Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa
Different manufacturers use different engines. One example is the Rotax 914 (see link for specifications.) It is probably very reliable. My early experience in helicopters (Army H-13 Sioux, Hiller Raven, and Hughes Osage) was in reciprocating engine helicopters. After years in turbine engine helicopters, I would probably be a bit uncomfortable in recip engine helicopters, which is strange because I am not uncomfortable in fixed wing aircraft with recip engines. Go figure.
You do not wear parachutes. If something goes wrong the odds of getting out of a gyroplane before a crash would be very small. Also, a lot of the fun of a gyroplane is flying low over the landscape, making parachutes ineffective.
Two way radios can be added to almost any aircraft, but are not required by the FAA except in some areas of "controlled airspace."
A question that should be asked is about the cost. I'm guessing $50,000 or more. The cost to each member of the club would depend upon the number of members. More members equal less cost. But, more members means less availability of the aircraft, especially in Florida's rainy season. Remember that the engine requires a costly overhaul after a certain number of hours of use.
Where would the aircraft be housed? What security would be provided? From what field would you fly? What would insurance cost with multiple pilots of varying degrees of piloting skill and experience?
Even with all these issues, it looks like flying one of these things would be a lot of fun.
Rotax 914 UL/F - Rotax Aircaft Engines |
Great post and the very questions that would need to be answered once we'd get the group together. I'm new to this and would be a learning experience for me also. AOPA has some material that could be useful. I see a lot of the Light Sport Aircraft using Rotax. TBO is 2000 hours. Cost of the aircraft run anywhere from about $68000 to $109000 for the Autogyro Certified Calidus. The other point is the club would need an A&P to do the annual inspection and the 100 hour inspections. Sometimes you get lucky and have an A&P and a CFI as part of the club. Cloud 9 Helicopters out of West Palm Beach sells the AutoGyro line. I did get a quote on the insurance and its around $5400 a year for Liability and Hull on the Calidus. What the agent indicated is that number could go either way depending on the experience of the club members. Most of the clubs I researched require monthly dues and then also charge for engine time. They have an overhaul fund which is usually funded over time by the fees collected. I fly out of SunAir (Fixed Wing) at Leesburg and I know you could get Hanger Space from them, Brian Sapp is the owner and I have not checked as to what he would charge for a Gyro. Does not take up much floor space in the hanger. I got hooked on Rotor Craft after taking some helicopter instruction. This thing is just a ball to fly. You can do a 180 on a dime. Its low and slow and you get to see everything. Anyway I thought I'd start the thread and see how many people would be interested. As you say the more people, the less per person. There is a point where you have too many. If we get enough interest then we could get together and start putting together the details.