So what did you get for Christmas / Chanukah?

[bonal]

Well Santa had lots of weather delays got put on un countable holds and finally made it here to drop off a nice new David Clark Pro X headset. I was given an ANR headset from the guy I bought my Cessna 150 8 years ago and they were pretty worn when I got them so really looking to trying these out. Love the compact size and super light weight. Will likely start a PIREP thread after I've had a chance to put them to use.

[thinwing]

On 1/11/2017 at 3:30 AM, rainman said:

The gyro is a blast to fly and the STOL capability is amazing. Just a word of caution, the insurance cost is 4-6 times the cost of a SEL aircraft per $1K of valuation. This is because the gyro is considered a rotorcraft and is insured like a helicopter. The good news is that south central Texas is becoming a hot bed of modern gyro flying with several instructors near Austin (Taylor) and San Antonio (Hondo). This could get $100 hamburger flying back down to $100. My gyro has a 450-500 mile range and burns unleaded auto gas in the Rotax engine at 4-6 gal/hr.

So Rainey...since I have a rotercraft-helicopter on my ticket...what's involved adding gyro- copter...your new bird looks so cool and doesn't appear to take up much hanger space

[rainman]

There are no set amount of hours required for licensed pilots. Just need an instructor to sign you off as ready for a check ride, then pass the check ride for the gyro endorsement. My instructor estimates about 10 hours usually for sport pilot endorsement, a few more for private if you want fly at night. His advise is to train in whatever you plan on flying as different models have differing handling characteristics. Mine is by AutoGyro the company building more each year than any other company in the world. My Calidus model is an experimental, but as of last month, you can get a certified version which will allow for commercial use, rental, etc.