Smartfly

Another Spanish gyroplane. The center of the gyroplane world is in Europe. Nice gyro.
 
Last edited:
I thought only the Chinese were allowed to reverse engineer a complex well designed product.
And on the multimedia video I feel the background music should have been the theme from the TV show Airwolf.
 
A very good-looking aircraft. The person behind this machine is Ángel Malagón, a well-known gyro pilot in Spain.

When it receives the certification of type, something that will probably happen within a few months, the 'Smartfly' will be the third local contender in the Spanish gyro market, together with ELA and Girabet.
 
looks very nice I would buy one if the price is right, but it looks like it has a rotax on it so the price can't be right since the engine is worth more then the Gyro.
 
Frank - Why do the serial factory manufacturers use Rotax
 
Frank - Why do the serial factory manufacturers use Rotax


Brainwash in thinking more expensive is better.

just because they paid to be approved does not make them better.

can you see I don't like rotax I had so many problems with them.....back to topic


Very nice Gyroplane.
 
Beautiful aircraft! I spoke with the designer of the American Ranger and he explained the lift created by the gear fairings during certain phases of flight. In-flight the Smartly gear fairings "appear" more winglike since the main wheels are set lower than on the Ranger (Notice the link where the wheels mount). They are also swept back more - the combination is visually stunning! Add the mast fairing, another feature missing from the Ranger, and the overall appearance is pretty sexy!

Having said that - both websites are marginal at best, not that it matters to gyro sales!

JK
 
Looks like an interesting design. One thing missing is a rear wind screen. Maybe they have plans for a canopy?
 
310 RRPM on the pre-rotator ! Looks mechanical.
Have they published a 'cruising' speed?
Flight review (by someone other than the company pilot)?
I like the 'lack' of a windscreen in the back (wear your goggles!).
Good-looking machine.
No USA distributor listed. Darn.
The translation probably lost something; is this a EU-certified machine and do they plan a 'kit' version for the USA?

Brian
 
EC-XOB was registered as amateur construction in June 2015. Probably, they have already filed for a certification of type before the Spanish civil aviation authority, and will probably get it, but that takes its time...
 
The prototype EC-XOB was originally painted white - it is now red - one machines two colour schemes.
 
Beautiful aircraft! I spoke with the designer of the American Ranger and he explained the lift created by the gear fairings during certain phases of flight. In-flight the Smartly gear fairings "appear" more winglike since the main wheels are set lower than on the Ranger (Notice the link where the wheels mount). They are also swept back more - the combination is visually stunning! Add the mast fairing, another feature missing from the Ranger, and the overall appearance is pretty sexy!

Having said that - both websites are marginal at best, not that it matters to gyro sales!

JK

Hi John:
Smartfly was talked about before. They have only made one gyroplane, the prototype so far I believe. Before it was white and now it is red. Our mast is bent, their mast is straight up. Easy to do a mast fairing on a straight mast. Also no folding mast option which also complicates doing a fairing around it.

Its obvious they used Arrowcopter as their basis so did ELA E-10. The landing gear wing fairings ... well I did them in trikes in 2005 to produce extra lift at high speed and to provide more yaw stability in trikes which do not have a vertical stabilizer, so no one can tell me it was their idea. I should have patented the darn thing :).

Here is the second machine I used this idea on in early 2006. Still flying right now as SLSA. Notice the mast fairing also :)
https://www.google.com/search?q=Del...bjSDNMQ_AUICCgD&dpr=0.9#imgrc=hMphECmkJrzrwM:

BTW, our new website for AR-1 is in the works.
 
Last edited:
Mast fairings are not needed on all machines, the AR-1 could have one for looks but it handles very well without one, I have built a few machines that it helped the slip roll problem and one that was plumb dangerous without it, after experimenting with different configurations the machine had a faring that was over two feet wide at the top with a trailing edge flap that was linked to the stick and split if the stick was pulled fullback with a button pressed, this made tha machine safe on floats, there was also an elevator on the HS that moved up if the stick was pulled back with the same button pressed.
Norm
 
Norm, would you add some detail to your mention of 'flaps'?
How did that work (the button); electric trim?
The trim couldn't be free-floating until the button was pushed so I'm curious.
Was this flap ONLY for trim or was it an aerodynamic control surface?

Thank you,
Brian
 
Mast fairings are not needed on all machines, the AR-1 could have one for looks but it handles very well without one, I have built a few machines that it helped the slip roll problem and one that was plumb dangerous without it, after experimenting with different configurations the machine had a faring that was over two feet wide at the top with a trailing edge flap that was linked to the stick and split if the stick was pulled fullback with a button pressed, this made tha machine safe on floats, there was also an elevator on the HS that moved up if the stick was pulled back with the same button pressed.
Norm

That is an interesting idea
 
Stub wings, and in particular using those as mounts for wheels, are old stuff in the helicopter world (e.g., the old Bell 222).

For gyros, it's not a big step from my 1972 McCulloch J-2 (which had stub wings to mount wide-stance gear, support the tail booms, carry the fuel tanks, and mount the position lights) to just fairing the whole thing. In the case of the J-2, there were big oleo struts for handling rough surfaces that the current faired gear designs don't offer.

The Groen Hawk 4 is similar to the J-2 in layout.
 
The push button removed a travel limiter so the stick could move beyond full back rotor and the last part of the travel opened the split flap to provide drag at the top of the mast to prevent the drag of the floats from causing an unrecoverable situation , this machine like many of my enclosed machines had a single tube directly behind the mast for control instead of the more common one on each side of the mast which would need a much wider fairing to cover, all of my machines were stable without an offset gimbal head.
Norm .
 
Back to the Smartfly photos: compared to the ArrowCopter photos the Smartfly designers missed the drag reduction details at the ends of the stub wings, missed the body to wing drag reduction by added pods (a wider area rule ) right where narrow is better, radiators hanging in the prop inflow, and tail surface area,incidence and vortices control all different. Looks may sell at a reduced price but great engineering sets performance records.
 
Top