Starting to Fly Gyro's

[THI]

Hi Paul,

Will you be leaving on the 6th Aug? I'll be visiting Gauteng as well but only from the 9th Aug. If you are planning to leave later I'd like to drop by and wish you well on your journey.

Thinus

[Jabbanaught]

Hi Paul,

Will you be leaving on the 6th Aug? I'll be visiting Gauteng as well but only from the 9th Aug. If you are planning to leave later I'd like to drop by and wish you well on your journey.

Thinus

Planning to leave early the 7 Aug , But go visit my brother (condor on here ) at Kitty Hawk , he is always keen to chat to fellow gyrofans

[Jabbanaught]

Hi guys

Well GYRO MAGNI M16 ZU- DUO is at her new home in the Cape , She is standing for now at FAFK , but will shortly be at FASH .

I want to start by thanking a couple of people ,

Firstly my brother (Condor ) for helping talking me into the Gyro .

Then Llwellyn (cant recall avatar ) for selling me his awesome baby , Spending the day with Us and making us all jealous in ordering a M24

Glen Meyer for the AP

And then

Guys how can you say more thank you to a person , for helping you build on a dream .

Len Klopper better known as Jetrager , Was with me from taking delivery of my new baby till we landed Yesterday at FAFK .

I am sure Len will fill in more detail , but for now i just want to say to him THANKS FROM THE BOTTOM of my heart , HE is an excellent instructor (I am stupid student ) .

Will give more details .

O yes to the guys at petit - Sorry was still getting used to the radio , But thanks for being so friendly about me flying in your space with the wrong radio freq , And the help thereafter .

Paul

[Gyronaut]

Paul

Well done on a daunting cross-country for a relatively new student Gyro-pilot. You handled the Nav without much assistance from me and did ALL the radio work, planning and flying. I think I touched the stick to assist on final round-out only on 2 occasions.

In a nutshell, there is not much I could add to your experience except double checking your procedures and chopping the throttle on you at the most unexpected times possible.

For the record, he would have survived 4 unexpected/unannounced 'engine-out/throttle chops' in hostile environments. (although two of them may have been downwind ) I firmly believe he will keep the wind in mind forever from now on in an emergency.

Other than wanting to round-out too soon (typical fixed wing syndrome) and wanting to climb out after take-off before the air speed has built adequately (another fixed wing syndrome) I am convinced Paul will make an excellent Gyro Pilot. He already prefers flying low (just above pylon height) to flight-levels which I personally feel makes him 'one of us'.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Gyro's Paul. I think you did exceptionally well on a major cross-country and find very little to fault you on. You have flown further from the cabbage patch than many gyro pilots already! We'll work on the finer skills a bit and then I am sure you will make me proud to go solo and do your flight test with another instructor in due course.

Keep up the high standard I expect and thanks for the adventure.

Kind regards

Len
GPI

[Eggbeater]

Hi Gentlemen

Thanks for the kind words about DUO, I am sure that she will serve you Paul as well as she did me and if you have half as much fun as I did with her then you will indeed be lucky.

It sounds as though you guys had an incredible experience but it must have been a lot of concentrated flying in a relatively short period of time so no wonder you were tired when you arrived. I was also slightly amused when I say Len's photographs and saw that he was wearing the winter flight suit because I was fairly sure that you would find a use for it and perhaps now you know why I want an enclosed machine.

Please keep us updated on your progress both while undergoing training and after you qualify and perhaps we can meet up again one day. In the interim I am waiting for my new machine and have changed my avtar (it is a gyro glider which I saw in Washington and it is small although it is interesting to see that with three rotor blades the overall length of the rotor can be reduced) until I can use a picture of the new one.

[Jabbanaught]

Hi Eggbeater

Yes the trip was awesome , Will i do it again , I said to myself NO , But sitting at my desk in my office today i wish i was in the Gyro (even over those SCARY mountains ) rather than sitting here .

She performed like a dream , I must admit i was listening to too many a Lyco/ Contin engine drivers , I have changed my opinion of the Rattax engine (just a pity its so expensive ) , she was not missing a beat and both mornings in the very cold started at first turn of the key .

Len found the flight suit a life saver , But i also think that my old habits in flying at flight levels in the beginning did not help , So when the master from the back said to me "hey i am getting cold here " i knew he actually said fly lower you fixed wing idiot . Later on he did not have to say anything like that i was enjoying flying low , even if it was only to get the sense of moving .

The entire trip Len tried to teach me , YES GUYS he knows his stuff , It was awesome , and i have alot to learn , But hopefully i will be flying her on my own to the SAGPA meeting in October .

I hope that you will come fly her again , She might have a different reg , I am battling with DUO , why i dont know .

I WISH I WAS FLYING

[Snoopy7]

Geluk Paul...waars die prentjies...

[Condor]

Paul did his solo at Fisantekraal yesterday.

CONGRATULATIONS.

Now your guys does not have a SAGPA representitive only, he can fly as well.

Geniet dit kleinboet. Hoe dik gaan die stof nou op die Jabi vergader?

[peterb]

Hey congrats Paul

[Eggbeater]

Hi Paul

Very well done. I am glad that DUO is performing up to expectations.

With luck I should go solo again within a year or so

[Gyronaut]

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=11736


Some more pictures of the occasion...

Paul right after his first Solo in his Magni M16 ZU-DUO

Paul, Ronnie (Midlifecrisis) and Len after Paul's first Gyro Solo

Ronnie obliged by dumping a bucket of water on Paul, just to keep the tradition alive.
Paul was on such a high he didnt mind at all!!

Well done again Paul!

Len

[Grumpy]

Super Paul, Well done......... Envy you, but it wont be long,
Safe flying Bud

[Jabbanaught]

For weeks now i have been looking at all the post "ANOTHER GYRO PILOT SOLO" and it felt as if it would never happen to me .

Time issues and the fact that my baby was far from me , and then work meant that i could not fly nearly as much as that i wish i could.

Then the following was always in the back of my mind "Len said on our ferry flight fromt PTA , That he will only send someone solo is he was prepared to let that guy fly his Sycamore " now that is a bold statement as everybody knows Len loves his Gyro , so i thought that shucks will that ever come .

I had a check ride with Louis during the week in which we did some low level passes .

Then saturday arrived and i was so dissapointed as the win was gusting in Stellenbosch and i thought that today will be just another lesson , If we fly at all.

Well upon arrival Len just said lets go fly and after the first low level fly pass and then two T&G with him , he said i think you ready ,And I was , I was calm and relaxed and the method in which Len did the manditory pre - solo briefing just made me more calm .

Then i running out towards the Magni , Waited for this , Pre flight , some last word of a very worried parent (Len) , Thumbs up from Ronnie. And i was set .

ON take-off she just wated to climb (was forewarned by Len ) , had a nice tight circuit , then the line up and the landing , It felt like forever but was so quick .

This being my second solo (first for PPL) it felt just as good .

Guys those that are thinking of getting gyro training DO IT , its an awesome feeling and i know , now the learning starts .

LEN , LIke i have said numerous times i OWE you big ,You made another dream come true 'THANKS"

Ronnie , You a true friends and thanks for cooling me down with ice cold water .

Ouboet , WENS JY WAS DAAR >

[Jabbanaught]

Hi Paul

Very well done. I am glad that DUO is performing up to expectations.

With luck I should go solo again within a year or so

She is the most beautiful LADY

[FO Gyro]

Congrats Paul on going solo. Many happy, safe hours in gyro's.