Hopefully it wont become a lost art

I dunno. I still think the GyRonimo was the "poster-child" for rotor hand-starts. First you had to climb up on the seat and spin the rotors up, then get back into the seat putting one foot in exactly the right spot without falling onto the ground, then start the engine and begin moving forward. While you were holding the cyclic looking out for flap, you had to get your seat belt on and connect up the radio. All this before the blades ran out of energy. I had to practice the routine quite a bit to get it down:



When there was wind (as in the second video), you had to hold the cyclic forward with one foot while spinning up to prevent flap and to stop the machine from moving backward. The brakes wouldn't hold it. Then you had to get the engine started before the rotors really started going to assist the brakes. It was a bit of a dance.

Jon, I saw your video when I got that one I was going to put that on and say something like "They can even train musicians to do it... right Jon" but I thought I better not

To embed a video, get the link and put it in the window like you did, then get rid of everything before the = including remove the =.... then in the menu at the top of the window, press 'youtube' then drag the stuff tat was after the = in between the 2 youtubes..... all done (yours would have worked the same after the last / number/letter combo is the same)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= < get rid of all this lot

[Youtube]*P_QQ6Z6iY74*[/Youtube] (I put stars in each end so you can see where the P_QQ6Z6iY74 goes in between the youtubes in brackets) otherwise it would have embedded it

Your link https://www.youtube.com/embed/P_QQ6Z6iY74 same number/letters

Aha.... Gabs must have seen it and fixed it for you

Thank you, Muz. I understand what the software is doing now. I think I got it (now, if I can only remember it).

Muz,

Nope. Take full credit for your tutorial. I fixed it based on your information.

When I used to fly in the 90's, gyro flying was a very social thing.... there would always be other fliers or trained non fliers around and there was usually someone around to hold the machine and often volunteers to 'spin you up'...... So if I saw you about to fly, you would strap in, start the motor, then I would spin up your rotors for you, maybe someone else would hold the nose of the machine.... unless you were alone, you never had to 'do the dance'

However, these days, having to start the rotors at the holding point (or at least, away from people) the social aspect seems to have gone.... all of my flying from 99 onwards was alone, so I just did it myself, and I had a car starter prerotator, which would take over after I gave them a few good pushes to break the inertia (no soft start)

That's great Jon I used to wonder why I would post a link.... then next time I looked, it would be embedded? Then I would post one and it wouldn't 'embed itself'

Then I found out that a certain, very good looking Hungarian would see the link and embed it (any link he saw) then he told me how to do it

A Gabor MK1 is a very handy thing to have around

If you save a link from another site, or find one in someones multiple list, it might have up to the = then the number/letter combo, then more words or numbers saying embedded and all that.... when you get one of these, first, actually open the link, then quickly save the http: line of the youtube then cancel the page before the advertisments and video starts, then put the link from the actual youtube in your post.... it wont have the additional stuff in it and proceed from there

Yeah, I've done a "courtesy spin" for a few folks. So many have RFD Dragon Wings now that it has become a pointless skillset. While it may be possible to hand spin Dragon Wings (in a hurricane), it is certainly not easy.

The only guy in our hangar with hand-start rotors is Gerald (GyroGerald). His work like your video. Taxi out to the runway, give them a flip or two and you're on your way. He did give me a courtesy spin when I flew his machine, though.

I still think getting blades up from zero is a useful skill to have, even if you rarely have to use it.

Yes, with dragon wings, you really have to 'hold your mouth right' to get them going, I am/was ok at starting them, I found more wind was harder to start them than easier.... when the wind is strong, you couldn't go slow enough (unless you could go backwards) so you couldn't control the speed by taxying.... I got a rotorhead from Ernie and got the ring gear fitted, so I will go basic car starter.... as long as it gets them over the hump, they will go fine.... it is from hand spin speed (25-30 rpm to about 80rpm that is the worst

I used to use Gerry Goodwin rotors a lot.... I used to annoy people (how strange ) and give the rotors one big push, start taxying and have them up to speed in about 200 yards max others would have pushed them 30 times then taxy'd up and down, up and down trying to get them going

One of the guys that fly from up here has/had DWs and on a fly away, his prerotator failed, they tried for 2 hours to get him started, but the light was going to run out, so the others had to leave and he had to stay..... they laugh at me for having DWs but they are so good, I wouldn't like to fly anything else

I use to hand spin my rotors......I mean MY (SC) rotors

It was an elaborate sequence to stop the engine, stand on the seat, FAP FAP FAP FAP, sit down, start engine, start forward roll.....if you let them slow down, well, lather rinse repeat.

The good old days.

Back when I was a boy......

We had Subaru direct drives, so you start the engine (no starter motor), then crank your rotors but you stood on the right hand side of the machine and push across from right to left.... not stand on the left hand side and push towards the back.... several people lost fingers doing it on the left side.....

My last machine was higher seat, could reach the rotors to give them a push, or slow them down when landed....