| Frequently asked Questions - Xenon Gyroplanes Australia |
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Frequently asked Questions
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 I am an experienced fixed wing/helicopter pilot do I need training?
Gyros fly differently than either a fixed wing or helicopter. The actual flying is very easy but take-offs and landings require some transition training no matter your current skill level. Expect 5-25 hours of training.
- What kind of license is required to fly a gyroplane?
The Xenon can be flown with a private pilots license with a gyroplane rating from ASRA (Australian Sport Rotorcraft Association) , additional ratings are available, such as passenger, beach landing, cross country, radio, many of which can be combined at the time of initial training.
- Where can I get training and how much do I need?
Flight training can be supplied by Bone Air. Individual training programmes are available. On average for a person who has never flown, between 25 to 40 hours plus book study time & exams.
- Uses for the gyroplane?
Because of their peculiarities, gyroplanes are capable of short take-offs and landings (not as short as the helicopters’ ones but anyway shorter than the planes’); furthermore gyroplanes can fly in a wide range of speeds and are totally safe even at slow and very slow speed. An other advantage is related to the relatively low initial cost and to low maintenance and operational costs.
- What is the expected delivery time?
From when you place the first deposit, on average 3 months for completion of machine plus shipping time, approximately 6 weeks. (Air freight is optional 5 to 7 days)
- How long will it take to reconstruct the Xenon Gyroplane after shipping?
The reassembly process is completed for the costumer at our expense, how ever the costumer is encouraged to be present to have a hands on understanding of how the machine is constructed, in most cases it is possible to reassemble the Xenon Gyroplane in under 12 hours. The airframe is a surprisingly simple reassembly. The majority of work is left assembled, wiring, and engine/instrument installation. The rotor system and tail system are about the only parts that will need to be reassembled, so basically, if we recieve your Xenon Gyroplane in the morning it should be being test flown that afternoon(weather permitting).
- What about Safety?
Safety is the single most important reason we are forming the Xenon Australia dealership in Australia - next to our love of gyros and our belief in the gyro safety potential. It is our belief that it is no mere stroke of luck that the Xenon Gyroplane has demonstrated a near perfect safety record over the world. There are currently approximately 36 Xenon Gyroplanes flying world wide.The basic Xenon Gyroplane design has been flying in Europe and other parts of the world.One of the major safety features of the Xenon Gyroplane is their high inherent stability and strong resistance to the flight instability issues of Pilot Induced Oscillations (PIO) and Power Push-Overs (PPO).. We believe this record is the result of the Xenon Gyroplane philosophy of diligent and quality attention to training, robust structural design and superb and forgiving flight qualities.
- What makes a Xenon so stable and safe to fly?
Specifically, from a flight safety standpoint, we are very impressed with the handling and flight characteristics of the Xenon Gyroplane designs. The Xenon Gyroplane exhibit airplane-like control and stability at all flight speeds. The standard models, in standard configuration, are capable of stable and comfortable flight speeds of up to 100 kts. We believe the Xenon Gyroplane design is highly resistant to PIO ("Pilot Induced Oscillations") or PPO ("Power Push-Over" or "bunt-over"). There have been no reports of such events, and these machines are regularly flown at cruise speeds of 90kts+. At the same time, skilled Magni pilots can demonstrate the superb low speed maneuverability and qualities for which gyros are so popular. The Xenon Gyroplane designs are the result of innumerable iterations and flight tests to harmonize the many factors that influence the flight characteristics of an autogyro.
- Where can I learn more about what makes a gyro safe to fly?
We suggest you follow the pertinent discussions on one or more of the following forums;
1. www.Rotorcraft.com.au
2. www.asra.org.au
3. www.RotaryWingForum.com
Also, A lot of us believe a major factor in the safe flying of gyros is the pilot understanding and appreciating the many factors that may affect their personal flight envelopes.
- How Does A Gyroplane Fly?
In gyroplanes there is no power transmission to the rotor during flight, it is easy to see this: gyroplanes do not have anti-torque devices as tail rotor to balance main power-driven rotor torque. Lift is given by autorotation granted by the air flowing up through the blades. This condition is allowed by the degree of liberty of movement of the rotor head – and so of the rotor disc – along lateral axis; talking of Magni’s gyroplanes, this excursion is from 0° (horizontally) to 18° towards the rear of the gyroplane. This laying allows the correct passing through of the airflow in all allowed flight condition within gyroplane flight envelope.
Pilot’s authority on lateral axis is granted by the use of the stick.
Due to the lack of transmission of power the gyroplane can’t keep stationary hovering as helicopters can. As a matter of fact, when speed decrease with nose up attitude, the airflow through the rotor decrease so rotor rpm also slowly but constantly decrease causing a reduction in lift. When rotor rpm are under a certain level – this value is due to weather conditions and weight of the gyro – the gyro will start sinking (2-4 m/s with engine; up to 10 m/s without engine) steeply or vertically if the advancing speed has got to 0 due to the loss of lift. While loosing height the pilot keeps authority on all flight controls and the rotor will be kept “fed” by the airflow from bottom upward generated by the sinking movement. So as soon as descent speed is enough the rotor will keep a number of turns enough for a constant speed descent.
It must be very clear that even if gyroplanes can’t stall as aircrafts’ fixed wings do on the other side it is also impossible to keep stationary hovering conditions for more than a few seconds.
Within gyroplane’s flight envelope rotor rpm will self-stabilize on a value depending on the combined effect of load, type of manoeuvring and weather condition, this makes piloting very easy!
Considering again a specific range of gyroplanes, Magni’s one, the only power transmission system is the prerotator. This system is meant and needed just to spin-up the rotor to a minimum number of rpm so to allow take-off, it is then disengaged and no more used during the flight.
It is possible to deduce that gyroplanes, even if capable of operating in narrow spaces, can’t take-off or land vertically as helicopters do.. After prerotation has been disengaged gyroplanes need a short take-off roll to get some acceleration. Always considering a specific range of gyroplanes,it is possible to quantify the needed space in a range that goes from 10 to 150 m for take-off and approx.0-15 m for landing.
- The Truth About Engines?
Ultralight and or Amateur built aircraft are not required to use the very
expensive certificated engines required in Cessnas, Helicopters and the likes of
general GA flying,but we still want to fly with the safest engines we can,
thus Rotax aircraft engines are the overwhelming choice for small aircraft.
There are tens of thousands of them flying worldwide. These engines meet
ASTM standards and are specifically designed for light aircraft. The
largest engines Rotax makes are in the 100 horsepower range or up to
122 HP with Turbo boosting.
If an aircraft design is too heavy or too
aerodynamically inefficient the designer has no choice but to chase the
diminishing returns of more horsepower. However if he needs more than
122 horsepower he now faces a significant comprise in his aircraft's
safety as there are no reasonably priced aircraft engines in the
120-200 horsepower range. Most designers caught in this difficult bind
are forced to use Subaru car engines scavenged from car junk yards. In
some cases these junked car engines are rebuilt; in other cases they
are merely compression checked and sold with gyroplane kits. No one
knows what kind of care they have received.
While Subaru engines are generally reliable they have several
drawbacks. First they were designed to operate around 2,000-3,000 rpm
and running them continuously at 4,000 to 5,000 rpm as aircraft do is
very hard on them and clearly not what they were designed for.
The Rotax engines on the other hand are designed to operate at 5,000
rpm and utilize a fully enclosed gear drive that is far more robust
than a simple rubber belt.
When reading aircraft specifications it is illogical to be impressed by
high horsepower; this only means the designer did not do his best
possible job to eliminate weight. What you should be impressed with
are performance specifications. If two aircraft both climb at 1,200
feet per minute and cruise at 70 knots, they perform equally regardless
of the horsepower required. However, if one is doing it on an engine
that is lower horsepower, he is burning less fuel for the same result
thus operating less expensively. If at the same time, the smaller
engine is a Rotax with a gear drive being operated at its designed rpm,
it is safer and will certainly last longer.
Lastly in terms of value it is worth mentioning that a new Rotax turbo
engine is approximately $25,000 while a used Subaru car engine is in
the range of $3,000. Thus all other things being equal, the aircraft
with the Subaru should cost on the order of $22,000 less.
- Is insurance available for the Xenon?
Yes insurance is available through Hemisphere Insurance Company Ltd. For information contact Janette Trolan at Hemisphere Insurance Company Ltd.
Tel: 02 9786 4532
Please feel free to contact Mark Bredden from Zenogyro.com.au about a
discount on your premiums for you.
- "Gyroplane" is an official term designated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) describing an aircraft that gets lift from a freely turning rotary wing, or rotor blades, and which derives its thrust from an engine-driven propeller. Historically, this type of aircraft has been known as the autogiro and the gyrocopter. These early names and their variants were filed as trademarks.
Gyroplanes derive lift from freely turning rotor blades tilted back to catch the air. The rushing air spins the rotor as the aircraft is thrust forward by an engine-driven propeller. Early gyroplanes were powered by engines in a tractor (pulling) configuration and were relatively heavy. Modern gyroplanes use a pusher propeller and are light and maneuverable. With the engine in the rear, the gyroplane has unobstructed visibility.
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