Gyrobee Plans wanted
Gary Hoffmann
Looking for a set of plans for the Gyrobee Gyrocopter. Would someone
have such plans for sale ?? Please drop me a note.
Greetings
Gil Leiter
Gary, the Gyrobee does not have specific plans as such since it is a
modification of Martin Holloman's Bumble Bee. To build A Gyrobee one
purchases a set of Bumble Bee plans ($180) and then Ralph Taggart will
lend you the additional information required to build a Gyrobee.
Ralph Taggart
602 S. Jefferson
Mason, MI 48854
517-676-1207
Martin Hollmann
Aircraft Designs, Inc.
5 Harris Court Bldg. S
Monterey, CA 93940
408-649-6212
gil leiter
MAPLEWOOD, MN
ow...@davies.mv.com
In response to another post,
> Gil Leiter <ggle...@minn.net> writes:
> Gary, the Gyrobee does not have specific plans as such since it is a
> modification of Martin Holloman's Bumble Bee. To build A Gyrobee one
> purchases a set of Bumble Bee plans ($180) and then Ralph Taggart will
> lend you the additional information required to build a Gyrobee.
(Snip!)
Interesting. What are the differences between them?
Owen Davies
Gil Leiter
Owen, I don't really know. You might contact Ralph Taggart and ask
information. I can probably dig up an address for Ralph if you are
interested. Contact me by E mail for further info.
gil leite
MAPLEWOOD, MN
ulf...@aol.com
>> Interesting. What are the differences between them?
>>
>> Owen Davies
Okay, Owen, let me see if I can share a few of the differences.....I went
through all of this about a year or so ago and nearly began construction
of the Gyrobee.....so, bear with me as my memory may be a little
defficient.
Generally speaking, Ralph Taggart has made modifications (improvements) to
the Bumblebee that suits his peace of mind, makes the gyro more reliable,
uses off-the-shelf current components, and makes it more suitable for
rough, grass strips.
The major changes are (with some resultant minor, not-mentioned changes):
mast - the Bumblebee uses a single-tube mast whereas the Gyrobee has a
double-tube, redundant mast.
rotor system - Bumblebee used fiberglass blades whereas the Gyrobee shows
Rotodyne blades on a long hub bar.
prerotator - for sake of simplicity, the Bumblebee drive setup was
omitted.
rotor control - the Gyrobee uses the Brock-style KB-2 joystick and steel
pushrods in lieu of the system shown in the Bumblebee plans.
tail group - the Bumblebee used an integrated rudder/horizonal stab with
rudder control via a single pushrod; the Gyrobee uses the cable-operated
Brock KB-2 tail components.
seat and fuel tank - hmmmm.....suffice to say that the seat and fuel tank
arrangements are somewhat different.
tail boom attachment - the Gyrobee tail is attached using four bolts
necessitated by the Brock control stick whereas the Bumblebee used a
single bolt/pin attachment.
wheels - Bumblebee used the Tuff wheels and the Gyrobee uses standard
UL-type wheels.
shock absorbers - again, hmmmm.....the Bumblebees shock LG system has been
improved somewhat - steel instead of aluminum, closed slot for support
strut integrity, etc.
nose wheel attachment - more rugged design on the Gyrobee.
instrument panel/wind screen - omitted on the Gyrobee.
That's about all that I can remember and I hope it helps. E-mailing Ralph
may give better results. I definitely recommend the use of the Gyrobee
data if you pursue your Bumblebee project.
Charlie
Gil Leiter
ulf...@aol.com wrote:
>
> >> Interesting. What are the differences between them?
> >>
> >> Owen Davies
>
> Okay, Owen, let me see if I can share a few of the differences.....I went
> through all of this about a year or so ago and nearly began construction
> of the Gyrobee.....so, bear with me as my memory may be a little
> defficient.
>
> Generally speaking, Ralph Taggart has made modifications (improvements) to
> the Bumblebee that suits his peace of mind, makes the gyro more reliable,
> uses off-the-shelf current components, and makes it more suitable for
> rough, grass strips.
>
> The major changes are (with some resultant minor, not-mentioned changes):
>
> prerotator - for sake of simplicity, the Bumblebee drive setup was
> omitted.
Ralph has since developed a pre-rotator based on two model airplane
engines mounted on the rotor bar near the hub. This was detailed in a
recent issue of PRA's ROTORCRAFT. It appears to work fine and
represents an important improvement in the Gyrobee.
<more of changes snipped>
> That's about all that I can remember and I hope it helps. E-mailing Ralph
> may give better results. I definitely recommend the use of the Gyrobee
> data if you pursue your Bumblebee project.
>
> Charlie
Good detailed description of changes, Charlie. I, too, had wondered
what the differences were, and now I know. Ralph apparently had many
frustrations trying to live with the no pre-rotator situation until he
came up with the fix I mentioned above.
gil leiter
MAPLEWOOD, MN.