How to try that the rotor of our gyrocopter does not vibrate

It is quite common that when we buy our gyrocopter, it works perfectly and little by little, small vibrations may appear on the joystick.

Why does the rotor vibrate, without us having consciously done anything to make it happen?

Many times we go out to fly, after a pre-flight inspection, following all the points recommended in the manufacturer's manual. However, we must bear in mind that:

• We can overlook the simple cleaning of the rotor blades. Even if they have mosquitoes, we think that does not influence.
• With high humidity, a kind of dirt that sticks to the blade will form on the leading edge of the blades, causing small vibrations that do not hinder the flight, but are annoying for those who seek the least movement of the lever. I recommend wiping the blades with a damp cloth very frequently to avoid this.
• Rolling at a high speed on the ground causes the blades, due to their length, to transmit very high forces up and down, and although the blade at its base is strongly fastened with screws to the plates that join them to the rocker, they allow sometimes small movements. This will cause, that when the rotor is in flight, there are small differences in height, from where the tip of blade A and blade B passes, which causes a peculiar movement in the lever that indicates that the rotor is has moved from traking. The adjustment requires advanced knowledge and special equipment , as operations on the ground and in flight are required to solve it.
• Stop the rotor by hand when once we have landed, it is already turning at a low rpm. It happens frequently, once we have landed and the rotor is already turning at a very low revolution, we or another person to help us stop it faster, stops one of the blades with the hand abruptly, causing an opposite reaction in the blade that it's free. It can cause a small movement of that blade, misaligning the rotor and causing it to come out of alignment or string.
• The same thing as the previous point can also happen, if we roll with the front blade tied to prevent it from turning freely and we make a sharp turn on the ground with sudden braking. The rotor, following the inertia of our rotation, continues to rotate until the rope is suddenly taut, causing the same reaction as when it is stopped by hand.

Remember any incident on the rotor, it must be checked thoroughly. A blow against a static element, a blow to a bird in flight, any factor that makes the pre-flight inspection notice different,… The manufacturer's recommendations must be followed and make sure that everything is fine before the next flight.

Greetings to all and see you in the next post .

Patxi Rodriguez