Gyroplane Training 
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Web by: Rebel Systems Training Days April 7 - 22 2001 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 May 26 - June 2 2001 April 1 - 11 2002 |
Day 35 This is it then. My last day. After the problems of the previous days I have concluded it will be my "LAST" day. This is go for broke, if it don't work first session then I'm off home, never to return: Yes I do feel that strongly about my performance. 0900, ready to go on the apron. This had better work... Out to 07, almost no wind, perfect!!! First run, low level, ok ish! Second run, higher, bounced the mains. Not much, but sufficiently for Roger to know exactly what went through my mind. Over the radio he says, "sorry - but I can't help, it's down to you" RIGHT... Third run, slightly higher, a few mild S's, down to a PERFECT landing: YES, YES, YES. Arm in the air job! Fourth run, higher still, much wider S's, line up, good transition to thick wedge, thin wedge, flair: Ye Ha, mains just kiss the runway to a smooth landing. Now I'm beginning to smile. Fifth run, (BTW Chris is doing well as well!), up to 100 feet, initiate climbing turn to right and heading slightly back to the start of 07, still climbing and turn to left and cross runway, over to the North, up to 400 now and level off. Right turn, and back across where I had crossed previously: Me thinks that be a figure of eight... I was feeling good. Keep within the airport boundaries Roger had warned. Again says Roger over the radio. Slight nose down on the left turn, but recovered nicely, (but guess who had already seen it!), then the ultimate manoeuvre: Right says Roger, next right turn keep it going until heading downwind, parallel to the runway. Hit by turbulence which starts a phugoid: Stick still, reduce power slightly and sorted. Continue down wind until abeam 07 threshold. Now I love this, all is forgiven... 503 Benson, 400 feet, 6300 rpm cruise, 40 mph, 90kg pilot: Draggy or what 15 minutes in the air, up down, left right, around and around. To cap it all off a superb landing. What do you mean I'm grinning like a cheshire cat: Well maybe a little... Right says Roger. Tea, then Katy to take up in the VPM, then brief and GFT. Katy, impatient as ever, in, up, down, me now. Ok, so I fast forwarded. Enjoy it says Roger, yeah right. How do you enjoy a GFT. We go through what is expected: Pre-flight inspection, starting and running up, taxying, take off and landing into wind, cross wind, straight and level to include lowest possible speed flight, climbing and descending turns (around a nominated center), behind drag curve recovery with and without power, overshoot, power off and landing to nominated point and shut down. Get all that - you will be tested! I'm not expecting perfection says Roger. Well that's comforting to know 'cus you ain't going to get it... Just enjoy it! Pre-flighted then warm up. ATC informed of intentions and off we go the 25. Yes the wind had now picked up and swung around 180'. Me thinks it will be bumpy. The sky is kicking. Yup, it's bumpy. Relax says Roger. Circuits first. No problem there, although the thermals are making it difficult to maintain the exact speed. Trim spring set incorrectly also means I'm having to hold forward stick which I don't like: I prefer to be holding it back. As a consequence of the spring I'm constantly having to lower the nose slightly as the speed decays to 60, as Roger prefers 65 cruise. 4800 is normal cruise rpm, but that I had to vary from 4200, to 5200 to maintain 700 feet as we went into and out of the lift. Next, ascending and descending around a nominated centre: First on, forgot to allow for the wind which was now about 8-10 knots and it ended up egg shaped. Again says Roger: Better this time. Next power fails: Contrary to flying in the microlight, this bit gives me no worries. I know I can put a gyro down at zero groundspeed. On the numbers says Roger. Couple of tight turns to speed up the rotors, 70 feet beyond, but within tolerance. Take off, and another. This time I though I had overcooked the tight turns and was going to land short of the numbers, sh#t says I, so cut the corner off of one of the sweeps: Ah ha, 30 feet this time. Well done says Roger. Next, (ok so I might be out of order in the retelling...), hover time. Wind a little slack, so won't achieve station. Find the wind, raise the nose, reduce the power, nose up, less power, behind drag curve and increase power and hold. Mmmm, a little ragged. Recover, reduce the power, lower the nose, (sorry invite the nose down), recover airspeed and feed in power to recover. Now there is a bit of contention here. Roger prefers to recover directly with power, but when some of us originally practiced this we concluded that to retain uniformity with never lowering the nose under powering up, (the hover recovery is the only time you can do this!), then we would opt to lower the power, then nose, then recover airspeed, then power up to cruise or higher the get height back. Anyway at the time Roger was happy with this: Ok, so I had to do it again... I'm getting lost now in what we did. Down wind power fails: Brief here, was don't care where you put it down, as long as you don't bend us. By that I did assume he meant on the tarmac! Throttle closed, boot in left rudder to counter the loss of torque, nose down, 65 mph, and head for the ground like a "homesick rock". 180 degrees back into wind, rotors well wound now, but a few tight turns just to prove a point, onto centre line, thin, flair, flair, flair, was that a sonic boom from us I had heard!, and finally into a greaser of a landing. Got chance to do another as a helicopter wanting to take off meant we had to land "expeditiously"! Power fail orders Roger, throttle off, left rudder, nose down, thick, thin, flair and down. Heli then flies off just in front of us. A few more bits to end, and finish off with a grass landing and take off. Mind you the grass was rough, and I wouldn't opt to do that again with unloaded rotors! The off runway grass was completely unprepared unlike most grass strips! All done, Roger asks for ATC clearance to hover taxi back. As we turn towards the apron, a Chinook is sitting there, rotors turning looking very angry! (figuratively speaking, I wouldn't want to argue with one!) Bet he burns more fuel in one session than this thing costs! VPM back in the hanger: Phew, glad that is over. Well, says Roger how do you think you did? Well a little ragged I reply, and I proceed to tear apart my performance. Well, he interrupts, before you fail yourself, I'm very pleased to say you have passed... Well done. The beers are on you: This is a new rule they have made up. First circuit, and then GFT, entail purchasing of the beers... Unfortunately I've got to go home later. Katy, still impatient, grabs Roger and off they go. To get Roger out before another cup of Tea: Wow!!! Grin, nah - not much!.
Thanks for taking the picture Chris. For those that know Roger, yup, that's a smile!!! Now, that was a relief. I had seriously considered before the day of dropping it completely. I thought I had lost it totally, but I persevered and got over it. In all that was 21:05 in the VPM and 28:15 on the Benson. making 49 hours 20 minutes total. You definitely need a dogged determination to get through it. Carlisle for me is 6 hours drive. I managed to get it done in three blocks, which had to fit in around work. I lost 7 hours due to feet problems. Those with 3 axis experience won't have that problem, although the Gyro requires active feet. The X-Plane simulator should help future trainees with that problem. That's all the training over, just got to get the forms off to the CAA, and decide what to get... Thanks Roger Here you are Andrea, a picture of the purple thing, Mainair Blade 912S - G-CBOO! (That's Dave Parker, Cumbria Microlight Training, in the back).
And it was busy that day:
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