autogyro news - Autogyro info

autogyro
news
2006 Issue Four
the magazine of the
New Zealand Autogyro Association
September 2006
Autogyro News is the magazine of
The New Zealand Autogyro Association
www.autogyro.org.nz
Features
Committee
President
Stephen Chubb
449 Normanby Road
RD11 Okaiawa
Hawera
phone: 06 272 6717
email:
s.chubb@infogen.net.nz
Vice President & Editor
Michael Norton
379 Ardmore Quarry Road
RD2 Papakura
Auckland
phone: 021 667 866
email:
michael@criterionfurniture.com
Secretary & Treasurer
Karen Middleton
17 Dunsinane Place
Marton
phone: 06 327 8876
email:
kmiddle@wave.co.nz
Chief Flight Instructor
Garry Belton
Tataramoa Farm
Howie Road
RD2 Marton
phone: 06 327 8778
email:
gyrogarry@infogen.net.nz
Safety Officer
Russell Kappely
137 Maharakeke Road
RD1 Waipukurau
phone: 06 858 8237
Committee Member
John Wilkinson
631 Main Road
Stoke
Nelson
phone: 027 290 6720
email:
j_e_wilkinson@yahoo.com
Committee Member
Jim McEwen
8a Pelorus Street
Tauranga
phone: 07 544 5531
email:
jimce@xtra.co.nz
Committee Member
Neil Hintz
210 Eureka Road
RD4 Hamilton
phone: 07 824 1978
email:
nckm@wave.co.nz
page
4
One Fine Day: Auckland City Scenic
page
6
Our Patch: Around Nelson
page
10
Coming Soon: Eagle Gyros to Tauranga
page
12
Learning Rotor Management
Instructors & IA’s
Garry Belton (CFI, IA), RAANZ
see above
Michael Norton (Prov), RAANZ, Dominator
see above
Tony Unwin RAANZ, Dominator
Tauranga Airport
phone: 021 038 0760
email:
gyfly@aol.com
Page 2
page
16
Sand Castles and Cylinder Heads
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
2006 Issue Four
This magazine was created thanks to
contributions from the following people
One Fine Day
Michael Norton
4
Our Patch
Lloyd Heslop & Jan Aberhart
6
Tips and Tricks
Jim McEwen
6
Managing Risk
Michael Norton
8
Coming Soon: Eagle Gyros
Tony Unwin
10
Learning Rotor Management
Jim McEwen
12
Flying Photos
Graeme Clarke
14
Brocken Bow
Jan Aberhart
14
President’s Report
Stephen Chubb
15
Humour
Sybe Haakma
15
Sand Castles
Neil and Claire Hintz
16
Confessions
Michael Norton
18
Belton round the paddock
Garry Belton
19
For Sale
19
Upcoming Fly-ins
19
Support our Advertisers
Marinair Technology
7
Solo Wings
8
Aeroware
9
Editorial
At last Spring is upon us. My favourite season - the days are getting longer, the air smells extra
fresh, it’s neither too cold nor too warm, everything starts growing again and it just feels good to
be alive. So celebrate by going flying.
The airstrip I use became something of a bog in places late in Winter causing me to abstain
from gyro flying for a whole six weeks. Got a good few helicopter hours in though. I’ve spent
some of the rainy weather time catching up on maintenance with the result that RAQ is in great
shape for the coming months and especially our Labour weekend fly-in at Tokoroa. There’s a
note on page 19 about this event which Hank Meerkerk has organised for us. It will be a social
fly-in more than a specialist training weekend, though as always we’ll make the most of training
opportunities if weather and traffic conditions permit. Tokoroa has a sealed and a grass strip.
Check out the AIP pages on the internet (www.aip.net.nz) for airfield layout and operations if
you’re planning on flying. Hank’s hangar will be available for visiting aircraft and accommodation
can be found at either the Aeroclub or local motels.
Once again, many thanks to all those who contributed to this issue. We’ve got a good mix of
flying stories, technical stuff, training material and new developments. Don’t be shy if you have
something that you could contribute. Take your camera flying or get someone to take a picture
of you with your gyro and send it to me. It might not seem interesting to you but that’s only
because you’re familiar with it. The fact is that everyone else will be interested in what you have,
what you’re doing and where you’re flying. Just a picture and short caption are all that’s required.
I’m especially on the lookout for quality cover shots. Thanks to Sonya Crook for the picture of
Bill Black and RAM on the back cover of this issue.
Some exciting things are in store for the next few months. Tony Unwin is due to set up a
permanent training operation in Tauranga and will be importing and selling the German MT03
Eagle range of gyros. Tony actually has three aircraft on the way here now. These will be Rotax
powered and assembled by Colin Alexander of SoloWings. All the details are on pages 10 and
11. I know there’s several people who are keen to look at different machines and to undertake
full time training programmes so this is great news for the sport in our country. Congratulations
on these achievements Tony - I’m already looking forward to a fly of one of your new aircraft.
The next exciting new development will likely come from Neil Hintz with the forthcoming completion
of his Autoflight EA82 engine. Neil hasn’t been saying much about this but there’s a “hintz” of
things to come in this issue where he has explained the process of casting cylinder heads. I’m
suspicious though that he’s made the design and manufacturing process sound somewhat
simpler than it really is. Neil has actually been casting the EA82 prototypes in his back yard,
after the job was delayed at the foundry he normally uses. The project
made for some excellent photo opportunities which you’ll see on pages 16
and 17.
Enjoy your flying and take care.
Gyrate
11
Magni Gyro NZ
13
Alert Anodising
13
Hirth Engines
13
Aviation Safety
14
AutoFlight
15
NZ Aviation News
18
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Regards, Michael Norton
Front Cover: Auckland Container Terminal and City from the front seat of RAQ.
M. Norton photo.
Back Cover: Bill Black and RAM enjoying the scenery overTe Anau Downs.
Sonya Crook photo.
New Members July/August
Gordon Gibson, Te Puke
Garry Reid, Stratford
Noel Wilson, Reefton
(returning actually - welcome back)
Philip Gray, Timaru
Kevin Bartley, Raumati Beach
Kevin Ayre, Tuatapere
Page 3
One Fine Day
by Michael Norton
Recently I got myself an aviation style lifejacket,
and a trip over the harbour seemed a good way
to test it out - from a wearing (not floating) point
of view.
Airspace around the harbour is quite friendly to
fly in. MBZ broadcasts on City Traffic are all that
is required, plus a good lookout especially on
fine days which bring extra aircraft out to enjoy
the scenery.
From Clevedon I tracked to Whitford River
Mouth keeping outside of Auckland Airport
airspace, then along Eastern Beach and across
the Howick Golf Course to Bucklands Beach.
From there over the Panmure River and around
the coast to St. Heliers Beach. There’s some
remarkably expensive prop-erties on the clifftops
though none with heli-pads and hangars so they
aren’t that good.
Following the coast further from St. Heliers takes
you to Kohimarama and Mission Bay, then
across the Orakei Basin to Mechanics Bay - the
home of Auckland Rescue Heli-copter Trust and
the Marine Rescue Centre.
Below left: Edge of Pakuranga. Below right: Eastern Beach. Above: Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Next up is the Container Terminal then Princes
Wharf and the Ferry Terminal. I carried on past
the Tank Farm to the Harbour Bridge and flew
over the middle of it before turning back and
viewing all the same things from the opposite
direction.
On this trip I didn’t have a passenger so had to
take photos and fly at the same time. The
process requires getting the camera ready in
advance, then swapping hands on the stick (it’s
a right handed camera), leaning way back in the
seat then pulling the nose up so that the field of
view includes instruments as well as the view.
This inevitably washes off a chunk of airspeed.
The picture is usually more interesting if the
instrument pod is at an angle to the horizon so a
turn might be added as well. Once the picture is
taken it’s a case of putting the camera down and
recovering from whatever unusual flying attitude
the gyro has developed. I’ve often wondered
quite what all this looks like from the ground. It’s
a heap of fun from the air though.
Page 4
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Below left: Mechanics Bay and Heliport. Above: Rangitoto, Motutapu and Browns Islands. Below right: Viaduct Basin and CBD
Below: Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St. Heliers
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Page 5
Our Patch
by Lloyd Heslop and Jan Aberhart
With winter and all, the sky’s have been
somewhat quieter, plus I have been proving a
new engine on RCW and therefore remaining
close to the field, “just in case”. In Nelson, the
locals have revitalised a recreational flying club
mainly comprising things with wings, however it
is a great focus for microlight aviators to meet
and attend organised events. The first of those
being a visit to Takaka on Sunday 23 July
leaving Nelson on a somewhat windy turbulent
day in 20-25 knot head winds and arriving in
Takaka to almost dead calm conditions. After
the usual chat, the events for the day were to
fly compass headings, identify items along the
way and make 2 outlandings obtaining a card
from a deck of cards left at the strip identified
by a road cone.
Once away from Takaka heading towards
Collingwood, the southerly wind created some
interesting flying conditions making outlanding
at Ferry Point Collingwood suitable only for the
experienced pilot. Once back at Takaka, John
and I handed in the cards and our questionnaire
and enjoyed a communal BBQ lunch. About 8
aircraft participated. A great day out and we
returned to Nelson around 4pm to southerly
winds now at 15+ knots which left John a little
queasy with turbulence but all in all a great day
with no incidents.
We all fly over some great territory, even
close to home so we also thought we’d share
some of our local scenery with you. I know
single place machines are more difficult to take
photos from but I am sure that if you fly a gyro,
innovation is at hand in creating a suitable
camera mount to capture the moment. Have a
go, we would love to look at your pics and learn
a little about the history of your town too. (I
agree, Ed)
Close to Nelson airport is the Port of Nelson,
bounded by what we call the Boulder Bank. The
Boulder Bank is a natural formation formed by
boulders of subvolcanic crust eroded from the
Bluff and carried southwest by the tide. It
stretches from Mackays Bluff to the east of
Nelson for thirteen kilometres, with Nelson
harbour behind. The historic lighthouse on the
Boulder Bank was built in 1861. In early settler
years, shipping had to enter the harbour around
Haulashore Island, a tricky entrance where the
tides were rapid, the passage narrow and with
rocks aplenty. In 1842, Arrow Rock claimed
the immigrant ship, the Fifeshire. Over the
years Arrow Rock gradually became known as
Fifeshire Rock. In 1906, a new entrance was
created at the south west end of the Boulder
Bank, locally called the Cut. This is still in use
today and as it happened, a large vessel was
being piloted towards it during our tiki tour at
500’.
Tips and Tricks
Prop Tape
by Jim McEwen
Propeller blade leading edges are especially vulnerable on many gyros
because the prop is so close to the ground. The first year I had my gyro
at Dannevirke the grass surrounding the runway was particularly long
and I was staggered at the damage it did to my carbon fibre Warp Drive
prop. Small stones and debris thrown off the wheels do their share too,
and even raindrops can cause severe damage to some props. The best
way to avoid this is to steer clear of long grass and any debris if at all
possible. It’s inevitable your expensive prop will be sporting a few scars
before long, particularly in the early phases of learning when you spend
a lot of time on the ground.
There are various types of tape available to protect the leading edge
of your prop blades, usually some form of nickel, aluminium or clear
plastic. All types need to be inspected regularly and replaced occasionally.
I use aluminium tape I bought from a plumbing supplier. It’s not very
thick, but I’ve found it’s sufficient to prevent the majority of damage. I’ve
since found there is a thicker type available, so get that if you can. I precut strips about 25mm wide and 250 – 300mm long (as long as they’re
Page 6
Jan was intrigued by the rays of sun
piercing the heavy cloud base, Fingers of God,
she claimed, and proceeded to record the event
capturing some wonderful effects looking
westward towards Motueka and also reflections
of light off the local estuary and settling ponds.
The only time a sewerage plant has looked
attractive. Only a short flight of .6 in calm
conditions, enough of a fix to set the scene for
next weekend’s Brass Monkey fly-in at Lake
Station.
Cheers & be safe, Lloyd and Jan.
A favourite view, approaching 02 grass Nelson
Airport after another spectacular safe flight.
Nelson Harbour, looking past Haulashore Island
and beyond the Cut onto the Boulder Bank.
all the same) with a ruler and craft knife, then mark the centre at either
end with a fine felt marker. I keep a supply of these pre-cut pieces in my
toolbox.
To fit them, clean off any old tape. Remove the backing and line up the
pre-marked centre-line with the leading edge of the blade and with one
end flush with the end of the prop blade. Then press the tape onto the flat
side of the blade. Using your thumbs, carefully fold the tape around the
curved side of the blade, starting in the middle of the tape and working
towards the ends. Don’t try and get the whole width of the tape applied in
one go, but get about 5mm stuck down all the way along the tape, then go
back to the middle and work on the next 5mm until you’ve got the whole
width done.
Next you need a small plastic roller of the type used for wallpaper
seams. Use this to roll the tape firmly onto the blade, working from the
middle out towards the edges in all directions. You’ll be amazed how much
smoother the finished job is and how much better the tape sticks if you
use a roller. When you’ve finished, don’t forget that balance is critical on
a prop, so apply the same amount of tape to the other blades.
I’ve used this tape on my prop for years and have never had it peel
off. It’s cheap, freely available and one roll will last you for life. Although it
occasionally needs to be replaced it provides the protection required for
all except the worst events.
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
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I love these types of shots and have referred to them as Fingers of God,
however, I understand the true phenomenon is planetary movement.
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Haulashore Island
and Fifeshire Rock.
Great historical
significance as one
of the early settler
boats(the Fifeshire),
was shipwrecked
here in the 1840’s.
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This ship is
approaching the
Cut. The Cut is a
man made safe
harbour entrance
constructed in the
early 1900’s to
enable deep sea ship
entry.
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Gently drifting
down to land. Last
view of a beautiful
day from the sky.
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P O Box 441, Wellington 6140
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Email: marinair@xtra.co.nz
Prices include GST but subject to change without notice
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Page 7
Assessing and
After taking the pictures flying over water near
Auckland City and showing a couple of people
the potential next cover photo a comment was
made about assessing and managing risk. Last
months cover shot was also a dramatic picture
(Lloyd and Jan flying over mountain ranges in
the South Island) and we’ve recently had
stories of substantial cross country flying
including four Cook Strait crossings. Thus it
was deemed worthy to include a few comments
for other aviators to consider if they are
contemplating embarking on similar ‘adventure’
flights.
Without getting paranoid, I tend to assess risk
from the worst case scenario backwards, at the
same time evaluating the likelihood of whatever
risk is being undertaken, and also evaluating
and acting on the best possible mitigation for
that risk. To prove I’m not perfect at that
however, read the confession on page 18.
There’s a risk of aircraft problems (usually
mitigated by good design, good maintenance,
and good pre-flighting), a risk of pilot problems
(usually mitigated by the I’M SAFE acronym*),
Page 8
and the additional risk of whatever particular
activity is being undertaken. The latter is
especially relative to our so called ‘adventure’
flights.
From a personal point of view, I never go flying
without telling someone where I’m going and
when I expect to return. I always have a radio
with me and if I’m going anywhere away from
the airfield I also carry a Personal Locator
Beacon. Those three things cover the communication side of the trip.
Onto the issue of navigation and flight planning.
I’ve got a GPS fitted to the gyro which is great
to use. Airspace, tracking, time to destination,
everything you could want is at your fingertips.
But what if it stops working? For that reason I
also carry maps. They’re cut into small pieces,
laminated, with track lines drawn on, bound
with a spiral coil and attached to my leg for
easy reference (it’s an open frame gyro). With
the maps are also aerodrome charts from the
AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) Volume 4, and a summary of all the radio
frequencies needed along the way. If you can’t
organise a personal flight following service on a
long trip, then logging a flight plan and SARtime
(Search and Rescue) with Christchurch
Information only costs a few dollars (0800 NBO
PLAN). Just remember to let them know when
you’ve arrived safely or to extend your SARtime
if you’re delayed.
How about the weather? You shouldn’t go
anywhere without assessing the weather for the
entire trip. Proper aviation forecasts are readily
available from www.ifis.co.nz (Internet Flight
Information Service), though you’ll need some
training to decipher them. NOTAMS (Notices to
Airmen) are available from the same site and
must also be reviewed before departure. The
airfield or airspace you’re planning to use could
well be temporarily closed or subject to special
warnings. Plenty of other websites provide less
detailed but useful weather maps and wind /
rain forecasts. Make sure if you’re going
somewhere on a return trip that you’re regularly
assessing the weather for the return trip also.
It’s not much use turning around because the
weather looks bad only to find it looks even
worse where you’ve come from.
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Managing Risk
Consider what sort of country you are happy to
fly over (or at the worst, crash land into). For
that reason I’ll endeavour to fly around densely
forested areas as long as the diversion
required isn’t too great. If you are flying over a
forested area and the engine quits, what is your
crash land plan? I’ll be aiming for somewhere
low and trying to terminate into wind just above
the ground, or trees with zero groundspeed. No
point executing a perfect landing on the side of
a hill then rolling head over heels down to the
bottom of it.
And I’m personally quite uncomfortable flying
over water. It’s not so much the idea of ditching
(close to shore only) that’s a worry, as much as
sinking an un-insured gyro to the bottom of the
ocean. That said, if you are over water consider
how to mitigate the risk of fatality if you do have
to ditch. Are you on a radio frequency that is
being monitored – could you make a useful
mayday call in the heat of the moment – are
you wearing an aviation approved lifejacket with
strobe light, that you know how to use – are
you carrying a PLB, that you know how to use how will you execute your landing in the water –
how will you get out of your harnesses – how
long might you be in the water – is your
clothing suitable? - etc, etc.
by Michael Norton
Lastly if you are carrying a passenger you are
duty bound to consider the risks you are taking
on their behalf also. Passengers who are pilots
themselves may well be able to assess these
risks on their own if you explain the planned
flight to them and will probably react according
to their own degree of comfort. Passengers
who aren’t pilots wont appreciate the risks and
can’t assess these for themselves, so you have
to. You might not value your aircraft or yourself
all that highly but you must value your
passenger in the highest regard. They’re
trusting their life to you and deserve the best
risk management you can provide.
* I’M SAFE: Illness, Medication, Stress,
Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating. (You wont be such a
good pilot if you’re sick, taking drugs, stressed,
intoxicated, tired or hungry).
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nor which you are totally confident is clear of all
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behaviour and there’s plenty of people who like
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And what about the combination of weather
and countryside? If you’re going near hills or
more significantly, mountains, get familiar with
the theory of wind behaviour around hills and
other obstacles. You shouldn’t get surprised by
updrafts, downdrafts, or turbulence and you
should know about demarcation lines and how
to position yourself for smooth and safe flying.
It’s not just hills to understand either. Thermals
on a hot summer afternoon can be very
significant and if air is going up somewhere it’s
normally going down or arriving from somewhere else.
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Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Page 9
Coming Soon
Report and pictures by Tony Unwin
Since leaving Tauranga in April to meet my commitments in the UK
summer I have been instructing on my re-engined VPM16. The 120hp
two-stroke Arrow engine has been replaced with a specially lightened and
modified EA81 Subaru. Using Sub4 heads this produces more reliable
performance without the noise. This engine change took two years to
obtain UK CAA approval on my aircraft following FOUR YEARS of trials
on another VPM 16.
Now a new broom seems to have arrived at the CAA (UK) and major
changes are happening within the regulatory body, in only a year a new
machine has been approved and for the first time UK pilots can now
purchase a factory complete gyroplane in the form of the German MT03
Eagle. We are promised that the Magni 2000 from Italy and the ELA from
Spain will be following shortly. On the training front a great effort is being
made by the Authority to establish standardised procedures, training
documents and student records. A considerable investment in CAA time
and effort has resulted in an impressive quality manual being presented
to all instructors for their consideration. This is part of a consultation
exercise to engage with the ‘industry’. This attention to training follows an
assault from the airworthiness regulator which was not well received due
to its imposition with minimal consultation; the marked change of approach is most welcome.
Acceptance of the MT03 Eagle led me to investigate the possibility of
bringing this machine or the very similar ELA to New Zealand. I visited
both manufacturers which gave me the opportunity to fly both types and
assess the infrastructures available to support machines on the other side
of the world.
First to Hildesheim in Germany, a flight from Heathrow to Hannover and I
was whisked along the autobahn to a new factory unit. The factory is
conveniently positioned alongside the regional airfield at Hildesheim which
has so little traffic as to be almost dedicated to gyroplane operations. The
team of dedicated engineers have been involved in producing Microlight
aircraft for some years and as a consequence have developed skills with
fibreglass and carbon fibre.
As well as producing fuselage and tail assemblies they manufacture their
own propeller blades which meet the stringent noise requirements
imposed by the European Authorities and provide exceptional performance. Company philosophy is to minimise the reliance on external
suppliers and in this regard they have moved to in house design and
production of rotor blades. A jig has been constructed for the dynamic
testing of rotor assemblies and with the purchase of some sophisticated
software a printout creates a diagrammatic report indicating the amount of
imbalance and the rectification required. Each set of blades produced by
the factory is subjected to dynamic balancing before despatch to service.
A day with the team leaves an impression of high engineering objectives
being stringently imposed.
For comparison I had to travel to rural Spain. Due to a government
incentive scheme ELA have relocated to a delightful area north of
Cordoba. An ideal country location far from the madding crowd but also
The MT03 Eagle Gyro. Coming soon to New Zealand.
Page 10
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
miles from the nearest international airport. A flight to Madrid, a hot and
fraught metro ride across town followed by the most relaxing two hours at
200 kph on a high speed train and you reach the ancient citadel of
Cordoba. Putting aside the temptation to explore the convoluted history I
took a car up country to the sort of village where the donkeys only move
to celebrate a fiesta.
The heat was stifling, no breeze and nearly 40C was going to push any
gyroplane to its limit. My introduction to the ELA organisation dispelled
this rural image as they are located on a new business park in a large
building. Inside the air-conditioned environment twenty-first century
product contrasted dramatically with the world outside. Not only was I
talking with the originator of the design from which both the ELA and
MT03 originated but with a family set to produce a most desirable open
cockpit gyroplane. Continual development over the last ten years, striving
for a better, safer machine has placed ELA in a competitive position. The
flight I took in the Rotax 914 powered machine left me in no doubt its
performance was as good as any gyroplane I had flown. The in house
rotors are special; they have an extruded aluminium spar and a glass
fibre skin giving the appearance of a Magni rotor. There is a unique hub
bar and stiffening assembly that minimises lead lag movement and
simplifies the rigging procedure. Clearly, as with the Magni blades, rain
and hanger rash can be detrimental to the somewhat fragile finish. I
wanted to support the ELA effort and was disappointed that they were
unwilling to offer much in the way of product support leaving the problem
of promoting their machines very much in the hands of whoever would
represent them.
VPM 16 with EA81 engine and SUB4 (Autoflight) heads
ELA Rotor Head
To meet the requirements of the New Zealand market Auto Gyro Europe
are backing my decision to import the MT03 Eagle with a comprehensive
spares holding in New Zealand and will attend Tauranga to set up the first
aircraft and to train engineers in the maintenance and servicing of their
aircraft. A container arrives in mid October with three machines factory
built and equipped with everything required for training and travelling.
The spacious cockpits are both well sheltered from the elements and the
instrumentation and built-in communications provide for extensive crosscountry potential. The long range tanks hold 70 litres offering around four
hours in the air; should you think this might be a bit chilly at certain times
of year the aircraft has built-in connections for a range of heated clothing
to ensure your comfort. I look forward to demonstrating a readymade
aircraft designed for the pilot in you.
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Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
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Page 11
Training Comment
Learning Rotor Management
No matter how much runway a gyro uses on take-off, it won’t fly until the
rotor is up to speed. The effective headwind can have a huge effect on the
time it takes to achieve this. Although logic says that a slight tail wind should
make no more difference to a gyro than it does for a fixed-wing, reality is
that the lack of headwind can result in the gyro gobbling up a disproportionate
amount of runway before the blades are up to speed.
by Jim McEwen
(I posted the following article on one of the gyro forums a few years ago.
While some members may have read it, I feel it’s an important topic that
bears repeating.)
A fatal accident highlighted a situation that I believe requires an addition
to the training syllabus for all gyro pilots. The pilot in question had
undergone extensive training, including advanced manoeuvres, and appeared
from casual observation to be proficient. His training had taken place at an
airport with long runways and his machine was equipped with an efficient
pre-rotator. No doubt all his take-offs had been more or less into wind in line
with normal aviation practice, and the pre-rotator was almost certainly used
every time. After all, the machine had a decent pre-rotator, so why not use
it?
When the instructor decided he was ready, the student took his machine
home and began flying from a much shorter farm strip. Like many topdressing strips, this one sloped and the surrounding terrain allowed takeoffs in one direction only. The student had flown successfully from it a few
times one hot day with very little wind, but when he went to fly the next day
the conditions had apparently changed slightly. Once again there was almost
no wind, but those in the area thought that what there was could have been
from the wrong direction for the strip. Although there were no witnesses to
the accident, experienced gyro pilots who inspected the wreckage at the
site said there was irrefutable evidence the rotor had not been sufficiently
up to speed for the gyro to fly. It had been forced into the air in order to clear
a fence, only to hit the ground very hard on the other side and continue on
a disastrous course of events that ended in a fatality.
It struck me as probable that the pilot had never been specifically shown
how much difference the direction of the wind can make to the take-off
performance of a gyroplane. It also occurred to me that this lack of
understanding could be widespread amongst gyro pilots in general.
The need to get the rotor up to speed is one of the fundamental differences
between a gyro and a fixed-wing. A fixed-wing will fly as soon as the air
passes over its wings quickly enough. While a slight tail wind will certainly
extend the take-off roll and the groundspeed before flight occurs, the changes
in performance are proportional, logical and easily understood.
Even with a reasonable number of hours in my log book, I’m still occasionally
surprised at the length of runway I’ve used before becoming airborne on
take-off. While I was sitting at the end of the Tauranga runway one day
waiting for other traffic, the sea breeze kicked in (as it often does midmorning) and the wind changed 180 degrees. When air traffic control cleared
me for take-off I was notified that the tail wind was 3 knots. The microlight
ahead of me had no difficulty lifting off and, as it was a long runway, I decided
I had a safe margin and elected to go. I used slightly more pre-rotation than
normal, but when I was way past my usual “full power” point for no-wind
conditions the rotor was still only just beginning to accelerate. I was not able
to give full power until I was well past my normal no-wind take-off point and
then it still seemed to take forever before lift-off. In different circumstances
I could well have received a severe fright.
An advantage I have over many pilots is that I initially started flying without
a pre-rotator. Though I was very happy the day I fitted one to my machine,
all that sweat I generated hand-spinning my rotor forced me to learn all
about rotor management. Those who hand-start their rotors have a much
better appreciation of what’s happening, particularly if their rotors are of a
type that is difficult to start. With pre-rotators now common, many current
pilots have never flown without them and are unaware of everything that’s
going on above their heads during the take off roll.
If the gyro is equipped with a powerful pre-rotator, the rotor can be wound
up as needed regardless of the wind direction. In that case, the difference in
runway required between a normal and a down-wind take-off will be
proportionally much the same as for a fixed-wing aircraft. However, prerotators in general are highly stressed components designed to do the job
infrequently and only for short periods at a time. Even the best examples
can lose efficiency when drive belts become worn, control cables stretch,
rubber friction wheels wear, hydraulic systems leak, or batteries run low.
More than once I’ve seen experienced pilots who’ve always relied on their
pre-rotator get frustrated when it became a little tired. I’ve then witnessed
the rotor flapping and serious prop and rotor damage that resulted from
their lack of rotor management skills. Because there is a tendency to rely
on these less-than-perfect pre-rotation devices, I believe it’s vital to make
all students aware of the potential pitfalls.
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Page 12
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Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
If all gyro instructors carried out the following procedures as a normal part
of training before a student was signed off for solo, I believe it might help to
eliminate the type of accident described above.
Part 1: So that the student learns the basics of rotor management, handstarting should be taught even if the machine is fitted with a pre-rotator. If
the design of the gyro doesn’t permit this, then the student should be shown
how to accelerate the rotor after pre-rotating to not more than 60rpm, or one
full rev per second. That speed is chosen because it is about as fast as the
average pilot can hand-spin his blades, and also because the next bit is the
most critical. During this phase of training there will inevitably come a time
when low speed rotor flapping occurs, so the student can be taught how to
control this too. While low speed flapping is a pain and can be damaging if
allowed to continue, high speed flapping can be catastrophic. The recovery
technique is basically the same for either – stick forward, throttle back.
(This training really works. I got Brett Oswald to practice it and when he got
blade flap later in the day he was able to get it under control immediately.)
Part 2: The next part of the exercise should be carried out only when the
student has shown that he can consistently bring the rotor up to speed and
take off without using the pre-rotator. This phase should definitely be taught
before the student is cleared for solo.
•
•
•
•
•
Choose a day with a steady breeze of not more than two or three knots
blowing directly down the runway.
Starting from a reference point (a runway marker or something similar),
have the student do a normal take-off into the wind. If using a pre-rotator,
spin the blades only up to 60rpm. Use a stopwatch to time the take-off
roll to the point of lift-off. Also note the point on the runway at which the
wheels leave the ground. It would be ideal to have an observer do this for
you if possible.
After landing, repeat the procedure in the down wind direction (getting
permission to do so first if necessary). Once again, start from a reference
point, time the take-off roll and note the lift-off point. As before, use the
pre-rotator only until the rotor reaches 60rpm.
If the difference in the length of runway used is not immediately obvious,
measure the respective distances from the start points to lift-off. The
figures should speak for themselves.
Discuss the results with the student and make sure he fully understands
the implications.
All things being equal, the student will have had a graphic demonstration of
the huge difference in the length of runway required with only a few knots
difference in effective headwind. Most of this will have been used in getting
the rotor up to speed. It is a lesson that will probably be remembered when
the student encounters conditions are less than ideal. Along the way, the
student will also have learnt how to take off if the pre-rotator misbehaves
and how to control rotor flapping, both valuable lessons in themselves.
If these procedures had been part of a standard instruction format, the
unfortunate pilot mentioned at the beginning of this article would most
probably have been alive today. There are almost certainly many others
who have needlessly died, been injured or have written off perfectly good
machines in similar circumstances.
(I got several replies to my original post and added the following
observations.)
I started this thread months ago and read the other posts with interest.
Graeme Jury made the point that it might be wiser to take off uphill when
using a sloping strip in any conditions where downhill is not almost directly
into the wind. At the time I wondered how my machine would handle an
uphill take-off – it sounded a little dodgy, though I fully recognised the logic
behind it.
Since then I’ve had some first-hand experience. I was flying with another
gyro on a short cross-country when we dropped in at a nearby farm strip for
a touch-and-go. Although it was quite long, the strip had a significant slope.
Conditions were perfect with low temperatures and high pressure making
for lovely dense air, but there was almost no wind at all. The other pilot was
familiar with the area and landed first in the uphill direction. He waited at the
top for me to land and taxi up to meet him, then took off downhill. Even
though I landed right behind him, the short wait was long enough for his
rotor revs to decay significantly and he very nearly ran out of runway before
he got airborne. I had less trouble taking off as I had managed to keep my
rotor revs up, but I was very aware of the length of runway I had used, the
speed at which I was travelling and the growing certainty that I would not be
able to stop easily if I had to.
In the event there was no harm done, but we were both sufficiently concerned
to discuss the situation and what we would do differently next time. Graeme
was right - the “next time” would definitely include considering an uphill
take-off.
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Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Page 13
Flying photos
Brocken bow
The cover of our last issue included a circular rainbow projected on
the cloud below Lloyd Heslop and Jan Aberhart while flying RAE
amongst the South Island mountains. Jan sent the following explanation
found in Wikipedia, the internet encyclopedia. The photo above was
taken over the Bay of Islands and includes the shadow of a Cessna
172 (yeah I know it’s a gyro magazine, Ed).
Graeme Clarke took this picture flying down the Pelorus Valley towards
Havelock, Marlborough. The fire is a scrub burnoff in preparation for pine
planting.
Got a photo of your local patch? Send it to the Editor.
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The Brocken bow, also called Brocken spectre or Mountain spectre,
observed and described by Johann Esaias Silberschlag in 1780, is the
apparently enormously magnified shadow of an observer cast when the
Sun is low, upon the upper surfaces of clouds that are below the mountain
upon which he stands. The apparent magnification of size of the shadow
is an optical illusion that occurs when the observer judges his shadow
on relatively nearby clouds to be at the same distance as faraway land
objects seen through gaps in the clouds. The phenomenon is often
observed on mountain peaks but is recorded in literature with special
reference to The Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany
where the Brocken bow sometimes produces spectacular effects.
A spectre of the Brocken occurs when the observer casts his or her
shadow on a wall of fog. The wall of fog can be compared with a screen
in a cinema, where the shadow is projected on and magnified several
times. But contrary to the screen, fog has no smooth (real) surface, so
that it causes three-dimensional pictures which move in a spooky way
by the waving of the fog, although the observer does not move at all.
Sometimes there forms a colourful, annular optical phenomenon around
the “head” of the spectre of the Brocken, which is called a glory. This
glory is caused by backward scattering and diffraction of the sunrays
by the very small fog droplets. The rays of light become diverged by the
droplets into a pattern of concentric circles.
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Page 14
Humour
$1154 + gst
The Minister called in to see a very elderly Mrs Jones. He
had just seated himself when the phone rang. After 20
minutes had passed he began to eat some peanuts from
a bowl alongside his chair. He had finished the whole
bowl when Mrs Jones returned apologising for her absence. Feeling a little embarrassed he said “I must also
apologise. I’m afraid I got hungry and ate all the peanuts
in your little bowl there.” Mrs Jones replied, “Oh that’s
fine. Without my teeth, all I can do is suck the chocolate
off them!”
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
President’s Report
With the days getting longer and brighter, the
latest copy of Autogyro News in hand, our
thoughts are once again about soaring the
sky. Winter is not over just yet, so please be
aware of the conditions changing if taking a
cross country outing. At the end of last
summer I had an email from a Brit’ up in
Thailand who wanted to come down to New
Zealand during the middle of winter for a
crash course ( concentrated effort ) to
become a gyro pilot. After talking to several
Instructors I had to say to him, this is not the
time to take a chance with weather to pursue a
dream. For the benefit of people wishing to start
their training this year, please don’t think that a
few weekends will get it. It’s a lot harder than it
looks until it all the info and sensations start to
become normal. Our instructors are always
there to help but they do have commitments
and a life as well.
I heard a fear dink story from Australia - a chap
with a single seat gyro and a fishing rod headed
up river for a bit of outback relaxation. After
some time he caught a huge fish, which he just
couldn’t leave behind nor could he fly and hold
it. His answer to this problem was to run out
the fishing line down the runway. He tied one
end to the fish and the other to the gyro. Once
airborne he yanked the fish off the ground and
happily headed for home. Once over his house
the line was cut - a myth
or maybe a true story
was born, but only in
Australia.
Have fun out there.
Stephen Chubb
Humour
Jokes courtesy of Sybe Haakma and your
Editors local community newsletter:
One day a man came home and was greeted
by his wife dressed in a very sexy nightie. ”Tie
me up,” she purred, “and you can do anything
you want”. So he tied her up and went fishing.
Autoflight manufacture and sell everything from
individual components and hardware to complete aircraft.
We are the only company licensed to build Dominator Autogyros and supply many of
our own parts on sub-contract back to the United States Dominator factory.
A woman came home, screeching her car into
the driveway and ran into the house.
She slammed the door and shouted at the top
of her lungs, “Honey, pack your bags, I just
won the Lottery.” The husband said, “Oh my
God! What should I pack, beach stuff or
mountain stuff?” “Doesn’t matter”, she said.
“Just get the hell out.”
A Polish immigrant went to apply for a drivers
licence. First of course, he had to take an eye
test. The optician showed him a card with the
letters CZWIXNOSTACZ. “Can you read this?”
the optician asked, “Read it?” the polish guy
replied, “I know the guy”.
Contact Neil Hintz at Autoflight for:
A married couple, both 60 years old, were
celebrating their 35th Anniversary. During their
party a fairy appeared to congratulate them and
grant them each one wish. The wife wanted to
travel around the world. The fairy waved her
wand and poof - the wife had tickets in her
hand for a world cruise. Next, the fairy asked
the husband what he wanted. He said, “Sorry
Dear, but I wish I had a wife 30 years younger
than me.” So the fairy picked up her wand and
poof - the husband was 90. Which goes to
show, fairies are female.
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Autoflight Gear Reduction
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- Dominator Single Seat Plans
- Dominator Demo Videos $30
- Dragon Wings Rotor Systems
- Light and Heavy Duty Rotor Heads
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- EA and EJ Subaru Engine Building
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Page 15
Sand Castles
Engineer Extraordinaire, Neil Hintz
has been building prototype
cylinder heads in his back yard.
Here, he explains the casting
process to us lesser mortals.
The fuel pump (gravity), and tank. The burner
is running on ethanol (surprise) drained out of
one of the motorbikes. This fuel burns hot and
clean.
(pictures by Claire Hintz)
Sand water core and an exhaust
port sand core.
Casting is one of the oldest forms of metal forming and it is
interesting to note that many engine components are still manufactured by the casting process. Water cooled cylinder heads
need an intricate series of water passages which are not able to
be made by machining alone.
In a nutshell; you just melt the metal and pour it into a suitable
mould and you’ve got it! That is the easy bit - the whole process is
quite a lot more involved.
First you need a pattern, an original item or example of what you
want in metal. This pattern is often made of wood, bondifill and
casting resin. It has to be a percentage bigger than the finished
metal item because there is shrinkage as the metal cools from its
molten form.
Like a scene from a Doctor Who movie. Claire’s vacuum cleaner volunteered
itself for the project.
The pattern makes a void, an exact opposite replica in the casting
sand suitable to be filled with molten metal. Essentially, everywhere that you do not want the metal you need sand. The medium
generally used to do sand casting is sand! Though it is not the
average ‘beach variety sand’, but special sand. There are some
very sophisticated sands and binding systems. Some set hard
with heat set resins, some with two pot chemical resin (time set).
Once the mould has been set the pattern is removed and the
mould is re-assembled with cores, a runner (metal inlet gate) and
a riser (metal outlet gates). Now this mould is ready to receive the
molten metal. The metal is poured and different ‘potions’ added to
keep the heat in and constant for the cooling down process.
Once the metal has cooled which is surprisingly quick (after being
heated to over 700-800 degrees celcius), it is time to ‘crack open
the sand casting mould and there it is!
I enjoy casting so thought I would share a few pictures of the
latest cast component form my back yard. This is a prototype
cylinder head to fit the EA82 Subaru engine.
I’ll send more pictures once the head is heat treated and machined.
Neil Hintz
The furnace. Hot.
Page 16
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Sand mould ready to pour. Note the four risers out the
top. When these fill with metal, stop pouring. In the
middle is the runner, where the metal is poured in.
Pouring the mould. If anyone from OSH is reading, please note that this is actually an
Australian article and Neil Hintz definately isn’t shown in this picture.
Smoke, fire, anticipation. Go inside and have a cup of
tea now, and wait.
Look at that! Someone left a cylinder head in this sand. (Editor’s note: check out the grin
on Neil’s face. Helper David Soames looks happy as well, or is he just surprised?)
Proud Dad cleaning the sand off his new baby.
(Editor’s note: Perhaps we should have a competition
to guess how long that grin lasted for.)
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
The finished article. Heat treating and machining to follow.
Page 17
Confessions
Anyone with a few hours under their belt has probably had one or two “that was lucky”
experiences. Or if you prefer “my good skills got me out of that” even though possibly it was
bad skills that got you there in the first place. Sharing such events with others is not only
entertaining, it’s also educational. If you’ve done something that you’ve learned from and are
willing to share it for the benefit of others, send it in – you can always remain anonymous if
you wish. The following experience is courtesy of your Editor.
Accidents seldom occur as the result of one
single decision or event. They are more likely to
be the result of a series of events (the accident
chain) that progressively contributed to the
accident. The trick is to be able to recognise
these events as they occur and to make good
decisions that break the accident chain.
Ploughing on regardless following a path to
disaster is not the thing to do.
I’ll start with something I did once that seemed
fine before it nearly went wrong. Afterwards it
seemed embarrassingly silly.
The airstrip I use has a hangar about 50m from
one end which is also the end that has 40 foot
high trees across the threshold. Flying solo and
light, I’ll often fly up the strip low level at high
speed then pull into a max rate climbing 180
degree turn just before the hangar. This
generates a superb wop wop wop noise from
the blades (does anyone want to describe why
that happens for the next issue?) and
impresses visitors who are usually standing by
the hangar. That’s not how I got into trouble
though.
The other thing I’m in the habit of doing is
setting a descent approach usually on idle
power to meet the ground just past the
threshold at the other end of the strip which is
bounded by a river. From about 20 feet I
progressively add power to then fly the length
of the strip at 3 feet for a zero roll touch down
right in front of the hangar. Flying low requires
more sensitive control inputs (good practice)
and of course the sensation of speed is
enhanced (more fun).
One day, with a passenger on board, I
performed my normal approach to land at the
hangar as above. There was about a 12kt
crosswind straight across the strip which didn’t
seem like a problem. In any case, with a
crosswind blowing, it’s not a bad thing to fly
the strip a little just to get everything set up
nicely before touchdown.
Anyway, we flew right up the strip, perfectly
cross controlled ready for a touchdown in front
of the hangar. What I didn’t account for was
the complete absence of the crosswind behind
the shelter of the hangar. With touchdown
imminent, the crosswind stopped and my lazy
feet (wasn’t flying helicopters in those days)
didn’t react so we yawed sideways. *&$!, I
thought and whacked the power on to try and
arrest disaster. We stayed off the ground but
now somewhat behind the power curve. My
brain said “go around” but about 2 seconds
later it was fairly easy to calculate that with the
weight I had I could neither climb over the
trees in time, or complete a turn away from
them. *&$%!! One option left. Chop the power
and make the best landing I could between
trees and other obstacles, now past the hangar
and back in the crosswind.
With at least as much luck as skill, I managed
a smooth landing in the long grass alongside a
couple of smaller fruit trees. My passenger
knew we hadn’t managed a standard
termination to the flight but still thought
everything was reasonably normal, however I
was far from pleased with myself.
What went wrong? For a start, it’s not clever to
plan a touchdown after your latest possible go
around point. Secondly, if you’re landing in a
crosswind, beware for changes in the wind
strength especially in the instant before you’re
on the ground. Make sure your brain is well
connected to your feet – maybe even a little
wiggle is a good idea at some point so you
know you’ve got the correct yaw direction
connected to the correct foot. Thirdly, know in
advance whether you’ve got any show of
executing a go around. Although the result was
okay, those couple of seconds I wasted thinking
about it could have been used to better ensure
a successful outcome.
The only redeeming feature of the episode was
the fact that I realised a go around wasn’t an
option quickly enough to abandon the idea and
still get on the ground in one piece. Leaving the
power on would have been a disaster, probably
trying to turn away from the trees and
impacting them 30 feet above the ground. I
clearly remember a voice in my head saying
“you’ll crash it” at the point before I abandoned
the go around. The other redeeming feature is
this perhaps being an example of not getting
committed to the accident. Always keep flying
the aircraft.
It’s not something I’m proud of, but was a
valuable lesson, perhaps for others as well as
me. If something’s happened to you that others
might learn from and avoid, please consider
sharing it. Names don’t need to be printed.
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Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
Belton around the paddock
Hi fellow Gyronauts,
Very little to report since the last newsletter.
Surely it can’t be two months already.
I hear Alan Sheat has gone solo under the
watchful eye of Bill Black. Congratulations
Alan and thanks to you also Bill.
There is a course being held for all Aircraft
Inspectors on 2nd September at Feilding
Microlight Club rooms, will have more to
report on that for the next issue.
Not much more to say than that, unless I go on
about the weather.
Till next time.
Regards,
Garry Belton
CFI
For Sale
Fly-in Updates
Single Seat Dominator
Tokoroa: Labour weekend
80% complete with all parts available to
finish. Subaru EA81 fully rebuilt with
twin mikuni carbs & SUB4 gearbox.
Landing gear, control gear, rotorhead,
tall tail all built by Neil Hintz.
26ft Gerry Goodwin rotors. Pod fitted.
Genuine reason for selling. $30,000
No tyre kickers please.
Phone Phil (03) 686 0313
2 place project
Complete with all the bits and pieces
that I have. Offers please.
ZK-RBL
Brock KB3 with tall tail.
Comes with enclosed trailer.
Offers around $10,000.
Phone Darrell (06) 354 4345
NZAA gyro fly-in 21-23 Oct.
Organised by Hank Meerkerk who advises
the best motel (price, location and quality) is:
Amisfiled Motel, 22 Lochmaben Rd,Tokoroa.
Phone (07) 886 7773. People can also stay
at the airfield club rooms. Bring a sleeping
bag and if possible a mattress. Expected
donation to the club is $5 per head per night.
Cooking and toilet facilities. No showers.
Raglan: November 4-5th
NZ Sport Aircraft Association
Black Sands fly-in
All aircraft welcome, especially gyros.
Prizes, Entertainment, great township,
beaches, campground besides airfield. More
information www.saa.org.nz
Dannevirke: Akl AnniThis magazine is published every two
months by the NZ Autogyro Association
(NZAA). It is distributed to all paid up
members of the Association and to several
other aviation organisations and Clubs.
The contents of this magazine are copyright
to the NZAA but may be re-produced in
other publications with the permission of the
Editor providing acknowledgement is given
to the author and to the Autogyro
Association.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily
those of the NZAA and the NZAA does not
specifically endorse any of the content of
this publication.
Contributions to the magazine are
welcome.
Contact the Editor for article submission
requirements. The NZAA reserves the right
to modify content that is not appropriate.
See inside front cover for contact details.
Closing date for the November edition is
26th October.
Autogyro News 2006 Issue 4
versary weekend 27- 29 Jan
Annual NZAA fly-in and AGM
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autogyro.org.nz
Our website www.autogyro.org.nz hasn’t had an
update for a long while and was looking more
than a little tired. To the rescue has come recent
member and student pilot Steven Newton. Steven
has built a new site, complete with events
calendar, photo library, and forum. He’s also
hosting the site, currently for no charge to the
Association. Thanks heaps Steven. Check it out
and contribute content or ideas to Steven via
email to: support@ignitehosting.biz
The domain name autogyro.org.nz was
purchased by myself a few years ago and has
now been donated to the Association (Ed).
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Page 19
the back page
Bill Black in command of RAM over Te Anau Downs (Sonya Crook photo)