ELA Gyro opinions sought

[piperboy84]

Got a non pilot friend who appears to have lost his mind and wants get trained up and buy a ELA gyro. I've seen the German built Rotosports and the fancy Italian ones but have never seen a ELA on my travels. According to my friend they're all the rage in the US but I've not seem them there either.

Anyone know anything about them or had any flight time in one, how do they stack up against the competition?

[this is my username]

Depends on where he wants to fly it. If it is the UK then avoid - they aren't approved in the UK and aren't likely to be any time soon.

[ChickenHouse]

You want an opinion? If you want to know why we have a noise problem in GA, fly a gyro and try to talk to the people you are swirling over their Sunday tea.

[piperboy84]

Depends on where he wants to fly it. If it is the UK then avoid - they aren't approved in the UK and aren't likely to be any time soon.

He lives in Spain 6 months of the year and it would be registered there. Does not being approved in the U.K. mean he can’t fly it at all in UK airspace or he just can’t base and register here. He reckons it’s cruise speed is the same as my Maule so he wants to tag along with me in this ELA machine when I do my Scotland to Spain jaunts.

[piperboy84]

You want an opinion? If you want to know why we have a noise problem in GA, fly a gyro and try to talk to the people you are swirling over their Sunday tea.
I best keep my head down on the noise issue being that my Maule prop tip speed goes supersonic on take off, then again if he’s tagging along I could blame him.

[this is my username]

He lives in Spain 6 months of the year and it would be registered there. Does not being approved in the U.K. mean he can’t fly it at all in UK airspace or he just can’t base and register here. He reckons it’s cruise speed is the same as my Maule so he wants to tag along with me in this ELA machine when I do my Scotland to Spain jaunts.

As I understand it he could operate it in the UK for up to 28 days per year (that's 28 days from the time it arrives to the time it leaves) if he applies for permission from the CAA. I've never had to do it myself so I'm not over-familiar with the detail.

[piperboy84]

Update: Down here in Malaga with my friend meeting the gyro instructor who he hopes to train with and get his license. The problem he has run into is the instructor says he has no problem training him up here in Malaga but he would have to do the test (written & oral/Checkride) in Spanish. I would have thought EASA would have let you do the test in any language you want.

So how does he train here and take the test in English is that possible?

[this is my username]

Gyros are Annexe II, so EASA has nothing to do with them. All airworthiness and licencing is done on national rules.

Feel that I should also point out that ELA gyroplanes have had some reported issues due to welding:

https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/rotorcraft/piloting-technique-accident-discussions/1128702-ela-07-accident-report-welding

[piperboy84]

Gyros are Annexe II, so EASA has nothing to do with them. All airworthiness and licencing is done on national rules.

Feel that I should also point out that ELA gyroplanes have had some reported issues due to welding:

https://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/rotorcraft/piloting-technique-accident-discussions/1128702-ela-07-accident-report-welding

So if it’s strictly a national issue, he’s either got to learn Spanish pretty sharpish or train in the UK I assume. Thanks for the heads up on the welding issue

Edit to add: can he train here in Spain and take his hours and logbook back to finish up and test in the UK?

[surely not]

There were two ELA machines on the UK register in 2013 I believe, and looking at G-INFO it seems there is one, G-CEER, still registered in UK

Not sure that the noise is really an issue, they are Rotax powered and that isn't a noisy engine. Having watched a few at Chiltern Park Aerodrome I would suggest they are certainly a lot quieter than an MD500 or an R44 passing over.

[N707ZS]

There's at least one school somewhere in Portugal if a drive is better than a flight to the UK.