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Confessions of a tugger

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  • Confessions of a tugger

    Hello All,Thought I might bore you with the story of my new gyro which someone I know nicknamed "Tugger"It all started when I saw a balsa wood model of a tractor gyro that Rod Torr built and decided I couldn"t

  • #2
    Bloody amazing.I would have thought that as the air left the prop blade the law of equal and opposite reaction would occure, and that was the moment that thrust occured and any items past would only have secondary effect. But 100 is extreme.Then 17 degrees re streemlining may have a lot more merit, and also using this principle then streemlining past the cab to the pusher prop must be very relivent.If so why is it not used and has anybody done done similer thrust checks re past mast streemlining.Thanks for post Murray I dip my hat to you.

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    • #3
      Muzz,You do like to do things outside of the conventional box I guess that you are running a 582 judging by the twin rads and expectations for thrust.?Those results are very interesting indeed. ???The "Tugger" is well named. :-*Look forward to hearing it flys a full circuit. ;DMitch.

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      • #4
        "Here are a couple of pics, be kind..."Thats easy. Cannot believe the time you have spent finishing a prototype. The dashboard is a gem.Is it worth getting a couple of sheets of plywood and running down the sides as streamlining to see if this regains thrust?Turn the seat around and fly it like the Wright brothers plane?What about twin props? Belt drive from motor, and set up could be made to have counter rotating props.Oh, mount the radiators a bit closer to your knees. Does not look the warmest machine to fly...Graham

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        • #5
          The engine is a 532 Zero timed.Thrust? I don"t really know what to expect from it.Ive had 532"s before but never did thrust tests,dont believe its an accurate or definitive way to mesure,just a rough indication. I just pitched the prop to the best engine torque figure in a climb. Tim McClure should know what you can wring out of a 532 ?. I would imagine 360 to 380 LBS?Yes a bit of plywood down the sides would work but I think some spruce stringers and Ceconite covering would be better. But for now ol" Tugger has been banished to the back of the hanger till I get some time.

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          • #6
            Very interesting and valuable experience.

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            • #7
              There is nothing wrong with the gyro, it"s just that some heartless person called it a Tugger!The poor gyro is rather sensitive and still being so young the little thing is only sulking.After building such a nice looking and unique gyro and then calling it a tugger....well, maybe it"s the owner that we should be calling a Tugger. Man, talk about thoughtless and insensitive, I think this is scraping the bottom of the barrel.This whole ordeal has gotten me quite worked up and emotional. I had better leave it here or I would go on forever about "THIS" person.Graeme

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              • #8
                ??? ???This story seems to keep us coming back for more...it is one of the few accurate accounts of what is really going on with the pusher / tractor world.

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                • #9
                  I had the privilege this weekend to see the South African "Kriek" flying this weekend.

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                  • #10
                    I noticed that this thread is several years old.Whatever happened to "Tugger"?It looks like a cool little aircraft! It would be a shame to see it relegated to the back of the hangar forever!

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                    • #11
                      It"s in my garage waiting for me to get some time to do some changesRoss B

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                      • #12
                        Hmmmm....I"m interested to see exactly what kind of changes might fix this (currently) imperfect design.Is it mainly the drag from an un-cowled engine?Would moving the radiator and afixing an engine cowl help, perhaps?I came across another similar design called a "Raven 1" which was little more than what Tugger is, but is a taildragger, has a longer tail boom and an engine cowl.I know that most aircraft flight manuals state specifically that the aircraft should not be flown without a propeller spinner and the full engine cowling assembly in place, but I always thought that this was for engine cooling purposes.I never imagined that the drag factor would be sufficent to reduce engine thrust by 33%!I must say that I am fascinated by the simplicity of this design. The Bensen/Brock design is obviously designed with the average handyman with a drill, a spanner (and a bad attitude! :P ) in mind, but looking at this, it has taken such simplicity to another step!Interested in your thoughts.

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                        • #13
                          Tugger was a bit of an experiment. It stated out as an exercise to make a simple front engine gyro.I did about a dozen strip runs at ten feet but didn"t attempt a circuit mainly because of the trees/houses/highways/swamps around the airstrip i fly from. It would hardly get out of ground effect.The trouble with open frame tractor gyro"s is the thrust deflects from all the exposed bit and go"s in all directions.A cowling over the engine and

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                          • #14
                            P.S. Apart from the streamlining to make it more efficient the only change I would make is move the main landing gear forward about 6 inches to take some of the weight off the front strut.

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                            • #15
                              Yeah, I was looking at the landing gear and noticed that there"s no suspension of any kind.Was this intended as a "this"ll do until the initial testing is done" - type deal, or were you planning on adding some stuff to it to handle the odd "Boomps-a-daisy!" landing?Is that plain ol" tube steel or is it spring steel of some kind?

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