Two Place Update 8-30-11

Can you believe it is September 30th? Where did summer (read...flying season) go? This kind of weather makes the Full Enclosure more and more of a highly anticipated reality. 

This week Hastings has had cold and rainy weather. Did I mention it has been cold and rainy in Hastings? In the last seven  days, I have flown twice and had to fight rain on the return trips both times.  The weekend is supposed to be warmer and perfect for some fall flying!  Count me in!

For those of you who have been following the Two Place Tandem, this has been a quantum week.  The 2.4L is "tuned and puts out more thrust than mankind is capable of measuring". I will have a full report next week.  

The new Main Gear is on it too....and it is gorgeous.  It looks simple and it is....it installed just like the original gear and overall the entire platform is continuing to impress everyone that is exposed to it, including me.  When I am thrilled about it, there is really something to cheer about and I am absolutely GEEKED OUT about it! 

So far everyone that has a gyroplane background that knows we are using this engine in a gyroplane has said we could not have picked a better engine.  I absolutely believe we have the right engine in the G2 Tandem.  

Stay tuned!

Sweatin' the details,

Jim

PS: A special thanks to the Engine Works Worldwide (EW2) guys  (John W. & Jimmy O.) for all of their expertise, both in gyros and high performance engines! Could not have done it without you guys!

How The HoneyBee Gyro Came To Bee

First HoneyBee Gyro (G1) Prototype

For those of you that have been following the Gyro Journal, you probably have wondered if I was ever going to get around to adding the next chapter.  Here it….let's continue the story of the HoneyBee Gyro...

There is a four letter word the human mind completely and immediately understands.  The response in other languages is more than likely a similar response to the English word. The word is "free"; what an amazing word. I only know of a couple things in my life that have been completely "free".  One was my salvation and the other was plans for the Gyrobee.

In 1997 Popular Rotorcraft Association provided a link to the Gyrobee Project. Once there web surfers found that Dr. Taggart graciously provided FREE plans to thousands just like me over the world.  It is true that Martin Hollman created the first Part 103 Legal UL Gyroplane called the "Bumble Bee" but it was really Dr. Taggart that spread the blessings of an UL gyroplane called the Gyrobee all over the world. I was one of those people that received a blessing. 

In 1997 I discovered the Internet with the help of AOL who made it come alive on a practical level.  By simply installing the AOL disk, my laptop became the information highway, just like Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gore said it would.  I discovered what "search engine" meant.  I learned that the "blue writing" took me all over the globe in a matter of seconds. It was a marvelous awaking to the world of "HTML", hyper text markup language.  I could look up P-51 pages....P-38 pages...and last but not least gyroplane pages. What more could a guy ask for? I was learning more and more about how to find things and what hot spots on the pages did, how to navigate and how to return to where I came from, how to bookmark, etc. Every day I was growing and learning "skills" on how to get around in the "World Wide Web".  It was during this time that I discovered the little rolling "New Ultralight Gyroplane-Free Plans" icon at www.pra.org. Clicking on that icon changed my life forever.  I, like many of you, took the download.

With the plans in written form I immediately began printing and organizing the pages into a three ring binder. I started looking for materials, pricing blades, looking at engines and dreaming of the day when I would actually fly an UL Gyroplane. I dreamed of my new UL Gyroplane and what it would take to offer it as a kit aircraft too. I needed to contact Dr. Taggart and have that discussion. Finding him was easier than I thought. The URL of Dr. Taggart's website was clearly at Michigan State University who was an hour and fifteen minutes from my home. MSU was one of my largest and best college customers; they purchased truckloads of Rubbermaid from me.  Because I had gotten over the fear of cold calls about 100 years prior, I simply called the main number at MSU and asked for Mr. Taggart. They immediately sent me to the department where he worked, the phone rang, I got his voice mail, I left my number and within an hour Dr. Taggart called me back. He was easy to talk too and within minutes we had a date in Mason, MI for coffee and donuts ….to talk about the Gyrobee!

On the following Saturday morning, Dr. Taggart and I were setting together having coffee and donuts telling tall tales (not Tall Tails) of our flying experiences, drawing  on napkins and discussing the Gyrobee. With a couple of donuts and a lot of coffee in me, Ralph probably felt that he had me softened up enough to suggest that we not build the Gyrobee but rather build the next generation Gyrobee and call it the HoneyBee.  I felt like Ralph "slipped me a mickey" and I was shocked. I did not want to build something else, I wanted to build a slightly upgraded Gyrobee. This kind of thinking had never crossed my mind. As Ralph stated in the original video we did together, "Jim had a puzzled look on his face"....I am sure that I did. I wanted a Gyrobee and that was all I hoped for. When Ralph started suggesting these ideas, at first it sort of set me back. 

After a couple of hours together, the idea of a next generation Gyrobee started sinking in and the idea of a "HoneyBee Gyro" started getting traction in my mind, the momentum started building. Soon my laptop was humming  with "tweaks" in AutoCAD Light.  Getting the data into CAD would allow for machining with automotive precision and provide me with a production quality frame. Getting the data into CAD also allowed me to make the changes that Ralph and I were coming up with. Getting the data into CAD allowed me to put the aircraft together "electronically" before we started cutting all the aluminum that it would take. For the record, paper is cheaper than 6061-T6 for sure! 

Days and days went by; probably a month in total.  By then the new "HoneyBee Gyro" was really born and it was a work of art!  The "Improvements" were: 

1.     New Nose Gear (It took three iterations to get it right)

2.     New Adjustable Rudder Pedals

3.     New Fiberglass Rod Main Gear (It took two iterations to get it right)

4.     New Composite Tail (No more Brock Tail)

5.     New Engine Mount (It took two iterations to get it right)

6.     New Control Stick 

7.     New Lighter Tires and Wheels (It took two iterations to get it right)

Within 60 days it was complete and it was absolutely beautiful as gyroplanes go! It was the HoneyBee Gyro (G1). That was fourteen (14+) years ago and I still enjoy seeing and flying gyroplanes.

At this point (1997) in the design stage of the HoneyBee Gyro (G1) was 99% done with 50% to go. Building a gyroplane is not flying a gyroplane. Flying one requires a gyronaut and I had only sat in one gyroplane in my life, that was the new HoneyBee Gyro (G1) setting on the shop floor.  There was much to learn….

Embrace the struggle!

Jim

Attention CFI's!

Good afternoon! 

Thank you for all of the feedback in the most recent survey. Some have clicked on the buttons and others have sent me private emails regarding how they could be involved in flight training with us; this has been very  helpful for our schedules and staffing plans.  

With that lead-in, those of you that are interested in joining us (at GTCI) as a CFI, please send me your information/Resume' at HoneyBee G2, LLC.  If you want to  email it to me, please send it to info@honeybeeg2.com.  For those that want to mail it, please send it to HoneyBee G2, LLC, 1010 Barber Rd., Hastings, MI 49058. I will confirm receipt of it to you and place your information in the file for the respective flight centers that may be close to where you live; wouldn't that be fun!

Again, looking forward to flying together!

Jim

Update On SP-HP & The Suzuki: FYI

For those that made it to the EAA 2011 Airventure event and made it out to the Ultralight Field, you probably got a first hand look at the Pink Single Place-High Performance HoneyBee G2 flying!  With 90 HP and over 400 lbs of thrust it is a great flying machine.  This aircraft flew flawlessly for the entire show and was an absolute joy to watch and fly. When the show was all wrapped up, we packed up the aircraft and headed for Mentone.  The aircraft was ready for some maintenance and I knew that when we got to Mentone, I was going to be flying it back to Michigan. It was due for an engine and gear box oil change; this was a good time to do it. 

Once it was unloaded and fueled up at Mentone, I took off with about 30 minutes to spare for daylight in Hastings.  Off I went into perfect weather on a simple 1 hour and 55 minute trip home.  Fifteen minutes into the flight is when the trouble began..... On one of my routine scans of the panel I noticed that the Coolant Temperature was in the yellow at 215 degrees.  That was odd, it had never done this before.  I looked down again a moment later and it was back in the green at 205 degrees running cool....for awhile.  There were no noticeable issues with the engine most of the time but it would spike just enough to let you know that something was going on and maybe wrong.  The tell tale signs did not seem to be a problem; just the gauge. Well, the engine ran fine all the way back to Hastings in spite of the gauge telling me that the engine was running very hot for seconds at a time.  When I landed, there was no coolant missing, it had not filled the overflow tank and everything seemed just fine or so it seemed. 

To make this a short not long story, please understand that it would take me pages to tell you the full story of what we have learned since that return trip.  The short story is that the Enigma/ARDAC/MFD just flat out malfunctioned....in a big way. This failure caused us to look at the pump, the sensors, the head, the radiators, etc. When we finally got to the bottom of the issue we learned so much by just going back to a simple, non-electric analogue coolant temperature gauge.   What a great and simple fix it was....though frustrating to say the least.

Guess what? Since we have gone this direction, the Suzuki never has "run hot" since; it runs at 175 - 185 degrees, hour after hour after hour. What a great engine. I am real convinced that some additional changes are being made to our panels. I think you will love what you see!

There is so much to learn!

Jim

At 53...

Good morning!  Yesterday I spent over two hours at the Optometrists with Dr. Kim Norris getting one of the most thorough eye exams I have ever had.  When I walked out with my Oakley shades on, my pupils totally dilated and struggling to focus, I recognized very quickly just how priceless my eyes are. Doctors can replace all kinds of organs but eyes are pretty hard to replace.  

At my last flight physical, a 3^rd Class Medical for my Private Pilot Certificate, I walked away with something that I had never had before. That is a restricted PPL that states “must have corrective lenses available for near vision”.  This is the first time I have ever had a restriction on my PPL….it begins to ring close to home that me and my eyes are getting older. That is why I stopped, got away from the 12 – 18 hour a day pace for a bit to take a serious look at my health, specifically my eyes.  The final analysis of my visit was that my vision is absolutely perfect beyond the reach of my arms.  She said, “Jim, short of reading, you have perfect pilot eyes, you just need help up close”….hence, corrective lens to take care of the chart reading in the cockpit. 

One other aspect that a thorough eye exam looks into is Glaucoma.  For me, we have been  watching this for awhile. For some reason my eyes have been displaying a minor “cupping” in the region of the Optic Nerve for the last 3 - 4 years.  Right now it seems that my condition fits into a 1 – 2% portion of the bell curve of the population that either has or exhibits Glaucoma.  Right now, it seems  that like I was borne with my Optic Nerves “cupped” this way and we just happened to discover it about 4 years ago; great news in the long run.  The way the issue is being addressed is by an annual check-up for my eyes.  So now my eyes are addressed, next stop means a complete physical…. Oh boy, I can’t wait!

So why am I writing this little story about such personal matters. I write because I want to encourage each of you to pull away from the things you do every day to take care of yourself for a moment.  No one else is going to do it for you; you have to do it. If you are going to fly, you need to do it even more.  Physical issues, personal issues and psychological issues all affect your ability to fly safely; not addressing these issues could cost you dearly not to mention those that love and care about you.  Start today! Do it because it is good for you to do it.  Start eating better, getting more exercise, work less, fly more, hug the ones you love more, enjoy life and take care of yourself. Sorry to tell you this.....we are not getting any younger.

54 comes after 53!

Jim

Building Blocks....

My son Tom (now 25) loved Lego's. From his very earliest days, he always wanted to be a Lego Engineer. By the time he was 5 or 6 he could build anything from Lego's.  Not only could he build all kinds of cool things from Lego's, his favorite book was "How Things Work".  Today he is in the oil drilling field dealing with complex equipment  miles underground.  He learned basic "skills" early and never stopped learning how things went together, how they came apart and why they did what they did.....all building blocks to graduating from Purdue University as a Mechanical Engineer.  Smart kid for sure on a journey that lead him to what his heart desired. 

So why do I tell  you this? I do so because it relates to the approach I am using for the final syllabus for Gyroplane Training Centers International, LLC. Learning and then mastering the "building blocks" is so important in the larger scheme of your gyroplane journey.  These basic skills form a foundation for building complex skill sets that will allow you to safely carry passengers, go faster and then faster or even maybe flying IFR in your HoneyBee G2.  Who knows where that dream will take you.  Don't be in a hurry to get "there". Enjoy the journey and more importantly, learn well the skill sets that will take you there safely. There are those that need you to be there when the flying is over and your gyroplane is back in the hangar.  The gyroplane community needs you to fly but to do everything you do with a "safety first" approach.  That is done with basic skills that will lead to complex skills that eventually place you into fast and complex gyroplanes.  That is where my basic skills sets are taking me....and I am enjoying every step of the journey.  At the end of the day, I want to either help Ms. Louanne out of the back seat or rush home to meet her.  Now that is a journey worth taking.....one step at a time!


Learning more everyday!


Jim

Update On Two Place Tandem

Good morning! Earlier in the week, I referenced that I was going to update everyone with a post on the HoneyBee G2 Two Place Tandem on Thursday. I can not believe it is Thursday already! 

Since the Two-Place Tandem design began in the Fall of  2000, this platform has been targeted for a very broad  mission profile.  It was originally thought that it could and should be the training system for the original HoneyBee Gyro Ultralight of the late 1990's. When a Non-Profit/Non Governmental Organization (Mission X International, Inc.) became part of the discussion, the role of the aircraft was  expanded around a plethora of payload conditions that would really benefit from its moving mast; IE a huge CG range.  In some cases that meant that stretchers would be carried and on the return trip a mail pod would be returned. It was (and still is) thought that an agricultural role could be supported with the aircraft.  Eleven years later, all of these roles are coming to the forefront of mission profiles again. At the same time this same platform is being launched as the main training platform for Gyroplane Training Centers International, LLC.  More on this later.....

Because a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach has been taken to minimize costs in the supply chain, it has allowed the project to be competitive at key price points on a wide array of missions and yet it still provides a high value/quality product to the global GA consumer.  This strategy allows the HoneyBee G2 Platform to be modular "in spirit" and still be flexible to the needs of the marketplace, globally.  This is one great, flying machine....it is getting better all the time!

This is what I mean when I say "better".... The current and future batches of Two Place Tandems will include: 

1. The New Heavy-Duty Main Gear, engineered to Part 23 load standards, 6G's
2. 3/4" (19mm) Heavy-Duty Axles & Wheel Bearings
3. An overall reduction in frame weight of 78#'s 
4. A more aaerodynamic Mast on the Standard Frame
5. New, Lighter & More Comfortable Seats
6. New, Tip Rudders as Standard: See Point #10
7. Lighter, Instrument Pods/More Kevlar
8. Improved Surrounds (for those that saw this feature at the shows)
9. Better "Entry Aids" for getting into the seats
10. And last but not least (I saved the best for last) the 2.4L is now our "Standard Engine" on this frame. Because so many of you want some form of Enclosure: Nose Cone/Windscreen, Magni Style Tub/Windscreen, Nose Cone/Upper Portions/No Lower, Full Enclosure with Zip-On Doors and last, there are some that want the full enclosure with all the fast stuff purely for the speed.  Some want floats..... This engine can handle all of this and more!

For those that are in this production batch, you get all these goodies! (Happy Birthday!)

Having Fun For Sure!

Jim

HoneyBee G2 UL Ripe For Market

First, let me say thank you to all of you (from all over the world!) that have been following the HoneyBee G2 Ultralight. It really is a beautiful little gyroplane.  It seems like many, many of you feel the same way I do about this little, full-featured entry level gyroplane.  It is such a sweet little gyro!

Currently, we are working on another batch for those that are interested in one. Here is what you have to look forward to:

1. Azusalite Wheels/Tires/Tubes: The aluminum are nice but we save over 2#'s
2. New Composite Tail Surfaces
3. New Drive Ratio/2.08 for additional thrust
4. New Lighter Weight Rotor Head
5. Target Weight: 245 - 248#'s

Jeremy and I are shooting some additional video next week. I will get it up at YouTube shortly thereafter. Stay tuned....


One in Yellow for me!


Jim

EW2 (Engine Works Worldwide, LLC)

For those that were at the Popular Rotorcraft Association Convention, this may be old news. For the rest of you, HoneyBee G2, LLC is pleased to announce the birth of a new sister company called Engine Works Worldwide, LLC.  Join us in welcoming Jim Ostrander and John Welt, both of which are long time HoneyBee Fans and pilots.  When staff comes on board that flies, knows how to build gyros, can build engines and who are excited to play a critical role with the HoneyBee G2 Project it is a match made in heaven.  I want to personally thank both of them for the role they play for all of us.  

The primary focus of this company will be "Firewall Aft Packages" beginning first for the HoneyBee G2 Line and later for other popular gyroplanes and fixed-wing aircraft.  These engines include: the MZ 201 & 202's, a new/lightweight/high-tech/four-stroke (for Ultralight and Microlight aircraft), the 110HP/1.5L Honda Fit and lastly the 180HP/2.4L.

There are good things happening here!

Jim

Gyroplane Training Centers International, LLC

Is this a carrier landing?

Oh, we are having fun for sure!  

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, today I wanted to share a little bit more about Gyroplane Training Centers International, LLC. 

By now you have seen or  read about our efforts  to "Build The Safest Gyroplanes In The World™" which is a key element for sure; there is more to it.  That element is a training system that goes hand-in-glove with the HoneyBee G2 Line of gyroplanes.  Without a training system that is specific to the capabilities of the aircraft you are going to fly, you are in for a long learning curve.  I am not telling you not to buy, just don't buy a single seater! Training is the lifeblood to your safe flying experience.  

The Gyroplane Training Center System is an original training system created specifically for teaching new gyroplane pilots the basics of rotorcraft systems,  flight principles, basic to advanced skills and applying all of this to learning how to "fit in" and  "contribute to" the General Aviation world. 

Interested? Here is what you can look forward to.... I think that it is obvious that I love flying gyros.  If that is something you did not pick up prior to today, it is true; I love flying them. It is with that level of passion, approach, intensity, insight and forethought that the training curricula has been created.  As the leader of the band, I commit to you that you will have a great training experience.  All I want you to do is be teachable. You won't get all the habits and acrostics overnight, no one does. If you practice them every time you fly, every time you visualize and every time you ponder flying a gyroplane, you too will fall in love with the gyroplane and look at them as the safest aircraft in all the world! 

That I guarantee! 

Jim