Groen Brothers Aviation is converting a Cessna 337 Skymaster into a tractor gyroplane dubbed the Hawk 6G which it plans to fly for the first time on 8 January.
The conversion involves removing both piston engines, and replacing them with a single Rolls-Royce 250 turboprop in the nose. The wings will also be removed outboard of the booms, while the twin tails will be inverted to increase clearance from the rotor system which is taken directly from the GBA Hawk 4 series. "Rolls-Royce has agreed to provide the turbine engine for the experiment," says GBA vice president and chief test pilot James Mayfield.
The aircraft will be capable of carrying six people and 320kg (705lb) or a pilot and up to 545kg of "low cube cargo", says Mayfield who expects the concept to attract interest because of the large, unobstructed cargo area accessed via a rear loading door. He adds: "The conversion will allow us to complete the project in a fraction of the time and cost that would be needed to design the airframe alone."
Further refinements continue for the smaller Hawk 4, certification flying of which is now set to begin in mid-2001. Mayfield says: "Many areas of the envelope are not yet fully identified. Still to come are refinements to the height/velocity diagram, high altitude operations, and hot and cold weather operations." Revised blade tip weights to address higher than expected flapwise bending stresses are being tested.
Source: Flight International
