The rotor blades were a whistling blur as the nose wheel began to rise, indicating that they were ready to lift. Now it was safe to put some forward speed on. With the stick right back, the rotor disc was fully open, creating maximum drag and acting as an airbrake. To overcome this I had to move the stick forward enough to reduce the drag, but still keep the nose wheel off of the ground, balancing the machine on its main wheels. This was my introduction to two wheel balancing, the take off and landing attitude of a gyrocopter. Holding this position as we reached take off speed, the glider suddenly lifted itself into the air with apparently little help from me! I loved the floating sensation at once. Control movements were the same as a fixed wing: left to go left, up and back to climb etc, but the lightness and response were a joy. Lack of rudder was a temporary distraction, the tow rope provided directional stability instead (although we call it rope, it's actually a steel cable inside a protective plastic tube). All too soon we had reached the end of the runway, and the car was gradually reducing speed. Centring the glider behind the car, we were gently lowered back down as airspeed decreased. Holding a steady nose down attitude until we had sunk to just above the ground, Chris told me to bring the stick right back to flare the machine which obediently settled itself onto the runway, the rotors speeding up under the load with a loud whopping sound. There was no forward roll at all: with the stick right back, the drag from the fully open rotor disc provided a huge airbrake and halted us in our tracks. Brilliant!!

Taxing downwind, I had to keep the stick back and held in line with the string wind indicator, meaning that the disc was completely open to the airflow in order to maintain rotor speed. On reaching the other end, Chris taught me how to keep the rotors stable when turning back into wind a manoeuvre which could result in the machine being blown over if executed badly in gusty, or crosswind conditions. As we slowed ready to turn, I pushed the stick forward to close the disc to the wind, then as we turned, moved the stick into the direction of the turn like steering into a corner on a bicycle. This movement is to guard against any gust of wind getting underneath the rotor disc and tipping the gyro over the rotary equivalent of holding down the into wind aileron on a fixed wing aircraft.

   The faster the blades are spinning the more resistance they have to the wind as the rotor disc becomes more solid.  This is when the danger of being tipped over by a gust is at its greatest. As the blades drop below flying speed and lose momentum, the wind is able to pass through the disc once more and the situation is less critical.   Imagine a slatted window blind. When closed, the slats overlap to form a solid barrier through which the breeze can't pass, so it pushes against the blind, blowing it around. When the blind is opened, the slats are well spaced offering little resistance to the breeze, which passes easily between them.

Stick movements when on the ground, or during slow flight are larger than those needed in normal flight, but gently is the key word in flying a gyro powered or glider. It takes relatively little pressure on the stick for the machine to answer, you don't need to be a Schwarzenegger to fly one. Even in gusty or thermal conditions that would ground the best micro lights, there's no need for any white knuckle arm wrestling I'm an eight stone wafer and I love riding through turbulence "Nuff" said.   Invite the machine to respond rather than try to force a reaction, as you could get more than you bargained for.    A good tip for the inexperienced is to fly the gyro as if you're not strapped in.    Heavy handedness can result in an encounter with one of the gyro nastiest, the fabled Pilot Induced - Oscillation or PIO

Operating in these conditions revealed another rotary quirk the downwind sink. Airborne again, Chris told me to fly the glider left and right across the runway, which would illustrate the difference in flying the rotor downwind. Lifting off into the 15 mph wind coming from our right, I let the machine be drifted over to the left side of the runway until we reached the limit of the tow rope. Crossing back to the right again, the glider wanted to climb: this was because although the airframe was travelling sideways, the rotor disc was flying directly into the oncoming wind and gaining lift. Chris said to let it climb as we would lose height going the opposite way. Changing direction to the left, I could feel that the rotors wasn't biting the air anymore and seemed to be skidding. We were also descending. Again, the airframe was going sideways but this time the disc was flying downwind in relation to the airflow, and losing lift.

Flying downwind meant that we had to exceed the wind speed before we would get any lift. Say we were flying at 25 mph the first 15 mph would be cancelled out by matching the wind speed, meaning that we were only gaining 10 mph worth of lift. No wonder we were sinking! Chris explained that this would be something to watch out for with the powered machine, as turning downwind too low or too slow could result in an unscheduled (and embarrassing) return to earth. Always have plenty of height in hand to allow for sink, and watch the airspeed in a downwind turn. If you must turn low, be sure to keep the airspeed well up to help the rotors get lift.

As before after a good dual practise, I went through it again solo. Even when all the lessons had been repeated many times, I never got tired of flying the glider partly due to Chris and Tony who positively bubbled with enthusiasm, and took such delight in my progress. We would often fly just for the sheer fun of it, seeing how slow we could go and remain in the air; or kiting, needing no forward speed but relying on wind strength alone to support us, cheerfully hovering on the end of the rope. Such happy times: I wish we could've known just how precious they were and savoured them that little bit more, but who could've dreamed it would all go so horribly wrong. Hindsight is always 20/20.

A word or three about starting the rotor blades in strong wind conditions, as it can be tricky and requires patience. It's a common misconception that a strong wind blowing up your disc is a good thing, and in the right place at the right time it certainly can be advantageous - but not necessarily when you want to start the blades. These days, the majority of gyrocopters wear pre-rotators which makes life considerably easier, but it's good (what am I saying - it's essential!!!) to know how to start the rotors by hand, as it gives you that extra in-depth understanding that's otherwise lost by relying on the mechanical drive. Hand starting in a strong wind is an excellent illustration of how auto rotating blades behave, and shows you exactly why they can't be forced to fly before they're ready. Although the machine is stationary, the airspeed is already high, say 15 mph for example, because of the wind strength, so the danger is that the rotors will be taking too much air before they are spinning fast enough to cope with it. You must get the blades turning as fast as you can with the stick held forward before attempting to open them up to the wind, even then bring the stick back very carefully and be ready to put it forward straight away should the rotors threaten to sail.

Today, as I now occupy Chris's place on the glider, I always attempt to demonstrate incipient blade sail in a static lesson with the machine chocked on the runway, so the student can learn to recognise the symptoms and take appropriate action to stop things escalating to the drastic stages. Often I'm foiled by the gentle mannered Rotor Hawks accepting the abuse, and riding out the extra buckets of air I'm trying to force through them - while my student sits there wondering what all the fuss is about! Don't be fooled I say: even these placid old blades have their moments, and should they decide they're not happy, you're soon going to know all about it if you're not paying proper attention to them.

It starts with a small kick back through the stick about once per second, accompanied by a knocking sound from the rotor head. Normally, I'd correct it straight away by putting the stick forward and letting the blades settle before attempting to open them up again, but I want to show you a little more of the potentially destructive power we have turning above our heads, and so I do the wrong thing and bring the stick back a bit further, sending more air into the rotors. The advancing blade rises up steeply and forces its partner down; the stick kicks harder in your hand and the rotors bang loudly against the head stops. And this is just the beginning. Already it takes both hands to get the stick forward and kill off the wind and we're just parked here, going nowhere. Believe me, you DO NOT want this to happen when the machine is moving.

Never try to force the blades up to speed, and never ever, ever try to fly before they're ready to go always wait for that nose wheel to lift. It's a natural fail-safe. Unless you're flying an enclosed machine (in which the cabin reduces sensory contact with the blades), forget rev counters, Tach so, fancy instruments that simply add another element for potential error - the rotors themselves will tell you if they're happy or not, and you need to know how to read them. There is absolutely no reason why you should let your rotor blades bite you.

If you don't have access to a gyro-glider, you can still practise hand starting and natural aerodynamic spin up with your own machine unless you have Dragon Wings fitted of course! Choose a moderate steady wind to start with until you get used to it, and always wear a crash helmet. Just coz you're parked up doesn't mean that you can't be flipped over.

A gyro with rotor blades turning must only be approached from the front : make sure anyone around you understands this completely (although your instructor should be on hand) and never leave the rotors turning unattended. Chock the gyro facing into wind (engine off), and follow through the starting procedure exactly as you would in a glider. You might be surprised at just how much you'll learn without using a pre-rotator. You can even do it to a limited extent with a two-seater. Instead of driving the blades up to speed, just start them off mechanically, keeping the stick fully forward, then disengage the spin up and feed the wind into them as I've described. It even works with Dragon Wings too. Don't begin to start taxiing until you've got them turning as fast as they'll go by wind speed alone remember no matter how well they seem to be going, continue to feed them steadily until the nose wheel rises only then should you fully open that throttle.

In recent years with the sudden influx of second rate Magni clones, the gyro-glider has been forgotten, or deliberately ridiculed as old fashioned and obsolete. Old fashioned it maybe, but never obsolete: it can still teach a great deal more about rotor handling than any two-seater. I often wonder how many newly qualified two-seat drivers would know how to fly without all the gizmos and widgets to tell them what's happening. The gyro-glider is a bare bones airframe with no instruments to rely on bar the crucial piece of string, you have no choice but to use and develop your own sensory skills. The rotor blades talk to you as they spin, and you'll get to know their condition not only by eye, but by listening to their voices from a whispering swish to an exuberant whop! In time you'll be able to feel them biting or slipping against the air, and react accordingly to control them. The blades are talking all the time listen to them and learn to understand their language. Every gyro nut should be fluent in rotor speak.

The next step was to do it all again with the rotors tethered, which was more difficult than it sounds the dead weight of the blades seemed to rest on the stick and the gyro felt top heavy. The momentum of turning swung the rotors against the tie down, and it was hard work trying to hold the stick steady.

Now we were getting down to the nitty gritty, I had to wait until the weather was suitable for the next stage. The wind had to be steady and straight down the runway it was far too soon for me to be dealing with crosswind complications. When the day finally arrived, a confused mix of emotions ensnared me: eager but wary, excited yet scared. I knew that a smug minority were so sure I would muck it up (purely for the fact of being female - and large wet raspberry to them, by the way!) that I was determined not to give them the satisfaction yet by the same token, I was half expecting to muck it up myself.

By the nature of the beast, there's going to come a point where you'll find yourself alone in your gyro with everything whizzing round above and behind for the very first time. The familiar runway will have grown huge and intimidating like the tarmac at Heathrow, and there's more than a good chance that you will feel tiny, vulnerable and lonely. You may even be scared witless like I was! Don't worry about it. Anyone who doesn't feel nervous stepping into a new and potentially hazardous situation probably shouldn't be doing it they're the type that get hurt. Apprehension means that you understand the risk involved, and respect the teeth that a gyrocopter can show. And believe me they do bite.

Don't be rushed onto the next stage if you're not totally happy with what you've learned so far. You are the one in the seat only you know how it feels. Learn to be at ease with your machine: gain confidence, but beware of arrogance. It doesn't matter how long it takes you: when the time is right everything will click into place and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. I did a good 20 hours of groundwork before I felt ready to fly Chris was beginning to swear at me! I don't regret those hours: I needed them to build my confidence but most important of all, Delta-J always went back in the hangar unscathed.

Strapped in and ready to go, Chris told me to taxi out slowly, limiting ground speed according to rotor RPM moving off too fast could result in blade sail. I started the engine and let it warm up, then throttled back before releasing the parking brake, and cautiously moved off. It was much easier to taxi with the rotors spinning as the air was supporting their weight: the stick felt light in my hand and the machine was more stable. I was pleased to find that I could still hear the blades picking up speed over the noise of the engine. Watching them intently, I was careful to tilt the disc into the corners as we turned, and parked on the threshold facing into wind with the stick fully back to keep the rotors going.

Turning slowly at the end and taxing back downwind, I kept the stick in line with the string wind indicator to give the disc maximum airflow, and repeated the exercise several times until Chris called me in. I remembered to park into wind to keep the rotors going while he gave me my next task. After ensuring that I was happy with it, Chris told me to take the speed up another 5 mph and do the same thing again, reminding me to switch off the engine should I get into difficulty. At 20 mph the rotors were whipping round and seemed almost ready to fly: the nose wheel felt as if it was bouncing up and down. I tried to start two-wheel-balancing, but found it difficult to tell what was going on from inside the pod it d been easy to balance the open frame glider. Bobbing about, we covered the length of the runway half a dozen times until Chris called me back once more now for some earache, I thought. I couldn't understand why I could balance the glider but not my Cricket, and felt very disheartened.

Surprisingly though, I was not in trouble. It seemed like we had been bouncing all over the place, but Chris told me that although the nose wheel was getting light, we needed another 5 mph increase before it would lift properly. Despite the rocking horse gait, I'd managed to keep Delta-J on a straight course down the centre line, which Chris reckoned was difficult for a beginner to do. He explained that the bouncing would be cured by bringing the speed up to 25 mph, when the rotors would lift and I would be able to stabilise into two-wheel-balancing. Well, that was the theory. I was nervous of the extra speed, but Chris assured me that it still was not fast enough to fly, although a gust of wind might result in a small hop. Not convinced, I started the engine ready to try again.

Having the pod around me was definitely a hindrance in the early stages. I was used to seeing the nose wheel below me on the glider, but sitting in the Cricket I found it difficult to judge where it was in relation to the ground, and had trouble getting the right attitude for two-wheel-balancing. I knew when the nose wheel was down as the machine sat level with the runway, but once it had lifted I couldn't tell how high it was off the ground, or how much room it had left to come up. Instead of starting from the front limit and rocking along trying to guess where the rear limit was, the answer was to find the rear limit first and take it from there. As the nose lifted I let it come right up until we were resting on the tail wheel  that gave me the rear limit and as I knew where the front one was, all I had to do was hold it in between and we would be balancing. Simple!

I lined up for another go. Nose wheel on the centre line; a quick check on the engine temperature; rotors up to speed; stick right back; add power to overcome the drag, and accelerate steadily. The nose wheel popped up on cue and I let Delta-J rock back onto her tail wheel: the drag of the disc slowed our forward speed and it was on with the power to keep us rolling at 25 mph. Concentrating hard, I eased the stick forward to come off of the tail, at the same time compensating the reduction in drag by taking off some power  a bit too much power and the nose wheel touched down. Curse!

Stick back and onto the tail wheel again. This time as I put the stick forward, I left the throttle alone and suddenly the machine felt stable I was flying the nose wheel, properly balanced on the main gear. Hardly daring to breathe, I managed to hold the attitude as we travelled along the centre line to complete the run. Chris's face told me that I'd done something right as he capered at the side of the runway, beaming from ear to ear. A piece of the jigsaw had clicked into place, and a lesson had been learned. It felt good.

Now I knew what I had to do. By practising coming off the tail wheel and getting used to the attitude of the Cricket, I soon learned to bring the nose wheel up and hold it off the ground without rocking right back. With practise came the first seeds of confidence, and I subconsciously began to relax a little with my gyro. Although I'd cracked the first stage, I was still uneasy about getting my willies

 

Obviously travelling along into wind with the nose in the air is a vulnerable attitude should an unexpected gust come along (as they tend to do) and we did get picked up a couple of times. Again, if you find yourself lifted vertically, don't panic and don't close the throttle. Keep the stick where it is, don't pull back and let the gyro settle back down on the main wheels. It can be quite startling the first time it happens, and feels like you're up ten feet or more when it's actually more like one or two, but it lasts just seconds and the machine will ride it out if you let it. This is why it's important not to two-wheel-balance in crosswind conditions, especially in the early stages of training. A gust from the side is a different matter, and can flip you over if it gets under the rotor disc at the wrong moment, causing an expensive and totally unnecessary accident. When things go wrong, they can go wrong fast - a few seconds is all it takes to turn your pride and joy into a thrashing pile of twisted metal. Don't give the demons the remotest chance to ruin your day: be sure to nip trouble in the bud before it starts, and if you aren't sure of something, always play it safe.

Back with Delta-J, I knew from the glider that if I held the two-wheel-balance attitude and nudged up the airspeed we would lift off, and providing I didn't increase the power any more, settle back down on the main gear after a short hop. I knew all of that: I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet. Several times the wind had puffed and almost taken us off: the main wheels patted the ground side to side, and looking back I can see that overcoming the dangling sensation was the most difficult hurdle I had to clear.

The barely adequate airspeed I was operating at, meant that we were literally wobbling into the air rather than lifting cleanly. If I'd put on a little extra airspeed,  gone up to 30 mph like Chris wanted, Delta-J would have been much more stable as she left the ground, and I wouldn't have been so unnerved by the dangling feeling I was experiencing at 25 mph. As it was with the machine skittering between the main wheels like an excited puppy, it felt as if we were going to tip over and I was afraid to go faster, yet airspeed was the cure for the wobbles. Catch 22. Plenty of folk could explain the theory to me, but no one could actually do it for me. It was something that I had to work through for myself.

May 1995 found us three hundred miles from home at the airfield of Enstone in Oxfordshire, where I was to continue my training under the expert eye of Tony Melody. Despite Chris's vast experience, my time with him couldn't be logged towards the licence as he didn't have a piece of paper to say that he was an instructor. Paper or not, he had given me the best start I could've hoped for and I felt ready to confront my demons and conquer the dangly bit.

Again wind conditions had to be favourable: straight on the runway and steady between 10 to 15 mph.

If the wind was too light, it meant operating at a faster ground speed in order to compensate.

Delta-J balances at 25 mph: in a 15 mph headwind for example, only 10 mph ground speed is needed to combine with the wind to equal 25 mph airspeed. A 5 mph wind however, would mean doubling the ground speed to 20 mph in order to achieve the same airspeed.

It's better to keep things slow and safe in the early stages, and avoid high ground speed where events can rapidly get out of hand.

I was lucky in that I had joined half a dozen other students under Tony's wing, and a great camaraderie developed over the summer as we watched and learned from each others, efforts. At times, there could be up to four of us trundling along on various parts of the runway, with the more advanced students occasionally dropping into our midst to keep things interesting! Tony would trot alongside brandishing the first aid box, making us laugh and easing taut nerves. For my first week, it was just Simon and me there for training. Chris had travelled up to keep an eye on me for a few days, and he advised me not to train in the crosswind that persisted for the early part of the week.

Simon had done some two-seat gyro flying in America, but had only acquired his single-seat Brock a few days earlier and has not had time to get to know the machine. Despite this, and undaunted by the crosswind, he chose to begin his training and quickly got the knack of two-wheel-balancing, swiftly progressing onto his first few hops. Watching from the sidelines I could see exactly what I should've been doing, but when my turn eventually came I still couldn't seem to improve. By now I was expert at two-wheel-balancing and although the next step was fixed clearly in my mind, my hand always froze on the throttle when it was time to add enough power for a hop, and Delta-J still skipped between her main wheels.

Seeing Simon fly the length of the runway after only a few hours with his machine was very disheartening for me, and I began to wonder if I really could master my gyrocopter,  the glider had been so easy to fly. Yet already we had unwittingly hopped a few times aided by slight gusts, but they'd been so soft and without change in attitude that I had not realised we were off the ground.

Surprisingly, the breakthrough happened after Chris had returned home, and I began to train without radio. Tony's method of instruction was more in the form of suggestion and gentle encouragement in between sessions, whereas Chris talked incessantly through my headphones during each run. Now I found I had time to think for myself and could pay full attention to Delta-J's behaviour.

In the end it really was no big deal, as everyone had been telling me all along! Again when the time was right, it all clicked into place. During one of our two-wheel-balancing sessions, everything felt good and nudging on the power for a hop was almost a subconscious act. It seemed to just happen naturally, and a few inches of daylight showed beneath the main wheels. After several more runs I began to find it easy, and wondered what had taken me so long, but that's the way it goes with a single-seater. You have to sort things out for yourself: no one can do it for you, but that's part of the achievement. It will happen in the end.

Now I'd progressed at last, I began to enjoy myself more. Squeezing on the power just enough to lift off from two-wheel-balancing and holding the attitude resulted in several docile hops down the runway. I learned to steady the machine as the main wheels touched by using the drag of the rotor disc, and balance again before another hop.

Lifting off at 30 mph airspeed, I increased the power to maintain level flight in the two-wheel-balance position, still keeping it slow and safe at 35 to 40 mph and only a couple of feet above the deck. Landing was just a matter of reducing power slightly and letting the gyro sink back onto the main wheels. Short hops a few feet high and several yards long gradually evolved into extended hops of 5 to 10 feet high and several dozen yards long, until we were soon flying the runway in one luxurious bound. It was magic and I loved it!

Two-wheel-balancing is an excellent training exercise (no matter what the CFI think), but with practise you will find that your take offs gradually evolve into one smooth rotation. You will know when the machine is getting light and begin to open the throttle simultaneously as the nose wheel lifts, instead of pausing on the main wheels before adding power. Two-wheel-balancing is basically a slow motion take off. Often, experienced gyronauts find that they can't hold their machines on the main wheels anymore, as they've grown so used to performing a continuous acceleration and lift off.

For me and Delta-J, the next stage was to start climbing higher and learn to land properly. Hopping in the two-wheel-balance attitude as I'd been doing so far kept things slow and safe in the early stages, but essentially it's the wrong way to fly a gyro. Now I'd gained some experience and a pinch of confidence, it was time to progress once more.

Thank you !      

Shirley Jennings for the great story!

Crow hops are defined as low level lift offs and landings. Low level here means mere inches above the surface to about feet three feet above the runway. In my opinion crow hops are an excellent way for the beginner to learn about getting his gyro into the air and back safely on the ground, especially the small single place gyros.



In today's gyro community, in the age of heavy gyros and powerful engines, there is much negative attitude toward the crow hop method of learning take offs and landings.  Many people feel that it's dangerous, but done properly crow hops are a vital part of gyro flight instruction, especially for the student pilot who will be flying a small single place gyro.  When practiced properly and diligently, the pilot will learn to take off in a proper keel level attitude, instead of nose high, which beginners tend to do.   He will learn the correct take off speed for his gyro and also the landing speed.  He will know how to land his gyro before he makes that first solo trip around the pattern in his gyro.  It's surprising how many student pilots make that first trip around the pattern without sound knowledge about how to get back on the ground properly and safely.

The small gyro is flown primarily be a sense of feel.  Crow hops are all about learning the feel of the gyro as well as learning to control the attitude and speed of the gyro.  These are very important items the pilot must know well.  He must be able to control the gyro from the moment it leaves the ground.  Don't be fooled into thinking you can work your problems out at altitude. It just doesn't work!

Let's assume the instructor has endorsed you for solo and you are about to fly your own single place gyro for the first time.   It's fair to say you could probably solo the instructor's two place gyro easier than your own single place machine because you have X number of hours of instruction on his gyro trainer, so that is the gyro you are familiar with.   At this point your own machine is a complete unknown to you.   Unfortunately, most instructors won't permit student solo in the instructor's trainer so the student is on his own in learning about his gyro as well as learning how to fly it.

Learning crow hops will help you to learn every step of the take off and landing process, as well as the speed required for your particular gyro before committing to altitude. First of all, you will taxi about for awhile, learning the steering, learning to use the brakes and the throttle, and the general ground handling of your gyro. Your instructor should have already taught you the art of getting the rotor blades up to speed and the proper handling of the control stick. Now you must coordinate all the individual items necessary to get the gyro off the ground and back on safely.

It's not that difficult to do but it does require discipline. Too often the new gyro pilot in his eagerness to fly, wants to ram the throttle home and head for the sky ......that way is to invite disaster.

The crow hop method begins with learning to balance on the main wheels, then in time to lift the gyro off the runway a few inches. On the first day of practice you may get to the point of lift off and maybe you won't. The important thing is to take it easy and don't rush anything during the early stages of learning to fly. The early stages are very tiring, so plan to stop frequently and take a rest.

                                                                             Now to balance on the main wheels.

                                                                                

Pick a day when there is no wind, and that means NO WIND at all. After you have become familiar with ground handling of your machine, position your gyro at the end of the runway and line up the nose wheel with the center line.

With the stick slightly back and the blades spinning, watch the blades and listen to them as they gain rpm’s. As the blades pick up speed, gradually bring the stick back and gradually increase taxi speed in small increments. Make it a firm habit from the very first moment to always handle the gyro controls gently. No hard, heavy moves on the control stick or throttle. If at any time during taxi to get the blades up to speed, you feel a roughness in the blades or in the control stick, immediately slow down by pulling the throttle back to idle and then put the control stick forward to allow the blades to slow down. Roughness indicates blade flap. Blade flap, means that there is too much wind coming into the blades for the amount of blade rpm’s. Too much wind could be either from taxing too fast or from holding the stick too far back or, from a sudden gust of wind. Note: if it is gusty, you shouldn't even be out there. Your instructor should have schooled you in blade flap, it's cause, how to recognize it and how to stop it if encountered. It's vital to your safety that you understand blade flap thoroughly.


When the blades reach flying speed, a funny thing happens. The gyro will rock back onto the tail wheel and come to a stop! The reason for that is that with the control stick fully back and blades at flying speed, the blades produce a lot of drag which stops the forward movement of the gyro.



When the gyro rocks back onto the tail wheel and comes to a stop, bring the throttle back to idle while keeping the stick back. Because the gyro is no longer moving, the blades will slow down and lose lift, and then the nose wheel will drop down on it's own. This is an interim step in the take off process and should be practiced until you are comfortable with it......taxi, bring the blades up to speed, let the gyro rock back onto the tail wheel and come to a stop, bring the throttle back to idle, hold the stick back until the nose wheel drops down on it's own, and then do it all again and again and again. A firm rule here.....do not continue to taxi with the nose wheel in the air.



When the gyro rocks back on the tail wheel it is sending a message that the blades are ready to fly. When you have practiced that step and are comfortable, then the next step is, after the gyro rocks back, gently move the control stick forward as you gently add a bit of power. The objective is to have the nose wheel about 3 inches off the ground. The tail wheel will also be off the ground. This is called, "balancing on the mains". It is not easy at first and only becomes easy with practice.

Once you can attain a balanced attitude and are rolling along only on the main wheels, you will need to make teeny tiny adjustments with the throttle to maintain the balanced attitude. Avoid jockeying the stick back and forth as that will only get the nose wheel bouncing up and down on the runway. Remember the throttle is the primary control of the gyro. The control stick is used here to put the nose wheel down to a few inches off the runway and the throttle is used to keep it there.

During this practice remember to keep your heading straight down the middle of the runway by using the rudder pedals. If something does not feel right, say you are taxiing too fast, not keeping the gyro lined up well, or whatever, back off on the power immediately and bring the stick back to allow the drag effect of the blades to slow the forward movement of the gyro. Taxi back to the end of the runway and start over, or take a break and give yourself a 30 minute rest period.

Once you are able to find the "balance" spot, note what your speed is as indicated by your airspeed indicator.  Any increase in speed while in the balanced attitude will make the gyro lift off the ground.

Practice balancing on the main wheels until you are comfortable and can achieve balance attitude and can maintain the balanced condition for the length of the runway rolling only on the main wheels. Next step is to lift the gyro a few inches off the runway.


You may not get to the point of lifting off on the first day of practice. Don't let that pressure you.  The first hours of learning to fly your own gyro are nerve wracking so take all the time you need and don't rush any part of it. Also, don't be graded by others to forge ahead before you're ready.  If your flight instructor can be there to coach and assist you during your first solo hours, great, and if you and he have radio communication, that's even better. If not, then take a friend along just in case you need help, but don't call out all your buddies to watch. You don't need the pressure others can unintentionally put on you at this tender time of learning.  So, take it easy and pace yourself.  This is about you learning to fly your gyro, not about you providing entertainment or excitement to others. There's time for a cheering section after you become a proficient gyro pilot.

The beginner tends to grip the control stick and throttle too tightly and of course, a tense hand on the controls cannot make a gentle movement!   Accordingly, every movement is too much.  Try to relax and hold the stick and throttle firmly but gently. An example here of a heavy hand on the throttle......it was many years ago during the first hours of my fixed wing flight instruction.  The instructor and I were taxiing out to the runway.  I advanced the throttle way too fast which flooded the engine causing it to quit cold.  We came to a stop right there on the taxiway.  My instructor took the opportunity to tell me how lucky it was that we were on the ground and that I wasn't all by myself at altitude when the engine stopped. He impressed upon me to never, never, don't ever abuse the throttle that way again!   It made a believer out of me.


OK, you're ready; you have practiced and practiced and finally have the balance down pat. It's time to lift off the runway to the grand old altitude of a few inches to maybe one foot....... no more than that. Start your taxi run and get the gyro in the balanced attitude. Hold the control stick centered and gently increase the power by moving the throttle forward a tiny bit.  By increasing power you will be increasing speed. When you have added enough power, and are rolling fast enough, the gyro will lift off the runway without you moving the control stick. Remember to be gentle on the throttle. The goal at this point is to just barely get the gyro off the runway.

As soon as the gyro lifts off the runway, immediately close the throttle and the gyro will settle right back down to the runway. Then gently bring the control stick full back and the gyro will again come to a complete stop.

The first lift off all by yourself is very exciting. Make several more lift offs the same way, then when you feel ready, get the gyro in the balanced attitude, add a little more power than you have been and the gyro will lift off to a higher altitude of perhaps two feet above the runway.  When the gyro lifts off, gently close the throttle and the machine will again settle to the runway. As it begins to settle, slowly bring the stick back to flare the blades for a landing. After touching down, remember to keep the stick back until the blades lose their lift and the nose wheel drops down on it's own.

The first lift offs will feel wobbly because you will be using barely enough power to lift the gyro into the air but not enough to keep it flying solid. When you get a few lift offs under your belt and have the procedure down pat, the next step is to lift off and fly the gyro for a very short distance before landing.

So, next run, when balanced, add just a tad more power than before. You don't want to get more than 2 feet above the runway so go easy on the power. You will find that the gyro will want to stay in the air because of the increased airspeed. Note :  the airspeed for that will be the minimum speed required to maintain level flight.   Hold the gyro level and do not bobble the control stick. Fly a few feet, say 5 or 10 feet or maybe less, then close the throttle and gently bring the control stick back to land the gyro. The gyro should touch down tail wheel first then the main wheels, and finally the nose wheel will settle down on it's own when the blades have slowed enough to lose the drag effect. A very important point to remember here ...... if you should be 3 feet or more above the runway, do not bring the stick back at that height! After backing off on the power, let the gyro settle to about 2 feet above the runway then gently begin to bring the stick back to flare for the landing.   If you flare too high it will kill the airspeed and the gyro will drop in hard. It is important to maintain airspeed until about 2 feet or less above the ground.


Remember this very important point..... when the gyro touches down and the stick is held in the back position, the fast spinning blades are acting as a brake to stop the gyro. If the stick is put forward immediately upon landing, the braking effect of the blades is lost and the gyro will begin rolling forward fast.
I can tell you a war story of a new gyro pilot who forgot that rule because he was tired.

It was his first day on his own gyro. He had stayed overnight on the field so he could get an early start the next morning. When I arrived at the office at 8 AM he had been at it for several hours and was doing well, making low level flights the length of the runway. He ignored advice to quit for the day before he got so tired he might make a mistake.

After several more hours of practice, fatigue took over and he made several mistakes. On what he intended to be his last flight for the day  ( it was ) he touched down closer to the end of the runway than he had been doing. Immediately upon landing, he put the control stick forward. The gyro picked up speed quickly, meanwhile the end of the runway was coming up fast. It didn't occur to him to bring the stick back and take advantage of the brake effect of the blades or to use the brakes on the gyro or to kill the engine to stop the gyro. What he did was the wrong thing -- with the end of the runway before him and the gyro rolling about 30 mph. he pushed the left rudder pedal and made a fast U turn. That, of course, caused the gyro to roll over. He was not injured but the accident hurt his pocket book enough to get his attention.
This accident was recounted in the hope that it will impress upon you the importance of taking frequent rest breaks while learning to fly your gyro.
 

Make enough short flights at two feet above the runway that you feel comfortable. Next, plan to lift off to about 3 feet above the runway. From the balanced attitude, open the throttle as usual, but just a tiny bit more-so this time. Hold the stick steady. The gyro will lift off and you will notice that by adding more power the gyro will accelerate rapidly once it is clear of the runway. Gently ease the control stick back a tiny bit and the gyro will lift up a little higher above the runway. We’re talking pressures on the control stick, not movements......remember it is a very sensitive machine and you don’t want to suddenly find yourself way to heck up there when you only wanted to lift off to about 3 feet.


Remember to use the rudder pedals to keep the gyro lined up with the runway centerline. Hold the control stick centered, not leaning to one side or the other. Fly a short distance then make a landing. You will be three or maybe four feet above the runway this time so remember to maintain airspeed until down to 2 feet or less above the runway. To lose altitude and set up for the landing, put the control stick forward a tiny bit and ease the throttle back a bit. When the gyro begins to settle toward the runway then bring the throttle back to idle and gently bring the stick back slowly to flare for the landing. After awhile you will feel it when the gyro is no longer flying forward but is settling toward the runway. That is the point when you should begin to flare the blades.

As with the earlier flights, try a few short hops at first at the higher speed, then when you are ready, fly longer and longer distances before landing and then finally fly the length of the runway holding three feet altitude then land and taxi back. Practice crow hops diligently and you will develop a good feel for your gyro. Remember to fly one direction, land and taxi back to the other end for the next flight, every time. No flying both directions!

After becoming proficient at flying the length of the runway at about 3 feet of altitude, then you can gradually lift off to higher altitudes, say, four, five, ten, twenty or even thirty feet, fly the length of the runway and then land. To descend from the higher altitudes you will need to put the control stick forward a bit and reduce the power a bit, but be sure to maintain airspeed until about a foot and a half to two feet above the runway. Then back off power to idle and gently bring the stick back to flare for the landing. Note: always leave yourself room to land and don't try to fly to the very tip end of the runway before setting it down.


This practice will give you experience in proper take offs, short low level flights, climbs, descents and landings. Additionally, you will also acquire a good grasp of airspeeds necessary. This practice will allow you time to get comfortable with all these phases of flight before committing to the pattern. The first trip around the pattern will still be exciting but you will be much better prepared to handle it successfully if you are diligent and don't rush the early stages of crow hops and low level flight.
 

To reiterate the steps of the crow hop method  

Taxi, ground handling

Taxi till gyro rocks back onto tail and nose wheel off the runway

Balance on main wheels

Low level lift off…from mere inches to 1 foot

Lift off to 2 feet above runway and land

Short hops at 2 feet altitude and land

Lift off to 3 feet above runway and land

Short flights at 3 feet altitude and land

Eventually flying length of runway at 3 feet altitude

Lift off to higher altitudes and land

Get each step down perfectly before going on to the next one.

 

A word about not calling out the troops to watch your first efforts at flying. Even though your friends will have your best interests at heart, they will put pressure on you, the beginner.  Usually the pressure is unintentional, but often bystanders will urge the pilot on to do more than he is ready for. A case in point. Back in the 70's a new pilot shut his gyro down after he had made several successful first low level flights.   He announced that he was through for the day. He said he didn't feel well, that he was excited about his first flights and he just wanted to stop for the day and go over it all in his mind. Other pilots urged him to keep on flying. He gave in to peer pressure and attempted a pattern flight. He never made it around the pattern. Shortly after reaching altitude he got the gyro porposing and died in the resulting crash. So, remember, you don't have to entertain the troops. Be smart. Fly for yourself, fly gently and with time and practice become a fine gyro pilot.

Marion Springer, CFI, Gyro, Ret.