rotordyne sbs2

agcat

Newbie
Joined
Jun 22, 2015
Messages
4
Location
Hazen, arkansas
evening fellas. i retired from fixed wing in 2007, and want to get back up there. i am in contact with a gyro instructor who has advised me to buy used rather than build. i have spoken with a seller on barnstormer who has a 2002 rotordyne sbs2. what advise can you guys give me on this unit? thanks


NICE GYRO • $15,000 • PRICE REDUCED • 2002 Rotordyne sbs2. 2 place gyro. One of the best built gyros out there. Subaru 135 hp,3 blade warp drive, new rotor blades and head, 293 hrs tt. Radio, intercom, and helmets, complete list of every part and part # on this gyro . $15,000 OBO this is a great deal for a two place. Trades welcome • Contact Jim C. McGrew - MCFLY AERO, Owner - located Clarkson, KY USA • Telephone: 270-242-0077 • Posted June 21, 2015 • Show all Ads posted by this Advertiser • Recommend This Ad to a Friend • Email Advertiser • Save to Watchlist • Report This Ad • View Larger Pictures
 
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Agcat,

There is another active thread about this gyro. It is the "SxS" thread started by "boots"

You may find some useful information in that thread.
 
thanks scott for the re-direct. i'll follow that thread also.

rick, the present owner said that the previous owner had non-metal sportscopter blades, one of which developed what appeared to be a crack. the factory told him that it was a curing flaw not affecting safety. erring on side of safety, he replaced them with metal ones. i do not remember the brand name. owner says it has never been damaged.

tim, i'm leaning towards a two place as of now.

member murry barker seems to think this unit is dangerous. maybe he will post with more info. what is up with the RAF?
 
You really should take a trip to Searcy and visit Ron Menzie, he has an RAF, was a dealer for them, and has trained in them for years. He may also be able to tell you about the machine your looking at.

The forum is a great place of information, but, sometimes the information you get is more opinionated than factual. Very difficult for a newbie to see the difference. You have one of the best resources on gyros not far from you, it would be well worth the trip. Visiting the gyro group in Morrilton on a Saturday would also be a huge bonus.
 
yea, mike, ron is the instructor that i referred to in the original post. he not familiar with this machine. i had hoped someone with design experience could tell me why or why not a certain feature was desirable or un-desirable on this machine. in other words, why are the locations of the fuel tanks, or radiator un-desirable. oh, well, the post is still young.
 
agcat,

My reason for posting in the other thread was after reading comments that the gyro would be "stable" and only "a few inches high thrustline"

This is clearly not the case with the advertised gyro. Every possible bit of weight the builder could find is hung below the propeller thrustline, low slung fuel tanks, engine,(due to gearbox up), radiator under keel etc etc.

Add the weight two people into the equation and you will have an enormously high thrustline/COG offset.
Educated guess 10 Inches one up, maybe 14 (or more?) inches two up.

To top it off the builder has added a flat plate horizontal stabilizer, at least I guess its in the right spot.

There is plenty of good information archived in this forum for you to research that will explain the problems with this design of gyro.
 
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Murray is correct on all accounts, just wonder how many of those 293 hours are a culturally flight time.

There are a lot of good gyros for sale at this time. Are you set on a two place? How much do you want to spend? There is a really good two place Dominator for sale in Florida. There are also good single place machines for sale all over. I think Ron still has an RAF for sale too.
 
...the present owner said that the previous owner had non-metal sportscopter blades, one of which developed what appeared to be a crack. the factory told him that it was a curing flaw not affecting safety. erring on side of safety, he replaced them with metal ones.

Something is fishy here. The present owner is, at the least, confused. Sport Copter makes only aluminum blades, and has never made any other kind. Perhaps he had RAF or McCutchen blades?
 
I agree with Mike...the Dominator would be a much better choice.
 
Dave's Dominator will fly circles around that sbs2 gyro. Side-by-side seating creates a lot of drag. The tandem is still open frame, if that's the kind of gyro you're looking for, and has less drag.
 
Rotodyne Machine

Rotodyne Machine

Agcat,
There is another active thread about this gyro. It is the "SxS" thread started by "boots". You may find some useful information in that thread.

I can't find the referenced thread, and I need some information on this project/machine. I have been contacted by a gentleman who is going to purchase this machine in two weeks, and he wants me to teach him how to fly it.

It looks like an interesting beast, but as noted by others, seems to have a very high thrustline.

He said the owner told him it has been through a recent annual inspection. I advised the gent to have the owner fly it to prove it is, in fact, flyable.

Looking for advice,
Ed
 
Some thoughts

Some thoughts

I can't find the referenced thread, and I need some information on this project/machine. I have been contacted by a gentleman who is going to purchase this machine in two weeks, and he wants me to teach him how to fly it.

It looks like an interesting beast, but as noted by others, seems to have a very high thrustline.

He said the owner told him it has been through a recent annual inspection. I advised the gent to have the owner fly it to prove it is, in fact, flyable.

Looking for advice,
Ed

Hi Ed,
I had looked at this gyro about a year ago and spoke with the owner Mr Jim Mcgrew. Jim is an ATP, so I assume he has some credibility. Jim said he has flown himself and a very large friend in this gyro and that it handles very nicely. He is selling it because he has 3 flying aircraft and needs the money for an expansion on his house, so something had to go. I don't know Jim personally but he sounds to be an honest person.

Someone on this forum should know something about this gyro or style and can provide more than opinion or speculation. I would talk to Chuck B. or Gyrojake.

I own a Dominator single and am very satisfied with it's forgiving flight characteristics.
 
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