Today didn't happen has planned, but that's ok because it was still very productive.
In two of my previous posts, I talked about how I got into flying but I haven't told you yet what it is I do for work. I am a gyrocopter pilot and I mostly take tourists to discover the beauty of the Philippines (Moalboal in Cebu to be exact) from the sky. Obviously with the current worldwide situation, I have had to close my business and I have been grounded since .
With the relaxed quarantine rules since May 20, I have been able to check on my aircraft and do some test flights. The plan today was for myself and @scubahead to go for a ride and for me to teach him how to pilot a gyrocopter.
The weather unfortunately was not cooperative and so we decided to postpone it to another time.
So what to do with my day now?
Well, during my last test flights, I noticed some medium to strong vibrations in the commands and so I decided that today was the perfect day to take a look and figure out what is causing them. As per the latest announcements from the local government I should be able to reopen in 2 days, on the 12th so I need to make sure my aircraft is in perfect condition and ready to welcome my passengers even if there are no tourists around 🙂
I arrived at the hangar at 11am and started working right away by removing the rotor blades and dismantling them. I spent the whole afternoon going through the rotor assembly, dismantling parts and changing some here and there even if they were not worn out yet. By 5pm the gyrocopter was back together and all pre-flight checks were done so the question then was "Should I go for a test flight or is it too late?"
It had stopped raining and so I couldn't pass the opportunity to go flying. I decided to go for that quick test flight before night time. I needed to know if the time spent today made any difference, so I took the gyro outside, closed the hangar and made my way to the end of the runway. Once up in the air, I was happy and relieved because I could feel a great improvement in the controls. I still need to run a few tests tomorrow but it looks like I'm all good for the 12th.
Anybody up for a ride? :)
Hmm, would I like to take a ride? I'm more used to aircraft or a more larger variety, this one likes similar to a model plane I had as a kid. I'm sure it's safe though. I'd probably give it a try.
A lot of people feel a bit anxious when seeing it for the first time because of the open cockpit but also because of its size. in the end, after landing, they all have a big smile on their face.
I think I would too. You take joy flights over the water and jungle?
I mostly fly over the sea and the mountains in south Cebu, Philippines
I see.