In-Progress

Isn't this pathetic! A grown (physically, not mentally!) man, sitting in a partially-assembled toy, making engine sounds and moving a stick that isn't connected to anything! OK, I plead guilty, but you have to do things like this if you are going to see a construction project through to completion.

The big difference between us at this stage is that you know it will fly! Back then, I was working on faith!

 Wouldn't it be nice if your neighbor were building a Gyrobee? You could visit back and forth, get ideas, and figure out what some particular drawing really means. Unfortunately, most builders are separated by too much distance to make that possible - unless you are on the Web! Here is a chance to visit the shops of others who are also building!

If you would like to share your progress with other builders, provide me a link to your web pages or e-mail or snail-mail some photos.
 
 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Some Gyrobee builders stick strictly to the plans while others incorporate varying degrees of innovation. I don't fault that, for that is exactly the same spirit that brought the Gyrobee into being. Some changes are purely cosmetic while others have more potential (good or bad) with respect to aerodynamics and stability. If I see something that worries me - even a little - I will comment about it. These comments are not crticism but to represent my honest attempt to assure that all the Gyrobee "hybrids/mutants" have the same (or better) stability profile as the original Gyrobee.
 

Rich Keller's Web-site

Rich was one of the first to start a Gyrobee based on the Internet drawings and, from the beginning, he has shared his pictures, ideas, and research with the rest of our on-line community.

Tim Autry

Tim lives in Ozark, Alabama and is making great progress on his 'Bee. He will be using a tube and fabric "ultralight"-type tail and will be trying a Zenoah engine. More to come as the aircraft progresses...
 
 

Here are some photos to get you up to speed on the progress Tim is making with his "ultralight-style" tail group. If you want to correspond with Tim, you can realch him via e-mail at tautry9761@aol.com.

COMMENT:

A nice, light tail with plenty of surface area, which is good!

Alfred Riopel

Alfred has just started his 'Bee and has set up a site to keep the rest of us up-to-date on his progress.

Richard Knezel

Richard is hard at work on his customized version of the Gyrobee. Rich notes that many elements of the airframe were derived from the Honey Bee, but that he kept the basic design for the Gyrobee gear. He will be using the Watson composite tail.
 
 

Note that Rich has included a Benson/Brock-type tow boom on the nose. He is using a Zenoah engine with a belt re-drive. Initially the fuel tank will be located above the engine. Richard's workmanship looks first-rate! You can link to his web site at http://ourworld.cs.com/richardknezel/.

 There are two items here that should be noted.

• First, the Zenoah engine is mounted lower than the Rotax on a standard Gyrobee while the prop thrust-line is higher. This will have the effect of increasing the positive offset between the vertical CG and the engine thrust-line. It is just under 1.5 inches positive on the prototype Bee. It will be interesting to see how it measures out on this machine. The large horizontal stab of the Watson tail will definitely help compensate for the higher thrust line. However, if it is possible to rotate the PSRU belt-drive, it would be the best of all possible worlds to raise the engine and drop the thrust-line.
• Second, while the fuel tank above the engine will raise the vertical CG, helping improve the offset situation (at least early in a flight), any leaking fuel could drip down on a hot engine, which is not so good. Richard is looking at the use of two light, spun-aluminum fuel tanks mounted on either side of the seat. Despite the fact that this option would lower the CG, I would consider it to be safer than having the fuel above the engine.

Timothy Blackwell

Tim is hard at work on a Gyrobee/Honeybee that he calls the Gyroney Bee:

From a step or two away it looks like most other Bees, but Tim is doing a few things differently....
 
 

The nose-wheel setup is very much like the Honey Bee.....
 
 

Tim is using a seat-tank and this photo shows how the seat mounting tube has been tied into the frame...
 
 

Tim is now working on his tail section, but rolled his Bee out to terrorize the neighborhood.

He obviously wasn't too successful in terrorizing the kids!

September 2001. Tail covered and engine installed - this project is looking serious!

 Toby Harvey  from Texas has started a web page describing his hybrid Gyrobee/Honeybee project.

 Bob Papineau  in Rhode Island has an ever-expanding site featuring step-by-step construction, starting with the rolling airframe kit from Star Bee Gyros. These are large, high-resolution pictures, so it will take a while to load the page. However, it is well-worth it if you are looking for real detail on the airframe.
The airframe is now painted and is looking just great.

Terry Erskine in southern California is well-along on his Bee:

Terry isn't building his machine to fit Part 103, so has lots of refinements, including a tough E-gearbox and electric start.

Typical of the high level of craftsmanship in this machine is this overhead view of the disk brake (from a high-end bicycle) on one of the main gear legs. Terry will be showing his Gyrobee at the Camarillo Airshow in late August (2004).

Brian Jackson's Construction Diary

Brian has started a construction "diary" to document his progress. Among other things, it starts with a nice 3D CAD rendition of the airframe.

John Baran's Construction Page

John is doing his building in Auckland, New Zealand and is keeping everyone up to date via this web page.

Ralph E. Taggart (gyrobee@aol.com)