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Monday, January 31, 2011

HoneyBee G2™ One Sweet Little Gyro.....

56 Days Until We See You...
In The Florida HEAT!

Sun ‘n Fun begins this year on March 29 and runs through April 3!  Some of the the world’s best known air show performers return to Linder Regional Airport

Air Show Schedule: 
  • Tuesday - Thursday, March 29-31: 3:00 to 5:30PM
  • Friday - Sunday, April 1-3: 2:00 to 5:30PM
  • The HoneyBee G2™ will be flying daily too! Not as part of the Air Show Schedule however...   

GyroJim, a Gyronaunt based in Hastings, MI (9D9) will be flying daily at the show. Known for cavorting all over the skies of Barry County, his demonstrations will seem more like he is hunting for deer and wildlife than a sophisticated airshow routine.  He and the AWI Team will be demonstrating the all NEW HoneyBee G2™ line of aircraft. Plan to stop by and  see this Sweet Line Of Gyroplanes.

HoneyBee G2™ One Sweet Little Gyro.....

Hope To See You There!



Saturday, January 29, 2011

Flying vs. Non-Flying Season: Things to pass the time...

Its Saturday morning here in the Winter Water Wonderland of Michigan!  It's 26 degrees and snow is forecast for the next 3 - 4 days.  The best part of Winter is that Spring is coming!


Michigan really only has two seasons, Flying Season and Non-Flying Season. During "Flying Season" there is an annoying event going on all over the State called Road Construction....I am sure other states do it too.  Right now (during Non-Flying Season) the   best use of time is first, get done the things that need to be done before the Flying Season begins.  When Flying Season is upon us, all I want to do is fly.  I want to fly 200 hours in HoneyBee G2's in 2011. We will see.... 


The second best thing to do during "Non-Flying Season" is to get together with your flying friends and have a big dinner, call it something cool like .....the 2011 Take Off Dinner, drive half way across the State(1), eat a huge dinner, talk flying all night, drive all the way back to Hastings and then fall in bed around 1AM in the morning.  Can you think of a better way to get recharged for the "Flying Season"? I can't think of a better use of "Non-Flying Season" time!!! 

Well this is exactly what a group of us are doing tonight!!!  The entourage is scheduled to leave our house at 2:15PM. Notice I said 2:15PM EST, not 2:16PM EST. Can you tell that I am looking forward to seeing my flying buds....several of this bunch fly HoneyBee's which makes it even better! 


My point in writing this morning is to encourage you to get involved in a local flying club. One that not only builds aircraft (better yet Gyroplanes!) and is social. When making this type of decision, one of the questions you need to ask the President of the club is "where is the coffee pot and did you bring the Apple Pie with you"? If the answer is "the pot is hot and right over there and no I brought fresh donuts this morning..." Brotha, you have just arrived at my kind of club! More than than likely, you are going to fit right in! Bay Area Rotorcraft & Ultralight Club(2) is THAT kind of club.  If you are in Michigan, come and join our club! We are PRA Chapter #32 and  ASC Chapter #82 and you will love it! 

If you can't come and join us, please find a club near you and get involved, build something, drink coffee, eat donuts and exercise...you are in for a great time. You will make friends for life; flying is always best when shared with your friends....especially when "Flying Season" finally arrives!

'Til next time,

Jim


1. Footnotes: 
See: Michigan State University!!!; Recently MSU just gave (threw) a bone to U of M; We Stater's may mourn for a couple of days, but believe me brotha, WE will be cheering them all the way to the Final Four AGAIN....

Friday, January 28, 2011

WeeBee™ Sweatin' The Details....

Deatils, details, details... Yes, we are paying close attention to the details. Outside of the AWI Design Team, you are the first ones in the world to see this detail!

In 2010 AWI attended a couple of shows: EAA Air Venture and a couple of PRA Seminars during the show. We could not believe (I will resist the tendency to use BeeLieve™) how many HoneyBee Gyro Fans still had the original HoneyBee Gyro memorabilia. It was incredible to see T-Shirts and Polo Shirts....though some were slightly faded and a little tighter in the waist...they were part of the original effort and still proud of it!  Some even had Cup Coolers....we gave them away by the 1,000's!  So many people loved "Buzz" The HoneyBee!

Earlier, I wrote about all of the improvement that have been incorporated into the current production frames....the logoed pedal shown here is just one of them. There is more to follow....

Stay tuned.....

Jim

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Welcome!















Greetings!

Welcome to the new HoneyBee G2™ Blog Spot™! Many of you have called, emailed and visited us at AWI since the Oshkosh Show. The continual, positive comments have been such an encouragement to us. You have also been great at giving AWI feedback on your thoughts about our line. We appreciate all of this encouragement.


One of our hopes for our new HoneyBee G2™ BlogSpot™ is to do a better job of communicating all the good things that are going on with our company, the G2 line, 2011 Show Schedules and the BeeTours™ that will start in early Spring. More on this later….

Since our debut at the Oshkosh Show, our Team has been busy improving our entire line of frames. Not only have we been improving the line, we have also expanded the line. In the KITPLANES Rotorcraft Directory (www.kitplanes.com) they featured four of our aircraft: the Ultralight, our brand new Microlight, the SP-HP and the Two-Place Tandem. More on each of these later on….

To help you understand what our Team has been up to since the 2010 Oshkosh Show, I am going to provide you with a partial list of improvements. Here are a few of those upgrades:

For the entire HoneyBee G2™ Line:
1. New pitch trim wheel system
2. Expanded Center Of Gravity capabilities: 130 – 300#’s/Single Place and 150 – 350#'s/Two Place Tandem in Front Seat
3. Rotor Blade Locks on our entire line of ZM2 Rotor Heads
4. Hydraulic Rotor Brakes on all frames including the Ultralight
5. Upgraded spun aluminum wheels & tires
6. Upgraded Hydraulic Wheel Cylinder: Nose Wheel brake on the Ultralight and Microlight & Main Gear wheel cylinders
7. Upgraded Master Brake Cylinders in all locations
8. Triple Crown Style Nose Gear Forks with leading edge axle
9. Main Gear has been moved 9” aft from original so that the Single-Place Line no longer sets on its tail wheel when empty
10. 25% Weight reduction in all Skin Bridges in the primary structure
11. Use of a new certified fastener schedule that has reduced bolt/nut weights by as much as 60% in some locations
12. Updated Pre-rotator Controls: New high torque, light weight motor with a programmed soft start and sensory engagement and disengagement; Smart controller using variable pulse technology
13. Upgraded light weight spun aluminum tanks: 5 – 14 Gallons with electronic senders
14. Upgraded Control Stick Systems
15. Revised Horizontal Stab Braces: Streamlined to improve appearance and reduce drag
16. Integrated Rotor RPM Display: Coupled into the Electronic EIS Systems
17. Lower Rudder Pedal locations: Does a better job of accommodating those with larger shoe sizes
18. Improved Nose Wheel Steering/De-coupling
19. New Frame Surrounds that offer more torsional rigidity and protection; provides a great new look too!

Single Place Only
1. MPM™: Multi –Position – Mast System that allows for a broad range of pilot weights and engine combinations.
2. Lighter seats (1.5#’s) for both the Ultralight and the Microlight
3. Upgraded Instrument Pod & Panel

Two-Place Only
1. Improved Moving Mast CG Range: 150 - 350# Front Seat Capabilities
2. Upgraded Larger Tires and Wheels
3. Upgraded Hydraulic Brakes
4. Upgraded Motor Mount with additional triangulation
5. New Floor that allows for easier entry and passenger comfort; Single-Place-HP too
6. Revised control linkage for 2 place moving mast


In closing, Thank you for all of your interest, trust and support! AWI has a very busy 2011 planned. Let’s talk earlier rather than later about your needs in a safe, affordable great looking gyroplane.

Committed to building the safest gyroplanes in the world™

Jim Fields
Vice President Sales & Engineering
AeroWorks International, Inc.