Gyrocopter perfect take offs 

Thanks for the thoughts. Without putting words in your mouth I think the feature that you find “comfortable” is the flatter unstick attitude? Ref: trim pressure - that is linked to the above because if the MT has any residual pressure in the system then it is effective trimmed slight aft and so makes for moving the stick forward slightly harder. i.e. more stick force. I don’t talk about that here (although it might get mentioned face to face depending upon individual feedback) because:- 1) it creates yet another step in the process 2) the forces aren’t that great for an adult guy of average build to overcome anyway 3) the process I suggest it isn’t a factor because the nose isn’t going to “pop” 4) even if you feel it is harder on your arms I’d rather trade that for less steps and added mental capacity to deal with other factors that are even bigger deals 5) if the forces are so great for you as an individual then hopefully sub-consciously you can include the process as part of your own method but done automatically whilst able to focus on the other more critical items. That’s just my advice - but I understand why you have the feedback you do - its just seat time and creating a consistent feel. So happy to include the “dump trim” but just don’t obsess about it - in actual fact in Cavalon it has an even bigger effect! As I mention all the time - making a 4-5min film that is watchable becomes hard to grab all the nuances and cover all bases. That’s not an excuse but make a 30minute cover all film - the real nuts and bolts get forgotten while you remember to trim forward, if you take my point? Neminem posted a link in these comments to an accident in 2012 where the aircraft (seems to me reading) suffered a tail strike because of over rotation. So to my point and the clips in the film that is a common error [and it would have happened in a more extreme way to the Magni M16 pilot in France (the red gyro) but the Magni rotor does not incline as much as AutoGyro and other rotor heads plus it has a straight keel. So put that guy on that take off in an AutoGyro - it looks ugly.] Yet detractors of mine only focus on rotor RPM or not pulling the stick back. Well hang on I say pull the stick back - so if you don’t do that you are not doing the technique but more to the point any accident that has happened that way has only happened to people using the standard technique. So this is just chatter. It is a real issue but it is an error not of technique (whatever you use) but of forgetting to do something you needed to do. It is helped by having a simple, less complex process - Hence 2 steps. Frankly if you can not remember 2 steps then stop flying. Harsh but fair. So now we look at the rotor RPM issue. Well again in this technique we are looking at rotor RPM so how do you mess that up?? Look at the rotor RPM decaying and not act? Again if you can not monitor your instruments - stop flying.

Gyrocopter flying club - I think that, as you’ve said in your videos, the unstick is a little later and there is better airflow over the empennage. The flatter unstick requires less correction. My thoughts about why my takeoffs are not so tidy if I don’t dump the trim is because I’ve been taught to do it right from the beginning and I’ve become accustomed to the way that the stick feels, and I’m probably positioning the stick by feel rather than by sight. As the gyro is still on the ground at this time, the feel of the stick is the only feedback. If there is still trim pressure, the stick ends up being further back during the takeoff roll and as the nose comes up, it requires a greater degree of correction. Add to that the fact that with the stick further back, I’ve been creating a lot more drag, so the acceleration profile ends up being quite different. I think if I were to spend time learning takeoffs without dumping the trim but keeping much the same technique, otherwise, my takeoffs would eventually be as good without doing so as they are when I do so. I absolutely agree with your aim to simplify the number of steps. I think that the take-off phase is probably when the work-load is highest in a gyro. I read the article about the 2012 accident. The guy said that there was no damage to the tail but that there were what appeared to be blade-strike marks in the ground to the left of the gyro’s track. This suggested to me that he’d outrun his retreating blade. He even said that the starboard wheel lifted. Of course, I don’t have your level of experience or knowledge. What I found astonishing in your video is the guy in the silver Calidus. I’ve scraped my keel on takeoff (during training) and the immediate response was to lower the nose a little. He seemed to keep on pulling back. I agree with your statement that if you cannot monitor your instruments, stop flying - because if you don’t, you’re likely to stop flying one day whether you intend to or not. Oh... and just to be clear - I didn’t make my post because I disagree with your technique. I was curious as to your thoughts on dumping the trim and why it might make a difference (as you might have a different take on it to my own).

Hey no no - hey its cool I didn't think you were calling me out but even if you do thats good also. Speak freely on this channel I never delete a comment and I answer honestly. Thats how we all learn right? What is very funny to me is the reaction to some films/views that I know are controversial. I get a dozen thumbs down but nobody speaks up. Its part of the problem actually with the gyrocopter community - nobody wants to stand out and speak up with what should be obvious issues. Hey ho.

Gyrocopter flying club - One thing I’d like you to clarify - Do you advocate for keeping the nosewheel on the ground until unstick or is it just that you are putting the focus on rotor RPM rather than wheel-balance? In other words, not actually eliminating the wheel-balance altogether but just not making that the focus of the procedure? Because that’s how I interpret your two videos on the subject and I would like to be sure that I understand).

@@RoadRunnerLaser In some gyros the trim is less easy to change. In the Sparrowhawk and RAF 200 it is a spring system adjusted by pulling a cable with a wheel. Not fun to keep adjusting and easy to leave adjusted for the next flight. So in those and many like them they are left set. It is hard to give the best practice for every gyro.

The problem is they don’t describe a methodology to get to this shallow angle of pitch to take off. And as you can see from the link of a 2012 accident in the previous comment - that pilot was waiting for the nose wheel to lift before reacting and he didn’t he just over-rotated - which as you can see from this film it happens often. Some crash some get away with it. The key with this technique is that you are pro active and alive to action at key points plus the drag is less and if you add in the context of the newer 320rrpm aircraft this technique is closer so again requires less re-training. Mental capacity is key with gyros.

Hi - no I don’t think he followed the points... it seems like he over rotated but the rotor RPM won’t have been 250 if he had 28ft rotors.

If you look through all of the films at one point I always tried to start with an odd military themed image / video for no other reason than I liked them!

Hello Jim I would agree in so far that this method you talk of means a greater investment of time and so the learning is prolonged - that said see the next film. We simply don't have spare airfields with no traffic or noise issues to practice all day.

@@gyrocopterflyingclub6148 Point taken, but I still think people should be taught to bring the rotors up from say 100rpm. Shouldn't be to time consuming for most and will demonstrate the feel of the rotor.

Worse instrumentation is not the answer to better flying habits.