Sportcopter M912 update

[IanM]

[tonydenton]

hello IAN, it certainly sounds like sportscopter likes getting into R and D. but it has seemed that it is easy for them as they apparently are listening to you and your input.
I have wondered about the radiator louver for radiators , I have seen duct tape wrapped around the edges of the radiator but obviously not adjustable in the air .
what about the 4 way trim can you put up some info on that and can it be retro fitted to other machines.
great that your selling so many too.

[IanM]

Hi Tony,

Yes, Sportcopter are certainly into R&D and making gyros do what I think they should do. It is one of the main reasons I got involved with them.

I don't think the trim system could be retro fitted to any other head. the Sportcopter geometry is quite different than any other so it would not fit on without modification. Sportcopter is quite paranoid with protecting their IP and have had trouble with another country trying to hack their design computer. Their new 2 seaters will have more innovations in them so I am looking forward to releasing details soon about them. The head design is one of the things that I am surprised has not been copied. For all the claims of so called "New Generation" gyros made by other companies, all other gyros still copy the old Benson designed offset gimbal which Benson came up with about 60 years ago.

[tonydenton]

hello ian, it would be good if they did sell heads separate thou as it's all sales and you would think they would want that.
I.P. is a funny thing and I respect anyone with it. they have done the homework and it should belong to them . no such thing as a world wide patent thou. not all the countries that have signed up to the agreement way back in what ever century don't enforce it all the time.
wow after looking at your pictures again I accidentally got out of asra and then when I got back on, it had saved my posting and asked me to restore it or delete my post , well done webby. .

[tonydenton]

what does "ERROR O " mean when I tried to post. my spelling is always correct.

[tonydenton]

and yet it put the previous post on any way ?????

[Brian]

Anyone using a 912 rotax should invest in a oil thermostat & you no longer need tape or any other gadgets to control oil temp.

[IanM]

Hi Brian, Yes, I use an oil thermostat on my M912 and it is really good to help speed up the time to warm the oil first thing after starting on a cold morning. It doesn't help to get the oil above the 90 degrees, that Rotax advice for the temperature to get to at least once each flight, on cold days if the water is low as well. Yours may be a different one than the one I am using but it seems to open the bypass at about 60 deg.C. With the Sportcopter by closing the louvers on the radiator and warming the water temperature up the oil warms up too. This makes it possible to get the oil the optimum temperature on cold days and then open the louvers on hot days to prevent over heating.

Do you have any problems when mustering with the oil getting too hot? One of our radical mustering pilots (Ex- R22 mustering pilot) in northern Queensland is trialling a thermatic fan on his oil cooler as his oil temp. was getting high when mustering in ernest at full noise but low and slow. he reckons it is working really well. the placement of the oil cooler is important too.

[birdy]

Yes, cooler placement makes a big difference.
iv never had oil or coolant overheat, even wen its 45c, on the limit hangn off the prop.
i have more trouble keepn the oil warm, even with a full cooler flap in winter.
( seems SC have been spyn on me )

[IanM]

Hi Birdy,

Just about next door at the moment! I'm visiting my daughter in Alice for a few days. she works here now. If I had a flying machine with me I would fly out and catch up.

Originally SC had the oil cooler in front of the radiator so the louvers controller the air flow through both of them. this set up works well in the US and down South here but we found when some of the guy got serious with the mustering on hot days the oil was getting hot. For us in Oz now the oil cooler is positioned lower so it gets free air which seems to overcome any problems. We are still tweaking some things to Australianise the M912.