combustibles) underneath the narrow aluminum plate between the dash and trim box. It's totally out of the way, yet instantly accessible by me or my passenger.

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The original owner had installed a Lowrance LMF-200 digital fuel meter (used primarily on boats), which if accurately calibrated and set up is a nice mod. You can set the specs of what a full tank is, and then keep the meter up to date with the Partial Refill feature as you add measured gallons at a time.

It also shows accurate real-time gph, but only if you've first calibrated it (and any reset erases former calibration). The instruction manual is poorly laid out and thus confusing, so be warned. I'm still dealing with it myself.

UPDATE: OK, got the fuel flow recalibrated and the tank spec reduced from its optimistic 23 gal original input.
Well, so much for broker Dofin's "burns 6 gph at 70 mph" email -- it's actually 7.5-8 gph solo. I couldn't get it lower than 7.5gph @70mph, and that was at ~4400rpm.

Will definitely rebuild the Holley carb to reduce this consumption.

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headset recommendation: treat yourself to a quality pair of ANRs. The electronic noise reduction is astounding, and well worth the expense to save your hearing (or what you've got left of it). Passive headsets are just not viable any longer. (It's basically between the Bose A20 and the new Zulu Lightspeed. The Bose warranty clinched the deal, but it was a very close call. Telex and Sennheiser are good, too.)

A very useful capability is to make Bluetooth cell phone calls from the air. Your friends won't believe that you're flying; the quality of call is like from a sound studio. The only time my RAF's EJ22 is heard is during a full-power take-off roll, and then only barely. In the C172 on a X-country trip, I phoned a pilot friend at home to get a personalized report of cloud cover along my mountain route.

A "poor man's Bose A20" is to adapt their $300 civilian Q15 with an UncleMike's UFly boom mike kit ($275). I used this rig for a year until I bought my Bose A20s at Oshkosh 2014. The ANR worked very well, but hadn't the passive reduction its big brother A20 has. No Bluetooth, either.

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rotor support: took a tip from here using extension painting poles with threaded ends for fuzzy roller brush attachments. About $40 total, and they look/work very well. My RAF has always been hangared, but I like the idea of non-drooping rotors even indoors.

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I inspected the timing belt, and it looks fine and tight, so no apparent urgency there, but I will get to it this year out of thoroughness.

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I bought two new fuel pumps and filters (keeping one each aloft as an emergency spare for trips), as my RAF has a log history of going through them (probably because others used ethanol gas, which eats away at the fiberglass tank). I use only quality mogas tested to be ethanol free, and have pre-emptively replaced both fuel filters and tank hoses.

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Wilderness battery caddy: Got this free at their gun show booth, and elastic AA/AAA caddy that I cable-tied to the the control tube. It's out of the way, but accessible (see photo). My Bose A20 and Canon SureShot go through AAs quickly enough to need handy spares. Done.

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poor man's "GoPro": I've a GoPro, but it's such a memory hog that I rarely use it. So, I found a nice used $40 Canon Sure Shot (10 megapixel) at a pawn shop. Fabricated a $5 mount from Ace Hardware parts (see photo).

Just flew today 1.5 hours for 10 landings. Camera mount is rock-solid, and vid quality is quite good. A couple of minutes will compress to <10megs, so these are emailable files. Total cost: $50.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[MadMuz]

That's awesome mate, can we see a pic of your machine? Don't even know what color it is? :yo:

 

[Kolibri]

Thanks, mate.

Why, it's the color of the battery caddy's cable-ties, of course!

Photo attached from my first X-country trip, carrying extra fuel because I have not 23 gal. usable (old story).

The Boyer HS is still "in the white" fiberglass, which I'll soon have painted black.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

lubing the push tube flats/washer/bolt

lubing the push tube flats/washer/bolt

I've been going through the PM schedule as if neither the previous owner nor Dofin Fritts (co-builder who hangared the machine for years before twice selling it for the owner) had been 100% on top of it.

I found a glaring issue.

The upper rod ends of the lower push tubes connect to the aluminum flats, with plastic washers in between the flats on the AN6 mast bolt. Every 50 hours the manual specifies that the bolt and washer be lubed. Mine was dry as a bone, with the old lube carmelized. It clearly had not been lubed for quite a while, and certainly not within the previous 50 hours. The flats had a bit of play, and could be wiggled front-to-back. (Thanks, Dofin. Nice checkout of a machine you sold and trained a newbie in. What else will I discover as I go through the thing?)

I've found high-quality CV-joint grease very useful in many other applications, namely the bolt/carrier of certain semi-auto military pattern rifles (e.g., M1, M14, FAL, HK91). This grease can handle high pressures and temps, so I used it to lube the bolt/washers/flats. Tightened up the castle nut, and the assembly is now sufficiently tight, yet moves smoothly. The controls feel somewhat crisper. Since this is such a critical area, I'll inspect it during the 25 hours.

I pay close attention to the push tube jam nuts during preflight, as well as assuring nonbinding of the rod ends as I move the cyclic about.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

Am rebuilding my 350cfm carb over at:

https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21794

and have a question. Thanks for any help there.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

PROJECT IDEA: designing a one-handed rotor brake lever & lock

PROJECT IDEA: designing a one-handed rotor brake lever & lock

The existing lever is not long enough to easily reach without bending forward, and the locking "mechanism" requires both hands to engage. Basically, I will design a longer lever which can be pulled back from as nearly a seated-back position as possible, and lockable by the same hand in one easy motion (e.g., dispensing with nut tensioning and employing some kind of notch or catch to hold the lever back).

Has anyone here already done something like this?

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

The fuel burn is high,I burn 7.5-8.0 in my turbo subaru @ 3900.

Eddie, I agree that 7.5-8.0gph is high.
Coupled with the lack of nonleaking tank capacity >16 gal., it's not a X-country ship of any distance.
I will sort out the gph, as well as the guy who knowingly misrepresented the machine to me.

I just posted on that carb thread.
My Holley has #70 main jets (stock for 500cfm) and deactivated power valve (as per RAF Notice #7), but in a 350cfm body. Hmmmmm.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

Had a great stroke of success with my Holley carb,
reducing cruise consumption from 8ish to 5.5-6.2gph.

Dayum.

Now I can fly more than 125 miles without sweating it.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

x-country with 100LL?

x-country with 100LL?

I'm confused as to how the RAF 2000 can be advertised as a "cross-country" gyro, when airports do not typically sell unleaded mogas and RAF does not recommend frequent use of 100LL in their Subaru EJ22. This would seem to drastically localize an RAF 2000.

My theoretical workaround would be to fly with two 5 gallon steel jerry cans strapped on the pax seat. When I land, I empty the cans into the tank, and then refill them in town using an airport courtesy car. (You can imagine how thrilled FBOs will be about selling you 0-10 gallons of avgas.) This truly seems silly, on all levels. No x-country passenger, reduced baggage, increased risk, and lots of hassle.
Thoughts? Ideas? How do the rest of you fly cross-country in your RAFs? Is 100LL really that big of a no-no in a carbed EJ22?

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

some ideas for RAFSA and an "RAF 2100"

some ideas for RAFSA and an "RAF 2100"

The gyro world is growing internationally, and nearly all new machines have CLT or an HS, or both. Certainly all have ample vertical stabilizers. (The modern HLT ships have a lot of H-stab.) My point is that 21st century gyro pilots have come to expect these things (as well as the proven Rotax aircraft engine), and will not easily understand why RAFSA is firmly sticking with a design from the 1990s and historic to so much controversy.

On this forum, for example, the RAF owners with an HS outnumber 13:1 those without. So, total flying hours of H-stabbed RAFs probably by now exceeds that of unstabbed RAFs. Thus, instead of generically pointing to one bad experience you had with some unnamed HS, there are now the tens of thousands of safe flying hours in stabbed RAFs. I.e., the argument you're increasingly left with to explain no horizontal stabilizer is personal preference, and not safety.

GyroDoug had a superb post touching on all this:
https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=557439&postcount=41

as did John Rountree:
https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=557481&postcount=46

as did Stew Stau:
https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=564256&postcount=123

As a new owner of an older RAF, what I wish my machine had was a bent/longer keel (Boyer), lowered prop thrust line from a flipped over PSRU (Autoflight in NZ) and EJ25, and wider landing gear with suspension (Parham). These mods would be substantial safety improvements, easy for RAFSA to incorporate while still offering an RAF-type gyro. You could name it the RAF 2100. (A slightly elongated cabin would be aerodynamically superior, more yaw stable, and provide increased baggage space behind the seat.)

No, the "RAF 2100" wouldn't be CLT, but it'd be closer to it than now, and probably enough of an effort to demonstrate that RAFSA was aware of the thrust line issue which is by now of general concern to the gyro public. This isn't 1995, when there were few gyro choices and no internet. Today, we've many choices and instantaneous information. There is nowhere to hide anymore if one is provably wrong or believed to be outdated.

While (after a bit of work on it) I am enjoying my RAF 2000, neither am I fooled that it is a modern, statically stable, and efficient gyro. It is fine for the money I spent for it, but requires quite a bit of tinkering and PM. It's not very fast, hasn't a great range, and is not as safe as it could be. It reminds me precisely of the old VW Bug, and the Cavalon a BMW 320i (greatly improved technology of airframe, cockpit, motor, and flight surfaces).

The Canadian RAF factory should have designed the "RAF 2100" about 15 years ago, but they stubbornly stuck to their fusty position and hadn't engineers on staff to improve their product. (Their last design improvement was the Rotor Stabilator of 2002.) They could get away with selling the VW Bug of the gyro world for a while, but RAFSA can't do so forever. And it certainly cannot expect the RAF 2000 to acquire certification by the FAA once they soon iron out how to certify gyros here. The H-stabless RAF in 2006 got what was in effect an AD over in the U.K. with the CAA's MPD 2006-013 limitations (no doors, Vne reduced to 70mph, no strong wind or gusts, etc.).

Just as VW had to revamp their Bug (and what a lovely job they did!), I believe that RAFSA has no aesthetic, performance, or safety alternative but to revamp the RAF 2000. They can (if using the Subaru EJ25 vs. a $20,000 Rotax) still own the affordable gyro homebuilt market with an RAF 2100, but not from some 1990s time warp. The RAF 2100 with an EJ25 would still be behind the times, but they'd at least have a VW Rabbit vs. the outdated Bug. And most of us could live with that, until the random owner suddenly had the money for a Cavalon, Zenon, or Magni.

I've a vested interest in RAFSA's success, and am glad that RAFSA bought out the Canadians. I just want to see the RAF gyro improve, vs. stagnate. Innovate or die. Nothing personal, it's always been that way, in every industry.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

RAF keel and thrust line comparisons

RAF keel and thrust line comparisons

The pdf attached is something I put together for myself to help me visualize the offset thrust line issue. Not to kick off anything contentious here, but offered nonetheless.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Vance]

The pdf attached is something I put together for myself to help me visualize the offset thrust line issue. Not to kick off anything contentious here, but offered nonetheless.

Regards, Kolibri

In my opinion you are only going to be confused by your PDF file because in my opinion the valve cover line is not indicative of anything.

In my opinion a Sparrow Hawk is a low thrust line gyroplane.

In my opinion the only way to find the center of gravity of anything is to measure it or carefully calculate the CG.

People with a lot more experience and knowledge than you have are not able to just look and a gyroplane and tell where the center gravity is.

In my opinion gyroplane stability is not as simple as you imagine and it goes well beyond a horizontal stabilizer and the thrust line offset.

I feel It would be helpful to the forum members if you would put your name in your profile and your actual flight experience.

Knowing what airport you fly out of would also be helpful to the members of the forum in putting things in perspective.

Regards, Vance Breese

 

[Kolibri]

In my opinion you are only going to be confused by your PDF file because in my opinion the valve cover line is not indicative of anything.

In my opinion the only way to find the center of gravity of anything is to measure it or carefully calculate the CG.

People with a lot more experience and knowledge than you have are not able to just look and a gyroplane and tell where the center gravity is.

Yes, agreed that cg cannot be accurately measured by anything but a double hang test.

I only lined up the valve covers to show contrasted height of the engines between different gyros. I found it visually helpful.

In my opinion, in a public forum it is up to each individual to decide what public information about himself he displays. Also, in my opinion a post's merits and accuracy can usually stand on its own without demographic information. There are no other gyros at my homebase, and no local gyro pilots, either, so there are no things to put "in perspective".

I've elsewhere mentioned my flight experience, which I'll reiterate here: 500+ hours ASEL and gliders, and about 50 hours in gyros.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

The manual calls for the "stringiest" grease for the inner prerotator cable. What do you all use? Thanks!

 

[Kolibri]

RAF2000 control rod ends

RAF2000 control rod ends

Am now changing out my old/OEM/poor quality control rod ends. Lots of good advice on that thread.

If you've not R&R'd your control rod ends, don't chance these old parts.
Go with Heim HM-6M or Aurora (see attached pdf). 90 minutes of work, and you're golden.

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Am also now revamping the trim springs and mounts. Very critical parts, and easy to improve upon. An engine out in a gyro is rarely a Big Deal, but if your rotor is somehow suddenly disconnected from your joystick . . .

Safe flying, Kolibri

 

[Kolibri]

I've been flying a lot since the annual

I've been flying a lot since the annual

Howdy all,

After my RAF's recent annual, I am now confident to take up passengers. Recently, it was my honor to have aboard two USAF pilots. The C-130 pilot had never before been in a gyro, but had always been fascinated with them and greatly enjoyed going up for a short flight. He flew it well, exhibiting good coordination and altitude hold in a left 360. I showed him how nimble gyros were with a pitch-up/kick the rudder/180, which he liked. I was pleased to provide him with a fond memory of his first time in a gyro.

The second pilot was retired "Misty" FAC of F-100s during Vietnam and squadron mate of Dick Rutan. He had flown gyros before and was interested in comparing my RAF to a Sparrowhawk he'd recently trained in for CFI currency. (He's been DPE to about 700 FW pilots.) Not having much time that afternoon, we only did 3 touch and go's. Not used to the TW technique of the RAF, he tended to land a bit too flat, so I took the last landing (on grass) to demonstrate using increasing backstick in the flare to plant the TW at very slow groundspeed. He was impressed with how quickly the rotor wash arrested the rollout. I described how the Boyer HS smoothened out my landings by negating the "double flare" method of an unstabbed RAF. (He had remarked about my HS, and I got the impression that he'd not flown an RAF before because the ones he'd seen were unstabbed. He seemed at least vaguely aware of the HS controversy.) I wish we'd had more time to fly, and I offered him a standing invitation any time our paths again crossed. The experience was very special for me, akin to flying in 1985 with a WW2 P-51 pilot. The Misty FACs were a fine group of very brave fighter pilots, and an excellent book ("Bury Us Upside Down") recounts their missions.

A week later I flew my longest x/c gyro flight and visited a military base at which I knew some people. They'd never had a gyro land there, and after touchdown the tower offered permission for me to airtaxi to the ramp (which I'd have down if I hadn't landed so close to the taxiway, but I appreciated the thought). An O-3 (Captain) radioed me and asked if he could drive over and look at my bird. He was a Blackhawk pilot, and very interested in the RAF2000. We discussed what was similar to helos and FW, and how the gyro is still a unique aircraft to fly. I offered to take him up, but he didn't think his boss would be pleased.

As took up my local friends, many base personnel came out to watch. They see a lot of expensive and cool iron there, so I was amused that my little gyro attracted so much attention. I was even allowed to hangar it overnight free of charge in the firetruck station. Very nice folks there, and I look forward to returning.

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An exhaust pipe spring hook broke, leaving the spring dangling to see on post-flight. It had been siliconed inside (good idea there), and I replaced it with a good match from the hardware store. I'll replace the other as a precaution. (Perhaps this episode can serve to remind others to swap yours out, too. Heat/vibration/elements will take their toll on those springs.)

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I also took up my new gal, who'd never been in small aircraft. (Our first flight together was in the Skyhawk, to more gently acquaint her. She did very well during a brief lesson.) The gyro she also enjoyed, but was grateful that I'd left the doors on. As we back-taxied, she noticed a fox diving into his hole just past the numbers -- which I'd never seen during the many times at that airstrip.

I instruct all my passengers to help me look out for other traffic, including birds. She spotted traffic at 1 o'clock, and asked if they were eagles. Indeed they were; two mature male American Bald eagles about 500' higher and 1500' away. Quite something to see! First a fox, then two bald eagles. (She mentioned that she next wanted to spot a mountain lion.)

She was up for trying out the rudder pedals as I explained the yaw string, and she did very well at that. I then took back the pedals and we flew low over a winding river for a while before returning. We landed on grass (which I always enjoy), and called it a perfect day of flying. A week later we went up again, and she continues to like it. I explained how pilots can discern if their sink rate will get them to the runway. "Is the runway rising in the windshield, sinking, or staying in one place?" She grasped the concept readily, as I showed her different descent rates with the throttle. Then, I showed her an engine-idle 2000' final descent and landing. It's nice to have a lady who enjoys the intensity of gyro flight!

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Feels great to finally be able to fly it with more confidence in its mechanical condition. My fuel burn I now plan as 6.5gph/70mph with 1gal. for taxi/spool up/takeoff/climb to 1000' AGL. This has proven to be pretty reliable. I can cruise at 80mph, but this burns 7.8gph @ 4900rpm and unnecessarily overtaxes the engine.

I hope you all are enjoying nice Spring flying weather, and happily boring new holes in the sky.

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Arizona723]

New RAF owner also

New RAF owner also

Got mine last November. Went through it to make sure it was safe to fly. Flew about 25 hrs and am now doing an annual. Your blog has been very helpful to me. Machine was built 7-8 years ago, and only had 95 hrs on it. Noticed the fuel lines were cracking, so I'm in the process of replacing them all from carb to tank. Pulled the tank out to inspect and get at the fuel line fittings. Replacing the NGK BKR6E-11 spark plugs. What plugs are you using and do you have any recommendation on best to use?

 

[brs]

Had a great stroke of success with my Holley carb,

How do your plugs look after an hour of cruise flight?
Just wonder'n.

 

[Kolibri]

I currently use NGK BKR6E spark plugs

I currently use NGK BKR6E spark plugs

Arizona723, welcome here, and thanks for the kind praise. I don't know everything about RAFs, but I've made a lot of progress in less than a year -- so will you. Don't skimp on parts quality, and remain diligent on maintenance. If in doubt, fix/improve before you fly.

Please do immediately R&R your control rod ends, especially the outside/rear 1/4" one (I've a thread on this). Tend to your trim spring mount, and double up on those fender washers.

I wish you fun and safe flying! LMK if you think I may help further.

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brs, so far, I've used NGK BKR6E with no trouble, and it has run great since the Holley rebuild. When I use 93 oct. mogas (no ethanol), the plugs' color is a light tan. However, when I've no choice but to top off with 100LL, I see a light gunmetal gray color. (All plugs look the same, i.e., #3 doesn't seem to run hotter than the others.)

My next mod is to install EGTs on each header pipe. I'd like to install a mixture control, but don't know how feasible this is. Wish I had FI!

Regards, Kolibri

 

[Arizona723]

Thank for the reply. There will be no skimping on my part. I'm an A&P and go the extra mile and expense to assure quality. I've been flying gyro's since 1990 and this is the only one I didn't build myself, so I want to learn as much about it as I can. Doing the annual replacing many items just so I have a know good starting point. Even pulled the fuel tank to replace all fuel lines and inspect. Good thing I did, because the line were cheap and the outer jacket was dry rotted and cracking. I'll PM you later with a couple of questions were there seems to be some differences of opinion to see what you think.
Thanks again,
Greg T