THIS VIDEO *COULD* SAVE YOUR LIFE!! Rotorblade Flap on Takeoff! 

I'm a fixed wing pilot, but enjoyed the video. Nice to see complicated safety issues explained to such a high degree!

BRILLIANT and easy to understand explanation of blade flap. I was only a fixed wing pilot, but have a few mates that fly Gyro's. Now I can visualise what they were talking about. 👍

You can see why Ken Brock loved to balance on the mains as much as he did. Also the lessons of lowering the disk to rid the excess drag while still balancing on the mains to allow lift off. The without touching the throttle gently tilting the rotor back to increase drag and the aircraft would descend. So many lesions were gleaned.

When I was working the transition from two place to my single seat Gyro Technic, I moved the stick too far forward during wheel balance practice and accelerated too fast. But, thanks to you and Greg Claire, I immediately recognized the error and pushed the stick full forward and reduced to idle. No biggie...just slowed down, and went back to practice some more with a new appreciation for good training.

Another excellent video, Ron. Good information that we need internalize to safely fly these wonderful flying machines. As with any aircraft, giving wide margin to the areas that can bite you is the best way to assure a long, safe flying career.

Another excellent video Ron! You have covered two vulnerable points during takeoff that can get scary if not handled correctly. 👍

Ron taught me how to fly a gyro in 1984. He's the best!

Still one of your best videos. I just rewatched it for the third time in preparation for my CFI training. Thanks!

I can watch Ron fly all day long. Great video, it reminds me about things that I took lightly during training.

Excellent Ron! loved the video

Thanks so much for this tutorial. Very helpful.

You’re great teacher and well explained details. Making me to have second thoughts about getting into it.

Great video Ron, I just starting my Gyroplane journey and this was very helpful.

I don’t fly rotorcraft, but I’d like to compliment you on the clear instructions you’ve provided.

Excellent info. Thank you. Cheers!

Thank you for sharing your expertise

Great video and explanation!

I just found out what gyroplanes are today, and this video really helped me understand how these things fly and take off. Really cool.

Thank you for the safety advice above the blades being to far back or forward and to use the cyclic in the proper way im just started on flight training here in the UK on autogyros, thanks again, Peter

Very good explanation of how to start flying gyrocopter.

What a brilliant demonstration!!!!! Well done😃 My flying experience are with gliders and ultralights, each one has its own idiosyncrasy to be aware of.

i trained with Ron in 1991,,many hrs spend on runway learning to manage the blades.i never expierance rotor flap.. i was only successful because of good training

Great video as always Ron…only comment I have is this focus should be on EVERY takeoff, not just first takeoff The mental concentration is needed every time we take that runway…just my 2cents

What a great video, very educational , I don’t fly but is something I’m Interested in the future to do , things like this are really great to know so I like to do a bit of homework and get some idea before getting into it , really appreciate you taking the time to do these videos , much appreciated , keep them coming . 👍

I'll be doing my national sportpilotslicense for microlight aircraft soon and Gyros is what I will do after getting the "standard" plane license. It's not too much more money doing both. Your lesson is invaluable in understanding the quirks of the gyro. When I did a lesson with a gyropilot he told me the same things as you. Tilt the rotorplane into the crosswind to not tip over. Prerotate on the runway, not before. I was flying in a callidus after I already hat a sightseeing flight in the mto sport. Autogyros are very fine machines. :)

Well explained Greetings from Bavaria 👍

That was the most thorough Gyro brief I ever witnessed. If I was a POW and the only mean of escape was a Gyro, I feel like I can fly gyro just based on the video.

Great lesson! Not a pilot yet but hoping in the near future tho

I don't trust an instructor who spins the rotor blades in the wrong direction in their training video! Just kidding Ron, I love your videos and appreciate your diligence toward promoting safety of our sport. I was taught to reduce power at the start of blade flap, but not to push the sick forward. I see both sides of it; if you flatten the blades, it'll prevent the flapping, but your ground speed/roll would will be longer; on the other side, if you simply reduce throttle, the rotor acts as a parachute to stop you very quickly which would also stop the flapping unless you have a very strong head wind. Your thoughts on the latter would be greatly appreciated! Was I instructed incorrectly or will either method work. I've never incurred blade flap (except intentionally in training) as I have plenty of runway that I'm never in a hurry to get up to speed and in the air... nice smooth throttle control.

Thank you sir for explaining the serious pitfalls

Seems to me avoid the flapping and gyros are the safest aircraft. Never thought I’d learn to fly but really thinking about it since all the engine failures I’ve seen seem tame and what always stopped me. Also intrigues me in a engine failure you can vertically decend and then move forward if in a tight spot. Granted my local airport is Shelter Cove,Ca I’d likely being going in the water or be extremely lucky to not lose it. At least it will be calm landing

Wow! Excellent video

Best I’ve ever seen

Great to watch n learn from 🙏

Great Video & training advice. (rotating blade backwards a few times?)

Love from Sweden ❤

I have over 5,000 hours in helo's, yet your Gyrocopter admonition concerning starting blade rotation 90 degrees to the runway, and then, perhaps, inadvertently tilting the rotors downwind, just never occurred to me that it might very well cause the gyrocopter to tip over on its side!! I learned a VERY VALUABLE LESSON TODAY!! .....I learned a LOT of other things, as well, just from your one training session!! You are a SUPERB INSTRUCTOR, Ron!!......Thanks for the training!! Question: RON,...To prevent blade flap, why wouldn't you gain some degree of forward airspeed, BEFORE releasing your pre-rotor engagement. That way, moving the blade disk to the rear, WHILE ALREADY HAVING A DEGREE OF FORWARD AIRSPEED,.... WOULD PREVENT BLADE FLAP? Would it not be a better way, as a procedure?

My wife once commented I had rotor flap. Well, I was quite humiliated. I avoided intimacy with her for weeks.. until I found out what that actually was. Now I'm a happy and much improved pilot.

What happened if you spin the rotor faster or to fast ? 😊 thanks great video 😊

I’m a PPL(A) and (H), one day I’ll get my (G) so I’m along for the ride. Thanks for the tips.

hi Captain Ron....Great instructional videos.....where can i buy a demo Gyro like the one you use on your demos. thank you

Quick question, I'm not a autogyro pilot, but I am a former helicopter pilot, so I know all about auto rotation. The question is, how do you control the rotor head rpm other than using cyclic pitch? In the helicopter, the rotor head itself has blade pitch that you can control with the collective, which helps you keep from over speeding the rotor during auto rotations when pulling Gs in a turn. If you can't control collective blade pitch, how do you keep from over speeding the rotor head?

Big experience thank yu

thank you

Your a brave young man flying that tiny mosquito. What happens if your engine dies? Do you just do an auto rotation landing as in a helicopter?

There is no swash plate in a gyro, is there?

Do you have a video on crosswind takeoff and landing?

thanks :))

Cool video

That's similar to mast bumping on huey s where the rotor head assembly literally cuts through the rotor drive shift..

The largest problem I have researched is negative g push over. The blades become unloaded and you drop like a rock.

Hi Ron - great video and explanation. I love the model gyro! My only key comment on the take off run (as an instructor myself) is I don't want the front wheel to touch the ground (or "bump" as you referred it to) because as the nose lifts and we apply more power we'll need to also apply right rudder to account for yaw, which will put the nose wheel off the straight line and to the right. If the nose wheel then touches the ground we run the risk of flipping! Once the nose wheel lifts I want to keep it in the air, or if we need to abort the take off then get that nose wheel straight, reduce power, let the gyro settle and ease the control stick forward once the front wheel is back on the ground. I also avoid the words "push" or "pull" when it applies to the control stick - you did say "ease" during the video but the word "push" was also used. It's a subtle difference but I've found just adjusting the language a little helps the student with being more careful with their movements. I'm sure you have many more years experience than me - just sharing a bit of what I've encountered during both my own training as well as instructor time.

I’ve witnessed 3 blade slap incidents two of them resulted in tail strikes and one total destruction of the gyro… no injuries. It is one reason I’ve sworn off gyros

The blades rotate trailing edge first?

You dont pre rotate full stick back?

Why do you rotate the rotor in the reverse direction in your "demonstration"?

I got rotor blade flap in a 20 mph wind as I "started to taxi", This was in the first few seconds of moving from stationary to taxi shredding the tips of a brand new warp drive prop.

I couldn't be doing with all that stick shake and airframe vibration ! Think I'll stick to gliding !!

Excellent! Why does the cyclic stick vibrate soooo much during spin up? It looks like it’s going to break loose.

But why is a ‘performance takeoff’ to be avoided when learning, what is the pitfall?

Thanks! Why do you start with the ciclic to the full forward and full left and not full forward and to the right?

Not sure why you're pre-rotating backwards on the model.....?

Could you use the pre rotator to keep the blades in the green the whole time down the runway until you are actually stabilised in the air, or is that not an option?

This message could save your life. Get into the driver's seat, put on your seat belt, adjust mirrors for observation of blind spots. Start engine, shift transmission into drive and proceed forward carefully.

Rotor flap So, that's what that noise was! I thought the old lady had left her underwear at home..... lol

0:40 Speaking of danger zones... You're rotating your rotor backwards!

Maybe you should turn the blades the right direction

Seems like lot of crashes during takeoff in gyrocopters.

There is absolutely no chance whatsoever in any shape of form that this video could save my life let alone have any impact on my life whatsoever!!!

I don’t believe that you taxed out without your rotors spinning. You sat on the runway doing your checks and then spun your rotors up. All the time you sat there you blocked others from turning onto final, making them go around. You wouldn’t last a week at our airfield. We were taught to spin our rotors by hand, that way you learn how to manage your rotors. We spun the rotors up by hand just off the taxiway and when we had them spinning fairly well we would taxi out to the runway, and by the time we got to the runway they were spinning enough to start heading down the runway building up the rotors revs, ready to start balancing on the mains gaining speed to takeoff speed. None of our members ever got behind the power curve. You see so many gyro pilots on RU-vid getting behind the power curve and crashing their very expensive machines. What you do see is very few balance on their mains and let the gyro fly off without horsing it of the ground. I have over 4000 hours under my belt.Fly safely.

a stick shaking this way shows those rotors are just crap

You are turning the rotor in the incorrect direction in your example. Unloading the rotor at take off is suicidal !

Why are you spinning the rotor backward........are you a hack?

I don't give much for an instructor who spins the rotor in the wrong direction.

Love the way you are turning the rotors the wrong way in your demonstration. Not a good look.

...comes the time when we're just too damn old and that sir, is you. Were I looking for an instructor and viewed this vid, you're not the first one I'm calling. Talk too much, saying too little. "Yammering" I believe it's called. Using your model, you had the rotor spinning clockwise in attempting to illustrate your point . Then, in the same breath changing the rotation to counterclockwise. Huh? You did this twice. For the demonstration flight you acknowledge you didn't have the wind to illustrate your point...why continue? Would you have not been better served to fly, demonstrate and make your point on another day, with favorable winds? If I'm charged with helping to grow this segment of GA, you're not my point guy. (Perhaps it's worth mentioning that I'm about to turn 72...or not.)

I’m still shaking my head at you telling people to taxi with your rotors stopped. Crazy. Get a second opinion people.

Sounds like it would be easier to fly a 747 for Christ sake. This type of aircraft only has 3 flight controls being the rudder peddles, throttle and control stick. It supposed to be easy to fly making it ideal for beginners who haven't flown before. Video makes it sound otherwise.

I was abducted by aliens, they let me fly their spaceship.

Great! Great! Great! Thanks

I got an idea...........stop flying flim flam apparatuses and you will live a lot longer

Nope.

Rotorblade Flap is not a problem for Gyro Gerald...