@@edtommerdahl974 I think I've seen one of those photo's ; an old B&W of a German sub pen . The photo's that I saw were at the Imperial War Museum in London . Also info that described when the wind was right while out at sea , enough cable was deployed to get altitude of over 200 ft off the water . The pilot could then view with binoculars more than 30 miles away . The goal was to be able to see the top 1/3 to 1/2 of another surface vessel before it came over the horizon . A Destroyer/Battleship or Cargo Vessel would be the the optimum target .
The wind turns the rotor in autorotation. Once it gets to around 320 rpm, it will spin no faster and up you go. It takes about a 22mph wind in my case at my weight. I think the rotor was 21'9" in diameter with a 7" chord. A standard Bensen rotor.
Nice job there Chris. I'm just a novice, but fascinated by this. Home build I'm assuming. Do you have to change the angle of attack to make the blades rotate. Is this how you attain the controlled lift?
@@geepea101able Home built yes. Rotor is fixed in pitch at about 1 1\2 degrees positive pitch. The cyclic allows for tilting the spinning disk but it remains at 1 1\2 positive relative to the rotor hub. The rotor is changing pitch through out its rotation to create the tilt required and in the direction desired by moving the cyclic.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thanks for the info. any plans available on line for the frame . Were the blades purchased or did you make them too? Are you going to fit a motor to it?
@@geepea101able You can search "Bensen B8 Glider Plans" and you should find them in several places. I always use factory rotor blades, I would never attempt to make them as this is a skill left up to the "experts". I never fitted a motor on this one but I did sell it to someone that may have those intentions. I had too much fun "kiting" to spoil all that "quiet".
Wow! This is an AMAZING thing !!! I had no idea that this was even at all possible?...I'm speechless...He really looks like he's having a LOT of fun and is very happy for doing so. Thank you for sharing this with us and now I'm a more happy person for having seen it ! 😀👍
I remember when I was young back in roughly the 60's when you could buy these directly from the Benson company. You could get them with a motor or without a motor like this one. You could also buy them with wheels or with pontoons for use on the water. I think the original Mad Max movies with Mel Gibson had a Benson gyrocopter flying around. It was pretty cool stuff back in those days.
That was great. I flew my ski/tow kite like that a few times. Had a proper towing rig on it. Tried it with a hang glider , rope just tied to the middle of the A frame above my head. Worked well. Then made the mistake of tying it to the A frame control bar ( level with my waist), immediate change of angle of attack. Rocketed up to 100 feet, tow rope slipped to one side as it was not properly secured to the middle like my tow kite. Power dive, down into the sand dunes. Kite collapse probably saved my life. Walked away badly bruised. That was 50 years ago & I'd be happy to try static flight with that gyro now.
My experience was back in the 60ties with a Benson B-8, 20' kit built rotor. 200' rope towed behind a car in a large field, flew in a large figure 8, staying up as long as we wanted. Had to force it to track on the outside of the curve to maintain speed. Later installed 72hp McCulloch drone engine. Limited success. Needed longer rotor.
The standard rotor hub on the Bensen is 24”. I installed the longer 34” on mine later. It made a world of difference. Some of the old Mac’s didn’t do well in the standard configured engine. I had a Mac setup by Bill Parsons which included a “third” piston ring. That little modification made it much stronger. Each time I flew someone else’s Mac, I always notice a lack of good power/thrust. If you built the rotor, some lift can be lost there if it’s not correct. Cold days help a lot and low density altitude. If you were doing figure 8’s while being towed, I am very impressed. That is an astonishing accomplishment by itself. Great job.!! I started flying Bensens in 1971. You got me beat.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I had the original short hub with a hole in the center, simple head with a swivel bearing and overhead stick. Dumb kid out of high school, no money, built and flew mine before ever seeing one or talking to anyone else that had one. My Mac was a salvage drone with bullet ripped fins. Pushing 80 yrs old - Gods grace I'm still alive.
@@goodvolts , you described one of the first head designs. Most folks abandoned them and a much better design followed. Rotor on the glider as shown was 21’9” all metal with the short/standard hub, no hole in the newer design. My cousin is 81 now and he still flies his basic Mcculloch powered B8M Bensen. He does not have a prerotator or electric starter so you know he has “the right stuff”. I’m 71 but quit instructing 2019. Lots of fun but you need to be sharper than I felt. Students keep coming up with new ways to hurt you !!!
Wow. Thanks, triggered fond memories of my dads home build. The tether weight was a Skoda Estelle II unfortunately dads first err "Flight" was not as successful because he'd anchored the aircraft at the central point where the fuselage scaffold pole intersects with the vertical rotor pole. This seemed to cause the autogyro to want to orientate its horizontal fuselage to be 90 degrees in a more vertical orientation before lift could be achieved. This doesn't take much triangulation mathematics to work out the formula of the rotors 22 foot diameter spinning at 300 rpm and G-forces of 30 tons at the sail tips and the distance to the ground at the rear of the craft which is transitioning gradually between an increasing angle of horizontal to vertical.. Yeah Dad to the right roughly 10 feet, gyrocopter to the left roughly 8 feet, Bits of rotor blades being so embarrassed they'd dug their own 3 foot deep grave just behind the gyrocopter and proceeded to bury themselves whilst other splinters spread themselves around an impressive radius of the test area and became shrapnel in the farmers field to act as potato fertilizer of the future.. Unfortunately we didn't get video footage but after the bits of splintered wood had come to rest and dad had stood up we naturally fell down laughing to tears.. Later noticing we'd found the Skoda was actually good at something. Even if that something was a dead wait. Lol. I had to double take as you're autogyro looked like an extremely similar design.. Dads mk II actually had the same tethering scaffolding at the front. He never managed another flight due to the rotor blade price. His teeter bar was controlled with a downward control stick arrangement other than that, possibly the same blueprint.. Thanks for sharing as dads now flying higher than he ever did and he always had a project on the go. :)
Thanks for your basic tech experiment with simple but effective lessons. Thanks for your systematic technological work and the best Contribution to knowledge chain.
Очень похвальное видео...удивляют больше всего колья в земле и веревка какие держат гирокоптер...Молодец тот кто сидит в гирокоптере и надо же додуматься до такого...Жму руку крепко за такие чудеса...
Larga mão de ser ignorante girocoptero é a aeronave mais segura do mundo... o rotor é como uma asa de avião e um paraquedas ao mesmo tempo... o vento gira o rotor mesmo estando em queda livre sem motor o rotor continua girando...funciona como um paraquedas então é impossivel alguem morrer em um desses... a não ser que a pessoa resolva saltar la de cima ela morre e o girocoptero pousa sozinho...
Johnny G. Check out “GYROKITE PT2” to see my cousin doing the same thing. He had a better “wind” day than me and even flew over my head once. He was a little lighter than me at the time. That helps too. He added an engine to his in 1992 and is still flying it today. He’s pushing 80 so a remarkable gyro aviator indeed.
50 years ago it was a round tube Benson B7 with wooden self built rptpr blades, went out of balance/track every time a cloud showed up, my wooden blades delaminated 1.5 feet off the ground, almost bought the whole farm, , went to extruded alum blades and never looked back, i was taught by the granda dame herself and hill higdon of pra chapter 5 in tracy almost 60 years ago, oh i forgot to say marion springer on the club 2 place kite towed behind hill higdons blue and white 66 chevy half ton pickup, many years agoit was 60 years ago 71 when i got back from viet nam
Wow, the only other gyro ‘glider’ I’ve seen other then the one I used to fly with the Air Training Corps at Wisley when it was operated by BritishAerospace for BAC 1-11 maintenance. We used to tow it behind an old Vauxhall Consul 👍
Can you tell me more? I volunteer at RAF Snaith Museum, and we are looking to build a similar machine called the RotarChute that was tested here in ww2
@@beardedbodger Sounds like a great project. It was a very long time ago I flew these.(Over 50 years ago) so my memory is limited. We (Air Training Corp 398 Squadron) owned a single seater and a twin seater, both towed behind the car along the runway centreline. I cannot recall if the rudders were operational on our ones, as shown in this vid. This one looks uncannily like the single seater I used to fly though. We bolted a winch into the boot of the Consul and towed it at around 30 MPH along the length of the runway. We did suffer a cable break and minor injuries/damage, so after that we always practiced for such an eventuality but fortunately was never required again. We always carried out a cable inspection so it was never established why it broke. I do know we had no CAA involvement but at the time we were operating legally (or so I was told). The single seater was much lighter and really nice to fly but the twin seater was very heavy on the controls and harder to fly. Good luck with the project.
Jim, not easy to answer as no two circumstances will be exactly the same. I can say pretty much without doubt, if you have in full power and unload the rotor for a span of time, the engine torque alone will make the gyro roll over opposite the torque and it may go quickly inverted (unrecoverable). A sustained unloaded rotor can quickly become fatal. First thing in most cases is reduce the throttle to idle (quickly, my helicopter instincts work well here), thus taking away the torque. Momentary unloading in wind gust is normally not an issue.
@@mikepaul3200 easy to say but very complicated to accomplish. The whole premise with homebuild experimental is simplicity. Easiest to train out the issue. Fly within the envelop and you don’t have this problem.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I figured it would be an engineering nightmare. Probably easier to test out on a small scale drone first. But I enjoy tinkering.
Wow. Fascinating to watch. I took some lessons in/on one of these with a wide seat for an instructor, and a pickup truck to tow us up and down the runway. That was fun. It was technically a kite.
In the early days, a pick up truck and towing was very typical. When power supplies became better stronger and lighter, the two place powered gyroplane became a better way to train. However, nothing beats being able to talk to your instructor without an engine screaming behind you.
I still think we should be using them now. Great way to learn the basics and the more basics you know the less time and dual training you need. We had glider dual then solo (about 1-3 hours), dual powered about 3-5 hours and lots of ground runs in your powered machine which our CFI would test fly and ensure was safe. I operated as a gyro-glider instructor at that and another club for 16 years. At the club I learned at (which had dual training and an excellent CFI) I never saw a set of blades so much as bent in all that training. Yes some guys would argue with the CFI and go off an do their own thing and come back bend gyro asking for help re-building and would then listen. Some would just disappear and do it on their own and we'd hear a couple of months later they smashed it up. But those that stuck with the training (which as a club was limited to once a month so would take at least 6 months usually closer to 12months of monthly training weekends). But it worked. All the pilots who learned that way learned on machines that now are considered death traps no stabilisers, had down thrust but not high cg machines - but flown slowly enough not to be an issue. No one died. We had two guys fly through power lines, one was killed again not in training but years latter. I remember watching my CFI arguing with the guy who killed himself. He was flying low over a river in the area he lived Terry told him "Mate they'll string a power line across it at some point and you'll fly right through it". The guy got angry told him he didn't know what he was talking about and a couple of months latter caught the news and there was his gyro being fished out of the river, he had been decapitated. Anyway the old glider is undervalued. I learned all my blade management, take off and landings, turns (although not balanced), proper attitude. I knew what attitude behind the power curve was I could see the blades when they were hinging (the shape of the disk changes). I could generally get off quicker than guys with pre-rotators as I knew how to wind up with limited ground speed and hence less distance. Gliders should be in every club it should be a + with the powered machines.
Thanks. My cousin captured the video, he also had kited his gyro glider. It’s actually old tech but lots of fun if you know how to handle the rotor. That’s the hard part.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 yes that would work. Like the video I didn't get quite enough wind to stay up indefinitely gusts would hit and you get some height then you'd lose a bit and get the disk back and try to hold it. It was challenging and fun though. Must have been a hard way to learn in the early days. Be waiting a long time for enough wind in many places.
Joe Mason, be certain, this is not easy. The hard part is knowing how to get the rotor up to speed safely in strong winds. You also need some understand of what it can and can not do. A cable break could be very unforgiving and might/could end very badly. This should not be attempted unless you have “some” training.
@@flappingflight8537- Wind when flying was at least 22mph and increased to occasionally 30mph. Best at 30mph if you can find a constant wind. It was very gusty that day. In Maryland USA, the wind does not normally blow that hard, only during season changes usually. The angle of the keel tells you somewhat how hard the wind is blowing at the time. The higher the keel angle, the slower the wind. The flatter the keel angle, the stronger the wind.
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This looks like such an interesting piloting challenge! I wonder if this could be used for a sort of kite sailing. Instead of a stick in the ground, it's like ... maybe a floating stick with a large keel underneath. So, you can either "hover" while slowly going downwind, or you can go at an angle to the wind for faster sailing. I expect it wouldn't be as fast as kiteboarding, because you're using a lot of the power just to lift yourself up in the air. But I imagine the piloting challenge would be fun regardless of speediness, and the view from higher up could be worth it.
Interesting comments. I've seen what you describe with kite like sails. The gyro is not very efficient and I can't really say going slow downwind is even possible. It takes at least 22 mph headwind to fly. Turning downwind, it would be on the ground before you even got thru maybe 45 degrees of the turn. So if I were to turn downwind, all that lift goes away and down ya go. Descent rate is pretty extreme comparing to a sail/kite. Folks have used 1000+ foot tow ropes. Yes higher is desirable, smoother and faster air usually. Eventually the rope becomes a problem with it's own weight and drag.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thanks for your insights! What I mean by slowly going downwind does not involve turning around. I just mean that using a floating "keel" as the anchor means it will slip downwind rather than staying perfectly fixed in place. So you're facing directly into the wind at all times, but you'll move slowly backwards rather than hovering in place. I guess the relatively low efficiency makes a hang glider or paraglider perform better than a gyrokite.
In case some might start with a gyro-glider like this and then be tempted to install a motor - with of course a pusher prop. I once met a man who was negotiating for the Benson agency. Initially he was towed behind a V8 car, but then he installed the motor. Nothing wrong with that if you do it properly - so my caution is against being negligent or taking short-cuts. When I visited him, he was strutting round his gyro flicking imaginary dust specs off his beloved baby - the gyro. It looked pristine - but looks deceive. He was overhead doing a promotion above an airshow when his pusher prop disintegrated. Shards of prop impacted the main rotor and sheared it off. So this guy plummeted 1,000'. They were still finding shards of bone embedded in the grass weeks later.
Kiwi Keith, you are quite right.!! Many could view this as “easy” but they are mistaken. I’ll add an experience I had when my prop shaft broke off right at the nose of the engine. I saw the prop leave the aircraft and “sail” off on its own. It was struck by the rotor as it left and about 6” were “chopped” off both ends of the prop. It was a wooden prop. It caused a slight CG shift but otherwise we were able to glide in with the engine at idle. So some extreme things can happen. Thankfully I was competent and experienced enough to handle this emergency. Flying anything requires a learned level of skill and knowledge. Flying a gyro as a toy, can lead quickly to a fatal accident.
The glider empty was about 125 pounds estimated. I could pick it up myself. I was maybe 165 pounds. As the wind nears 20-25, it lifts the nose and with steady 25-30, it is very “happy”. Steady 30 is best of course. In the video, it only touches down when the wind drops below what it need to stay up. With steady 30, you could fly all day and never land until you wanted to. In the very beginning you may have noticed I held the nose up to get a higher angle of attack on the rotor. This helps you maintain the rotor rpm when the wind is too slow to keep the nose up without some help. This was in Maryland and the correct winds only came around two or three times a year, usually Fall to Winter or Winter to Spring, changing of seasons.
You edited out the part I wanted to see most: the rotor building all that velocity! My brain can’t wrap itself around how that acceleration is possible, I wanted to see it for my own eyes. Also, wouldn’t a bicycle pedal mechanism allow you to just sit down and pedal to get the rotor spinning? Could maybe help you keep it rotating in an emergency too?
Actually my friend just didn't film the whole spin-up but it's all the wind after about 40 rotor rpm. You can see it accelerate each time it lands and then becomes airborne again. I have seen a hand "crank" mechanism used once but it works only for the first 40 ish rotor rpm. After that it's all up to the wind. No need to connect a pedal system to the rotor to keep the rotor spinning, like I mentioned, it's all up to the wind to do that. It's called autorotation. Same way a helicopter glides safely down to a landing when or if the engine quits. They trade off their altitude for the up-flow of wind to keep the rotor spinning.
So is that one of the basic principles of the gyrocopter the "pusher" stile lower motor and blades accelerates the vehicle and when reaching the right forward speed the upper blades create lift? So force on the uppers creates lift, then I assume as long as the upper blades have any force like if it's "falling" that will create lift also. Meaning you'll never go into a free fall mode?
Think of a maple seed as it spins and falls slowly down. Yes, as long as the rotor is spinning at its normal speed gained in flight, it could descend all the way down from great height vertically. However you need some “extra” energy from forward speed in the descent to make a soft landing. You might survive a vertical landing (with at very least a back injury) but it is unlikely the standard Bensen gyro will. Specialty landing gear has been designed to let you even do that.
Awesome stuff , loved watching this , looks like heaps of fun , great learning tool I believe as well . No runway for take off or fuel expenses lol , enjoyed this video heaps .👍
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I know a lot of them hasn't experienced that great feeling been towed by vehicle staked out like a kite they just have not experienced it and Banning California Cabazon California
Great video Chris. Couple of questions. How long was your tether? Is there a limit to how long you could go? I.e. 100 ft? What happens if the tether broke? You're having too much fun there!!!! Thank you for the video.
My cable was about 50 feet. I would say no limit to how long it could be but at some point, the cable becomes "weight" that could prevent flight. I have seen video of folks on about 1000 feet, but they were being towed into flight behind a car. That gives them many more options for good smooth and controllable wind conditions. I would not venture too high under the unpredictable conditions I was in. If the wind suddenly dies, you need to be close to the ground or you could be "smacked" into it. If the cable breaks, it would begin to move quickly backward over the ground. Another good reason not to venture too high. I can't say for sure that it would all work out "well". In that case, the rudder would become a "necessary" working control surface.
Ken Brock towed his glider to 2200 feet behind an airplane and released to glide down safely. Some on pontoons have been towed behind boats. Bunches of fun when you know how.
In the early 90s I survived parasailing in no name storm in Orlando near the airport . I used to parasail behind my car. We would find a long Open Road or path. We realized between 15 and 20 miles an hour is all we needed. One day after a long spell of not enough wind as we prefer to tie it off to a stationary object such as a parked truck or tree, we suddenly got several days of significant wind. I called my friend and we went off of Semoran Boulevard in Orlando near the airport. It was nighttime. We first tied the Rope off to my Volkswagen Microbus rear bumper. I let out about 100 ft of rope and was able to fly and still get back down. Next I let out all 600 feet. Was not a good idea. I flew around 400 ft in the night sky pulling severe G's getting tossed around like a leaf. It was so windy at that level I could not stick my arm straight out. So it was blowing above 80. It picked the back end of my Volkswagen Microbus in the air and was dragging it very fast to the east in a huge grassy field. My friend was on the ground thinking I was having a good time when I was utterly terrified. It seemed like I was up there forever. I thought I was going to die and was convinced. The peace of God came over me and then I was all right with dying strangely. Something told me to pull one of the steering toggles and I did slowly and consistently until the parasail angled off the horizon to the side and lost enough lift to land. Once I got to the ground I pulled the parasail lines inside out so it would not re-inflate. My truck transmission was destroyed as it lifted it and kept setting it down hard in reverse and there was grass stuffed up underneath the front bumper. Since then I always thought hey gyrocopter kite would be much safer in Gusty wind. I've often thought of making a dedicated version. Any comments?
Wow guy, that would have given me a heart attack. Great story. The strong winds are almost never "friendly". That's why most of the parasail guys/gals can be seen on calm early mornings or calm late evenings, when the winds are light. Not sure I would ever "kite" a parasail. You had a once in a lifetime experience with some "luck" thrown in. A gyroplane is much different in that it can handle some pretty tough wind conditions. When airplanes are getting all buffeted around, a gyroplane will be more stable. If I had rough conditions to fly in (and I have had them) give me the gyro or a helicopter any day.
No, it will climb as high as the cable will allow. In my case I could not climb above maybe 30 feet, but I also didn't climb because if the wind dies, you must be ready for the landing. You will be "dropped" quickly in that case. That "drop" doesn't matter if you are close to the ground. You can see the wind "dropped" me a few times in this video. If the wind was stronger and steady, I would have climbed to 30 feet.
It’s pretty good for handing the rotor but it does require understanding and knowing how to get it safely spun up. It’s not easy with the wind always blowing, same goes for stopping it. Transition to engine power is not exactly easy either. Nothing can replace taking dual instruction for that. It’s a whole new “beast” once you strap on that motor. You should never go at it alone.
some one did when they first learned how to fly. I think you shouldn't let anyone stop you from doing anything ! We could definately do with a few less know it all's !
I concur with John H, but the U boats had forward speed when towing the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze, for this gyrocopter to take off a rotor speed of approaching 200rpm would have to be achieved and in order for that to happen you are looking at a wind speed of 20 - 25kts minimum.
Yes, but consider the wind is almost never calm. If you can do 10kts lets say and have a 15kt headwind, problem somewhat solved. An aircraft carrier will "turn into the wind" for that advantage when launching fighters. Also note that the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze had a three blade rotor and the rotor loading was much lighter enabling it to fly with slower speeds. The higher you climb, the wind speed normal increases. Believe me there are other agencies still looking at towed aerial platforms at sea.
Hi Chris: A little more of a technical question. Do you have any negative pitch induced into the blades at the rotor head block? If so how much angle? Lastly would a little negative pitch help lift off in lighter winds and quicker spool up of the rotor? Any knowledge you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the video... watched it hundreds of times.
Look at the control stick and think of the rotor spindle as following the stick as it is tilted. Lets say the rotor spindle is vertical and the stick is also (actual degrees are different because the mast is aft 9 degrees relative to the keel). Just some more confusion, the rotor is "fixed" in pitch to about 1.5 degrees positive and bolted solidly into the hub. System is referred to as "semi-ridgid". The rotor also "teeters" within about a 10 degree window. It does this to allow for dissimilar of lift, created when the rotor turns around it's spindle. The right side is more positive creating more lift and the left side is less positive creating less lift. Best to demo this action at the gyro. As you move the stick that action is translated to the rotor via two control rods. The control "head" is essentially a universal joint that allows the rotor spindle to follow movements of the stick (cyclic). The cyclic changes the rotor pitch cyclically as the rotor turns. There is no collective. Less fixed pitch would allow the rotor to spin up quicker but the overall result is less efficient. 1.5 degrees positive seems to work best but you can go a little more positive but not much. Less pitch slightly easier spin up but not good lift. Sorry if this isn't understandable. Computer "jumbled" it and dropped some also.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thank you Chris for the quick and honest reply. Yes it does make sense and I do follow your explanation. I have a 1960"s Bensen Gyro with out motor. I have let it spool up in light winds and that is the extent I am prepared to go before I take proper Gyro lessons. I asked my question out of pure knowledge gaining :) You know how thoughts bounce around in your head... So I thought I would ask. Thanks for taking the time to teach and help... your answer is greatly appreciated.
Did you build the gyrocopter? I have a set of plans for a Bensen Gyro from the 50's and am thinking of building it. Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure if your 50’s plans will have the later control head but that’s important. Bensen is gone now and so is Brock (almost identical) so finding critical components may be challenging. “Used” is how I found mine and I think I paid about $1500 and that was 10 years ago now. I would stick with a factory Bensen or Brock rotor and a factory head unless you are a competent machinist. Don’t change the configuration at all as that changes everything else. Good luck. Never try this on you own. Find competent qualified help. It’s easy to get critically injured and many have died proving that point.
This gyro kite is fantastic, I didn't even know about it. It's very interesting, but I would like to know how many knots in wind speed does it needs to develop lift? And question number two how much does it cost?
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
Gino Gizio d'ignazio, takes about 22mph wind or more and steady if you can get it. It was pretty gusty this day but a gyro can handle some pretty “ugly” gust, more than many airplanes. I paid I think $1500 US for this one second hand but did need to add some hardware etc to get it flying. Picking one up used is maybe the cheapest way to get one. To built all new today may take about $6000 US, just guessing.
I agree. The wind can provide "lots" of power. This is exactly what wind turbines are all about. It is a Bensen B8 glider (not Benson) spell checker does that.
I recently developed a strong interest in Gyroplanes. I have successfully designed and build a twin rotor rc Gyroplane and I am currently building a mono rotor Gyroplane that I designed too…still rc.
Well it takes a "different" kind of pilot to fly r/c. I never did well in that task. Guess I'm a seat of the pants' sort. I cant fly well without all the senses at work.
I remember the good times I had flying my Benson-MAC out of Mckinney airfield back in the 80s. I had my first flight in a towed glider. Thinking about doing an electric-powered version, so I can hear those awesome rotor blades.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I have a question I always wondered about; How much time do I have to recover from an unloaded rotor condition and is throttle setting a factor?
Folate, last supplier listing I have for this rotor was 2012. Contact Roger Farnes at rotorsnradials@msn.com. Don’t know if they are still making them today. Mine was 21 feet 9 inches in diameter, 7 inch chord.
You might feel better about “GYROKITE PT2” which shows my cousin flying over my head. You can hear us talking. If there was any powered fan in front, you would only hear engine noise.
Hey cousin! It’s been my dream to build a gyrocopter. Do you possibly have any plans for building one of these puppies? How are you able to get lift with no motor, is it THAT windy where you made this video?
Send me a direct email and I can help you out. No, the wind only blows hard enough during season change, early spring or late fall. You need about 22 mph to get airborne but 30 is better for a good sustained flight. It was pretty “gusty” this day but nearer the end of the video, it was getting more steady and above 25 mph. I would not build my own rotor or control head but the rest is pretty basic stuff.
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
Christopher Burgess GYRO-CFI Only when it would be convenient for you sir, would you possibly send me an email? I for some reason have not yet figured out how to send direct messages on TH-cam. My personal email is nicholascburgess@ymail.com. Thank you sir!
Diary of a Grim Reaper Have you ever considered building your own ultralight powered by lithium-ion batteries, and possibly self sustaining by solar panels on wings?
@@thatsuberpwnage You know, some people don't have a problem putting their life in the hands of Electric and batteries... But I'm not that guy. I need a engine. And I'm not saying electric doesn't have it's place.. It does. I honestly never realized a Gyro KITE was a real thing until today, that is very cool, but I understand a combustion engine. I understand how much fuel is in the tank. not how much wind is in the air, or juice in a battery. Maybe one day I'll build my own ultralight. I bought plans, I just never got around to it. Personally, I really like the SNS Guppy, they have a amazing record, last I checked, there were I think 4 known crashes, and NO FATALITIES. THAT IS A WIN! But I can't even make a chess board without screwing something up =) I know if I ever had a problem with a Gyro, I would hit the ground like a salad.
Well I did that back around 1977 I think. I built and tried gliding down a "slope" in a homebuilt "Easy Riser", not the gyro glider. Looks like a biplane with no tail. Well there was an erosion berm running around the slope. I hit an updraft when I got to that slope which caused me to balloon up about 20 feet higher than I wanted to be. Slid forward to bring her down but hit hard on my right leg. Broke that poor thing (my ankle). Glider survived no damage but my body didn't like the landing. No more "slope" soaring for me. The gyro glider would not soar. It has a poor glide ratio and about a 1200 fpm rate of descent.
Dear sir ...Could you possibly tell me where I might be able to obtain plans to build this gyro glider...….any help would be very much appreciated...……..Thanking you in advance...……..I have been looking for a very long time
Send me your direct email. Plans have been posted on the www.RotaryForum.com in the past. A search or post asking for those plans there will likely find them there. I have some I could send if you give my a direct email.
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
jose rivas , It’s pretty much a standard ”Bensen B8 Glider”. I purchased it from a former student that just never completed it. He installed the horizontal mid-span on the vertical rudder. In the standard location it is perhaps not as effective. I feel there are more incomplete kits scattered around the country, world perhaps. You can Google Bensen B8 Glider Plans and you should find links to the plans. I don’t know of anyone still producing this kit but I am also not looking at this time. I’ve seen plans offered for free !! I would expect a glider like this may run $6000 with no motor, but like it has been pointed out in other post, this is no toy and you can be fatally injured if you don’t know what you are doing. I have over 45 years experience in gyros and even I needed help and guidance from an experienced WWII airplane instructor in the beginning. I was also a licensed Army helicopter and airplane pilot before that. It is all aircraft hardware and materials so that makes things a little more pricey.
It is GOOD for rotor management training but not easy to learn without help from someone that knows how to get the rotor spun-up under windy conditions. It is not easy to do and you need to understand how it is done and done safely. Trying this alone without experienced help can be dangerous.
Well it has, with an engine. Most folks do not have the steady winds to do this everyday or each time you want to fly. This type of kiting does not require another person, just steady winds.
Actually I am a retired army helicopter pilot. I feel it teaches rotor management most of all. Mainly because you can hear the rotor speed up and slow down with the wind speed changes and how it reacts to it. The simplicity of no engine or systems to monitor allows you to focus all senses on the rotor’s condition as it change’s rpm.
A gyro glider has the glide ratio of a "brick" so I would say no. Rate of descent as measured by Ken Brock was about 1200 fpm in the glider. He released from being towed to 2200 feet AGL back in 1979. You would need to find a thermal going up at least that fast.
Thanks. It was definitely fun. In my 46 years of gyro flying, flying the glider was really the most incredible. Riding on the winds alone. Always a thrill.
This same flying device was on board some of the German U-Boats during WW11 to help them view great distances while out at sea .
Yes. An idea that may have been before it's time. It is still an idea being tossed around today.
Hey John, I believe our navy pulled these with submarines with cables up hight over the German port's to take pictures of their fleets
@@edtommerdahl974 I think I've seen one of those photo's ; an old B&W of a German sub pen . The photo's that I saw were at the Imperial War Museum in London . Also info that described when the wind was right while out at sea , enough cable was deployed to get altitude of over 200 ft off the water . The pilot could then view with binoculars more than 30 miles away . The goal was to be able to see the top 1/3 to 1/2 of another surface vessel before it came over the horizon . A Destroyer/Battleship or Cargo Vessel would be the the optimum target .
Good boy
@@johnh1001 Anton Flettner design ?
The wind turns the rotor in autorotation. Once it gets to around 320 rpm, it will spin no faster and up you go. It takes about a 22mph wind in my case at my weight. I think the rotor was 21'9" in diameter with a 7" chord. A standard Bensen rotor.
Nice job there Chris. I'm just a novice, but fascinated by this. Home build I'm assuming. Do you have to change the angle of attack to make the blades rotate. Is this how you attain the controlled lift?
@@geepea101able Home built yes. Rotor is fixed in pitch at about 1 1\2 degrees positive pitch. The cyclic allows for tilting the spinning disk but it remains at 1 1\2 positive relative to the rotor hub. The rotor is changing pitch through out its rotation to create the tilt required and in the direction desired by moving the cyclic.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thanks for the info. any plans available on line for the frame . Were the blades purchased or did you make them too? Are you going to fit a motor to it?
@@geepea101able You can search "Bensen B8 Glider Plans" and you should find them in several places. I always use factory rotor blades, I would never attempt to make them as this is a skill left up to the "experts". I never fitted a motor on this one but I did sell it to someone that may have those intentions. I had too much fun "kiting" to spoil all that "quiet".
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thanks Chris. I'll check it out. Much appreciated.
Amazing ... finally youtube recommendation came thru ... searching for this kind of video for 10 years ... no kidding
PLANS PLEEEEEEZ
Fascinating, never knew this was possible
Wow! This is an AMAZING thing !!! I had no idea that this was even at all possible?...I'm speechless...He really looks like he's having a LOT of fun and is very happy for doing so. Thank you for sharing this with us and now I'm a more happy person for having seen it ! 😀👍
If you like you can build one,and try on windy places!
@@Bpositive5464здравствуйте а какова длина несущего винта и можно пожалуйста в метрах спасибо
I remember when I was young back in roughly the 60's when you could buy these directly from the Benson company. You could get them with a motor or without a motor like this one. You could also buy them with wheels or with pontoons for use on the water. I think the original Mad Max movies with Mel Gibson had a Benson gyrocopter flying around. It was pretty cool stuff back in those days.
That was great. I flew my ski/tow kite like that a few times. Had a proper towing rig on it. Tried it with a hang glider , rope just tied to the middle of the A frame above my head. Worked well. Then made the mistake of tying it to the A frame control bar ( level with my waist), immediate change of angle of attack. Rocketed up to 100 feet, tow rope slipped to one side as it was not properly secured to the middle like my tow kite. Power dive, down into the sand dunes. Kite collapse probably saved my life. Walked away badly bruised. That was 50 years ago & I'd be happy to try static flight with that gyro now.
Yep, you just can't move that tow line around without some BIG consequences. Sounds like you found that out the hard way.
My experience was back in the 60ties with a Benson B-8, 20' kit built rotor. 200' rope towed behind a car in a large field, flew in a large figure 8, staying up as long as we wanted. Had to force it to track on the outside of the curve to maintain speed. Later installed 72hp McCulloch drone engine. Limited success. Needed longer rotor.
The standard rotor hub on the Bensen is 24”. I installed the longer 34” on mine later. It made a world of difference. Some of the old Mac’s didn’t do well in the standard configured engine. I had a Mac setup by Bill Parsons which included a “third” piston ring. That little modification made it much stronger. Each time I flew someone else’s Mac, I always notice a lack of good power/thrust. If you built the rotor, some lift can be lost there if it’s not correct. Cold days help a lot and low density altitude. If you were doing figure 8’s while being towed, I am very impressed. That is an astonishing accomplishment by itself. Great job.!! I started flying Bensens in 1971. You got me beat.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I had the original short hub with a hole in the center, simple head with a swivel bearing and overhead stick. Dumb kid out of high school, no money, built and flew mine before ever seeing one or talking to anyone else that had one. My Mac was a salvage drone with bullet ripped fins. Pushing 80 yrs old - Gods grace I'm still alive.
@@goodvolts , you described one of the first head designs. Most folks abandoned them and a much better design followed. Rotor on the glider as shown was 21’9” all metal with the short/standard hub, no hole in the newer design. My cousin is 81 now and he still flies his basic Mcculloch powered B8M Bensen. He does not have a prerotator or electric starter so you know he has “the right stuff”. I’m 71 but quit instructing 2019. Lots of fun but you need to be sharper than I felt. Students keep coming up with new ways to hurt you !!!
Awesome, can't wait to get my gyro out and try it.
Wow. Thanks, triggered fond memories of my dads home build.
The tether weight was a Skoda Estelle II unfortunately dads first err "Flight" was not as successful because he'd anchored the aircraft at the central point where the fuselage scaffold pole intersects with the vertical rotor pole.
This seemed to cause the autogyro to want to orientate its horizontal fuselage to be 90 degrees in a more vertical orientation before lift could be achieved.
This doesn't take much triangulation mathematics to work out the formula of the rotors 22 foot diameter spinning at 300 rpm and G-forces of 30 tons at the sail tips and the distance to the ground at the rear of the craft which is transitioning gradually between an increasing angle of horizontal to vertical..
Yeah Dad to the right roughly 10 feet, gyrocopter to the left roughly 8 feet, Bits of rotor blades being so embarrassed they'd dug their own 3 foot deep grave just behind the gyrocopter and proceeded to bury themselves whilst other splinters spread themselves around an impressive radius of the test area and became shrapnel in the farmers field to act as potato fertilizer of the future..
Unfortunately we didn't get video footage but after the bits of splintered wood had come to rest and dad had stood up we naturally fell down laughing to tears..
Later noticing we'd found the Skoda was actually good at something.
Even if that something was a dead wait. Lol.
I had to double take as you're autogyro looked like an extremely similar design..
Dads mk II actually had the same tethering scaffolding at the front.
He never managed another flight due to the rotor blade price.
His teeter bar was controlled with a downward control stick arrangement other than that, possibly the same blueprint..
Thanks for sharing as dads now flying higher than he ever did and he always had a project on the go.
:)
H. I. G. E. Looks like a bunch of FUN!! WATCHED and subbed.
Thanks for your basic tech experiment with simple but effective lessons. Thanks for your systematic technological work and the best Contribution to knowledge chain.
Очень похвальное видео...удивляют больше всего колья в земле и веревка какие держат гирокоптер...Молодец тот кто сидит в гирокоптере и надо же додуматься до такого...Жму руку крепко за такие чудеса...
Larga mão de ser ignorante girocoptero é a aeronave mais segura do mundo... o rotor é como uma asa de avião e um paraquedas ao mesmo tempo... o vento gira o rotor mesmo estando em queda livre sem motor o rotor continua girando...funciona como um paraquedas então é impossivel alguem morrer em um desses... a não ser que a pessoa resolva saltar la de cima ela morre e o girocoptero pousa sozinho...
I injoyed watching your video. That's a cool idea to get the hang of it. I never seen it done that way.
Johnny G. Check out “GYROKITE PT2” to see my cousin doing the same thing. He had a better “wind” day than me and even flew over my head once. He was a little lighter than me at the time. That helps too. He added an engine to his in 1992 and is still flying it today. He’s pushing 80 so a remarkable gyro aviator indeed.
I’ve never thought about that, relative air speed and stuff
I saw that in the back of a mag over 50yrs ago , nice to see one fly, yes i ordered the plans
50 years ago it was a round tube Benson B7 with wooden self built rptpr blades, went out of balance/track every time a cloud showed up, my wooden blades delaminated 1.5 feet off the ground, almost bought the whole farm, , went to extruded alum blades and never looked back, i was taught by the granda dame herself and hill higdon of pra chapter 5 in tracy almost 60 years ago, oh i forgot to say marion springer on the club 2 place kite towed behind hill higdons blue and white 66 chevy half ton pickup, many years agoit was 60 years ago 71 when i got back from viet nam
@@marionwilliams7907 wow but you flew
Wow, the only other gyro ‘glider’ I’ve seen other then the one I used to fly with the Air Training Corps at Wisley when it was operated by BritishAerospace for BAC 1-11 maintenance. We used to tow it behind an old Vauxhall Consul 👍
Can you tell me more? I volunteer at RAF Snaith
Museum, and we are looking to build a similar machine called the RotarChute that was tested here in ww2
@@beardedbodger Sounds like a great project. It was a very long time ago I flew these.(Over 50 years ago) so my memory is limited. We (Air Training Corp 398 Squadron) owned a single seater and a twin seater, both towed behind the car along the runway centreline. I cannot recall if the rudders were operational on our ones, as shown in this vid. This one looks uncannily like the single seater I used to fly though. We bolted a winch into the boot of the Consul and towed it at around 30 MPH along the length of the runway. We did suffer a cable break and minor injuries/damage, so after that we always practiced for such an eventuality but fortunately was never required again. We always carried out a cable inspection so it was never established why it broke. I do know we had no CAA involvement but at the time we were operating legally (or so I was told).
The single seater was much lighter and really nice to fly but the twin seater was very heavy on the controls and harder to fly. Good luck with the project.
No website. You can look on www.Rotaryforum and maybe PRA.org. I’m sure you can find out a little more from these.
Wow, that's really cool!
John, Fun once you know how for sure.
Wow that was cool thanks 🙂
Amazing!
Jim, not easy to answer as no two circumstances will be exactly the same. I can say pretty much without doubt, if you have in full power and unload the rotor for a span of time, the engine torque alone will make the gyro roll over opposite the torque and it may go quickly inverted (unrecoverable). A sustained unloaded rotor can quickly become fatal. First thing in most cases is reduce the throttle to idle (quickly, my helicopter instincts work well here), thus taking away the torque. Momentary unloading in wind gust is normally not an issue.
Wouldnt throwing on a counter rotating blade fix that?
@@mikepaul3200 easy to say but very complicated to accomplish. The whole premise with homebuild experimental is simplicity. Easiest to train out the issue. Fly within the envelop and you don’t have this problem.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I figured it would be an engineering nightmare. Probably easier to test out on a small scale drone first. But I enjoy tinkering.
Just don't get tired!
KC MO, the fresh air and breeze, clear blue skies, crisp winter temps, who could get tired?
This is so cool!
wonderful!...
That IS veeeeeeeeeeeeeery cool!
Wow. Fascinating to watch.
I took some lessons in/on one of these with a wide seat for an instructor, and a pickup truck to tow us up and down the runway. That was fun.
It was technically a kite.
In the early days, a pick up truck and towing was very typical. When power supplies became better stronger and lighter, the two place powered gyroplane became a better way to train. However, nothing beats being able to talk to your instructor without an engine screaming behind you.
I still think we should be using them now. Great way to learn the basics and the more basics you know the less time and dual training you need. We had glider dual then solo (about 1-3 hours), dual powered about 3-5 hours and lots of ground runs in your powered machine which our CFI would test fly and ensure was safe. I operated as a gyro-glider instructor at that and another club for 16 years. At the club I learned at (which had dual training and an excellent CFI) I never saw a set of blades so much as bent in all that training. Yes some guys would argue with the CFI and go off an do their own thing and come back bend gyro asking for help re-building and would then listen. Some would just disappear and do it on their own and we'd hear a couple of months later they smashed it up. But those that stuck with the training (which as a club was limited to once a month so would take at least 6 months usually closer to 12months of monthly training weekends). But it worked. All the pilots who learned that way learned on machines that now are considered death traps no stabilisers, had down thrust but not high cg machines - but flown slowly enough not to be an issue. No one died. We had two guys fly through power lines, one was killed again not in training but years latter.
I remember watching my CFI arguing with the guy who killed himself. He was flying low over a river in the area he lived Terry told him "Mate they'll string a power line across it at some point and you'll fly right through it". The guy got angry told him he didn't know what he was talking about and a couple of months latter caught the news and there was his gyro being fished out of the river, he had been decapitated.
Anyway the old glider is undervalued. I learned all my blade management, take off and landings, turns (although not balanced), proper attitude. I knew what attitude behind the power curve was I could see the blades when they were hinging (the shape of the disk changes). I could generally get off quicker than guys with pre-rotators as I knew how to wind up with limited ground speed and hence less distance. Gliders should be in every club it should be a + with the powered machines.
Best way to gain some pilot experience without any expenses
Yes, but you still need to know what you’re doing. This can’t be done safely without instruction or experience.
Yes absolutely.. The operating cost is nill and basic training can be imparted post simulator training
Very good
My mind doesn’t understand this magic ! Just an incredible video! Well done
Thanks. My cousin captured the video, he also had kited his gyro glider. It’s actually old tech but lots of fun if you know how to handle the rotor. That’s the hard part.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 great science video! Ty
Like a man... Luv this vid...
Fun times I've only done this once when it was windy enough. It's amazing how much the rope stretches.
That's why I used steel cable. I tried rope once but the stretch between wind gust made it harder to stay airborne.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 yes that would work. Like the video I didn't get quite enough wind to stay up indefinitely gusts would hit and you get some height then you'd lose a bit and get the disk back and try to hold it. It was challenging and fun though. Must have been a hard way to learn in the early days. Be waiting a long time for enough wind in many places.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 do you opperate with a club? Do training?
Sorry just saw the cfi obviously you train. Good on you for incorporating the glider underutilized IMO.
I thought it was just a joke.
Hartstikke leuk en goed geslaagd experiment. De video is echter wel wat lang en eentonig voor een snel verveelde TH-cam kijker.
Fine. Just browse through to the good parts. I personally have a very short attention span. Thanks for looking.
Very Cool .....
Dont you just love it when the video is longer than your shoe size in seconds?
just brilliant.
Fun for sure.!!!
It's a good way to get a feel for a gyro
Joe Mason, be certain, this is not easy. The hard part is knowing how to get the rotor up to speed safely in strong winds. You also need some understand of what it can and can not do. A cable break could be very unforgiving and might/could end very badly. This should not be attempted unless you have “some” training.
wonderful!
wow such nice head speed without any engine or motor.
Rotor is turning around 310 to 330 rpm.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 interesting what was approximately the wind speed ? The wind doesn’t looks very strong.
@@flappingflight8537- Wind when flying was at least 22mph and increased to occasionally 30mph. Best at 30mph if you can find a constant wind. It was very gusty that day. In Maryland USA, the wind does not normally blow that hard, only during season changes usually. The angle of the keel tells you somewhat how hard the wind is blowing at the time. The higher the keel angle, the slower the wind. The flatter the keel angle, the stronger the wind.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 thanks !
Thanks "E". Believe me, it was fun for me no doubt.
How can I get a propeller
What Is Islam?
Islam is not just another religion.
It is the same message preached by Moses, Jesus and Abraham.
Islam literally means ‘submission to God’ and it teaches us to have a direct relationship with God.
It reminds us that since God created us, no one should be worshipped except God alone.
It also teaches that God is nothing like a human being or like anything that we can imagine.
The concept of God is summarized in the Quran as:
{ “Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.”} (Quran 112:1-4)
Becoming a Muslim is not turning your back to Jesus.
Rather it’s going back to the original teachings of Jesus and obeying him
@@ahmdabdallah5811 ok, so I we can live in peace, me as Christian, you as Muslim and someone else as Jew or whatever Religion they like, Right?
Super
Awesome!
Nice “pounding” those steel stakes in, you hit it every time!
I was younger and filled with drive then, a bit older and worn out now but the drive to fly gyros never fades.
This looks like such an interesting piloting challenge!
I wonder if this could be used for a sort of kite sailing. Instead of a stick in the ground, it's like ... maybe a floating stick with a large keel underneath. So, you can either "hover" while slowly going downwind, or you can go at an angle to the wind for faster sailing. I expect it wouldn't be as fast as kiteboarding, because you're using a lot of the power just to lift yourself up in the air. But I imagine the piloting challenge would be fun regardless of speediness, and the view from higher up could be worth it.
Interesting comments. I've seen what you describe with kite like sails. The gyro is not very efficient and I can't really say going slow downwind is even possible. It takes at least 22 mph headwind to fly. Turning downwind, it would be on the ground before you even got thru maybe 45 degrees of the turn. So if I were to turn downwind, all that lift goes away and down ya go. Descent rate is pretty extreme comparing to a sail/kite. Folks have used 1000+ foot tow ropes. Yes higher is desirable, smoother and faster air usually. Eventually the rope becomes a problem with it's own weight and drag.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thanks for your insights!
What I mean by slowly going downwind does not involve turning around. I just mean that using a floating "keel" as the anchor means it will slip downwind rather than staying perfectly fixed in place. So you're facing directly into the wind at all times, but you'll move slowly backwards rather than hovering in place.
I guess the relatively low efficiency makes a hang glider or paraglider perform better than a gyrokite.
so cool, thank you
Thanks. Gyroplanes are about the coolest thing flying, free air conditioning included !!!
That's awesome.
That might be a good idea for safe flight control training.
It is a physical way of seeing the transformation of energy, wind speed is transformed into elevation.
That is so cool.
In case some might start with a gyro-glider like this and then be tempted to install a motor - with of course a pusher prop. I once met a man who was negotiating for the Benson agency. Initially he was towed behind a V8 car, but then he installed the motor. Nothing wrong with that if you do it properly - so my caution is against being negligent or taking short-cuts. When I visited him, he was strutting round his gyro flicking imaginary dust specs off his beloved baby - the gyro. It looked pristine - but looks deceive. He was overhead doing a promotion above an airshow when his pusher prop disintegrated. Shards of prop impacted the main rotor and sheared it off. So this guy plummeted 1,000'. They were still finding shards of bone embedded in the grass weeks later.
Kiwi Keith, you are quite right.!! Many could view this as “easy” but they are mistaken. I’ll add an experience I had when my prop shaft broke off right at the nose of the engine. I saw the prop leave the aircraft and “sail” off on its own. It was struck by the rotor as it left and about 6” were “chopped” off both ends of the prop. It was a wooden prop. It caused a slight CG shift but otherwise we were able to glide in with the engine at idle. So some extreme things can happen. Thankfully I was competent and experienced enough to handle this emergency. Flying anything requires a learned level of skill and knowledge. Flying a gyro as a toy, can lead quickly to a fatal accident.
Hey Chris. Cool video! How heavy is was the gyro here, how fast did the wind have to go to lift it off like this?
The glider empty was about 125 pounds estimated. I could pick it up myself. I was maybe 165 pounds. As the wind nears 20-25, it lifts the nose and with steady 25-30, it is very “happy”. Steady 30 is best of course. In the video, it only touches down when the wind drops below what it need to stay up. With steady 30, you could fly all day and never land until you wanted to. In the very beginning you may have noticed I held the nose up to get a higher angle of attack on the rotor. This helps you maintain the rotor rpm when the wind is too slow to keep the nose up without some help. This was in Maryland and the correct winds only came around two or three times a year, usually Fall to Winter or Winter to Spring, changing of seasons.
What was the everage of gyropoter
You edited out the part I wanted to see most: the rotor building all that velocity! My brain can’t wrap itself around how that acceleration is possible, I wanted to see it for my own eyes. Also, wouldn’t a bicycle pedal mechanism allow you to just sit down and pedal to get the rotor spinning? Could maybe help you keep it rotating in an emergency too?
Actually my friend just didn't film the whole spin-up but it's all the wind after about 40 rotor rpm. You can see it accelerate each time it lands and then becomes airborne again. I have seen a hand "crank" mechanism used once but it works only for the first 40 ish rotor rpm. After that it's all up to the wind. No need to connect a pedal system to the rotor to keep the rotor spinning, like I mentioned, it's all up to the wind to do that. It's called autorotation. Same way a helicopter glides safely down to a landing when or if the engine quits. They trade off their altitude for the up-flow of wind to keep the rotor spinning.
So is that one of the basic principles of the gyrocopter the "pusher" stile lower motor and blades accelerates the vehicle and when reaching the right forward speed the upper blades create lift? So force on the uppers creates lift, then I assume as long as the upper blades have any force like if it's "falling" that will create lift also. Meaning you'll never go into a free fall mode?
Think of a maple seed as it spins and falls slowly down. Yes, as long as the rotor is spinning at its normal speed gained in flight, it could descend all the way down from great height vertically. However you need some “extra” energy from forward speed in the descent to make a soft landing. You might survive a vertical landing (with at very least a back injury) but it is unlikely the standard Bensen gyro will. Specialty landing gear has been designed to let you even do that.
Awesome stuff , loved watching this , looks like heaps of fun , great learning tool I believe as well . No runway for take off or fuel expenses lol , enjoyed this video heaps .👍
Thank You. Some of the most satisfying flying in my 50+ year gyro career
For me that's how I learned back in the 80s in California great fun let me tell you
bobby Walker, I’ll say most of “today’s” gyro pilots have never experienced this great feeling.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I know a lot of them hasn't experienced that great feeling been towed by vehicle staked out like a kite they just have not experienced it and Banning California Cabazon California
i been to 3 county fairs, aint never seen nothin to beat it.
That’s shocking English.
Great video Chris. Couple of questions.
How long was your tether? Is there a limit to how long you could go? I.e. 100 ft?
What happens if the tether broke?
You're having too much fun there!!!! Thank you for the video.
My cable was about 50 feet. I would say no limit to how long it could be but at some point, the cable becomes "weight" that could prevent flight. I have seen video of folks on about 1000 feet, but they were being towed into flight behind a car. That gives them many more options for good smooth and controllable wind conditions. I would not venture too high under the unpredictable conditions I was in. If the wind suddenly dies, you need to be close to the ground or you could be "smacked" into it. If the cable breaks, it would begin to move quickly backward over the ground. Another good reason not to venture too high. I can't say for sure that it would all work out "well". In that case, the rudder would become a "necessary" working control surface.
Now could you get some forward push with some bike pedals?
OMG 😱😳
Nice 👍
Clubs used to tow them behind cars .
Propably on the desert and Salt flats .
Ken Brock towed his glider to 2200 feet behind an airplane and released to glide down safely. Some on pontoons have been towed behind boats. Bunches of fun when you know how.
In the early 90s I survived parasailing in no name storm in Orlando near the airport . I used to parasail behind my car. We would find a long Open Road or path. We realized between 15 and 20 miles an hour is all we needed. One day after a long spell of not enough wind as we prefer to tie it off to a stationary object such as a parked truck or tree, we suddenly got several days of significant wind. I called my friend and we went off of Semoran Boulevard in Orlando near the airport. It was nighttime. We first tied the Rope off to my Volkswagen Microbus rear bumper. I let out about 100 ft of rope and was able to fly and still get back down. Next I let out all 600 feet. Was not a good idea. I flew around 400 ft in the night sky pulling severe G's getting tossed around like a leaf. It was so windy at that level I could not stick my arm straight out. So it was blowing above 80. It picked the back end of my Volkswagen Microbus in the air and was dragging it very fast to the east in a huge grassy field. My friend was on the ground thinking I was having a good time when I was utterly terrified. It seemed like I was up there forever. I thought I was going to die and was convinced. The peace of God came over me and then I was all right with dying strangely. Something told me to pull one of the steering toggles and I did slowly and consistently until the parasail angled off the horizon to the side and lost enough lift to land. Once I got to the ground I pulled the parasail lines inside out so it would not re-inflate. My truck transmission was destroyed as it lifted it and kept setting it down hard in reverse and there was grass stuffed up underneath the front bumper. Since then I always thought hey gyrocopter kite would be much safer in Gusty wind. I've often thought of making a dedicated version. Any comments?
Wow guy, that would have given me a heart attack. Great story. The strong winds are almost never "friendly". That's why most of the parasail guys/gals can be seen on calm early mornings or calm late evenings, when the winds are light. Not sure I would ever "kite" a parasail. You had a once in a lifetime experience with some "luck" thrown in. A gyroplane is much different in that it can handle some pretty tough wind conditions. When airplanes are getting all buffeted around, a gyroplane will be more stable. If I had rough conditions to fly in (and I have had them) give me the gyro or a helicopter any day.
Looks like good fun! Am I correct in saying that you can’t really get out of ground effect?
No, it will climb as high as the cable will allow. In my case I could not climb above maybe 30 feet, but I also didn't climb because if the wind dies, you must be ready for the landing. You will be "dropped" quickly in that case. That "drop" doesn't matter if you are close to the ground. You can see the wind "dropped" me a few times in this video. If the wind was stronger and steady, I would have climbed to 30 feet.
Very cool flight time and no motor
Hell I was waiting for them to turn it loose
Magic!
All real my friend
Merci beaucoup l'Ami
It’s pretty good for handing the rotor but it does require understanding and knowing how to get it safely spun up. It’s not easy with the wind always blowing, same goes for stopping it. Transition to engine power is not exactly easy either. Nothing can replace taking dual instruction for that. It’s a whole new “beast” once you strap on that motor. You should never go at it alone.
some one did when they first learned how to fly. I think you shouldn't let anyone stop you from doing anything ! We could definately do with a few less know it all's !
@@stevelamperta865 I like what Ken Brock always said, "don't tell me, show me"!!! I do miss my glider.
I concur with John H, but the U boats had forward speed when towing the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze, for this gyrocopter to take off a rotor speed of approaching 200rpm would have to be achieved and in order for that to happen you are looking at a wind speed of 20 - 25kts minimum.
Yes, but consider the wind is almost never calm. If you can do 10kts lets say and have a 15kt headwind, problem somewhat solved. An aircraft carrier will "turn into the wind" for that advantage when launching fighters. Also note that the Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze had a three blade rotor and the rotor loading was much lighter enabling it to fly with slower speeds. The higher you climb, the wind speed normal increases. Believe me there are other agencies still looking at towed aerial platforms at sea.
Hi Chris: A little more of a technical question. Do you have any negative pitch induced into the blades at the rotor head block? If so how much angle? Lastly would a little negative pitch help lift off in lighter winds and quicker spool up of the rotor?
Any knowledge you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the video... watched it hundreds of times.
Look at the control stick and think of the rotor spindle as following the stick as it is tilted. Lets say the rotor spindle is vertical and the stick is also (actual degrees are different because the mast is aft 9 degrees relative to the keel). Just some more confusion, the rotor is "fixed" in pitch to about 1.5 degrees positive and bolted solidly into the hub. System is referred to as "semi-ridgid". The rotor also "teeters" within about a 10 degree window. It does this to allow for dissimilar of lift, created when the rotor turns around it's spindle. The right side is more positive creating more lift and the left side is less positive creating less lift. Best to demo this action at the gyro. As you move the stick that action is translated to the rotor via two control rods. The control "head" is essentially a universal joint that allows the rotor spindle to follow movements of the stick (cyclic). The cyclic changes the rotor pitch cyclically as the rotor turns. There is no collective.
Less fixed pitch would allow the rotor to spin up quicker but the overall result is less efficient. 1.5 degrees positive seems to work best but you can go a little more positive but not much. Less pitch slightly easier spin up but not good lift.
Sorry if this isn't understandable. Computer "jumbled" it and dropped some also.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 Thank you Chris for the quick and honest reply. Yes it does make sense and I do follow your explanation. I have a 1960"s Bensen Gyro with out motor. I have let it spool up in light winds and that is the extent I am prepared to go before I take proper Gyro lessons. I asked my question out of pure knowledge gaining :) You know how thoughts bounce around in your head... So I thought I would ask. Thanks for taking the time to teach and help... your answer is greatly appreciated.
Did you build the gyrocopter? I have a set of plans for a Bensen Gyro from the 50's and am thinking of building it. Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure if your 50’s plans will have the later control head but that’s important. Bensen is gone now and so is Brock (almost identical) so finding critical components may be challenging. “Used” is how I found mine and I think I paid about $1500 and that was 10 years ago now. I would stick with a factory Bensen or Brock rotor and a factory head unless you are a competent machinist. Don’t change the configuration at all as that changes everything else. Good luck. Never try this on you own. Find competent qualified help. It’s easy to get critically injured and many have died proving that point.
Parabéns pelo vídeo!
Thanks, glad my cousin made it and my grandson was able to put it here for others to enjoy.
Pretty neat man
Hadley Scott McIntyre , thanks. It is definitely fun for sure.
This gyro kite is fantastic, I didn't even know about it. It's very interesting, but I would like to know how many knots in wind speed does it needs to develop lift? And question number two how much does it cost?
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
Gino Gizio d'ignazio, takes about 22mph wind or more and steady if you can get it. It was pretty gusty this day but a gyro can handle some pretty “ugly” gust, more than many airplanes. I paid I think $1500 US for this one second hand but did need to add some hardware etc to get it flying. Picking one up used is maybe the cheapest way to get one. To built all new today may take about $6000 US, just guessing.
Thanks you so much Mr @@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12
How give me reason how to make that thing or built
Great! A great simulator for novice pilots. The drawings would still be found...
I feel like this would be an interesting concept for a wind turbine. A Benson B8 glider?
I agree. The wind can provide "lots" of power. This is exactly what wind turbines are all about. It is a Bensen B8 glider (not Benson) spell checker does that.
You’re most welcome
I recently developed a strong interest in Gyroplanes. I have successfully designed and build a twin rotor rc Gyroplane and I am currently building a mono rotor Gyroplane that I designed too…still rc.
Well it takes a "different" kind of pilot to fly r/c. I never did well in that task. Guess I'm a seat of the pants' sort. I cant fly well without all the senses at work.
Also know as Gyrokite ASMR
I remember the good times I had flying my Benson-MAC out of Mckinney airfield back in the 80s. I had my first flight in a towed glider. Thinking about doing an electric-powered version, so I can hear those awesome rotor blades.
Yes Jim. Nothing beats that sound in my book. You can learn so much about the rotor by the sound. Too many folks today never get to appreciate it.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 I have a question I always wondered about; How much time do I have to recover from an unloaded rotor condition and is throttle setting a factor?
Kind of like my life. It went around in circles and got nowhere.😊
100%wery good
Folate, last supplier listing I have for this rotor was 2012. Contact Roger Farnes at rotorsnradials@msn.com. Don’t know if they are still making them today. Mine was 21 feet 9 inches in diameter, 7 inch chord.
Good job! Where was this filmed?🍻
Martin Leicht, KFDK Frederick Maryland, west of Washington DC and Baltimore MD.
Nice kite :-)
that's the coolest
I enjoyed this "kiting" more than any flying in my 50 years of gyro flight. It's much harder than you may think but so much fun.
You might feel better about “GYROKITE PT2” which shows my cousin flying over my head. You can hear us talking. If there was any powered fan in front, you would only hear engine noise.
Hey cousin! It’s been my dream to build a gyrocopter. Do you possibly have any plans for building one of these puppies? How are you able to get lift with no motor, is it THAT windy where you made this video?
Send me a direct email and I can help you out. No, the wind only blows hard enough during season change, early spring or late fall. You need about 22 mph to get airborne but 30 is better for a good sustained flight. It was pretty “gusty” this day but nearer the end of the video, it was getting more steady and above 25 mph. I would not build my own rotor or control head but the rest is pretty basic stuff.
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
Christopher Burgess GYRO-CFI Only when it would be convenient for you sir, would you possibly send me an email? I for some reason have not yet figured out how to send direct messages on TH-cam. My personal email is nicholascburgess@ymail.com. Thank you sir!
Diary of a Grim Reaper Have you ever considered building your own ultralight powered by lithium-ion batteries, and possibly self sustaining by solar panels on wings?
@@thatsuberpwnage You know, some people don't have a problem putting their life in the hands of Electric and batteries... But I'm not that guy. I need a engine. And I'm not saying electric doesn't have it's place.. It does. I honestly never realized a Gyro KITE was a real thing until today, that is very cool, but I understand a combustion engine. I understand how much fuel is in the tank. not how much wind is in the air, or juice in a battery. Maybe one day I'll build my own ultralight. I bought plans, I just never got around to it. Personally, I really like the SNS Guppy, they have a amazing record, last I checked, there were I think 4 known crashes, and NO FATALITIES. THAT IS A WIN! But I can't even make a chess board without screwing something up =) I know if I ever had a problem with a Gyro, I would hit the ground like a salad.
Maybe you could try slope soaring? Could you get enough speed on a windy day to roll down a slope and "glide"?
Well I did that back around 1977 I think. I built and tried gliding down a "slope" in a homebuilt "Easy Riser", not the gyro glider. Looks like a biplane with no tail. Well there was an erosion berm running around the slope. I hit an updraft when I got to that slope which caused me to balloon up about 20 feet higher than I wanted to be. Slid forward to bring her down but hit hard on my right leg. Broke that poor thing (my ankle). Glider survived no damage but my body didn't like the landing. No more "slope" soaring for me. The gyro glider would not soar. It has a poor glide ratio and about a 1200 fpm rate of descent.
Dear sir ...Could you possibly tell me where I might be able to obtain plans to build this gyro glider...….any help would be very much appreciated...……..Thanking you in advance...……..I have been looking for a very long time
Send me your direct email. Plans have been posted on the www.RotaryForum.com in the past. A search or post asking for those plans there will likely find them there. I have some I could send if you give my a direct email.
Check on PRA.org. They are there. Look for downloads.
I have plans for Gyrobee and many other ultralights on my chanel. Search under "plans, blueprints" I made them into videos. People are pulling engines out of wrecked motorcycles and dirt bikes all the time, it may be a good use for one. The Sorrel SNS Guppy was originally powered by a OUTBOARD motor.
Mr. Burges, where did u get the frame from? What company. Do you have the plans how much they cost?
jose rivas , It’s pretty much a standard ”Bensen B8 Glider”. I purchased it from a former student that just never completed it. He installed the horizontal mid-span on the vertical rudder. In the standard location it is perhaps not as effective. I feel there are more incomplete kits scattered around the country, world perhaps. You can Google Bensen B8 Glider Plans and you should find links to the plans. I don’t know of anyone still producing this kit but I am also not looking at this time. I’ve seen plans offered for free !! I would expect a glider like this may run $6000 with no motor, but like it has been pointed out in other post, this is no toy and you can be fatally injured if you don’t know what you are doing. I have over 45 years experience in gyros and even I needed help and guidance from an experienced WWII airplane instructor in the beginning. I was also a licensed Army helicopter and airplane pilot before that. It is all aircraft hardware and materials so that makes things a little more pricey.
Mr. Burges thank you much for your help. You have been very helpful.
Неплохой тренажер для обучения пилотов GIRO👍👌🤙✌️
It is GOOD for rotor management training but not easy to learn without help from someone that knows how to get the rotor spun-up under windy conditions. It is not easy to do and you need to understand how it is done and done safely. Trying this alone without experienced help can be dangerous.
defiying the laws of gravity, im a racing car passing by like lady godiva, im gona go go go there no stoping me
Share a video of making rotor blades..
They were factory built. I did not make them nor would I ever. It requires a special skill I do not have.
This idea could take off....
Well it has, with an engine. Most folks do not have the steady winds to do this everyday or each time you want to fly. This type of kiting does not require another person, just steady winds.
It would be awesome for helicopter training
Actually I am a retired army helicopter pilot. I feel it teaches rotor management most of all. Mainly because you can hear the rotor speed up and slow down with the wind speed changes and how it reacts to it. The simplicity of no engine or systems to monitor allows you to focus all senses on the rotor’s condition as it change’s rpm.
woooowww..... cooolll
Would it be possible if you went up high enough to thermal in the same way a hang glider does, using the warm up rising air?
A gyro glider has the glide ratio of a "brick" so I would say no. Rate of descent as measured by Ken Brock was about 1200 fpm in the glider. He released from being towed to 2200 feet AGL back in 1979. You would need to find a thermal going up at least that fast.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 - So, updrafts in a Thundercloud?! 🙄😁
Robert Weekley, Believe me you don’t want to tackle “any” thunderstorm, you will lose the battle.
@@christopherburgessgyro-cfi12 - Agreed! It was just a snide Comment, as to where to find really big Updrafts, that you can "See!
cool
Thanks. It was definitely fun. In my 46 years of gyro flying, flying the glider was really the most incredible. Riding on the winds alone. Always a thrill.
Good practice ..
Not to mention FUN for this fellow