Where to get parts and supplies

[Matt Ercoupe]

I just picked up a 1970 Bensen with a VW and 2 stroke pre-rotor and am going to be rebuilding it, I am planning on removing the pre-rotor and any excess weight. I know where to get parts for my Ercoupe and Warbirds, but what place are good to get supplies for Gyros ?

 

[GyroChuck]

Post what you're looking for here. Someone will chime in and steer you in the right direction. There are a couple of manufacturers that post here. I'm sure they could help with whatever you need.

 

[MikeBoyette]

Dude that is the widest cord prop that size I have ever seen. iMHO you might be better off building something new. Most of that is most likely unusable and outdated. That might be better off in a museum somewhere. Please don’t take offense. I been around so long that I remember when those machines were the majority of what people were flying. They are pitch unstable and not that easy to fly.

 

[Aerofoam]

That prop had to have started life at about 8' plus!!!
The engine is lacking heads and looks as if it needs a rebuild which would probably not be worth while since they never really
had enough power unless you build a huge VW grenade engine.
It looks very well built, definite museum piece.
I wouldn't trust rotor blades that old and wouldn't put the money into new blades for a machine that old and outdated.
It will never qualify as an ultralight, although it does have a tow point, so might be a candidate for a kite if you can get a good rotor set up and hub.
I think it would cost less to start from scratch, or buy a newer design that is still in decent condition.
I bought an AC that had been flying seasonally for the last 12 years for $6k with dragon wings, updated mast and tail boom and a Rotax 503 that only had 90 hours and a tow dolly I sold for $600.
I will probably have less than $6500 + 40 hrs. into it after I add suspension, switch to steering brakes and castering nose wheel, move the thrust line and have it ready for prime time.

I bet some air boat guys would like that engine/prop, but it really would be a great museum piece...

 

[Matt Ercoupe]

I have built and flown behind a 2180vw and have most of the parts to build another so the engine is not an issue, I am planning on going thru the entire rig. I don't have 6K laying around, so I do my projects as I can afford them, plus I have always preferred the Bensen/Brock gyros. They may be old school, but they did fly.

 

[dabkb2]

I agree with what has been said to a point, that gyro as it is, isn't worth much more than a museum piece. But you do have the hard parts of a new Bensen. The motor mount, stick and possibly the head. The rest you can build relatively inexpensively if you have a good motor, blades and a prop.
There's not that much to a Bensen frame, just make sure you built it to plans. I have a set of plans on email if you want.

 

[Doug Riley]

Matt, this time you won't be flying behind, but instead in front of, a VW, and in a very nimble aircraft. Couple yellow flags for you:

1. A stock Bensen has stability issues. Igor Bensen refused to fix these issues. We, the community, figured out the problems on our own. In short, a Bensen needs a good-sized horizontal stabilizer, mounted high enough to be partially immersed in the propwash. This addition makes the craft much less prone to overcontrol and pilot induced oscillation (PIO). You get about three cycles of PIO in a stock Bensen before it tumbles out of the sky in freefall.

2. The VW in a pusher-gyro application is quite prone to crankshaft breakage if the prop is mounted on the fan-pulley journal. Some significant modifications to the crank and its #3 - #4 bearings are necessary to prevent this problem. Revmaster seems to have come up with the most elegant fix, though it's not cheap.

Doug (recovering VW-Bensen pilot)

 

[Teetrblock]

I just picked up a 1970 Bensen with a VW and 2 stroke pre-rotor and am going to be rebuilding it, I am planning on removing the pre-rotor and any excess weight. I know where to get parts for my Ercoupe and Warbirds, but what place are good to get supplies for Gyros ?

Matt
Hello , That's quite a machine you have there , A few words of advice get rid of the single tube mast , They have a habit of breaking off wherever a hole drilled, get rid of the pump handle cyclic.
The best option would be to upgrade to a double tube mast and get a parallelogram. Ken Bock style 3 to 1 cyclic.
The VW-engine is a viable candidate , Although a little on the fat boy side, you could punch it out to a 2180 , That power plant would give you a good low rev , high torque power curve , With the option for electric start and an alternator or generator.
The Bensen style air frame is a good air frame. Although it takes a little finesse to fly.
Feel free to shoot me a message anytime. I've been building these things since the late 70s.

 

[Matt Ercoupe]

Matt
Hello , That's quite a machine you have there , A few words of advice get rid of the single tube mast , They have a habit of breaking off wherever a hole drilled, get rid of the pump handle cyclic.
The best option would be to upgrade to a double tube mast and get a parallelogram. Ken Bock style 3 to 1 cyclic.
The VW-engine is a viable candidate , Although a little on the fat boy side, you could punch it out to a 2180 , That power plant would give you a good low rev , high torque power curve , With the option for electric start and an alternator or generator.
The Bensen style air frame is a good air frame. Although it takes a little finesse to fly.
Feel free to shoot me a message anytime. I've been building these things since the late 70s.

Thx for the reply, since I posted that, I found another gyro in better shape, that has the double mast and Brock control stick and seat tank. I am not sure the size of the engine yet, but it is a VW, The new one has wooden rudder vertical, so I may swap the tail feathers out for the metal ones, I am going to keep the blades from the first one, and maybe the rotor head. I know the blades are on upside down, these are the photos the seller took, they put them on, I have the blades in the factory shipping crate.

 

[Teetrblock]

I just picked up a 1970 Bensen with a VW and 2 stroke pre-rotor and am going to be rebuilding it, I am planning on removing the pre-rotor and any excess weight. I know where to get parts for my Ercoupe and Warbirds, but what place are good to get supplies for Gyros ?

Thx for the reply, since I posted that, I found another gyro in better shape, that has the double mast and Brock control stick and seat tank. I am not sure the size of the engine yet, but it is a VW, The new one has wooden rudder vertical, so I may swap the tail feathers out for the metal ones, I am going to keep the blades from the first one, and maybe the rotor head. I know the blades are on upside down, these are the photos the seller took, they put them on, I have the blades in the factory shipping crate.

Thx for the reply, since I posted that, I found another gyro in better shape, that has the double mast and Brock control stick and seat tank. I am not sure the size of the engine yet, but it is a VW, The new one has wooden rudder vertical, so I may swap the tail feathers out for the metal ones, I am going to keep the blades from the first one, and maybe the rotor head. I know the blades are on upside down, these are the photos the seller took, they put them on, I have the blades in the factory shipping crate.

Your blades are correctly. The hub bar is installed incorrectly. , it is upside down , the teeterblock should be on top . You may want to inspect the hubbar for damage , If that machine was flown like that could have created a serious blade flap issue. Not trying to be intrusive but do you have any rotocraft experience ?

 

[Sv.grainne]

I have built and flown behind a 2180vw and have most of the parts to build another so the engine is not an issue, I am planning on going thru the entire rig. I don't have 6K laying around, so I do my projects as I can afford them, plus I have always preferred the Bensen/Brock gyros. They may be old school, but they did fly.

What else have you flown? To compare with?

 

[Matt Ercoupe]

What else have you flown? To compare with?

You need to learn how to use quotes correctl;y, I never said that.

 

[Matt Ercoupe]

Your blades are correctly. The hub bar is installed incorrectly. , it is upside down , the teeterblock should be on top . You may want to inspect the hubbar for damage , If that machine was flown like that could have created a serious blade flap issue. Not trying to be intrusive but do you have any rotocraft experience ?

they did not fly it that way, it was assembled for the photos only.

 

[Teetrblock]

That's good , You shouldn't have any problems , The bensen is where it all started with the 72 mac , My pop is still flying his original 1979. Bensen with the Mac and the wooden tail.

 

[Sv.grainne]

You need to learn how to use quotes correctl;y, I never said that.

WHAT? You certainly made the comment that you "personally preferred Bensen/Brock gyros". Compared to what others?

 

[Matt Ercoupe]

WHAT? You certainly made the comment that you "personally preferred Bensen/Brock gyros". Compared to what others?

you are kind of picking lines, I do prefer the Brock benson design, I don't like cabin gyros, I prefer open air. I usually fly my Ercoupe with the windows open, even in the winter. I prefer old school, even my plane is a Pre WWII design, and is 73 yrs old. The only rotor craft I have flown is a HH-43 Huskie. As far as fixed wing, there is not enough room here for my list, but it goes from a Kitfox to a C-119, with some Spitfire and a lot of T-6.

 

[Sv.grainne]

So I ask again, no quotes, what Gyros have you flown, leading to your statement above.

I'm not familiar with any fixed wing aircraft, having only flown in three different Gyros.