Autogyro Flying, Short Field Take Off & Landing
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- MTO Sport Gyroplane, takes off and lands on a short field. Filming from the cockpit and from the ground.
Gyros can land in a very short distance even in still air. 20 feet is quite doable with a little practice. Take off distance of 200 feet in still air.
Take off:
The Rotax engine driving the pusher prop is started. Pre-flight checks are performed. Release the rotor brake.
The pre-rotator is engaged to spin up the rotor (driven by PTO from Rotax). The stick is held all the way forward to keep the rotor disk flat until sufficient rpm (above 140 rpm on this model) is reached to cause the blades to cone up. Moving the stick rearwards prior to this could allow the blades to strike the tail or prop. On a rough field the rpm must be higher (200 rpm on this model) before the gyro is allowed to move, or else the bouncing could cause the blades to flex down and strike the tail or prop.
So the rotor is slowly brought up to 200 rpm, to avoid undue stress on the pre-rotator system.
Then handbrake is released to ensure there are no hangups before, in unison and smoothly, the stick is brought all the way back (pre-rotator is also disengaged) and the throttle is opened wide.
The gyro will accelerate quickly and around 30 kts the nose wheel will lift. Push the stick smoothly forward to keep the nose wheel just above the ground (this is known as balancing). On a normal hard surface runway, this condition would be maintained for a few seconds until the gyro lifts off around 50 kts. In this case because of the rough surface and additional surface drag we pop the gyro off at 40 kts. Because the gyro hasn't yet reached climbout speed, we stay level in ground effect. At 55 kts we pull back and climb out, like going up in a fast elevator.
Landing:
Throttle back sufficient to steepen the glide-path to intersect the landing point while maintaining 55 kts. Near the ground ease the stick back to round out, to bring the gyro parallel and within a few feet of the surface. Then wait until you feel the gyro sink, then flare. As soon as the gyro touches down close any remaining throttle and keep pulling back on the stick. Don't let the nose wheel touch until almost stopped (balance). Ease the stick forward to stop the gyro moving backwards, apply the rotor brake and wait until rotor rpm is under 200 rpm. Then move the stick all the way forward.
Flying:
The open cockpit flying makes flying real, you can feel the air and get a fabulous view of the outside world. It is the purest experience of flight. The low sided cockpit makes it feel like you have no visible means of support. The aircraft is not a protective shell, but an extension of your body, moving as you move. It's a brilliant experience, I always feel elated for hours after flying.
This gyro is wonderful to fly, sensitive to control inputs but quite stable.
Comments and video are not intended as instruction on flying a gyro. Never attempt to fly a gyro without adequate tuition by a qualified CFI. Please do not attempt to copy any flying maneuvers shown in this video as they could result in serious injury and death!!!
Filmed , Apr 11, 2014
As a commercial pilot I understand the principles of flight.....what I really appreciated was the descriptive text explaining takeoff, landing and level flight. I saved the video for this alone. Subscribed too.....Thanks, Jim
Glad it was helpful!
Wonderful machine! What is the lowest speed it can fly horizontally, without losing altitude ?
There is no easy answer to your question. Many factors affect aircraft performance including; air density (temperature, humidity & altitude) , aircraft load (passengers and fuel) and engine thrust. The AutoGyro MTO Sport 912ULS is normally aspirated so air density makes a big difference. The TAG TE 914UL has a turbo so it is less affected. At 1,000ft - 1,500ft amsl, I can usually slow fly around 30kts without losing altitude. For short periods you can do better by using full engine power. Engine overheating is the issue especially with the turbo.
Guys....that didn't look like a short field take off to me...
The landing is almost no roll; I call that very short.
For the conditions the take-off is pretty good and not pushing the pre-rotator above 200rpm.
Take-off slightly uphill and on grass so more drag than on pavement.
Slight breeze and hot.
Is the main rotor, the large one, powered by the engine? I always thought that the main rotor of a gyrocopter was a free spinning rotor and moved only when the push prop started moving the aircraft forward and the wind started catching the blades, causing the blades to spin. In this video I see the main rotor starting to spin really fast before the gyrocopter even begins to move down the runway. Please help me understand.
The main rotor is not powered by the engine in flight mode. On earlier models and many small single seat gyros you have to have spin the main rotor to get it turning before moving forward and allowing the wind to drive the rotor. Modern gyros mostly have a system called pre-rotation that allows the main rotor to be initially turned by the engine instead of by hand. The main engine is connected to the main rotor through a belt drive that also acts as a clutch. For a standard rolling takeoff, the main rotor will be pre-rotated to around 130-150 RPM. For a short field takeoff, the rotor may be driven to 200-220 RPM before releasing the brakes. Once rolling the stick is pulled back and the pre-rotator disconnected. The rotor then catches the wind driving the rotor up to flying speed. The pre-rotator is never connected during flight, only as a precursor to the takeoff run.
@@jimmccudden5660 Thank you so much for this explanation! This answers my question completely and really helps me understand this!
@@jimmccudden5660 Hi Jim, I have recently become very interested in gyroplanes and would like to own one some day. Something I've always wondered was, what would happen if the pre-rotator was not disconnected during takeoff or, if it was reengaged during landing? I always wondered why the pre-rotator could not assist in making vertical landings viable.
The pre-rotator has a clutch which is normally rubber belt. The belt would simply fail if left connected. Since the pre-rotator is not capable of vertical take-off it would not be powerful enough for vertical landing. Plus, the engine is under powered for vertical operation. Vertical rotor thrust has to exceed the weight of the aircraft.
@@jimmccudden5660 Thanks for responding Jim. So, if one did wish for more of a "true" vertical autorotation, it would be more about having a collective than a powered rotor?