Rotorhead and ext. Blades.

[mrford61]

I am fitting a set of heavy ext. blades. Am I right to assume that a heavier duty head is not necessary?ThanksMark.

[birdy]

Yep.Solong as you don't flog the blades/head when your on the ground the head won't know the difference.Once your off the ground it's only the same weight hang'n off the head,even if you had 4 ton blades.Sounds like you'll be off shortly Mark,how long to go??Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.

[mrford61]

Thanks Birdy.Very close. [] I hope to spend most of this weekend on it and test run and trim next week some time. I done some minor damage transporting it to new home (230k,s of corrugated road) that set me back a little.Control rods, rudder cables and wire instruments up.Could do with some rain... but then who couldnt.CheersMark.

[Tim]

G'day Mark. Most of the heads you see around today in Australia are considered to be heavy duty - identified by 3/4" forks instead of 1/2", and held on by 5/16" bolts instead of 1/4".Tim McClure

[mrford61]

Thanks Tim,This head is actually fairly old but looks really well made. It is the lighter type you describe. Apparently a "Higgins" head but he had someone constructing them for him. This head and Larkin blade combination was absolutely as smooth as can be. ( I used to sometimes wonder whether the stick was still attached [])My unlearned thoughts were along the lines of extra centifugal force on the towers due to blade weight though the Larkins were also quite heavy. I replaced the bearing about 20 hrs flying time ago and this is'nt the head I was flying the day I joined the B.R.C.This pic is somewhere else here but will attach it again.Image Insert: 30.7

[asra]

Tim, that looks like Bob Higgins head to me, what do you think?[?]The only problems ever found with any of those heads was that there seemed to be two different tower heights. Only by half a mm or so.[?] When Bobs stuff got sold, after he closed down his gyro business, someone must have put all the towers in the same box. All the head parts must have been seperate and not assembled. I wonder how many of these heads were assembled with non matching towers?Wayne Morgan and I refurbished a vw gyro to Rotax power for Don Cowling. We chased rotor shake for ages. Not that we knew much back then, but the head was finally sent to Rosco for blue printing and that is when we found that the the towers were not a matched pair.[:0] Rosco fixed it and eveything was smooth after that.[^]Mark, there quite a few of those heads on the eary VW machines. I did 350 hours on my identical head in the mid 80's and never had any problems.[^]Aussie Paul. []www.firebirdgyros.com

[Mark Horan]

NICE POST PAUL!maybe the new year brings good tidings,Information from experience, that helps the newiesThanks,Mark.

[mrford61]

Is the "squeak...squeak...squeak" from the AK,s as they wind up while taxiing any cause for concern?I just havent had that with any other rotors is all.Thanks.Mark.

[asra]

Mark, I am probably wrong, but I believe that it is the very fine ridges along the blades from the extrusion dye, that cause that sound.Aussie Paul. []www.firebirdgyros.com

[NiqueNaque]

Mark,Why don't you just put some of that water soluable oil on them that you have in your gear box? That will stop you from squeaking.Cheers,Nick.

[mrford61]

Thanks Paul. It sounds more like a metal stretching?? noise and it stops when they start to cone.????quote:Originally posted by NiqueNaqueMark,Why don't you just put some of that water soluable oil on them that you have in your gear box? That will stop you from squeaking.Cheers,Nick.???????????????????????????

[asra]

Sorry Mark. I jumped to conclusions. I know, again!!! I read whistle instead of squeek. Yes, that noise is quite disconcerting when you have flown "plastic" blades for so long. When I had a set of Gerry Goodwin extruded blades for testing purposes, there was no noise like the AK ones make.Aussie Paul. []www.firebirdgyros.com

[asra]

hehehehehe wrong Mark, Nick it was iMark

[mrford61]

No worries Paul. My Goodwin fabricated blades on another gyro made a similar noise when they were not turning at all, even just moving the gyro around in the shed but never when turning.I have only flown strip runs with the AK,s while I trim etc. but with the rotorhead in the photo and AK combination there is ABSOLUTELY no stickshake at all, they spin up nicely (no prerotator)and seem to hang on forever when landing. Thumbs up from me. Mark.

[asra]

mark, they do spin up nicely don't they. I can't wait to get a 30' set to test and compare.Aussie Paul. []www.firebirdgyros.com