M2 912 sport copter

JOY RIDE

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Jan 18, 2018
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5
Location
salem OR
The new M2 912 is coming along fast .I was very impressed with the new machine ,Vanick is building a strong solid machine.He is using 1 1/4 inch airplane axles new brake system and new bearings ,it is a awesome looking machine.I will try to post some pics of it ,but will have to check with Jim to see if that will be ok.
 
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does it still look similar to this ?
 

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No photos ,but i can tell you the ship is coming together nice.Sport Copter should have more info on the M2 912 soon .
 
Hi JOY RIDE, good to see your thread here. (Do definitely check with Jim about posting any photos.)

I'm also excited about the M2. The Aussies have been clamoring for it, and now it's being birthed.
Am keen to have my own this year and fly with some Cub friends who get in/out of pastures.
It may not have a sleek Eurotub's higher speed, but the M2's "offroad" capability is more appealing to me.
(For sleek, there's the future SST.)

Had not the SCII sidetracked Sport Copter, I think the M2 and SST would have taken the gyro world by storm.

Regards, Kolibri
 
It's a side-by-side, enclosed cabin, robust gyro with full suspension and castering NW.
Rotax 915iS (or 914 or 912).
Carbon prepreg body (only 25 lbs.) and seat pan/firewall (14.5 lbs.) mounted on a beefy frame.
Chrome-moly 4130 folding mast.
1.25" axle with conical tapered Timkin bearings. Big 6.00-6 tires. Rough field capability.
All new triple V-stab tail, with improved performance.
Simple flat curve windscreen (cheaply replaceable from local sources).
Designed for the Australian cattle ranchers, with their considerable input.

I don't think any other 2-place gyro can beat it for quality, ruggedness, and utility.
And I think it's less money than either a Cavalon or M24.
Kits (with Rotax 912) start at $86,500.

It's available very soon this year, and the prototype has been a big hit at 2018 Oshkosh AirVenture.
 
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Sport Copter Vortex M2 specs and price.png
 

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Here is the prototype Vortex M2.
A fellow 6'7" had a seat in it, with headroom to spare.
With the in-flight adjustable rudder pedals, nearly anybody will be able to comfortably fit.

For show purposes, the tail and upper mast are from the M912, but production parts will be different/unique.
The tail boom will be longer, and the tail larger. Carbon pre-preg.

The 915iS model will have a hydraulic prerotator making ~320rrpm.
The 912 and 914 models will have the proven flex-shaft making 300rrpm.
(Flight rrpm is ~280. The takeoff roll will much shorter since distance isn't needed to spool up from 200.)



Sport Copter Vortex M2 with 915iS at 2018 Oshkosh.png
 
I got my first closeup look at the SCII at Oshkosh. It's a beast!!!
 
2019 might be the year of the new standard of "jeep", one that re-awakens the spirit of: live where you want, work where you want, and play where you want'. The 'ruggedized' SC M2 912 side-by-side can make back-country flying even more doable and fun. I'd want to put floats on the thing and take it fishing on the 1000 lakes within 200 miles of home. Or land in some grassy areas, and go trout, northern pike, or small-mouth bass fishing. Heck, 200 miles, as the crow flies, is only 2 hours away with this bird. By car, it'd be 4 to 6 hours, just to get close to the water, then probably a big hike to get on the water. I can't believe the Kentukians and Tennessee'ns haven't picked up on this already.
 
Anyone know if one of these has actually flown yet? All I’ve seen, including on the website, is either CGI or the non-flying one put together for OSH. Back then, I thought it would be flying “soon”, like October ‘18 or something. Would be interesting to see how it actually performs.

/Ed
 
I hear that the first M2 is "coming down to the wire" and will fly in a few weeks.

As I understood things at Oshkosh, the "soon" was partially based on the original assumption last summer that they'd initially test fly it with the yellow aluminum M912 tail, before the pre-preg carbon-fiber tail design (and detachable tail boom) was ready.

M2 prototype completion was delayed because composite tooling delays out of Sport Copter's control, and a fluky/serious staph infection for Jim (which he is mostly recovered from).

Also, Rotax had a December 2018 SB on the sodium-filled exhaust valves (a manufacturing defect regarding spin weld of the stem), which affected nearly 800 engines (914 and 915iS), including Sport Copter's 915iS. Many aircraft are still temporarily grounded because of it, including Trent Palmer's STOL plane.

I've had a close look at their work in progress, and am very impressed with the quality of design thought and materials.
It will incorporate novel technology throughout, and no 2-seater will compare for ruggedness and versatility.
The M2 really will be the "quadrunner" of the gyro world, not needing hard runways.
Imagine a fully-enclosed (with cabin heat, and removable doors) M912 side-by-side, but even stronger.

Regards,
Kolibri
 
Wish them luck. When design is complete including all major assemblies' finalization, you are done with only 25% of the work of properly putting an aircraft into actual production. It is not a fluke that in FAA and EASA certification regimens, type certificate costs are 1/5th that of production certificate costs. Its simpler and less stringent in experimental aircraft but general idea of production engineering being a lot more work than design is still valid and I can attest to that first hand even as we simply add the canopy to AR-1. It always takes longer and costs more than you expect and I have been around this block a few times before
 
Having had the privilege of some time in the Sport Copter II (and the company's open-seat tandem trainer), I recently flew their single-place M912 (with Rotax 912).
Balancing on the mains and crow hops were easy, and it ground handles very well.
Vx was about 45mph, with a very steep climb at full power.
It was quite nimble and beautifully responsive. No wonder owners so love theirs.

From what I gather, the new M2 will have the "heart" of the M912, and at gross weight (with Rotax 915iS) a similar Power / Weight ratio (0.107 vs. 0.106 hp/lb.).
That roughly means M912 single-place performance with a passenger in the M2.

Fly alone in the M2 and enjoy 25% more Power / Weight ratio than the M912, but with enclosed cabin and heat.

After flying the M912, I'm very excited to see the M2 getting ever closer to completion.

Regards,
Kolibri
 
The first two have recently appeared on the FAA register

M2001 - N828SC registered 24.5.19

M2002 - N325SC registered 24.5.19 ( this is shown as model M2-AM ? )
 
AM = Aero-Momentum engine
 
For off airport take off and landing on terrain that is not level you need independent brakes to assure directional control when nose is off the ground. It’s not possible with the trike type of braking system. I find free castering and independent brakes are much safer to prevent roll over, and provide the directional control on off airport surfaces.

Also is safer on crosswind take off and landing on paved runways allowing independent rudder and front wheel control. Hard linking rudder and front wheel is stupid in my opinion for crosswind operation since very easy to drop the front wheel accidentally on takeoff or landing for inexperienced pilots resulting in possible rollover. It would be interesting to have gyro pilots with trike system post if they dropped nose on takeoff with crosswind correction applied and tell how the gyro reacted... or on landing....

Wish more gyro manufactures would offer this type of brake system, and castering nose wheel. In the taildragger planes the tail wheel is linked to rudder controls through springs and this could be done on castering nose wheel.
 
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