Moneyshot
1st Dec 2002, 14:59
Ladies and Gentlemen of Pprune.
I have recently had the good fortune to complete a conversion on to gyroplanes at a well known school in the North West of England. I can say, with no word of a lie, that I was impressed.
For anyone considering taking up flying (A or H) for a hobby, I would urge them to consider the following non-exhaustive list with regards to Gyroplanes.
ADVANTAGES.
Bang/Buck ratio very high.
Cost: very low. Can do a course AND buy your own machine for the same cost as a PPL(H)
Insurance low: Typically £250-300 third party.
Fuel cost low: 18L/hr normal motoring unleaded with 50/1 mix for two stroke. (Jerry can in the car job).
Hangarage costs low: (they're small).
Maintenance / repair costs low.
Can keep them in your garage.
Can trailer them.
More fun than you can believe (broad experience of A and H).
View fantastic. Better than any A or H I've flown. Can see straight down V-good.
Good 'seat of pants' aspect.
High hover as good as any H in most wind conditions.
Hover taxy sensation similar to H.
Engine off characteristics very benign: Dont worry too much about Nr. Plenty of time to think about landing area and descent profile.
Don't need a runway: Short road/long driveway will do.
Very manoevreable due to low speed.
Can't stall.
Seem to get fewer complaints about noise etc.
Conversion CAN be done in less than 20 hours.
Similar sensations to riding motorbike but better.
The list goes on.
DISADVANTAGES
Cost: If you like wasting money you will be sadly disappointed.
Roof: None on most machines. this is an outdoor pursuit.
Speed: VNE for UK machines is 90 kt and you won't generally go above 70kt but that's not the point. Speed sensation is similar to most toys above 1000ft (if you want to go that high).
Gear: You need to wear a suit esp in the winter. Helmet is a must.
Bad press ( largely non-deserved): due to lack of knowledge and some poor training in the past which led to a few accidents involving negative g conditions.
Negative g: Not done. Machines not aerobatic in the general sense. Negative g (esp on high powered machines) if not managed correctly due to high thrust line can act to unload disc and cause control problems. But you'll learn about it.
Endurance: Fuel tanks usually small so x-country needs to be carefully considered . Say 2 hrs max.
few places doing courses. You'll need to travel.
Full PPL course is 40 hours
Can't think of anything else.
I hope that this is helpful, just popping out to buy one!!!!
I've edited your post to delete unnecessary crudeness.
And good luck with your gyroplane.
I have recently had the good fortune to complete a conversion on to gyroplanes at a well known school in the North West of England. I can say, with no word of a lie, that I was impressed.
For anyone considering taking up flying (A or H) for a hobby, I would urge them to consider the following non-exhaustive list with regards to Gyroplanes.
ADVANTAGES.
Bang/Buck ratio very high.
Cost: very low. Can do a course AND buy your own machine for the same cost as a PPL(H)
Insurance low: Typically £250-300 third party.
Fuel cost low: 18L/hr normal motoring unleaded with 50/1 mix for two stroke. (Jerry can in the car job).
Hangarage costs low: (they're small).
Maintenance / repair costs low.
Can keep them in your garage.
Can trailer them.
More fun than you can believe (broad experience of A and H).
View fantastic. Better than any A or H I've flown. Can see straight down V-good.
Good 'seat of pants' aspect.
High hover as good as any H in most wind conditions.
Hover taxy sensation similar to H.
Engine off characteristics very benign: Dont worry too much about Nr. Plenty of time to think about landing area and descent profile.
Don't need a runway: Short road/long driveway will do.
Very manoevreable due to low speed.
Can't stall.
Seem to get fewer complaints about noise etc.
Conversion CAN be done in less than 20 hours.
Similar sensations to riding motorbike but better.
The list goes on.
DISADVANTAGES
Cost: If you like wasting money you will be sadly disappointed.
Roof: None on most machines. this is an outdoor pursuit.
Speed: VNE for UK machines is 90 kt and you won't generally go above 70kt but that's not the point. Speed sensation is similar to most toys above 1000ft (if you want to go that high).
Gear: You need to wear a suit esp in the winter. Helmet is a must.
Bad press ( largely non-deserved): due to lack of knowledge and some poor training in the past which led to a few accidents involving negative g conditions.
Negative g: Not done. Machines not aerobatic in the general sense. Negative g (esp on high powered machines) if not managed correctly due to high thrust line can act to unload disc and cause control problems. But you'll learn about it.
Endurance: Fuel tanks usually small so x-country needs to be carefully considered . Say 2 hrs max.
few places doing courses. You'll need to travel.
Full PPL course is 40 hours
Can't think of anything else.
I hope that this is helpful, just popping out to buy one!!!!
I've edited your post to delete unnecessary crudeness.
And good luck with your gyroplane.