[Edited on 29-6-08 by mangogrooveworkshop]
and buy a http://www.gyrocopters.co.uk/html/prices___accessories.html
[Edited on 29-6-08 by mangogrooveworkshop]
Aren't they generally considered unsafe? 
gyrocopters are supprisingly safe, whilst a helecopter is not self sustaining - e.g. engine dies - you die. If the engine fails on a gyrocopter then
the blades continue to spin and you cost down to earth slowly.
Only problem is the take off and landing isn't verticle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK9g0P1RsVg&feature=related
Hmmmmm....it could be a way to get the Fozzmobile over all of the mega high speed humps/cushions/sleeping policemen that are rapidly
'blocking' me in, that seem to grow in height overnight... 
Fozzie 
quote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
gyrocopters are supprisingly safe, whilst a helecopter is not self sustaining - e.g. engine dies - you die. If the engine fails on a gyrocopter then the blades continue to spin and you cost down to earth slowly.
Sounds good in theory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmuzvGFsYw&feature=related
Daimo_45 - 30/6/08 at 12:12 AMStill that is a pretty safe landing as far as crash landings goes.
donut - 30/6/08 at 05:57 AMNormal helecopters have Auto rotation so they do have one chance of a decent landing!
Autogyro's look really fun!
geoff shep - 30/6/08 at 06:58 AMHelicopters autorotate in the same way that autogyros autorotate. I think the problem with auto gyros is that they are often flown by pilots with little gyro or rotary experience.
mackei23b - 30/6/08 at 07:01 AMThe are 'bold pilots' and there are 'old pilots', but there are no 'old bold pilots'.
quote::
Originally posted by geoff shep
Helicopters autorotate in the same way that autogyros autorotate. I think the problem with auto gyros is that they are often flown by pilots with little gyro or rotary experience.
jabbahutt - 30/6/08 at 07:23 AMalways fancied one after watching James Bond.
Lack of land to take off and land would be my problem. What sort of licence do you need to fly one of these?
Mr Whippy - 30/6/08 at 07:33 AMLooked into those, terrible crash record and very prone to uncontrollable tip stall. There's a few fatal accidents on you-tube too. Have a go at flex wing microlights, these are much much safer and a lot of fun. You can land as low as 30mph in one of these, foot throttle, 70mph top speed, 45 deg climb rate and cheaper to own than a motorbike. You can't normally see the wing above you so it's just like being on a flying trike.
[Edited on 30/6/08 by Mr Whippy]
Mr Whippy - 30/6/08 at 07:38 AMquote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
gyrocopters are supprisingly safe, whilst a helecopter is not self sustaining - e.g. engine dies - you die. If the engine fails on a gyrocopter then the blades continue to spin and you cost down to earth slowly.
Only problem is the take off and landing isn't verticle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK9g0P1RsVg&feature=related
not true, heli's are perfectly capable of landing safely without power, infact due to full pitch control that a heli has and most gyro’s don’t they are much more controllable when autorotating as you can stop above the ground and gently land in a heli, it just requires practice.
steve m - 30/6/08 at 08:03 AM"Admitted to NHS A&E Monday morn..1.00 am....heart threw a wobbly.......docs say must loose 25 kgs more lost about double that last few months to lighten the car "
But surely if you are a tad to heavy for your car a gyro copter is way way out of reach ??
Plus with your heart murmer (i do hope you are on the mend) a licence will be a nono
trust me i know, as had a heart virus at 24 yr old, 8 weeks after completing my PPL, and lost my medical, although i can fly with another pilot,
steve
tegwin - 30/6/08 at 08:51 AMAutogryos are pretty cool but they are easy to crash..
If you let the rotor RPM decay you get rotor stall....Once the rotors stall, no matter what you do they will simply act as an airbrake and stop spinning.....This is bad news!
Atleast with a helicopter its a little bit harder to get into a state of rotor stall (ALthough still all to easy)...
My all means go for it, but surley the cheaper and safer option would be a microlight.....Some of the larger microlights have enclosed cockpits
Mr Whippy - 30/6/08 at 09:01 AMThis is one type I had a lot of fun in, unfortunately it was too expensive for me to buy. It was stunning, maybe not in the looks department but not one day was it grounded due to weather. Fully barftasticly aerobatic the guy who owned it had been flying the same plane for 11 years almost everyday. My favourite was getting to hand start it as he'd worn out the starter motor!
[Edited on 30/6/08 by Mr Whippy]
tegwin - 30/6/08 at 09:21 AMA thought...Dont underestimate the cost of owning anything that flies....The paperwork/airworthyness blarb is complicated and relativley expensive..
Dont let it put you off!...Just something worth thinking about
motorcycle_mayhem - 30/6/08 at 09:27 AMquote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Aren't they generally considered unsafe?
What isn't these days? I guess staying in bed is an option to reduce the risk of anything nasty happening to you, but an alarming number of people probably die in beds....
Back on topic, yep, down this thread is a picture of a Thruster (quite a fresh one), this is a 3-axis machine, it'll fly in conditions (wind) that will ground a flex-wing, so the best choice for hours in the air in the UK. You can't beat a flex-wing though, for the same reason you can't beat a motorbike (personal thing..). You need a licence for either flavour of microlight, with a few hours to convert if you want to fly the other.
I got fed up trying to learn in the UK, so went on 3-week intensive course in the Gambia. Great weather, great food, great people, though big mosquitoes and civil unrest were the negatives...
Nothing quite beats flying to somewhere though, just the weather is VERY limiting.
iank - 30/6/08 at 10:31 AMGyro's can be unsafe in the hands of people who don't fully understand pilot induced oscillation (PIO) and this is the reason they have a bit of a bad reputation.
http://members.cox.net/rotors1/gyro/
They are intrinsically safe from engine failure as you cannot stall them unlike microlights.
Not sure what tegwin means by rotor stall if engine RPM drops, the rotors aren't connected to the engine so they don't stall from lack of forward motion but by negative G (so don't try a loop
Mr Whippy - 30/6/08 at 10:56 AMGyros main problem lies with the blades going into stall (usually tips first), this extra drag slows them down and they loose lift. If this happens on one side the machine rolls over and it can be difficult or impossible if low to get the airflow to spin the rotor back up. Most of the crashes I have read about are due to poor management of the rotor speed.
Flex wing microlights have the odd ability not to able to go into spin without one being deliberately held on (even then it’s just a tight spiral). This makes them very safe added to that they glide very well. Their main down side is the poor negative G capability (virtually none) so you need to be wary of that, I have heard of inverted flexwings folding (stupidly flying into a storm cloud being one way). As above the 3 axis ones are superb in every way but you’ll be paying quite a bit for them.
Microlight maintenance is quite cheap, they have a yearly test (involves the tester flying it) and some maintenance (engine, fittings instruments, installing approved accessories) can be done by the owner but virtually none that change the design are permitted. Changing coverings must be done by the factory, and they aren’t cheap.
As also mentioned the weather in this country is a disaster when it comes to getting your licence and many folk go to Spain and the like to get theirs. Flexwings are mostly limited to around a 10 knot crosswind or less, not very much really.
They also have the ability to be trailered behind the car and can be rigged by one person in calm conditions but that wing does weigh quite a bit, I could only just manage it.
[Edited on 30/6/08 by Mr Whippy]
Mix - 30/6/08 at 05:00 PMHi
I appologise from the outset on account of my not bothering to read much of this thread, however as someone who has been involved in the rotory winged aircraft industry for longer than I care to remember I suggest you seek advice from a more informed source. Some of these responses make me cringe.
Ooops I think that was a rant.
Regards Mick
Rod Ends - 30/6/08 at 05:42 PM
Mark Allanson - 30/6/08 at 06:04 PMquote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
gyrocopters are supprisingly safe, whilst a helecopter is not self sustaining - e.g. engine dies - you die. If the engine fails on a gyrocopter then the blades continue to spin and you cost down to earth slowly.
Only problem is the take off and landing isn't verticle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK9g0P1RsVg&feature=related
I used to autorotate a wasp quite well, gnome disengaged, but never for real!