Gyro Snowdon 25 April 2021

Yes, I've been here before; in fact I'd climbed Snowdon just a few days prior to this video.
But this flight encapsulates all that I love about the gyro - its go-anywhere ability, including into the Snowdon cwms, its smooth ride in turbulent air, the amazing visibility, low flying buzz and all-round handling.
And where better to fly than Snowdonia on a perfect day in Spring 2021.
#gyrocopteruk #gyrocopter #gyroplane #autogyro #stuwithaview

[@chrisa7237]

'Just do one S turn' :-) Some days they just don't want to come down. Great flight, thanks for posting.

[@StuWithAView]

You’re not supposed to be counting 😊 There just wasn’t enough wind 😂

[@whitecompany18]

Always a pleasure mate cheers 👍

[@James-gf9jl]

If that doesn't inspire people to get trained-up and take to the air, I don't know what will.

[@edbryant1415]

Probably the best gyro filming I have ever seen. Well done!

[@2503Erik]

Yes, he does it very well. I plan on shooting some video from my own gyro, showing off the beautiful island I live on. I just earned my license 8 days ago... 😀

[@titanvr8372]

Good flight Can you upload the video in 360º? I would love to see this flight , with my virtual reality viewer. Thanks for sharing .

[@StuWithAView]

Thanks for your comments. I have to make the decision right at the start of the editing process whether I’m making a 360 video or normal 1080p; it affects everything done from that point on. To produce this in 360 would take as long as it took to edit in 1080, and the potential audience is much smaller. Like you I have a VR headset, but there aren’t enough of us out there to make this viable for me at the moment.

[@titanvr8372]

@@StuWithAView Thank you very much for your answer It is your KZbin channel and it is you who decides, personally I prefer a 360º video, it is like flying as a co-pilot with you, enjoying the views and choosing where I want to watch. Thank you very much for sharing your videos and happy flights.

[@halfrhovsquared]

It’s good to see another one of your gyro videos. The way your ASI pointer is bouncing around suggests that it was quite gusty.

[@StuWithAView]

Yes it was a bit. I avoid flying through mountainous terrain when the winds are much higher than they were here because of the funnelling and turbulence.

[@halfrhovsquared]

@@StuWithAView - Likewise, we may be able to fly in conditions which would ground most of the GA fixed-wing fleet and are far less susceptible to turbulence, but we’re not impervious and not only is turbulence unpleasant, it makes for a hard-work flight. Up here, in Scotland, flat land is the exception rather than the rule. It looks like you had a fun flight, though. You have some guts. My bum puckers flying over water when I have altitude and although skimming along a reservoir at low-level LOOKS like fun, it’s somewhat outside of my comfort-zone.

[@StuWithAView]

I’d love to fly in Scotland; magnificent scenery, but too far from my home base without overnighting, which is difficult with an open cockpit gyro as there’s nowhere to easily transport kit. The low flight over water thing isn’t for everyone. I’m surrounded by coastline so for me I’ve got used to flying over water. I try to limit risk by staying relatively close to shore and keeping the speed up, but life is for living, and it’s one of the few occasions I get to experience the sensation of speed in my gyro 😊

[@halfrhovsquared]

@@StuWithAView - I’m fairly sure that my wife would be fine with allowing you the use of our spare room if you wanted to visit and could securely strap a backpack into your rear seat. One of my instructors has a pair of pod-bags which I’ve borrowed for a journey we attempted a few weeks ago (turned back by low cloud, sadly) and they seem to be quite useful. I think I’ll get a pair for myself. It might be worth you considering getting a pair. He says that they are still available from RotorSport. Of course, as you have the MT03, you don’t have a nose compartment whereas our MTO Sport does and that’s a useful volume of luggage space (10kg is better than nothing). Our home airport has a corner dedicated to gyros and if they can’t find space for Romeo Oscar under cover, I have one of those throw-over covers I’d be happy to lend you. Ashcroft - Kirkbride - Perth with a zone transit of Edinburgh, crossing the Forth at the bridges would be quite a picturesque flight, if somewhat long.

[@StuWithAView]

That’s exceedingly kind of you; thank you. I’ll check out the pods, and yes the front compartment is definitely an advantage of the Sport. I could always make life much easier for myself and take my Eurofox 😊

[@davidjaques1332]

Hi Stu, great to watch your Vlogs as I’m converting to the Gyro (MT03). How do you attach your Sky Echo?

[@StuWithAView]

Thank you David. It’s connected in the nose cone via Velcro, and cable connected to an Anker battery pack.

[@davidjaques1332]

@@StuWithAView thank you. I used Velcro on my flexwing, hoped I could do the same. I’ve found the way you talk through the start, pre rotate and takeoff really useful. Looking forward to gaining my licence 😊

[@StuWithAView]

Enjoy. I loved the training 😊

[@virginiahansen320]

Around time 15:54, I'm curious as to where your out was? Looks like pretty unpleasant terrain for an engine out.

[@StuWithAView]

That time puts me at the summit of Snowdon; either straight ahead would take me to the valley floor, or 180 would put me on the gentle slope of the Llanberis path to the level ground beyond. The more risky part of the flight is the over water stuff.

[@haroldinho9838]

Hi Stu how do you make it so you can hear the microphone in your helmet on the video

[@StuWithAView]

I made a splitter box so the radio/intercom output divides into the helmet feed together with a feed for my recorder. It wasn’t easy!

[@cameronlapworth2284]

How high do you suffer from turbulence from the turbines?

[@StuWithAView]

Really depends on wind strength. It was fine on this flight, but I suspect a strong enough wind would cause problems at 1,000 feet above or possibly more.

[@2503Erik]

Hi. I am a fellow MTO Sport owner. And I have a few questions for you. In another of your videos I had a look at the horizontal prerotator shaft. It looks like you have given it a more substantial end connecting the shaft to the pulley - I have, because mine broke. It was a bad repair job to a bad design. And I have seen some in the UK making that mod. And I got to wonder, when my prerotator belt really bites, it feels quite violent. Could it be, that I could use a lower air pressure? Or what else can it be? Cheers Erik from Denmark (OY-1039)

[@StuWithAView]

Mine is an MT-03 rather than a Sport. I do have the diagonal pre-rotator brace installed, supporting the vertical bracket; is that what you’re referring to? My belt engagement never feels violent; it slightly shudders around 100rpm when the motor and rotor synchronise, but other than this it’s smooth.

[@2503Erik]

@@StuWithAView Mine was born a 914 MT-03 and converted to an MTO Sport. My prerotator brace had a crack, so I machined a stronger replacement. And the shaft broke, so it was beefed up. Thank you for a speedy answer.

[@2503Erik]

Hi again Stu. I just discovered, the fitting on the prerotate air cylinder is a restrictor! My MTO was born with the light Type 1 rotor. The type 2 should be heavier - and my carbon rotor is even heavier! So that must be the reason why it keeps breaking. With the higher inerta the cylinder must pull the pulleys apart slower... And then I'll use some silicone spray also...

[@cameronlapworth2284]

How would you get the gyro out at Snowdon if you suffered an engine out?

[@StuWithAView]

It would be difficult 😊.

[@cameronlapworth2284]

@@StuWithAView I'm thinking you need to hire a chopper to lift it to a road. At least the frame. Blades might be tricky. Pretty heavy but might have to hike them out. I fly gyros in OZ (well getting back into it) I've had 4 engine outs the last one was only 11 km as the crow flies from the airstrip but I had to walk 3 km in waist deep grass worrying about being bitten by a brown snake in 38 degree heat to a farm house he wondered how someone got there because he was returning from the only way in other than by air. My mates had to drive 65km of winding bsckroads to get me. No damage to the gyro but what looks like lawn from 700ft can turn out to be very high grass let's just say I concentrated on putting it down with as little roll as possible. Buggered motor though. Nice to have a reliable motor. 🙂

[@StuWithAView]

Wow; you’ve had some bad luck. Which engines? I’m guessing not Rotax? We don’t have quite the same hazards in the UK; even Snowdon is not more than a mile from decent roads. For most of this flight I could have landed clear of difficult terrain, perhaps even on a road; although for the low level bits I would have been stuck. I doubt a chopper lift would be economically viable.

[@cameronlapworth2284]

@@StuWithAView the same engine. Vw 1775 cc. First one was on my first solo circuit partial failure dostributor lost most power but was able to get back. Got a magneto after that. All good for another 100 hrs or so but the carbs diaphragm for pressure compensation failed giving a super rich mixture that one was terrifying ended up doing a wide turn over 80ft high trees with nowhere to land until I could get around. Then carb ice that one I didn't realise as I was practising engine outs and it quit on me on the way down. Noticed the blades seemed louder than normal landed but went to taxi and nothing 😁 manifold was white with ice. Final one was a warped head. I was trained to spend my time assuming it'd fail. Good thing too 😉

[@StuWithAView]

Wow; you’ve had quite a time! Great experience, I guess; at least with hindsight. Thankfully the Rotax series tend to be a little more reliable, but that’s not to say they never quit - just not so often.