N962GT
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2020
- Messages
- 273
- Location
- Columbia SC
- Aircraft
- YG4 Air Command Tandem
- Total Flight Time
- 800 hrs
Ten years ago, July 2012, Greg Mills started work installing the first Yamaha Genesis 4-cylinder (YG4) RX1 snowmobile engine on an aircraft of any type, an Air Command tandem lowrider gyrocopter. On November 12, 2012 it flew from KCTJ for it's maiden flight, putting power to the 68" Warp Drive prop through an Arrow gearbox with sprag soft start clutch.
The Yamaha YG4 power plant conversion installation was flawless, everything anyone could ever ask for in a gyroplane power plant, and his red Air Command YG4 has been flying locally and cross country ever since with zero forced landings. (The highest-time MAC customer is now approaching 900 hours on his YG4 conversion with no forced landings due to powerplant failure.)
People started asking for parts and equipment to their build their own YG4 aircraft conversions soon after seeing Greg's success. Eventually he got around to giving the business a name, MOHAWK AERO CORPS (MAC), and launching a website. In 2017 MAC started using Quickbooks to track sales orders and accounting records.
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Asked about a MAC sales history, I did a data dump from QB, redacted customer personal info and posted the spreadsheet on the two Yamaha conversion Facebook discussion groups. Since it's already public record, figured may as well make this information available to readers of RF.
SO > here 'tis, complete with warts as well as triumphs. How symmetrical, 50 paying customers since I started keeping records in 2017.
And only one disgruntled customer in all that time - Jody Hawkins, a cop, in 2017. (Karma, and note to Ron Awad, et. al.: The following year, using a competitor's adapter and their required Rotax C PSRU w/RK400 clutch, Hawkins' Highlander RX1 YG4 suffered catastrophic PSRU bearing failure in flight. Ironically, this was the very thing Greg Mills publicly warned of when he advised against using Rotax C gearboxes on YG4's, many times, on many web forums, including RF. In fact, Teal Jenkins & Steve Henry suffered similar Rotax C bearing failure, as did a host of others. To date there are no less than 12 known Rotax C bearing failures on various YG4 conversions, as well as those that happened on 582's, the engine the PSRU was designed for. Fortunately these failures have not brought down any aircraft we know of, all have been able to land safely at an airport. That said, Mohawk Aero is the only Yamaha conversion business operating since 2014 with a perfect track record of no forced landings, and no damaged customer aircraft due to faulty Yamaha conversion parts/kits. Knock on wood.)
Here's the best part: 50 PAYING CUSTOMERS, ZERO FORCED LANDINGS SINCE 2012 by ANY customer due to ANY powerplant issues whatsoever. None. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. Oh, wait, there was this one...
A Phazer YG2 80HP conversion was customer-installed on a small FW, who ran the magneto pickup coil wires from the engine to the MAC wire loom in such a way that they came loose and melted on the exhaust. The engine quit, resulting in a forced landing.
The Yamaha YG4 power plant conversion installation was flawless, everything anyone could ever ask for in a gyroplane power plant, and his red Air Command YG4 has been flying locally and cross country ever since with zero forced landings. (The highest-time MAC customer is now approaching 900 hours on his YG4 conversion with no forced landings due to powerplant failure.)
People started asking for parts and equipment to their build their own YG4 aircraft conversions soon after seeing Greg's success. Eventually he got around to giving the business a name, MOHAWK AERO CORPS (MAC), and launching a website. In 2017 MAC started using Quickbooks to track sales orders and accounting records.
***************************************************************
Asked about a MAC sales history, I did a data dump from QB, redacted customer personal info and posted the spreadsheet on the two Yamaha conversion Facebook discussion groups. Since it's already public record, figured may as well make this information available to readers of RF.
SO > here 'tis, complete with warts as well as triumphs. How symmetrical, 50 paying customers since I started keeping records in 2017.
And only one disgruntled customer in all that time - Jody Hawkins, a cop, in 2017. (Karma, and note to Ron Awad, et. al.: The following year, using a competitor's adapter and their required Rotax C PSRU w/RK400 clutch, Hawkins' Highlander RX1 YG4 suffered catastrophic PSRU bearing failure in flight. Ironically, this was the very thing Greg Mills publicly warned of when he advised against using Rotax C gearboxes on YG4's, many times, on many web forums, including RF. In fact, Teal Jenkins & Steve Henry suffered similar Rotax C bearing failure, as did a host of others. To date there are no less than 12 known Rotax C bearing failures on various YG4 conversions, as well as those that happened on 582's, the engine the PSRU was designed for. Fortunately these failures have not brought down any aircraft we know of, all have been able to land safely at an airport. That said, Mohawk Aero is the only Yamaha conversion business operating since 2014 with a perfect track record of no forced landings, and no damaged customer aircraft due to faulty Yamaha conversion parts/kits. Knock on wood.)
Here's the best part: 50 PAYING CUSTOMERS, ZERO FORCED LANDINGS SINCE 2012 by ANY customer due to ANY powerplant issues whatsoever. None. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. Oh, wait, there was this one...
A Phazer YG2 80HP conversion was customer-installed on a small FW, who ran the magneto pickup coil wires from the engine to the MAC wire loom in such a way that they came loose and melted on the exhaust. The engine quit, resulting in a forced landing.
- Greg Mills has been doing Yamaha conversions longer than anyone in the business, and...
- ...has done more, different Yamaha engine type conversions with 100% success than anyone, including
- YG4 RX1 140-145 HP (2012, Air Command tandem low rider)
- YG4 APEX 150 HP (2017, 2018 Oshkosh Airventure Grand Champion LSA, Highlander STOL)
- YG4 EXUP 165 HP (2020 Air Command II CLT)
- YG2 Phazer 80HP (2019 Quicksilver)
- ...has implemented more types of PSRU redrives with 100% success than anyone, including
- Arrow with internal sprag
- SPG4 (Type B) with RK400 centrifugal shaft coupling clutch
- MAC Silent Drive, Hy-Vo chain PSRU with Arctic Cat break-away plate clutch mounted in the top gear for prop strike protection
- MAC AK7 spec (Type B) PSRU with both RK400 clutches and MAC GTF flex shaft (BMW rubber donut) couplings
- Rotax C with both RK400 clutches and MAC GTF flex shaft (BMW rubber donut) couplings
- Rotax E with both RK400 clutches and MAC GTF flex shaft (BMW rubber donut) couplings
- Simonini C with MAC GTF flex shaft (BMW rubber donut) couplings
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