www.PSFmagazine.com | October-November 2016 | 25 24 | October-November 2016 | Powered Sport Flying Gyroplane Review flown; however, rather than the mechanism incorporating a parking brake as it does in the case of the Magni M-16 for example, the AR 1’s parking brake is located elsewhere, a two-position hydraulic valve underneath the seat. The rotor brake is directly below the seat near the center, easy to reach and easy to see. The rudder pedals are adjustable over a range of five positions and the AR 1’s four-point harness gave me a greater sense of security than just a lap belt. The AR 1’s cyclic grip reminded me of the military’s standard grip in the AH-1 Cobra, although with the AR 1 only two of its switches are active: the Chinese hat switch for trim and a push-to-talk switch for the radio. The red button on the side, the one where the rocket trigger is on an AH-1 cyclic grip, is unused on the AR 1. Perhaps if there’s more demand for it among feral hog hunters, the red button might find a use. The cyclic can be locked in place with a retaining pin placed vertically though holes in the control rods below the stick. It’s a vertical version of an airplane’s horizontal gust lock and works well, but it’s the sort of thing that cries out for a red “Remove Before Flight” flag. The seats were comfortable for the short time I was flying and I feel likely wouldn’t induce butt numbness over a longer time. For comfort, I rate the AR 1’s seat close to that of the Titanium Explorer and the ela 8 and far more comfortable than other seats that felt as if I were sitting on thinly corrugated cardboard. Modern gyroplanes are increasingly being flown crosscountry rather than just around the patch, and extensive trips like the recent record-setting excursions by Dayton Dabbs and John Craparo in a Magni M-16 [see “Racing with the Moon: 73 Hours by Air in a Gyroplane” in the February 2016 issue of Powered Sport Flying] and the record-setting flights by Dr. Paul Salmon in a Magni M-22 are helping demonstrate these aircraft’s cross-country capability, including overnight stays. Consequently, increasing consideration is being given to carrying things in these aircraft. Gyroplane models like the Magni M-24 Voyager, the Titanium Explorer, and the ela G10 Eclipse have fuselages purposely designed with flared storage pods on the side. Other two-place, tandem-seated gyroplane models offer some storage space within the cockpit. The AR 1 has two zippered, heavy duty canvas storage bags underneath the front seat, which proved convenient for temporarily storing my Sunday cap, the one fromGalveston’s Lone Star Flight Museum, and still had room, should I need it, for a large bag of Corn Nuts, a personal essential for cross-country trips of any significant duration. As add-on options, the AR 1 offers additional ‘glove’ bags behind the front seat with zippered openings from the back seat and a fifth bag is possible behind the back seat. Also in the works are external neoprene bags that can be strapped around the landing gear fairings. All in all, the AR 1 provides adequate storage for a quick getaway when a mother-in-law comes to visit for an extended stay. The AR 1’s listed fuel capacity of seventeen gallons— not a paltry amount, but a little less than some of its This storage area is great for day trips. More storage is planned for longer adventures. AR 1’s Standard Features • Choice of a rotax 912uls or 914ul engine • Averso stella rotor system • Sterna three-blade prop • Stainless steel airframe purge welded with argon • Composite fuselage • Windshields front and back • Aluminum landing struts with composite • Streamline fairings • Trailing fork nose gear • Larger-than-average tail rudder • Vertically finned horizontal stabilizer • Adjustable rudder pedals • Electric trim • Mechanical prerotator • Mechanical rotor brake • Hand-operated, hydraulic, disc wheel brakes • Parking brake • Seventeen-gallon aluminum fuel tank • Instrument panel with a modularized milspec cannon plug that allows easy removal of the complete panel and which includes analog day vfr flight gauges and engine monitoring gauges • A plethora of aircraft-grade components. competitors—might seem to limit its comparable crosscountry range, yet the usable amount of that total capacity is reported to be as much as 16.8 gallons even though the number on the placard for usable fuel is less, and perhaps at cross-country speeds, the AR 1’s streamlining and incremental lift from the wing fairings could effectively stretch the aircraft’s range beyond what might otherwise be expected from seventeen gallons. The fuel tank is welded aluminum and, though not rupture-proof, is more crash tolerant than a plastic fuel tank, and being aluminum, should relieve concern about what the alcohol content of some mogas might do to the tanks. Even with windshields, I’ve heard some back seat occupants in two-place tandem gyroplanes complain about the amount of wind in the back. Admittedly, some of these complaints have come from persons in the back when I’m flying and perhaps could result frommy failing to keep the aircraft in trim. I didn’t hear any complaints fromGreg, but that could be because he was too polite or, more likely, may have been due to the AR 1’s tail feathers. For those who prefer an enclosed cockpit, the AR 1 offers a canopy, one that can be put on and taken off as preferred. In the winter, with it on and with cabin heat, an occupant can be as warm and cozy as an Eskimo in an igloo snuggled with his sled dogs. In comparison, Autogyro offers a gyroplane model with tandem seating and an enclosed cockpit, the Calidus, which offers two different canopies, one for summer and one for winter, but doesn’t have the option of flying without a canopy. Magni is rumored to soon offer a tandem-seated model with an enclosed canopy that, like the Calidus, isn’t removable. The ela G10 Eclipse comes with a canopy that can be removed for flying, the cost of which is included in the G10’s heftier initial price compared to the AR 1. In other words, with the G10, a customer pays for a gyroplane with an enclosed cockpit that can be converted to an open cockpit aircraft. With the AR 1, a customer buys an open cockpit gyroplane and can decide whether or not to pay for a canopy to enclose the cockpit and can opt for it after the purchase. Options with the AR 1 include a folding mast; facet fuel pump; navigation, strobe, landing lights; back seat controls; back seat asi and altimeter; avionics; and paint-matched engine valve colors. A buyer has a choice of several standard paint colors or he can specify a custom color at an extra cost if his taste runs to, say, chartreuse or flamingo orange. The introduction of the American Ranger, following the introduction of the new Titanium Explorer from Australia just last year [see “Another Choice for the Gyroplane-Ready” in the December 2015-January 2016 issue of Powered Sport Flying], added to the other existing choices of gyroplanes, is evidence of the growth of gyroplanes in the US, and that’s despite the faa regulation that specifically prevents them from slsa certification, a barrier that effectively obstructs the market for factory-built, ready-to-fly light-sport gyroplanes in the US [see the two-part series entitled “The Future of Light Sport Gyropolanes” in the February/March and the April 2014 issues of Powered Sport Flying]. Due to the faa’s regulatory reluctance to allow factorybuilt light sport gyroplanes, most gyroplanes in the US that can be flown by Sport Pilots are built from kits and are certificated as Experimental Amateur Built. To help new owners get in the air faster, Silverlight offers a builder’s assist program at its facility in Zephyrhills, Florida. There, under the tutelage of Silverlight’s staff, people intimately familiar with the aircraft and how it should go together, a builder can complete the kit in about two weeks. Included in the price for the builder’s assist, Silverlight will also assist with the paperwork necessary for the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate, and will provide up to three hours of test flying to remove any squawks with the completed aircraft. As an indication of the business-minded maturing of the gyroplane market in the US, Silverlight can help customers find financing for a new aircraft and insurance for it. Looking more globally, Silverlight is getting orders for its gyroplanes from customers in other countries, nudging a reversal of the role of the US as primarily an importer of gyroplanes to that of an exporter and helping make Silverlight’s prospects for the success of the American Ranger look even more promising. For more information about the American Ranger AR 1, including its listed specs, you can visit the Silverlight Aviation website at SilverlightAviaiton.com. •
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