The new improved Sycamore Eagle, now flying high . . .

The Sycamore, a product of Chayair Manufacturing and Aviation (Pty) LTD, is the only production gyrocopter wholly designed and manufactured in South Africa. It started out in 1996 as the brainchild of Norman Shelly who predicted an explosion in the gyro industry and, due to his passion for flying gyros, designed and built the first Sycamore Gyro.

Part of the value proposition of purchasing the Sycamore was and still is the safety that the exceptionally strong, fully enclosed composite fuselage provides to the pilot. The composite fuselage is not a flimsy fairing purely for the sake of looks but comprises part of the structural strength of the aircraft and provides protection to the pilot. This safety factor, as with anything in aviation, came with a weight penalty. The first version of the Sycamore was safe, very stable in the pitch but heavier than its competitors, which reduced performance of the aircraft at high altitude when compared to its competitors.

In 2003 Stefan Grove bought Chayair from Norman Shelly and he has spent the past 2 years refining the design of the Sycamore.

The Design goals and Objectives

One of the company’s goals was to shave weight off the fuselage where possible without sacrificing on safety and strength. This was made possible by the use of special honeycomb technology and advanced moulding techniques for the composite fuselage, so as to maintain structural strength and protection for the pilot - but still shaving 40kg off the overall weight.

Spring steel landing gear replaced the original tube and cable design. This new design allowed for softer landings and reduced stress to the rotor head and blades during taxiing.

The redesigned engine cowl has drastically reduced drag with the same cooling effect on the engine. The reduced drag adds 10 mph to the cruise speed and has 2 inspection hatches for a thorough preflight inspection.

Improved yaw stability was accomplished by adding additional fins to the tail section. This new tail allows directional control in the hover, eliminating any yaw associated with most other gyros.

Wagtail Aviation has just completed the testing and certification (and passed the military qualification) of a newly designed 33 ft rotor and rotor head. This new rotor head, whilst engineered for Military use, will now be used on the Sycamore gyro. This rotor head has been totally redesigned to prevent any fatigue during the taxi phase. The hub has been tested to 60 tons without any failure, again increasing the safety of the aircraft. The new rotor substantially increases lift, with no weight penalty and is thus a perfect system for the new Eagle and Blade. As is was designed to carry gyros of 850 kg, with the Sycamore’s all up weight of 590kg, this is an added safety factor. The flight test

The Eagle was tested with the new rotor head at Wagtail Aviations Airfield outside of Parys. Johan von Ludwig performed the flight tests to accurately record the results. He weighs 90kgs and the passenger seat was loaded with sand bags amounting to 105 kg. The test climb was only recorded from 7500ft upwards. When the test climb commenced the new Eagle and rotor realized a climb rate of 436 ft /m at 7500 ft. The hover test with engine at idle showed 150 ft /minute rate of decent (with a pilot weight of 90kgs only, no sandbags).

Shifting the focus

Chayair have taken a strategic decision to separate the manufacturing process from the distribution, branding and marketing. Airborne Passion (Pty) Ltd has signed the agreement with Chayair (Pty) Ltd for the International marketing and distribution of the Sycamore. This will allow Chayair to focus on the production and quality control to ensure total client satisfaction and timeous deliveries. It will also allow Chayair to keep on developing the range of products. Airborne Passion is also responsible for the establishment of the agent network and will be searching for suitable companies and individuals to sell the Sycamore products.

Sycamore are offering two products to the market:

Eagle (fully enclosed) comes ready to fly for only R 399 000 (excl VAT).

Blade (open cockpit) comes ready to fly for only R364 000 (excl VAT)

Radio and headsets, transponder, GPS, gyro cover, wheel spats, strobe light, spinner, trailer and blade box are offered as additional add-ons for both aircraft.

Airborne Passion is currently running a special to all Sycamore owners to upgrade their Sycamore MK1 to the Eagle. As all aircraft requirements will be different, owners can call Airborne Passion for a personalized quote.

Stefan Grove - 0824905181

Eagles new standard decal design, clients have the opportunity to design their own colour scheme and layout for minimal additional cost.	Sean Klopper showing his son the wonders of gyro flight
Eagle with new rotor and blades flight testing at Wagtail Aviation in Parys	Preparing for takeoff at private strip in Machadadorp airfield altitude 5500 ft - combined pilot weight 200kgs
New rotor head with 33ft rotor blade