Very short main post

[BeefBear]

I was sitting here wondering if the long main posts we commonly see on gyro's are such a requirement? What would the likelyhoood be if a gyro was designed with a very short mast? What effects would this have on the harmonics generated by the action of the rotors?

Ted

[bones]

gesss ted you are bored tonight arent you???? :focus:

[BeefBear]

Yep.....

Wind is blowing pretty hard this weekend, there'll be no flying at all, but there's plenty of time for thinking about gyro's, and that magnificent machine which is yet to be designed.....

and whether I could get myself another rum without being shouted at by the 'delegate' for the anti alcohol society.

[BeefBear]

Well will ya look at that......... While I was thinking about making a post, up pops a warning!!

"Warning - while you were reading a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post."

Its me evil twin brother.....

anyways, why not a super short mast (coupler) instead of a long mast?? I see only a few minutes ago that Twistair has posted a pic of a unknown gyro with a very short mast arrangement. Would it fly? Should it fly? Is there a reason why we continue to design with long masts?

Ted

[bones]

Wind is blowing pretty hard this weekend, there'll be no flying at all
Why not??? i was chasing pigs today the ASI was readin 50 kts at one stage and i was hovering, made for running em down easy when they run the right way :yikes:

[BeefBear]

I think I'm going to have to send you the rules I inherited upon marriage. They mostly begin with .... You will not, or on the odd occassion they begin with you must not... Apparently I didn't read the small print.

So I just sit here and sip, drink, gargle, gulp and dream....

Ted

[rehler]

The length of the mast is determined by the size of the prop. It has to be high enough to make the rotor safely clear the prop when in full back stick position. And the prop has to safely clear the ground and keel.

Most masts are long so a more efficient long prop can be used. A long slower turning prop is more efficient than a short faster turning prop.

Otherwise the mast can be as long or short as one wants to make it without adversly affecting the gyro's flight.

Many prople want the mast as short as needed to park their gyro in their garage with a typical 6'-10" high door, but most can not fit with an efficient prop so many masts fold down for storage.

[hoody]

just wondering about short masts and ground effect.

seems, this short masted gyro without suspension on mains is as smooth as to land and sort of floats a bit at the end [usualy].bones said the same.

so i was wondering if these larger props do have a distinked disadvantage in the size of mast required???

[bones]

yeah but hoody my new one floats too, and you have to realy force it on,and as you know i have to stand on the seat to reach the rotors to start em off, think that has more to do with the rotor lenght than anything else..

[russ]

Shorter masts ????????????????

Go out to yoour machine now, pull stick rite back, tip machine back onto the tail wheel,let blades come back onto hinge stops....................yea, how much ya guna shorten the mast now, before the blades hit the ground
Then rotate your prop, how much clearance to the blades too
Me tinks things are starting to get a tad close here, if you start chopin masts.

Finally........go for a squirt, come in hard, raise that nose rite up, do a zero ground roll.................oops, me blades are hitin the ground me tinks
more and more guys are fitting longer blades so they can float along slower..........nice n low etc etc