What to buy

[Mark Horan]

who the hell is munro?Anyway, there is nothing wrong with pauly, its just the rest of us are out of step.......I, like everyone else in the universe patiently await the release of "firebird" (in actual fact my own machine has risen from the ashes twice already!, but thats another story) and when everyone is flying around in the "machine that is better than the ,,,,,less safer machines",,,,,, I will personally fashion a laurel wreath for the head of ceasar from my very own laurel tree and place it on the anointed ones head!BUT....until one demonstrates the better mousetrap, one should content himself with the one that catches mice!Ekka, the one thing about being ugly...... it sure makes me good!Mark.

[asra]

G,day Mark.Dunno if its going to be better but I expect that it will be asgood as, but from all of the pics I have seen its going to be roomy man roomy and comfortable. From the close up pics I have seen I believe its very well thought out. But, what do I know.I envy you blokes that already have your mouse, all I can do at themoment is hop from one foot to the other and make Brmm Brmmm noises.My wife doesn't want me to have an open single seater and I cant afford to spend money on something that will not fill my needs, eh.Cheers.Robert DunnMackay. Qld.Growing old is good while it lasts.

[Brian]

Hi Robert, with no disrespect intended to anyone, I really believe anyone starting from scratch, should start with an open frame gyro, nice and simple and do a few hours of flying. This does a few things, you know then if gyros are for you, and it also influences what sort or type of gyro you wish to upgrade to later and what you really need versus what you think you now want. Then there's the plus of getting the experience up to avoid any disarsters that can occur to beginners [from 0 to 150 hours]. A gyro, even a CLT can go from a $50,000 pride and joy to a crumpled heap of bits very easily and thats not be cruel to a gyro, its just that a gyro is very unforgiving on the ground !!I know what you have your heart set on the Firebird which should be a great gyro and a long way in front of the Sparrowhawk.An interesting point for all to consider, someone commented about Owen Dulls gyro being a two stroke, question, could a two stroke get a Sparrowhawk or the Firebird off the ground ???? I dont think so !! and this says heaps about Owens design and more importantly, the lightness of his gyro, even with a Suby 2.2 etc.The less horsepower needed to achieve a result is a savings in fuel and cost !!! Just my humble opinion !!BrianPooncarie NSW

[asra]

G,day Brian.I appreciate your comments and suggestions with regard to trainingand getting early hours experience and can only agree with you.In my case there are a couple of considerations that I have had totake into account.Firstly, I have an unwell wife that despite appearances, is notstrong enough to safely look after herself for any length of time,so I dont travel far from home for more than half a day withouttaking her with me.She gets tired when travelling to far in the car, so I cant travelback and forth to get Gyro training.I have enough faith in myself and Pauls instruction to risk starting in the Firebird. It would have been the Hybrid a while back, up here, but that was not to be, eh. I have not found anything that I dont like to fly or feel comfortable with including a parachute.The plan at present is to travel down to Vic. by motorhome, visiting a few people along the way. My wife and I have close friends onKangaroo Island and she wants to go there for a holiday for a few weeks while I train with Paul etc.My desire for a Firebird is more than just owning a Gyro. I want to get back to television and film production and the Firebird, because of its size will fit the bill as a camera platform.Much cheaper than a Helo in day to day operation and of course withthe Gyro ( being stable, docile and able to be flown hands of for a time ) means I could do all the filming myself and fly the Gyro.Most aerial shots are pre planned and take no more than ten seconds each.Of course I plan to spend many hours just training and flying aroundgetting the hang of it before we start getting serious.Because of the domestic situation I am intending to buy a suitable,large enough property that I can put an airstrip on. Not just for the Gyro but also for visiting FW's.Having the strip and the Gyro in me shed also means that I can fly around for two or three hours, just for fun, any day of the week that has suitable weather, without having to travel back and forth ! Besides I absolutely hate living with neighbours near me ! I also want to breed a few Clydesdales and my wife wants Alpaca's.We intend to have a housekeeper on the property so that will mean that I can work away from home for longer periods.Thats the plan anyway, at present.If it wasn't for the fact that I want to use the Gyro as a one man out, camera platform, I would be better suited with an R22 or R44 to get around in.Helicopters are my main interest really but Gyro's make nice wop wop noises too, eh.Cheers.Robert DunnMackay. Qld.Growing old is good while it lasts.

[Brian]

Yes, I see your point Robert and I'm sure that you will enjoy the training and flying the Firebird. Sorry to hear about your wife not being well. Look after her mate, they are precious !!!!BrianPooncarie NSW

[asra]

Thanks Brian.Robert DunnMackay. Qld.Growing old is good while it lasts.

[asra]

Hi,This may be heresy, but what do you guys think of the NZ UFO helithruster? It looks pretty cute via its website photos and meets the cross country stats that Darren seems to be after? Or is considering anything other than a Firebird akin to declaring war on the turks!CheersRichardA ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for!

[asra]

Hi,This may be heresy, but what do you guys think of the NZ UFO helithruster? It looks pretty cute via its website photos and meets the cross country stats that Darren seems to be after? Or is considering anything other than a Firebird akin to declaring war on the turks!CheersRichardA ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for!

[asra]

The report from one of the Vic members who has recently got one going is his UFO has great performance figures, and it does look great. However I have heard they need a lot of additional expert input during the building process as the kit and parts quality and selection is apparently not good.PeteBairnsdale,Vic.

[asra]

quote:Originally posted by EchoRobert, are you sure you didnt go a little pink around the cheeks...? Unbelievable! I've read my post ( I think I even wrote it ) & I cant quite see where I was knocking Paul or his Firebird ...so before you assume something about me stick yer brain into gear before hitting the keys . For the record , Robert , from what I've seen of the Firebird it looks a lot nicer & better thought out gyro than the Sparrowhawk ( now I'll be in the **** with SH owners ) & wish him all the best with his development . Good on ya , Mark . Just like another Horan I know who likes to have the last word ( except she is not as ugly as you )Echo, Kiss me ****![]Image Insert: 55.39

[Echo]

Why would I want to kiss your **** ? Are you gay ? Compared to a Newo Gyro the Sparrowhawk looks like a mismash of left over parts found beside a Freightliner workshop. Fair dinkum ....have a look at it.