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Just Bought a GyroFlug Speed Canard


Todd Sanderson

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That is a nice offer and I appreciate it, but I don't think it would make sense financially. I figure the cheapest airline ticket would be $800. Then there would be the instructor's travel time of at least 2 days and 1 day of instruction and probably 3 nights in a hotel minimum. This would all add up to at least $2,000 and that is if weather was good and our schedules were able to agree. Then I have to convince the insurance company that a Belgium instructor can instruct me in the US. I know it would be fine, but until you deal with the insurance companies here you can't fully appreciate what a hurdle this all is. Thanks for the suggestion, though :)

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A question for Brieuc and/or Todd:

 

how good a travelling machine can a SpeedCanard be?

 

More specifically, what is the maximum payload, what's still left of this payload if you fill up the tanks to the rim? How far / how long can you expect to fly with two really grown ups in the cockpit?

 

thanks for any reply!

 

bye

Hans

 

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My machine has a 550 lb useful load. It has 41 gallons of fuel capacity @ 6lbs per gallon. So, 550-246 = 304 for passengers & baggage. I weigh 180 and my wife weighs 120, so we would just be within limits with full fuel. According to what I have read, it will burn about 8.5 to 9 GPH with a cruise of 150 - 155 knots or will burn 6 GPH around 133 knots. I figure a safe IFR range is 600 NM. The big downside is the lack of any real baggage space in this machine. If two people are going anywhere requiring baggage then the baggage will probably have to be shipped.

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The Speed Canard is a fantastic travel machine :

 

it flies at 155 kts, using at this speed ( with a correct lean ) 25 to 28 liters per hour, fully loaded, i.e. with pilot and passenger, full of fuel ( 160 liter of which 155 liters useable ) , and a small lugagge under the rear seat.

Bagagges must indeed be shipped.

 

As an example, I am used to fly from Brussels to the south of France ( la Mole or Aix en Provence ) in 3h15.

 

The aircraft could reasonnably fly about 5h00 to 5h30 i.e. 775 to 800 NM....

 

This means a big distance....a becomes a limit for the pilot, not for the machine...

 

Todd : do you have the Speed Canard Pilot's handbook ? If not, I can make a copy of mine for you.

 

Brieuc

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Brieuc,

 

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I do have a FAA certified flight manual and a spare manual for reference. I also have the maintenance and parts manuals along with the templates for the positioning of the elevator and ailerons. I also have some of the promotional flyers brouchers from 1992. We just finished the annual today and I hope to fly it home tomorrow if the snow lets up. Something I found interesting is the fact that the manual and a placard on the plane specifys DOT3 brake fluid, not 5606 hydraulic fluid even though the brakes are the standard Cleveland 30-9 system. I bled the brakes today using DOT3, but I think this fluid causes the seals to leak on the calipers. Can you confirm your plane requires DOT3 also?

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Todd,

 

you have really got a nice piece of a speedy aeroplane. I know this type (as mechanic and pilot) since 3 years and I have still great fun with it. It is easy to work on, simple to fly ( it is a canard and not a 150, that`s why we like them).

The only thing you have to take care is the nose gear (tire, retracting system and engine temp on cyl. '2/'4)

 

Take care and have fun!

 

Gerhard

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  • 2 years later...

Hi Todd,

 

Congratulations on your purchase.

Of course, I know I am a few years late to this thread, but was aware of the plane in the museum, and am happy to hear it is back in the sky.:)

 

I actually own a few Gyroflug Speed canards. I have the complete Maintenance manuals in German and English that I have scanned into PDF's and also about 3 spare lower cowlings, and the templates.

 

I fly regularly over the sierra mountains and lake tahoe. It is indeed a wonderful plane. I also know an excellent flight instructor in the San Francisco area that is very familiar with and has flown hundreds of hours in this type of aircraft.

 

While I love the one I fly and have certified. I have 2 spares! One if them is serial # 37 with about 1000TT, but completely overhauled engine, hoses, Avionics, etc. It even has an autopilot from the factory. The second has only 1 hour TT. It is probably the last "New" gyroflug available :) It also has had the engine redone, just because it had been sitting in a case for 10 years unassembled. I have of course all the original documentation for these planes and am willing to deliver them in the USA or Germany.

 

Both planes have German normal category certification, and would need to be registered in the US as Experimental Exhibition, so my guess is that it may be a fantastic deal for a European customer, but of course, Experimental Exhibition is not a bad deal either :)

 

Feel free to look me up when you are in San Francisco if you would like to go flying here.

 

Let me know if you would like the PDF's for the maintenance manuals.

 

Pete

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  • 8 years later...

Hi Todd, Congratulations on your purchase. Of course, I know I am a few years late to this thread, but was aware of the plane in the museum, and am happy to hear it is back in the sky. :) I actually own a few Gyroflug Speed canards. I have the complete Maintenance manuals in German and English that I have scanned into PDF's and also about 3 spare lower cowlings, and the templates. I fly regularly over the sierra mountains and lake tahoe. It is indeed a wonderful plane. I also know an excellent flight instructor in the San Francisco area that is very familiar with and has flown hundreds of hours in this type of aircraft. While I love the one I fly and have certified. I have 2 spares! One if them is serial # 37 with about 1000TT, but completely overhauled engine, hoses, Avionics, etc. It even has an autopilot from the factory. The second has only 1 hour TT. It is probably the last "New" gyroflug available :) It also has had the engine redone, just because it had been sitting in a case for 10 years unassembled. I have of course all the original documentation for these planes and am willing to deliver them in the USA or Germany. Both planes have German normal category certification, and would need to be registered in the US as Experimental Exhibition, so my guess is that it may be a fantastic deal for a European customer, but of course, Experimental Exhibition is not a bad deal either :) Feel free to look me up when you are in San Francisco if you would like to go flying here. Let me know if you would like the PDF's for the maintenance manuals. Pete

Hi Pete, funny how you mentioned that you were late to this thread as I am even later… I am planning to buy a Gyroflug SC-01 from Germany and import it to Canada. It would be the only one in this country so I do not have access to pilots other than the ones in Europe to talk about performances. I sure hope you get this message.

How would you rate the aircraft? Also, what can you provide on removing the wings? I need to know how easy or complicated it is to do as I will need to ship it in a container.

You can contact me at stefan.moscato@hotmail.ca

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