Gyroplane Info
Question:
Since I don’t have a lot of room I thought a gyroplane would be a good choice. Are they easy to build? What are the costs, and how long will it take? I want to keep it as simple as possible. Are there any homebuilt type gyroplanes for sale? Is that a good path to choice?
Don, A gyro is a very good choice for the above reasons, if you like rotorwing aircraft. Might I suggest that you attend one of the various rotorcraft fly-ins around the country and take an introductory flight to confirm your desire to fly this type aircraft. There are various Instructors and flight schools that could also accomplish this, as well, listed on one of the two Gyro Web pages (http://www.iag.net/~norman/gyro.html and http://osf1.gmu.edu/~pbarber/welcome.html). Ease of building is revelant to your skills and the equipment you have, should you construct from plans only. A middle of the road approach might be for you to construct the basic airframe, as with the Brock KB series or the Martin Hollman Bumble Bee and buy the more complicated components, such as the rotor head, prerotor and blades. Airframe construction consist of mostly cutting the tubing and angle material and drilling attachment bolt holes. If you have access to a machine shop you could also make the head, although I seriously doubt that you will save much, based on the price of a finished head from Ken Brock. Cost and construction time will vary depending on what avenue you take. For a kit from Brock you could possibly assemble it in a week of part time construction. Of course the price of admission is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $10-$12K for this practically turn-key gyro. On the other hand, The Bumble Bee, utilizing the Ralph Taggart updates can be built for about $5-$6K in about 3-6 mos. utilizing the off ther shelf components, Ralph suggest you buy. Used gyros are always available at the many gyro fly-ins around the country and are also advertised in the classified section of PRA Magazine as well as Sport Aviation (EAA Pub), Kit Planes and Trade-A-Plane. There is also a classified section on the Gyro Web Page that you might want to check. Caution is advised when buying used. Enlist someone knowledgeable in the construction of gyros before you lay your money down. A good deal may not be so good, if it’s not safe and poorly constructed. The basic simplicity of these crafts opens the door to a wide range of construction levels. Do your home work before you make a costly mistake. I would also encourage you to purchase the several books published on gyros by the likes of Abbott and Hollman, both advertised in the pages of the PRA Mag or detailed in the Web pages previously mentioned. Whether this is a good path to take is relevant to whether you are interested in rotorwinged aircraft. I’m fairly new at the sport but once I had my first instruction, was hooked. If you like it, you will love it. Others think we have a death wish. You just need to educate yourself through a relation with PRA, read everything you can on the subject, talk with builders and flyers at the various gyro fly-ins and get a demo ride to convince yourself that this is indeed the type of aviation you want to comit. Feel free to contact me or any of those listed in the Web pages if you need additional info.
Response:
I am interested in a aircraft for sport flying. Considering a homebuilt project. Since I don’t have a lot of room I thought a gyroplane would be a good choice. Are they easy to build? What are the costs, and how long will it take? I want to keep it as simple as possible. Are there any homebuilt type gyroplanes for sale? Is that a good path to choice? Don Kyle
