It is my hope that the SAY2000 project has
reached out to the aviation community and demonstrated the
capabilities and usefulness of the RAF2000 GTX Gyroplane. This
machine flew 210 hours and 10,500 miles in 5 months over deserts,
mountains, and plains. It really gave everything I asked of it
without faltering. The mechanical problems that I encountered along
the way were not the machine's as much as my not doing a thorough
pre-flight, or not tending to an issue that would later come back to
bite me. I would caution anyone in high altitude locations with
density altitude greater than 10,000 ft. to consider fuel injection
on the Legacy engine, or move up to the 2.5 Outback engine. Anyone
who has experience flying at higher elevation altitudes will
understand the necessity for careful weight and balance
calculations.
My recollections of Rooty's performance on the
trip, fully loaded, are as follows: The average cruising air speed
was 70 mph. Over the ground that represented approx. 50 mph (80% of
the trip was flown with either a cross or head wind). Out West, my
average climb capability on takeoff, with temperatures in the 90's+,
was about 100 ft. per minute. At sea level that increased to 500 ft.
per minute. Because of the rotor blade's ability to cut through the
air mass, turbulence was not an issue as it would be in a fixed wing
aircraft. There was not that sudden jolt as much as a riding up and
down on the thermals. I have not flown a RAF with a horizontal
stabilizer, so I cannot fairly compare the two. My experience on my
own machine is that it flew straight and level at 70 mph airspeed
when properly trimmed out. I did not experience any pendulum effect,
and if encountering abnormal turbulence I would simply decrease my
power, which always brought the machine back to its proper pitch
attitude. Fuel consumption on Rooty was an average of 7 gallons per
hr., which gave an endurance of 3 hours. I always left a 1/2 hr.
reserve in planning fuel stops, and only once went beyond that in
Arizona, after encountering more unusually stronger headwinds than
anticipated.
The new and improved seat
that RAF supplied was a huge comfort factor. I believe I would be
half crippled if I had flown with the original equipment. The new
dual ignition system still has some bugs to be worked out, but the
backup system did work when called upon.
My forced landing situation at Brandywine airport,
PA proved that one can escape a low altitude wind shear without
destroying property or life - Rooty took the brunt of that incident,
but was easily repaired. Keeping one's eye open for emergency
landing sites is a must! You have very little time to make a
decision and to put your machine down safely, as happened to me in
the Appalachian mountains of northern Georgia (see pilots updates on the website). The strongest winds
I encountered on the trip were 33 kts. in Baker, MT. It was more
difficult keeping the machine on the ground after landing than the
landing itself. I would estimate that the average cross and head
wind component was between 15 & 20 mph. In conclusion, it is my
opinion that the RAF 2000 GTX lives up to its reputation as a true
cross-country Gyroplane. My Gyro is built to factory specs. and I
would not hesitate to fly it in any environment similar to a VFR
plane or helicopter.
The most enjoyable part of
the SAY 2000 tour was meeting all the wonderful people that became a
part of my life this summer and fall. I especially want to thank:
Curtiss Patten for accompanying me on this journey; Chuck Lukas for
managing the financial affairs; ASAP T-Shirts for their selfless
design and supply of T- Shirts; Rotary Air Force for believing in
the trip and supporting it through their major sponsorship; the
State Hosts who truly were the spiritual and financial backbone of
the tour; both individual and corporate sponsors who showed their
support with their almighty dollar and products; to the young people
who showed up to inspire me with their curiosity and enthusiasm; and
to my family who stood behind me and lifted my spirits during the
trying times. I also want to pay special kudos to Connie Romanishan
for her brilliant website design and Ernie Rose who promptly kept
the Pilot Updates coming to you. Without these two the trip would
have had a vacuum of information. Thanks also to everyone who
entered a supporting word in the guest book. Your comments often
brightened a day and kept us going.
My only regrets are that I
couldn't take more time to spend exploring this great country. It is
an awesome sight to see from 500 - 1,000 ft. above the ground! 
Because of delays, many of our hosts found it
difficult to re-schedule youth events, which I found unfortunate and
frustrating. I wish I could have found someone better at fundraising
than myself. I would have liked to have donated money towards a
scholarship program. As it is, the SAY2000 project ended in the RED
by a substantial dollar amount. Because of the lateness in the
season and other commitments I was unable to make stopovers in
Norwich (NY), Meadville (PA), and Dayton (OH). I hope my hosts in
those areas understand my dilemma. I had hoped that Curtiss and I
would finish this tour together, but that, too, did not come to
pass.
My plans for the future are
to write several magazine articles about the tour and to eventually
write a book and edit the video. If any of you are interested in
receiving information on these follow-ups, please email me at:
cfeil@maine.rr.com. I am also looking forward to doing more flying
and photography in Rooty, by exploring some of the places I visited
in more depth. I look forward to re-visiting many of you, down the
road, and sharing memories of the SAY2000 48 State Trip.
"Keep the rubber side
down, and the shining side up"
- Over and Out . .
.
