Abid
AR-1 gyro manufacturer
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 6,254
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Aircraft
- AR-1
- Total Flight Time
- 4000+ 560 gyroplanes. Sport CFI Gyro and Trikes. Pilot Airplane
It’s difficult to know this but the canopy latch is available to both front and back seats. It’s on the right side of each seat. The canopy is closed by first aligning the pins that allows it to settle all the way down and then moving the latch handle forward to latch it shut. It definitely was all the way down that I can see on takeoff. Whether it was latched shut or not is not possible to see. The instructions are to latch it prior to taxi. Taxi with canopy unlatched or open is not recommended. If the canopy latch was open he would have to switch hands on the stick to free the right hand. On takeoff so low on very first solo I don’t think it’s wise to take hand off. His speed seems to be between 60 to 70 mph to me. The canopy would not come off at this speed but as you go faster an unlatched canopy would open due to low pressure and very quickly disappear to the left. Tearing up large cracks on the left side of the body.Interesting to read this tonight, as I was wondering earlier today if there was any chance that the Utah accident occurred because he took off without latching the bubble canopy closed, and had it either open, or lost control while trying to latch it (I never looked at how the canopy is secured and where the lock is relative to the pilot/controls). I've flown enough hours with my father to know that he wouldn't just pull up and roll almost 90 degrees voluntarily or because of "lack of training".
This particular gyro was trimmed very well but I never took hands off at full power on takeoff that low though just at least on downwind at 800+ feet AGL. The stick shake was minimal and it would develop a slight turn after some time that could be straightened out with a gentle push and left alone for another minute or so at cruise RPM. You would need slight pressure on right rudder and a slight left stick tilt at powered climb out and that would need to be maintained and is fairly easy to maintain. One of the biggest complaints on AR-1C in the past had been high rudder pressure required in flight. Mostly right rudder at high speed cruise. We fixed that with the balance horn rudder in 2020. The pressure was cut down very significantly making it easier for the pilot to move the rudder even at speeds of 100 mph but I would not say the pressure is not positive or too light like a Dominator with full moving tail. It increases as the speed increases. The adjustable rudder trim for fast cruise was done away with in 2020 as it was no longer needed
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