www.PSFmagazine.com | December 2018 - January 2019 | 13 12 | December 2018 - January 2019 | Powered Sport Flying Light Sport Aircraft Special lsa, only offering guesses for weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, gyroplanes, motorgliders, and more. However, we hope that will now change and our market share reporting will be more inclusive. Hurray! Problems in faa’s database is not caused by incompetent clerks. Agency personnel must sort through inconsistently-reported aircraft. If, as Steve pointed out in one example, the registered name of the aircraft is slightly different, it won’t show up on a casual investigation. He added, “There’s no end of that kind of thing …just so we know the limitations on this exercise. But with that understanding, I love this kind of thing, I have the skills to do it, and would be honored to support your good work for the sport.” All such reporting will be available on the home page when fresh and catalogued on its own space. Wonderful, simply wonderful! Please welcome Steve Beste as a new contributor to ByDanJohnson.com! update — In the story above, I inadvertently suggested SilverLight with their American Ranger gyroplane was the first or only U.S. producer of such aircraft. That is not what I intended but some readers viewed it that way. Allow me to bring your attention to two other producers. Sport Copter and Rotor Flight Dynamics Based in Oregon, Sport Copter is a long established, second-generation family business started in 1958. Chuck Vanek was one of the early pioneers of gyroplane design and development beginning his work in 1957. Chuck’s son Jim Vanek took over the business and revamped the Vancraft designs. He said his “award-winning, world’s-first, two-place gyroplane took the prestigious Charles Lindbergh award at the Oshkosh airshow in 1985.” The company also reports his Sport Copter II design was voted as one of the Top Ten Best Designs at AirVenture in 2011. An airshow performer, Jim said he wrote the parameters and guidelines for gyroplane looping for the faa in 1998 after performing the world’s first loop in a conventional gyroplane, in 1997. The company’s website reports, “He is the only gyro pilot in the world that holds an International Council of Air Shows card for gyroplane looping and rolling.” Don’t even think about trying this yourself, however. Rotor Flight Dynamics, founded and run by Ernie Boyette, produces two- and single-place variations of their Dominator line. Sold as kit aircraft, the two-place model can be powered by Hirth four-cylinder engines, Subaru/ AutoFlight EA-81, or the 115-horsepower Rotax 914 Turbo. The company said, “We offer 22- thru 28-foot rotor blades of our own design with a lift capability from ultralight thru 1,200 pounds gross weight.” They added, “We are the only manufacturer that test flies all blade sets prior to shipping.” For export, Rotor Flight will fully build their aircraft but in the usa, faa will only permit them to deliver kits, the same as all gyroplane producers. As with all the modern gyroplanes, Rotor Flight uses a substantial tailplane. “The Dominator [series of one- and two-place machines] incorporates the Tall Tail design for stability.” Asked how their product differs, the company’s website states, “What makes the Dominator so unique is its high profile design. It sits up very high off the ground.” An example of the Florida-based Dominator The Sportcopter II First Lighter-than-Air Light Sport Aircraft — FlyDoo with VTU FAA’S Light Sport Aircraft category involves quite the intriguing mixture of aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft of many descriptions, weight shift, powered parachute, gyroplanes, motorgliders, seaplanes, of course, and, lighter-than-air. Every niche has been well explored…except for that last one. Now comes FlyDoo from France, an lsa-category-fitting hot-air balloon. Designer Leandro Corradini thought he could deliver something that didn’t exist in the market so he set up shop to supply envelope, basket, burner, and more in a practical, lightweight, compact, and easy-to-transport and -store package. FlyDoo breaks down compactly enough that you could easily store it in your house or apartment. He even shows pictures of transporting it to a flying field by adding a wheel and tow bar kit to the gondola making the aircraft into a small trailer that can be towed by a bicycle. Leandro observes that established balloon manufacturers are accustomed to working in the faa or caa certified aircraft environment, often building large balloons used commercially to give rides. These producers have smaller aircraft but evidently pursue the higher cost variations. Corradini views hot-air balloon flying as a simpler, easier, friendlier way to fly that can relieve stress rather than create it. To add to the relaxing outcome of a balloon flight, Leandro also gave his lsa lta a vtu. VTU probably threw you as it is not a term you hear for aircraft, unless it’s a Harrier jet or the newer F-35. Either of those seems about as far away from FlyDoo as you can get. VTU stands for Vectored Thrust Unit and it is something unusual for a hot-air balloon. Corradini’s vtu can be attached to the basket or gondola and provides directional control and thrust. His vtu is powered by an electric battery pack. The whole system adds only 55 pounds. Maneuvering with the vtu appears surprisingly simple. Using a steering rudder with a push-button throttle, the pilot can rotate the balloon by angling the prop until balloon and gondola reach the desired position. Then the pilot centers the rudder and applies thrust to move forward in the desired direction. Current lsa regulations do not allow his electric powerplant, but that might be solved by the time FlyDoo is fully ready for market. Although he has not yet gotten faa acceptance, Leandro said he has designed from the beginning to comply with astm standards for lta that some years ago were completed by the F37 committee of astm. Because no prior company has offered an aircraft using those standards, it seems likely faa will want to audit this first lta entry. Until passing muster with faa, FlyDoo can be made available as an Experimental Amateur Built. Aiming for production in 2019, Leandro is currently estimating FlyDoo’s price at about $21,000 covering foldable gondola, the custom burner unit and controls, plus the balloon envelope. You may add the vtu, with batteries and chargers, for an additional $14,000. American balloon enthusiasts could see FlyDoo at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico over October 6 to 14, 2018. The Albuquerque gathering is enormous with many hundreds of colorful balloons — including some with rather fantastic shapes. The main event is a mass ascension that has become one of the most photographed spectacles in the country.
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