Hi guys (and gals).

I owe it to Muz, Gabs and JM to share my happiness.

I'm a pilot, finally.

After soloing on the 8/8, my instructor thought it was time.

But it's late in the year and the weather is rarely cooperative.
Last time I went to fly the CFI for the test (whatever you call him) couldn't make it,
but it didn't matter anyway, because the prerotator gearbox broke a tooth.
(prerotator failing in different places for the third time).
I ordered a new gearbox and modified it to fit.

This time, after a few days of rain and wind, it loosened up a bit.
But we had to take a detour, because of low cloud cover.

We arrived at the small field chosen after more than two hours in the air.
The friendly CFI checked the gyro over and away we went.

Start, flight and landing at another field (I hadn't seen any of them before).
Two great touch and go's (hadn't tried it that much - but much fun), a 360 deg. turn
and a simulated engine out we went on our way back.

Downwind of the field he cut the engine and I thought: Okay he wants me to land without power.... (hadn't really done it like that).
After the smooth landing he told me: No, it was another simulated engine out... Oh, it was just auto matic - or I got lucky...

Then a number of questions, tech and flight related, and the skill test was done!

But it looked like the weather would take a turn for the worse, so we had to head for home straight away.

This time over water - more straight, but a bit risky, even at 6000 feet. In the middle of the track, engine out would make us wet.
And it looked like we were flying straight into a heavy cloud cover. So I was worried. But we had ground view all the time.
I discovered, you get cold fingers at 6000 feet in fall....

5 hours total in the air - and my last landing "home" wasn't that pretty. It was a "stop and drop" landing.

After paperwork and a small beer for celebration I drove my car for 4 hours straight to get to the nighttime ferry for home.

And fell over in a bed on the ferry. Toughest day of a tough year, but worth it....

BTW, the CFI testing me is the DK Auto-Gyro dealer and he has done some interesting things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmwEbjzLtDo&t=443s

First time he did it in an MTO Sport with his father.

Cheers,
Erik (in red suit)

Congrats Erik... that is awesome.. well done mate!

Congratulations!

Salut Erik
thx for the news, congratulations for your surprise test !
I wish I was there for celebration beer !
cheers
jean mi

That terrific!

Yes JM - where were you? I had more beer....
Cheers
Erik

I don't remember were I was... but obviously not at the right place ... next time

Congratulations Erik!

Erik... will you ever try flying from your island to the mainland? Is that part of the plan?

Hi Murray.

My MTO is still with my instructor (in the mainland peninsula Jylland) - without insurance in winter. I plan on flying it home (to my island) in spring. Over more water distance than I can glide, of course.

I'll have the biannual check done before then - a guy owe me that, because he borrowed my gyro for two hours.

And soonest get my passenger permit. I can't decide where I'll fly off the 25 hours needed. That's 320 - 500 liters of gas - ouch! That's slightly more than a thousind dollars US.

Maybe I'll hop around all of Denmark, visiting friends. And we are hosting a gyro weekend in late may next year - swedes and danes take turns each year.

Best wishes to you and yours,
Erik

Hi Erik
just don’t tell your rotax you are above the sea !
how long will the trip be ?

Hopefully not too many Finns will turn up... then there would be a shortage of alcohol in the area

Well, in Denmark no Rotax 4 stroke engine on a gyro has ever failed in flight - so far.
But I've been told, that any engine starts to sound strange, as soon as you're over water.

If I took it all in one lump, it would be 2½ - 3 hours.

But I plan on several stops along the way, visiting people. Also to refuel, just in case.

I need my 25 hours to get a passenger permit and so far I have only 2 as PIC.

Cheers
Erik

It's called visible moisture

Had a flight school call to find out why the engines were sounding 'funny' on take off....

Got in the plane on a clear sunny day - the pilot took off and the engine went rough , Looking out side I added carb heat

the end of the runway was a lake "Use carb heat with visible moisture"

Erik, do yourself a righteous favor, after ANY work on your engine, fly no less then 10 hours off without so much as a blip before heading out over the water.
It has been my experience that most issues on decently maintained rigs occurred AFTER it has been serviced.

Ask Dave B about his latest troubles with the psru!

Yes, I have seen engine problems very often occur just after service. Someone in the US wrote about it. I think I have a print of it somewhere.

So: If it works....don't fix it. My 914 runs beautifully, so why take things apart?

I'll do only the required maintenance - the previous owner should've changed all rubber etc. a long time ago (he surely didn't).

I'll be over too much water many times on my way home. And I know my MTO is nearly one-of-a-kind, with the carbon rotor.

So, although insured when spring comes (until I fly well enough), it wouldn't be the same... Thank you for caring

Cheers
Erik

I recently got my first ride in an MTO on our trip to Australia. We flew out over Byron Bay to look at some Humpies.
the stick and rudder feel on the MTO was not as "lively" as some other two seat rigs I have flown but it sure tracked well.
You have a beautiful corner of the sky to fly around in in your area and a gorgeous rig, fly safe and keep an eye on those blade hubs....

Hi Henry. Thank you very much.

I've been told, the MTO is like a bus compared to a single seater.

But then again, it's probably more sporty than the Magnis.

A compromise. And I have really made it my own by modifying a number of parts.

It was cheap, but it needed some maintenance, so it became less so. But I love my 914 engine...

A guy got his type check in my gyro. He used to fly an Air Command 582 Lowrider - and he really liked my MTO.

I feel very, very safe at 1200-1500 feet - now I feel unsafe riding a motorbike....

I had my reasons for buying a carbon rotor - the interface between blade and hub is very secure.

Not a fixed chord aluminum blade clamped on directly.

Cheers
Erik

hi ,
Autogyro Aluminium extruded blades are not good at all ( not thick enough), and above all their rotor hub bar is designed to ovalize the root blade drilling ...... so you did well buying a new rotor
what about the vibration .. In my gyro if I release the stick no vibration is visible on the stick at all and I can feel any vibration when I hold the stick in hands
cheers
jmi

Well JM,

after assembling the rotor per the instructions, I haven't gotten around to finally balance it.

It should be possible to get it as free of vibrations as possible.

There is always /1 and /2 vibes, or so I've read. Can't be avoided.

Soon (early next summer) it has been in use 100 hours. Then I'll dismantle it (instructions say so) and afterwards balance it with my PB-3.

Cheers
Erik