Oz Little Wing

[okikuma]

Anyone know the builder/owner of this Australian registered Little Wing Autogyro G5024?

I'd like to know the empty weight, gross weight, rotor diameter, blade manufacture, version of Rotax 912, fuel capacity, and if the external belly tank is permanent or removable.

Thanks everyone.

Wayne

 

[wolfy]

It's owned by Kevin Traeger in south Australia, 80hp 912, AK rotors.

wolfy

 

[okikuma]

Thank you Wolfy. That answers two items of the multi-part question.

Wayne

 

[wolfy]

I could ask Kevin for the other details if you really need them. He doesn't come on here.

wolfy

 

[okikuma]

Please do Wolfy. I am very interested and here's why.

I don't doubt Ron Herron's listed weights on his website for the various models of Little Wing Autogyros.

Little Wing Autogyro General Specifications

• Empty Weight:
  • (Single-Place)
    • 351 lbs. w/Rotax 582-618, 2Si 540-L(two-stroke powered)
    • 452 lbs. w/ 2180 VW (four-stroke powered)
  • (Two-Place)
    • 451 lbs. w/ Hirth F-30 (two-stroke powered)
    • 520 lbs. w/ Rotax 914 (four-stroke powered)
• Gross Weight:
  • 750 lbs. Single-Place
  • 1100 lbs. 2-Place.
• Fuel Capacity:
  • 8.5 US gal. (single-place)
  • 13.5 US gal. (2-place

Designers often build their prototypes as light as possible. The aircraft are very basic and only with minimum equipment as required to meet VFR day regulations.

The amateur built aircraft from plans are often heavier than the designer's prototypes because of added equipment and personalization. Those heavier weights are more of what one would expect if they built their own LIttle Wing.

Thanks Wolfy.

Wayne

 

[wolfy]

Sorry not AK rotor's they are Ricks Rotors 27'
EW 242 kg
Mtow 480 kg
Top tank 25L
Belly tank 65L (not sure if it's removable)
Cruise 70 kn
2 seat.

It's also for sale.

wolfy

 

[okikuma]

Thank you Wolfy.

After converting the metric to U.S. customary standard of measurements:

Empty weight 242 Kg = 532.4 lb
Gross Weight 480 Kg = 1056 lb
25 Liters = 6.6 Gallons
65 Liters = 17.2 Gallons

One can see that Kevin's Little Wing is not much heavier than Ron Herron has listed for a 2-place Little Wing. Very much within reason especially, if one considers the added weight of an empty external belly tank as part of the increase of empty weight.

With a Gross Weight of 1056 lb and a 27' diameter (Rotor Disk Area = 572.6 sq ft), the Disk Load = 1.84 lb/sq ft.

The only slight drawback would be with 80 hp. The power to weight ratio would be 13.2 lb/hp, whereas 100 hp would give 10.6 lb/hp. For relative area of flat terrain that is of low altitude (above MLS), 80 hp would suffice if one plan to fly more than 2,000 ft AGL.

Wayne

 

[Hosko]

Rotec radial Littlewing ..... also built in Australia by Murray Barker. Flies nice .... sounds even better ...

 

[C. Beaty]

Oops! Never noticed the Little Wing---

 

[okikuma]

Chuck, you beat me to the punch line.

The photo reminded me of an incident when I was three years old. My Dad, uncle, and I went to the local Van Nuys Airshow. The shows were held on the Air National Guard Base on the west side of the airport. We were walking on a ramp when group of bathing beauties started to pose on a wing of a T-33. The crowd surged towards the action. My Dad and uncle quickly forget I was with them, let go of my hand and quickly disappeared into the crowd. I became lost among a forest of legs and started to cry.

An Air Force Captain wearing Khakis came up to me and asked if I as lost. I said, "My Daddy and uncle ran into that crowd." He picked me up and said, "Let's see if we can find them." While holding me, I then noticed the nice silver wings on this chest and said, "You have wings like my Daddy." He said, "Your daddy a pilot too?" I then replied, "Oh no, he had a very important job. He was a Bombardier!"

The Captain took me to a near by T-28 and put me on the left wing, then he climbed up and put me into the cockpit. Standing on the seat I had a great view and quickly "found" my Dad and uncle at the very front of the crowd. At the end of the "bathing beauty show" the crowd started to disburse and that's when my Dad and uncle realized I was not with them. Both of them started yelling out my name. From the T-28 cockpit, I yell back, they then see where I am and quickly scrambled towards to the plane.

My Dad and uncle thanked the Captain for "taking care of me." My Dad then pulled out a ten dollar bill (a lot of money way back then) and gave it to the Captain saying thank you and "Enjoy yourself at the O-Club." My Dad and uncle both tell me several times during the rest of the day not to tell my Mom about "getting lost."

Of course as soon as I get home, I excitedly tell my Mom that I was in the cockpit of a big airplane. She asks how was I able to be in the cockpit whereas I tell her because Daddy and uncle went to look at ladies in bathing suits. BOOM! Anyone with a wife knows what happened next.

Wayne

 

[C. Beaty]

I used to think that women were predatory creatures but that’s not it at all; women simply don’t have the opportunities to create wealth that are afforded to men except by marrying into it.
One of my former wives said to me; ‘If you don’t marry me, I’m going back to xxxxxxx to commit suicide. Instead of saying, like an idiot; “OK, I’ll marry you”, I should have said, “Here’s $20 for a nice big bottle of sleeping pills.”
She had no intention of committing suicide.

 

[Georgi]

Okikuma and Chuck, you started something much more dangerous than flying gyros

 

[C. Beaty]

I’m not sure about: “More dangerous than gyros” but certainly more expensive.

 

[Martin W.]

Celebrated con man Frank Abagnale had a career masquerading as an airline captain .... free flights all over the world .... printed his own airline paychecks and cashed them all over the world .... when he was about to be caught he had to flee the USA but the airports were teeming with security looking specifically for him.

So in order to board a flight to France he surrounded himself with a group of really good looking stewardesses and simply walked thru the airport and boarded the plane .... not one single security guy even glanced at him .

 

[okikuma]

Feminine beauty and wit will always triumph over the common man.

Wayne

 

[Zzorse]

Oops! Never noticed the Little Wing---

"The day we stop lookin', Charlie, is the day we die." -- Lt. Col. Frank Slade