Just Bought a GyroFlug Speed Canard

[Todd Sanderson]

Hello,

 

I just bought a SC-01 B-160 GyroFlug Speed Canard (I just can't stand not buying things at auction) today and I was looking for any advice about maintaining/flying it. It is a 1992 model with 600TT, an O-320, and MT 3 bladed constant speed prop. It was last flown in May of 2003 where it received it's last annual and was donated to the AirZoo museum in Kalamazoo, MI.

It seems to be in fine condition and is equipped with excellent avionics for this type of aircraft (KLN 90B, HSI/RMI, ARGUS 5000, etc.) I need to get a ferry permit and have the systems checked before flying it home which is about 60 miles from where I bought it. I built and owned a Velocity RG elite, so I'm familiar with the basic flying qualities of the canard aircraft; however, since this aircraft is certified in the standard airworthiness category, I have to have a licensed A&P do the ferry work and annual. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank You

 

Todd Sanderson

[Blackhawk D]

Hello,

 

I just bought a SC-01 B-160 GyroFlug Speed Canard (I just can't stand not buying things at auction) today and I was looking for any advice about maintaining/flying it. It is a 1992 model with 600TT, an O-320, and MT 3 bladed constant speed prop. It was last flown in May of 2003 where it received it's last annual and was donated to the AirZoo museum in Kalamazoo, MI.

It seems to be in fine condition and is equipped with excellent avionics for this type of aircraft (KLN 90B, HSI/RMI, ARGUS 5000, etc.) I need to get a ferry permit and have the systems checked before flying it home which is about 60 miles from where I bought it. I built and owned a Velocity RG elite, so I'm familiar with the basic flying qualities of the canard aircraft; however, since this aircraft is certified in the standard airworthiness category, I have to have a licensed A&P do the ferry work and annual. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank You

 

Todd Sanderson

I can't help you out but if anyone is curious (I was) as to what this thing is, here is a link to photo.

 

http://www.k-aircraft.de/html/gyroflug_speed_canard.html

[Marc Zeitlin]

I just bought a SC-01 B-160 GyroFlug Speed Canard (I just can't stand not buying things at auction) today and I was looking for any advice about maintaining/flying it...... Any help would be appreciated.

I'm not really sure what advice you're looking for - since it's a certificated aircraft, you need an A&P to work on it (as you stated) and there's a relatively limited # of things you can do yourself. Maybe if you were more explicit in what you're looking for.....

 

Also, given what these things cost (unless you stole it at the auction), why would you buy this thing? You can get a primo COZY MKIV for the same $$$, and do all the work on it yourself (as well as be faster, carry more, etc.)? Just curious.....

[CFernandez]

Todd,

 

Where are you located? I have seen that Speed Canard many times at the AirZoo (I'm from Kalamazoo) and yes, it looks great, congrats!

[Todd Sanderson]

Thanks for the input from everyone. As far as price goes, I guess it does not matter, but this plane has a standard airworthiness certificate and Day night IFR/VFR certification including a KLN90B, HSI, ADF, 2 Nav/comms, audio panel, intercomm, DME, Argus 5000, heated pitot, electirc trim, and much more. I know the cozy is a nice plane (I know Greg Richter and his jet cozy ) but I think I have less in this than a Long EZ with the same equipment and it is certified.

I just wanted some input from someone that has experience in the aircraft that can tell me any specifics I need to know. Not a big deal since I have flown everything from a Ercoupe to a TS-11, but it's always nice to know the specifics of the particular aircraft you are going to fly. Thanks again for the responses - anyone else I would like to hear.

 

Sincerely

 

[Todd Sanderson]

By the way, I'm in Auburn, IN (NE corner of the state.) Thanks again for all the responses. Looking forward to meeting new people here.

 

Sincerely,

 

Todd Sanderson

[Jon Matcho]

Todd, congratulations on your purchase. I saw my first and only Speed Canard at Oshkosh this year (who knows, might have been this plane).

 

I lost the reference, but I read that the Speed Canard was derived from the VariEze. That, of course, could be totally unfounded, but the wings are similar, as well as the old-style rudders.

 

Here's another link: http://www.bredow-web.de/diverse_Flugtage/Speed_Canard/speed_canard.html

 

Also found this Airworthiness Directive from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority: http://www.casa.gov.au/airworth/airwd/schedules/ad_display.asp?sched=under&toc=GYRO

 

Search on Gyroflug at the FAA database: http://162.58.35.241/acdatabase/acftref_inquiry.asp There are 3 entries that appear to be Speed Canards.

[Jon Matcho]

I found this FAA airworthiness directive a few pages down on Google: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/saib/media/ACE-99-07.htm

 

I haven't seen any Speed Canard flyers here, but it doesn't hurt to ask. You may have to seek them out directly.

[Wayne Hicks]

Jack Watson raced a Speed Canard in the 2003 Airventure Cup Race. He could probably tell you all you need to know about it. From the FAA database, I believe this is his info:

 

WATSON, JACKIE EUGENE

2677 SPRUCE CREEK BLVD

PORT ORANGE, FL, 32128-6893

 

I'll leave it to you to find the phone number.

[H.Zwakenberg]

for those of you also interested in purchasing a SpeedCanard, I know of three others that were put up for auction.

 

Check out: SpeedCanards on auction

 

take care,

 

Hans

[Todd Sanderson]

Thanks for the good info here. On the price: That makes me feel real good about my investment considering mine is a 1992 model with 600TT and full IFR day night certification and a 160 HP engine. I hope to fly it home next week. I will post the results. I have contacted AOPA about getting insurance for it and they believe they can help me. Should be an interesting experience if nothing else.

 

[Todd Sanderson]

Also - Thanks for the tip on the AD. Even though I already had that one it is an important one for sure. It pertains to the connection of the control stick to the push/pull rods. They can come apart in flight and that would not be pretty. Other than that, the airframe, engine, and prop are currently AD free from what I can see.

[H.Zwakenberg]

Thanks for the good info here. On the price: That makes me feel real good about my investment considering mine is a 1992 model with 600TT and full IFR day night certification and a 160 HP engine. I hope to fly it home next week. I will post the results. I have contacted AOPA about getting insurance for it and they believe they can help me. Should be an interesting experience if nothing else.

 

 

From 1992? In that case you must have purchased one of the last to be produced, ever. I'll check my files to be a bit more specific on this.

 

As to Jon's assertion about the VariEze roots: there is some merit in that statement, although not entirely correct. The initiator of the SpeedCanard project had built a VariEze for himself. He though about putting it through the normal certification procedure but soon realized that this effort would prove futile. He then decided to design from scratch. He assembled a team of engineers and found some financial backing. That's how SpeedCanard was bootstrapped. Much of my aviation documentation is still stored in cartons, because I moved a couple of months ago. I might be able to retrieve a bit more precise information....

 

bye

Hans

[Jon Matcho]

As to Jon's assertion about the VariEze roots: there is some merit in that statement, although not entirely correct. The initiator of the SpeedCanard project had built a VariEze for himself. He though about putting it through the normal certification procedure but soon realized that this effort would prove futile. He then decided to design from scratch. He assembled a team of engineers and found some financial backing. That's how SpeedCanard was bootstrapped.

Take a look at the top view of both the VariEze and Speed Canard and you'll see a remarkable resemblence. I'd bet confidently that the VariEze plans were poured over by the Speed Canard team.

 

Much of my aviation documentation is still stored in cartons, because I moved a couple of months ago. I might be able to retrieve a bit more precise information....

That would be great. I'm putting together a family tree of canard aircraft and this is one of those gray areas. Any help is most appreciated.

[Todd Sanderson]

An update on the Speed Canard:

 

After reviewing the logs and maintenance manuals I have found that my Speed Canard was the 1st B-160 to be given a standard airworthiness certificate in the US. It was sold by Tradewinds Aviation and it was test flown at Oshkosh for the certification. Part of the certification involved lightning protection which is comprised of copper strips built under the skin which are connected to the engine and associated metal parts. They also had to demostrate stall recoveries and stall speeds along with a landing with a flat tire among other things. Only three were sold due to the $175,000 price tag (1992 money) with basic IFR configuration. From my personal experience so far along with the input from mechanics that have worked on and flown the plane it seems to be an extremely well put together aircraft. It has a very nice wide cockpit with comfortable seating, great panel layout and dual controls, simple fuel system, electric trim, constant speed prop, and very simple cowling removal only taking about 10 minutes to completely remove the upper and lower cowl. One neat feature is the electric front gear that will lower the nose about 1 FT for ease of entry or for gust protection while parked. It can also be electrically lowered on the nose skid plate for extended parking like a Long-EZ. I have not flown it yet to verify the great reviews I have read, but I"m told it is as smooth as a turbine, so I'm looking forward to verifying that. Hopefully I will have the annual inspection done shortly and can comment more on the experience.

[Todd Sanderson]

Can anyone tell me what they pay for insurance on there Long-EZ or Vari-EZ? I'm trying to compare it to my quote from London insurance. Looking for someone that has approx $75,000 hull and $1,000,000 liability.

[BRIEUC]

Congratulations Dear for, your purchase.

 

I am flying a Speed Canard in Belgium S/N 31 and I can not help you directly in US.

 

However, there is still a "guru" of the Speed Canard living in Germany, close to FKT :

 

Mr. F. Dornhofer

 

his mail : fritzd@t-online.de

 

Should you need any part or advise about that exceptional aircraft, he will be able to help you.

 

Enjoy your flights.

 

Brieuc

[Todd Sanderson]

Thank you for the input from Belgium. I emailed Mr Dornhofer and hope to get a response. Spare parts was a concern of mine. How many hours do you have on your Speed Canard? Is it certified for IFR?

[BRIEUC]

I have about 250 hours on the Speed. The OO-EDM is indeed full IFR. You can go and se it on www.airliners.net.

 

Just type Speed canard on the search engine.

 

My Speed has flown about 1.250 ours since construction.

 

You'll see it is a very fast aircraft, with huge qualities . The visibility is impressive ( far better that in the EZE ) , mainly for the pilot, as he is really sitting high enough in the air.

 

A tip : for landing, do not hesitate to trim it nose up... doing so it will land by itself.Otherwise you will discover that the landing is much more difficult than with a 152.

[Todd Sanderson]

Thank you for the information. Something I have noticed is that many of the Speed Canards do not have tape covering the seams where the cowl/wings/canard mate with the airframe. Mine had this 3/4" tape all around these areas which requires removal to remove the cowl. Do you know if the tape makes any appreciable speed or handling quality improvements?

I landed my Velocity the same way - just kept trimming it up until touch down. Actually, that is how you fly the bigger iron as well. No full stall landings; just drive it onto the ground.

[H.Zwakenberg]

Thank you for the information. Something I have noticed is that many of the Speed Canards do not have tape covering the seams where the cowl/wings/canard mate with the airframe. Mine had this 3/4" tape all around these areas which requires removal to remove the cowl. Do you know if the tape makes any appreciable speed or handling quality improvements?

On sailplanes the performance difference on an otherwise tuned ship is noticable. Also consider the fact that preventing any leakage in the cowling area will provide your prop with cleaner (i.e. less disturbed) air which should improve propulsion efficiency. Soooooo, my hunch is that you should indeed tape the seams...

 

bye

Hans

[BRIEUC]

It is very important to apply tape between the wing and the main frame, as this will avoid water to come in between and later corrode elements.

 

I personnaly do not have tape on other places behind the cockpit, and I would not add it, as the cooling of the engine can be an issue on that type of aircraft.

 

a detail : the best tape I have ever found was the cheapest one in a general store...

[H.Zwakenberg]

as promised, a bit of history about the SpeedCanard:

 

the original designers (and founders of GyroFlug) were Peter Krauss and Joerg Elzenbeck. Both had built a VariEze in 1975/1976. Favorable comments from onlookers on about all fields they flew to with their VariEze caused them to think about series production of a similar craft.

 

To this end, they founded GyroFlug and got to work. They started out with the front part of a Twin-Astir sailplane. On December 12, 1980 Helmut Laurson piloted the first prototype on its maiden flight from Oberpfaffenhofen.

Performance and handling left quite a bit to be desired, so a major redesign was undertaken, which included a new main wing design.

On July 10, 1981 the new prototype - again piloted by Helmut Laurson - took to the air. A third prototype was built. An extensive certification flight testing program (including spin tests) ensued. After certification, series production began. All laminating was done at Glaser-Dirks of sailplane fame, untill about 1986/87. I couldn't trace exactly when, but sometime GyroFlug was acquired by FFT. This company went into receivership during 1992.

 

The canard wing sports an Eppler E1231 section, the main wing & winglets may sport an Eppler E374. I wrote 'may', because my source isn't too specific about it, so I can't be sure.

 

bye

Hans

[Jon Matcho]

Thanks for the update Hans -- very interesting.

 

Regarding the wing airfoils you mentioned, I'm not sure about the Eppler 1231 you mention as I can find no such reference on the Internet, or this heavily maintained airfoil database: http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/coord_database.html

 

Curiously, the Long-EZ airfoil is an Eppler 1230 -- just one digit off.

 

According to that database, GyroFlug used Eppler 793 as one of their airfoils, but I'm not sure if that was for one of the prototypes you mentioned, or what.

[Todd Sanderson]

Thanks for the information Hans - it is appreciated