..... this last week-end!

Friday FJ & I with old Bonzer dog sleeping away in the backseat drove 12+ hrs to Anahuac airport.

Felt good to break out the camper after the long cold winter ... a tad chilly still@ night but Saturday warmed quickly & gorgeous day for club meeting of PRA Chap 62.

Dan Carr was first out with his Golden Butterfly ... a good preflight then cautious run-up & low flight before the pattern & then with all running smooth off & away for his XC flight!
Mike Grosshans was full of encouragement & ideas.
Ron Clifton came by with his big trailer & loaded up his NEW ( never flown) ultralight butterfly to take home so he could work on the rewiring it needs.... HMMM ????(Anyone else see a pattern here????
Stacy had completed his rebuild & was ready to check everything & do some balancing runs.
Danny Whitten did some flying in his VW/JohnBond!
President Mark Spies arrived with lunch fix'ns ... @ 11:00 the meeting began ... business was quickly dispatched & lunch begun - cooking burgers & hotdogs enjoyed with chips & followed by pies! ... followed by good fellowship & working on gyros / flying.

Jim had got Tiggy-B's batteries fully charged overnight & with cables reconnected she fired right up & the big SOOB rumbled smoothly. With Mike Ransleben's help & a newly acquired code reader to check the fast idle issue ... NO electronic issues .... the mechanical throttle & sensor was adjusted & tweaked until the desired idle rpm was reached! The glass screen was reading higher E rpm than actual ... what is needed is a scale adjustment - next!

Jim & Mike R ... helmeted up & got intercom active & went out to taxi around & feel the throttle response ... to the limited extent safe @ taxi speed!

A closer look at the dual throttle linkage showed that some resistance was occurring on the rear T-handle ... due to use of incorrect hardware at the fulcrum point! ( yep more choice words directed @ the designer!!!)
Mark Spies later spotted the "simple solution" ... after some debate on possible complex modifications! ... nyloc nut traded for castled & cotter ... = no more hangups!!!)

Stacy got to get airborne doing some balancing on the mains ... which turned into a behind the powercurve hop ... ( unplanned)??? ... luckily Chris had a handheld radio & told him he was too slow & too nose high ... well more like " Stacy ... you're behind the P-curve DROP YOUR NOSE ... GET the NOSE down !!" ... he did & landed safely .... I gave the hand held to Danny W who coached him on from there!


Next morning Stacy was out early to enjoy the calm wind for his next round of balancing/hops. He asked me to spot him & tell him if I saw a him too slow/ incorrect attitude again ... he did better & well & progressed to a low pattern flight. Danny took Stacy's Gyrobee up next to double check things for him.

Jim was out taxiing Tiggy again ... & getting a bit too fast ... so we waved him in & asked if Danny W. would go backseat & assess things & give some pointers.

They did some more taxiing & then with rotors spinning ... the wind was best for the rough grass strip 17 ... but after several teeth rattling runs attempting to raise the nosewheel they tried a run on the paved 12 with a good right crosswind! That's when the left leaning rotor head revealed a necessity for control rod adjustments so that the freak'n thing was LEVEL with the stick (near) centered ... legacy of YOUKNOWWHO!!!

Just before we packed up to head homewards on Sunday afternoon ... the wind was straight down the 12 ...so Jim ventured out to do a steady taxi run with rotors spinning ... nothing too ambitious ... just feel out the leveled rotorhead/centered stick. It looked GREAT from my observers position ... HUGE difference to the former stupid cocked-over position!

Lots of good progress made! Tiggy-B now ready for a serious test pilot next!



DAMN ... I forgot the pics loaded here come out arse-backwards .... the LAST ARE FIRST in the narrative!!!! .... the Sat pics are at the end the Sunday ones at the top!

I am very sorry for your troubles with Tiggy. I am glad you have help. I wish Jim was flying it already.

We think it would be a GOOD IDEA to replace the hard to reach Soob car ign switch. (and not new by 10 yrs)

Something that is sturdy, simple, and whatyall think about using a Push Button to activate the starter motor !!!?

(Once the key or switch is 'on')

fj

I have the same setup. Key turn lights on hit start button. Safety is built in.

Agree.

The key point in aviation... is to have a 'kill switch'. Now if the key stops everything attached to the aircraft electrical system... then by default if the key is off... nothing works.

IMO that is plenty of 'safety'.

One might mount the starter button (or spring loaded switch) with a guard over it... so it cannot be hit/pushed by accident.

Looking forward to seeing this bird... the pictures do not do it justice at all...

Dang! That's enormous! (not F.J. so much, but the gyro!)

Hope you get everything worked out soon.

I saw FJ's gyro at Mentone. It is HUGE! It actually ate the gyros parked immediately to its left and right side the first night.

Jim had hoppers on it that could hold an days chicken house production of eggs.

I believe I retired from all competitions including being the egg target for a good reason!

Stan

Not comforting at all.....

Thanks for all the pics!!!!!

Looking forward to Bensen Days so I can see it for real!!!!!

Same here!