Has anyone else noticed that for most of the recent accidents in gyros, it is the extra unnecessary poop that is added to machines that seems to bring them undone? As an example, a few fatalities which were likely caused by the door not being latched properly and coming open on takeoff.... not that the door opening was alone the cause of the accident, it was the fact that the pilot needed 2 hands to latch the door in flight and if he let go of the stick, the machine would roll left..... Add to this, the door latch mechanism is in conflict with the throttle lever ...... some of the machines are getting so heavy with 'extras' that they have to land faster than gyros should, risking tipovers on landing..... wide fancy pods blanketing small tails..... pilot forgetting to turn on #2 gas pump..... we had someone forget to tie his prerotator actuator cable securely across the back of the engine, naturally it found its way into the prop bolts and pulled the cable which was connected to the joystick lever. The cable pulled the joystick back, the pilot pushed the joystick forward, the cable snapped and the stick went way forward and over she went...... flat tires that cant be seen under fancy tight wheel pants, or cant be seen because of the canopy.... then a heavy machine having to land as fast as a spam can... post crash fires caused by rupturing gas tanks setting fire to composite bodywork and plastics.... It just seems to me that these days the machines have become very heavy and complicated and so much 'stuff' on them that there is far more to go wrong with them..... where in the past the main cause of accidents was either shoddy construction or pilot error, these days the instruction is easier to get and much better quality.... the FAA and ASRA are on top of construction quality and methods.... but now the machines are getting bigger and heavier and more cluttered with 'stuff' that tis seems to be a major contributing factor in accidents

Bring back simple I reckon.... if folks don't want to be always doing cross countries, a much more basic, open frame machine is all they may require.... all a play gyro needs to be is simple, light weight and a reliable, powerful enough engine/prop....they can be so much fun, and so little to go wrong with them

Today you can choose between a dozen different/identical $80,000+ machines.... to me it is a shame that no one seems to offer a precision built, basic, open frame machine at a realistic price

Does anyone else miss the good ol' bad ol' days?

MTO should have marketed the "naked" model, I think it would sell.

Yeah, that looks kuuuul It even has mags that make it look like a hotrod

Yeah!!!

dont know scott if they will sell many for 5k less, look sell, people want the cadillac, i think people will pay 80k with the full pod but not 75k naked, problem here with winter is if you buy a mto , it look good but with no enclosure , its like driving a snowmobile or or convertible car with open top in the cold, i like the naked gyro, like the bike i ride , but for me i think the best is naked for summer or very minimal nose pod and windshield in summer, and door for the cold, or minimal enclosure with big open side, with door ad for cold time, but for people with warm temp like muz the open machine all naked is very good, when i drive bike i like it with no fairing

The Genesis s as good a flying gyro you will find, and is very reasonably priced. If I were flying a gyro again, I would go with the enclosed cabin one that Heath us building.

Aviomania:

thanks scott for the pic

You are welcome Martin, what that needs is a large summer windshield..

Although Norm says he will never fly up north in an enclosed machine, he says if you lose your heat the windshield will ice up and you will be flying blind, at least flying all the way to the crash sight anyhow.

I think that bare MTO can be ordered by special order, probably flies pretty nice.

How do they go about starting a motor that has been in the snow like that? Do they have to warm it externally bedore trying to start it? Or just start it normally, but let it warm up well before reving it?

About the same way they start a snowmobile?

How do they start snow mobiles? Do they have block heaters? The 400ci chevvy in my truck came from northern USA or Canada and had electric elements in the water jacket in one of the welsh plugs.... so you leave it plugged in overnight.... or give it a warm up before starting

I was told (prolly BS) that in some parts where it freezes, they will often drive diesels and leave them running over night rather than turn them off.... cheaper than paying the electricity to have a warmer plugged in with the motor stopped?

My youngest Son lived in Fairbanks Alaska for 3 years, yes lots of people let their diesels run from about October through April without shutting them off. Otherwise you have a large cord sticking out the front of the car for the battery heater, radiator heater, oil heater, and transmission heater, He needed some tire heaters...he had 2 tires split open because the rubber would not flex at 50 below zero F.
Norm says He uses a heater to warm his gearbox before He starts his gyro.

One of the issues with a diesel vehicle, is the fuel. Somewhere around zero degrees FHT (neg 15-18D/C)... (may be a bit off on the temp), diesel fuel starts to 'gel'... as in change from a fluid to a thick substance.

Normally, a diesel engine recycles about half the fuel going through the injection pump back to the fuel tank. This keeps the fuel heated enough it does not gel.

Another reason, as noted above, is the batteries. Get them cold enough, and they will not turn the engine over fast enough to develop the necessary heat for combustion. It is not a linear thing... going down, say, 10D temp, may take well more than 20 or 25% more battery power to crank. And the engine needs to crank at a good speed, not just barely turn over. Add to this both the fuel and air coming in is frigid... it is not easy to get the necessary heat from compression to ignite the fuel.

MUCH better to just let it run.

Now IMO, this does not include in my neck of the woods, where the guys with their 1 ton dually pickups think they have to leave their diesel running in the parking lot for an hour when they go into a restaurant to eat dinner, and stink up the whole area with sooty exhaust fumes. Especially when it is shirt sleeve weather outside.

In some states it is illegal to leave a diesel engine idling for a given amount of time.
Truck stops are especially patrolled.

Did not know that... IMO an idea past due.

THX Ray.

Murray, couldn't you just buy a 51% kit from Star Bee ? I'm sure they'll build one for you and take half apart to make the powers-that-be happy.
(You still need to be the builder, I suppose? I'm not into your rules. Oops, you're in Australia - I forgot. Other rules apply.)

Then you could be in the air quickly. I wouldn't mind doing that - it's just my wallet saying "no way".

Cheers
Erik

Thanks Erik, I don't buy.... I build

I have a couple of top secret projects on the boil

Yes Murray - I know. It seemed like you were asking around.

And I bought my engine and blades back in "the bad ol' days" - haaa.

So when I build my Hornet or...anyway, some kind of Bee, it's actually a "Time Machine".

Yep, that has GOT to be the name of my creation.

Thanks for helping me find the name.

Cheers
Erik