VSRA Hang Your Machine Weekend

[lparsons]

I think you are missing the point here. We did successfully balance test and hang test a single place machine - no trouble! It was the height that we had to work from with a 2-seat machine, 80 litres fuel and 2 pilots and a front-end loader on a tractor that causes the safety issues. As farmers, we can"t afford to place ourselves or other ASRA members in that position.]

[Tsemler]

Hi LloydI guess it all comes down to what you percieve as a risk, below is a picture of Kevins two seater full fuel (around 80 litres as well) and two up, the two seated are probably over 1.8 metres off the ground, the wheels were chocked so it didnt move, and once the balance point was found we chocked it so it was steady, at this stage of the weekend we did Kevin"s two seater test with only 3 people total, at no time did we feel that there was a risk to person or machine,

[bosca]

Lloyd,If there is a will then there is allways a solution.However if it is perceived that hang tests are irrelevant then no means will be found.

[Brian]

I think you are missing the point here. We did successfully balance test and hang test a single place machine - no trouble! It was the height that we had to work from with a 2-seat machine, 80 litres fuel and 2 pilots and a front-end loader on a tractor that causes the safety issues. As farmers, we can"t afford to place ourselves or other ASRA members in that position.]Okay, I did miss the point, it was late and I should have been in bed getting my beauty sleep ;DLloyd, Birdy came up with a great idea and this may help some people with the balance tests with 2 & single seaters. Dig a suitable sized hole in the ground deep enough for the tail to fit in , then back the gyro into position, hammer in a couple of good strong stakes or use good chocks to keep the mainwheels from moving, then lift the front of the gyro up till it balances, job done without anyone having to climb at all !! Most farms or wheat farmers will have a tractor with a bucket or if the soil is reasonably soft, dig the hole by hand. BTW, I"m not volunteering for hole digging I know that these tests are a nuisance, however, this testing, once complete will show fairly closely, just what you gyro is in relation to thrust lines and COG"s. There is no doubt many gyros that are HTL, [including mine] and this will tell every owner exactly how high or low their thrust line is!! Some of us are going to get a big surprise just how high their thrust line is.

[bosca]

As far as OH&S is concerned,lifting with a front end loader with people underneath is a no no.

[Brian]

As far as OH&S is concerned,lifting with a front end loader with people underneath is a no no.

[bosca]

Brian,digging a hole in my opinion is insane.If one needs a solution then put a weighted mannequin in both seats.

[asra]

have you seen the work cover legislation regarding working under raised forklifts in nsw? they have no redundent systems in the hydraulics and on ocasion they have been known to give way and the law allows for very long gaol terms in the event of an accident and large fines if your court in the act. working under suspended loads in nsw is against the law and is not tolerated by workcover

[asra]

Hi GentsHere is a picture of Lou"s Gyroplane g-223 at our VSRA Hang Test weekend. We tested 9 aircraft over 1.5 days including a 2 seater. All aircraft were tested in the same way. Easy, safe and very calculated.Regards SamL....................

[asra]

Here is a pic before the event all ready to go, and another during Testing.Regards SamL..........

[danny]

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[asra]

Hi Danny,As you are not a member of ASRA it is really none of their business what you fly but unfortunately it still reflects badly on other (legal) members if unlicensed pilots in unregistered machines come to grief.I will give you some free advice anyway,If your gyro is EXACTLY the same as another with EXACTLY the same pilot weight during the test then you can copy those results.ASRA will still require a photo for 2011 registration along with proof of compliance IE the photo of the other machine you have copied the results from.

[asra]

DannyImportant to consider it must be exactly the same including the prop and the rotor blades. Different mass rotor blades can have a significant effect in the COM.High thrust line machines are less efficient than CLT machines. Why waste power? If you changed your machine to CLT you would get a significant improvement in performance such as reduced fuel burn, better climb rate and faster cruise speed.Your fuel burn could reduce by maybe 10%. That"s a saving of $900 for 430 hours. (my ea81 rosco improved by approx 20%)If your not an asra member and your flying and unregistered machine, I suggest you do some research as to legal and financial implications of such illegal activity.

[Tsemler]

Hi Danny,My old machine i didn"t think went down with power application either until i concentrated on holding the stick in a fix position and applying full noise, Guess us glider pilots (Ex) must be special

[Brian]

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