UFO HeliThruster and IFR?

Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but also
(FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the necessary
instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be allowed to fly it
IFR given that I had the necessary pilot certificates? Would I be
allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC
--
Airspace V - international hangar flying!
http://www.airspace-v.com

virtuPIC wrote:
Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but
also (FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the
necessary instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be
allowed to fly it IFR given that I had the necessary pilot
certificates? Would I be allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC

With the certified probably not. With the EX-AB sure, if you can get the DAR
to write the limitations correctly.

If you do this let us know. We are always looking for a deal on good used
avionics and salvage is usually a pretty good place to look.

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
virtuPIC wrote:
Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but
also (FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the
necessary instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be
allowed to fly it IFR given that I had the necessary pilot
certificates? Would I be allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC

With the certified probably not. With the EX-AB sure, if you can get
the DAR to write the limitations correctly.

If you do this let us know. We are always looking for a deal on good
used avionics and salvage is usually a pretty good place to look.

I did a little looking and there doesn't seem to be an FAA certified version
and for that matter I couldn't find any of them flying in the US.

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
virtuPIC wrote:
Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but
also (FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the
necessary instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be
allowed to fly it IFR given that I had the necessary pilot
certificates? Would I be allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC

With the certified probably not. With the EX-AB sure, if you can get the DAR
to write the limitations correctly.

If you do this let us know. We are always looking for a deal on good used
avionics and salvage is usually a pretty good place to look.

LOL. I was wondering how you'd bring
it all together in the end...

Jim Stewart wrote:
Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
virtuPIC wrote:
Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but
also (FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the
necessary instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be
allowed to fly it IFR given that I had the necessary pilot
certificates? Would I be allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC

With the certified probably not. With the EX-AB sure, if you can get
the DAR to write the limitations correctly.

If you do this let us know. We are always looking for a deal on good
used avionics and salvage is usually a pretty good place to look.

LOL. I was wondering how you'd bring
it all together in the end...

You might also want to ask yourself why
so many of the pictures show pilots wearing
helmets....

You might also want to ask yourself why
so many of the pictures show pilots wearing
helmets....

Yes, indeed. I've been wondering a long time...UFO claims they are
safe. And I can't imagine an accident where a helmet would be of real
use. Is it just my lack of fantasy? Lack of knowledge?

Well, since there seems to be no FAA-certified HeliThruster answers
have become less interesting. However, there might be some gyrocopter
with closed cabin that is easy to handle, stable, able to reach some
100 mph, and IFR-capable. (?)

virtuPIC
--
Airspace V - international hangar flying!
http://www.airspace-v.com

virtuPIC wrote:
You might also want to ask yourself why
so many of the pictures show pilots wearing
helmets....

Yes, indeed. I've been wondering a long time...UFO claims they are
safe. And I can't imagine an accident where a helmet would be of real
use. Is it just my lack of fantasy? Lack of knowledge?

Well, since there seems to be no FAA-certified HeliThruster answers
have become less interesting. However, there might be some gyrocopter
with closed cabin that is easy to handle, stable, able to reach some
100 mph, and IFR-capable. (?)

virtuPIC

I don't think you will find any gyrocopter that is suitable for IFR flight.
It just isn't the nature of the beast.

I came across an abandoned autogyro in the Oklahoma panhandle in a farmer's
field alongside his other abandoned trucks and tractors. It was a two-place
tandem fully enclosed fiberglass cockpit with what I believe was a 260 HP
engine. I think it was built by Aerospace Industries if I remember right,
and it carried an N-number registration. I'm pretty sure it would cruise
above 100 mph because it had a pretty small rotor diameter.

I used to regret I didn't try to talk the guy into letting me haul it out of
his field for him ;-)

--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

As a past gyro pilot from the days when instruction simply wasn't possible
and a licensed "Stuck Wing" pilot as well as helo rated, I chose to wear a
helmet. I only needed it in the gyro to attenuate the noisy engine. I
never wore a helmet in the "Stuck Wing" simply because I didn't have one.
However when we encountered the rotor off the Sierra wave one day I could
have used the helmet to keep my head from beating on the canopy of a T-34.
I chose to wear the helmet in a helicopter because in a crash and even with
zero forward speed, the blades can contact something outside and start
flinging shrapnel about. Also the chief instructor of the test pilot school
has said he doesn't feel too safe in a helicopter where the pilot is not
helmeted. His example was a bird came thru the windscreen and the helmet
with visor saved the pilot from serious injury and the passengers from a
sh--ty ride with an unconscious pilot. Also a widely experienced bush pilot
of my acquaintenance requires his pilots working for him in the " Stuck
Wings" to wear helmet, Nomex suits and gloves. This highly experienced
pilot has a bunch of stories that supply good reasons for insisting on these
safety items.
"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
.. .
Jim Stewart wrote:
Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
virtuPIC wrote:
Yes, I confess. I don't know much about rotorcrafts. Especially
regarding gyrocopters my knowledge is even more limited.

However, on the net I just stumbled over UFO HeliThruster. Rumors are
that it is rather stable. The manufacturer not only sells kits but
also (FAA-?) certified planes.

If I would buy such a certified HeliThruster, fit it with the
necessary instruments, and give it an N-registration, would I be
allowed to fly it IFR given that I had the necessary pilot
certificates? Would I be allowed to fly it outside US?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
virtuPIC

With the certified probably not. With the EX-AB sure, if you can get the
DAR to write the limitations correctly.

If you do this let us know. We are always looking for a deal on good
used avionics and salvage is usually a pretty good place to look.

LOL. I was wondering how you'd bring
it all together in the end...

You might also want to ask yourself why
so many of the pictures show pilots wearing
helmets....

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:21:13 +0200, virtuPIC
wrote in :

UFO HeliThruster

Apparently this auto-gyro is incapable of recovering from negative G
forces. It is unclear what method is used to prevent encountering
meteorologically generated negative G force in the case of turbulence
for instance.


http://www.ufo-helithruster.com/safe...yrocopter.html
First PPO "Power Push Over", by far the most dangerous of the
three scenarios discussed here. What happens here is the gyro is
deliberately forced nose down creating "Negative G". Negative G is
almost always non recoverable. Gyros are NOT designed to do this
maneuver. PPO is a flight maneuver (deliberate) at the top of a
climb or a nose-down dive from level flight.

Further, an “innocent” POWER ON can bring about PPO! Innocent in
that it should be a safe thing to do, that is, putting power on.
If the design of the gyro has some fundamentals wrong with it, or
a combination of them; high profile C of G, poor stability,
insufficient tail profile, then when power is applied vigorously
the propeller in such a craft can push the "top" of the Gyro
forward while the "bottom" lags (drags) behind, thus inducing PPO.
Technically what has happened in PPO is that the ROTOR has (in
effect) been uncoupled from the aircraft. Therefore, if you unload
the rotor (by making a zero-g maneuver) the rotor drag almost
vanishes and the thrust of the engine will make the aircraft
nose-down.

Power Push Over are done by people who are stupid, maybe to
impress a crowd they will dive at high speed, pull out at the
bottom which loads up the G forces (the rotor revs will
automatically increase), they do a spectacular zoom upwards and
when they reach the position when they stop climbing, we are in
zero-g, for a second there is no incoming air to turn the blades,
even worse the airflow is reversed, and this has a dramatic effect
on stopping rotor revs. With decreased rotor revs a pilot pushes
the stick forward, but it is too late; it is impossible to recover
lost revs.

This sounds scary stuff and it is. We hope you aren't stupid
enough to see if PPO is unrecoverable. But let's put this in
perspective, when you fly an airplane you know you can't land it
up side down, so you don't do it; with gyros you can't fly in
zero-g so you don't do it.