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Message
Gyros,
are not any more dangerous than any other
aircraft.
ALL depends on maintenance and proficiency
(professional initial training/rating - frequent refreshers until experienced to
all limits - maintaining proficiency).
Also, if an aircraft is successful in sales, that
aircraft is prone to show up in the statistics eventually as high numbers are
flown (If there are 30M Fords and only 3K Lexus out there, Fords will lead the
accident statistics...)
A sample is Robinson helicopters
(statistically the safest helicopter, lots of accidents but everyone flies them
and can afford them, although not everyone SHOULD fly them, mainly it is pilot
error...)
Same goes for the Mitsubishi MU-2 series - 3 times
certified, nothing wrong with the airplane, actually one of the most robust
airframes ever made, but pilots are skipping proper training (Beech Bonanza
syndrome, but not US-designed/only manufactured, so it is the root of all
evil...). Unfortunately this plane does not legally need a type-rating although
it needs to be flown (and is no more complex or difficult than...) a Lear-Jet,
Citation X, or any high-performance speed demon. To bad it has props on the
turbines which with its weight makes it a light twin and only needs a twin
rating on any twin....
I wonder if the friend mentioned got
enough instruction and if he thoroughly understood Gyros. I get some airplane
pilots at times who want to go for the helicopter, but do not like the high cost
of training - they are dissapointed when I turn them down, as they cannot cut
corners with me...
Certainly there are more lively gyros than others
(....or more boring ones than others) I doubt that any "bad" gyro would last in
the market....
Some people drive Porsches/Ferraris/Corvettes and
shouldn't even drive a Chevy Metro....
Just make sure the machine is healthy and you get
thoroughly trained - rotorcraft need no control movements, just think about
applying pressure no more.
If you ever got a ride in a Glassair III - what
that bird needs for smooth control at speed is all a Rotorcraft needs at all
times...
Thomas J.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 10:21
PM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: crankcase
vents
Rusty, here is a picture of the vents, both
have tape on them, one is on the oil fill tube and the second one is to the
right and comes out of the center rotor housing.
Hi John,
Both of those are open to the crankcase, so you can use
one for the vent, and just stick a rubber cap over the other one.
Be careful with the gyro, we lost a good
friend here, summer before last on his 3rd solo landing. On final he
apparently unloaded the disc at 80 feet AGL.
Sorry to hear that, but unfortunately, there are a number
of unsafe gyros out there, and this is a reasonably common story. I've
done enough research to know which ones are the most stable, and will
limit myself to those models. Truth be told gyros "can" be one of
the safest flying machines there is, and that's one of the reasons I'm
attracted to them for the single rotor
testing.
Cheers,
Rusty (haven't flown the RV-8 in
weeks...)
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