The CarterGyro Demonstrator/Trainer (CGD/T) is set to showcase Carter's advanced technology during a two-day flight excursion termed Carter FutureFlight-I. The flight is planned from Atlanta, GA to Tampa, FL over April 3rd and 4th, 2006. The aircraft, which resembles an aerial motorcycle, is capable of very short take-offs and drop-in landings allowing it to operate out of non-airport environments. To prove the point, during the flight the CGDT will "drop-in" at hotels, restaurants and attractions along its route.
Additional Information
Sponsors:
Carter FutureFlight-I Final Report -
Carter FutureFlight-I (CFF-I) was an exciting event. We were able to increase awareness of our technology, especially our new Personal Air Vehicle (PAV), and provide visibility for our sponsors. CFF-I was our first attempt at providing our own public demonstrations of our technology. In this case, we were demonstrating our landing gear and our propeller which will be integrated into the PAV. Originally, we had hoped to have our new rotor on the CarterGyro to show our jump take-off capability, as well. Part of our purpose was also to provide educational demonstrations. We were very pleased to have the support of Georgia Tech's Aerospace Engineering School and that of South Georgia Technical College. In addition, we were able to provide a flight demonstration at the University of Florida.
Pre-Flight Activity - Atlanta, GA
We were invited to be a static display at Georgia Tech's Auto Show on Saturday, April 1st. We were given a great space to showcase the CarterGyro in with some classic cars and some very expensive, high-performance cars. We received a lot of attention and questions about the gyro and our technology.
On Sunday afternoon, April 2nd, we staged our flight demonstration at Georgia Tech. Most of the spectators were students and teachers from GA Tech. Several were students who saw the gyro at the Auto Show for the first time and became interested in our technology. We did have to make some compromises as we started our demonstrations. The practice football field that we were using for our demonstration was dug into the ground creating a small pit making the wind direction unpredictable as it swirled around adjacent buildings. The temperature was also much higher than when the original gyro test flights were done in Texas and our new 20 gal. gas tank replacing a 5 gal. tank added weight. All of these variables meant that our normal short take-offs were lengthened considerably. Without the new Carter rotor which would have allowed jump take-offs, we now had a significant disadvantage. However, we were still able to get in a full take-off, flight pattern and drop-in landing before changing to short hops to demonstrate the landing gear. We also introduced the design for the new PAV to the public for the first time at GA Tech.
With our concern about the lengthened take-offs, we trailered the gyro to a local airport where we took-off safely for our demonstration at the Hampton Inn - Atlanta Southlake. The Hampton Inn was our sponsor for our time in Atlanta providing excellent accommodations for the crew and a hot, Express Breakfast in the mornings. Our flight demonstration at the Hampton Inn took place early Sunday evening with several passes around the hotel and then a drop-in landing in the parking lot right in front of the building. Local spectators, hotel guests and employees enjoyed the demonstration.
Day 1 of the Flight - Monday, April 3rd,
Storms moved into Atlanta overnight with tornado warnings so we trailered the gyro to an airport in Perry, GA where we were able to take-off for South Georgia Technical College in Americus, GA. Flight time was a little over one hour because of a head wind. George Mitchell, our pilot, was greeted by a huge crowd when he dropped in for a landing right in the visitors parking lot in front of the Griffin Bell Aerospace Technology Center on campus. We were treated to a very nice lunch and then we gave a talk about Carter's technology and the PAV and answered questions from the audience. Several grade school and high school students were present with their teachers. Next, George gave a great demonstration of the CarterGyro's capabilities with fast flight, slow flight and touch-n-go landings staging from the college president's backyard, and finally another stop-and-drop landing back in front of the office. We then did media interviews with three TV stations and two newspapers. At about 3:00 PM we took-off for Tifton, GA.
With a head wind again, the flight to Tifton was almost two hours. Many spectators in the Longhorn Steak House parking lot waited for over an hour to see our demonstration. As before, George did a couple of fast passes, then slow passes and then he dropped-in on one side of the parking lot. The local crowd clapped and gathered around as we talked about our technology and answered their questions. We also handed out flyers with a rendering of the new PAV. We loaded the gyro back on its trailer and parked it in front of the restaurant while the crew enjoyed a wonderful meal provided by Todd Cook, Longhorn's Managing Owner, and the staff of the restaurant. After our meal we drove to Gainesville, FL where we would start Day 2 of the flight.
Day 2 of the Flight - Tuesday, April 4th,
Our hotel host in Gainesville was the Best Western Gateway Grand. All of our rooms were extremely comfortable suites with a great breakfast on Tuesday morning. Our day started with some minor repairs to the gyro - one of which was to stabilize a crack in our sponsor board. While we waited we did interviews with a local TV station and newspaper. We were able to operate our demonstration from the driveway between the hotel and the Harley Davidson dealership across the street. George did several passes with two take-offs and landings.
We then did a photo op with several Harley riders who were going to be our escort to the University of Florida campus. The CarterGyro has been referred to as an aerial motorcycle and we planned to do a brief technology comparison since George used to be an avid Harley rider in the 1950s. Unfortunately, our schedule changed.
Thanks to the Alachua County Sheriff's Department we had ground traffic control for our demonstration flights at the hotel and two helicopters as air support for George as he flew to the college campus. George circled above the campus while he waited for us to arrive since we were all stuck in traffic. George landed in the grass outside the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and the Florida Museum of Natural History in the University of Florida's Cultural Complex. The museums were our hosts for the demonstration on the UF campus. After George's flight demonstration and landing we answered questions from the audience and handed out flyers for the new PAV. We were then treated to an exceptional lunch in the Camellia Court Café, in the Harn Museum, where we enjoyed a patio view of the complex. The crew then received a brief tour of each museum. In the new Butterfly Rain Forest at the Museum of Natural History it was amazing to see a cloud of live butterflies swirling around you as you stood in awe. The Harn Museum of Art has an extensive collection of beautiful art pieces that will require us to make a second visit to truly appreciate them. By late afternoon we were ready for the trip to Tampa.
Day 3 of the Flight - Wednesday, April 5th,
Our hotel host for Day 3 of our flight was the Sailport Resort on Olde Tampa Bay. This gorgeous property is secluded on Rocky Point with a view of the bay from each suite. Sitting on your private balcony enjoying the evening breeze you can't believe that you are only three miles from Tampa International Airport. Again, for safety, early on Wednesday morning the crew traveled to a small airport for George to take-off. His flight brought him across the bay to the resort. After an extended flight demonstration along the shoreline George flew to the front of the resort to land at the entrance. After a photo session we packed to regroup for our flight to Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, FL.
When we reached the small airport near Lakeland where we had planned to take-off and demonstrate with a local gas station before our flight to Sun 'n Fun we were told that the airport was closed. We then had to quickly head to the Plant City Airport to stage and make our scheduled arrival time at Sun 'n Fun's Choppertown. After our arrival, our afternoon was spent setting-up our exhibit area where we were introducing the PAV. Our sponsors at Sun 'n Fun were Gulf Coast Avionics and Contact! Magazine. We performed several demonstration flights while at Sun 'n Fun including a Showcase Flight at Show Center during which we were allowed to demonstrate our landing gear capability. During one landing and take-off at Choppertown one spectator was overheard exclaiming, "Holy ____! He landed straight down on two wheels and took-off doing a wheelie!"
All things considered, Carter FutureFlight-I was a great success. Our goal was to begin a series of public flights that will expand understanding of our technology and its potential impact. This we accomplished with the help of our sponsors. Without the consideration and support of our sponsors we would not have been able to even begin this type of flight program. During the flight we met many interesting people who were very curious about our technology - some who have been following us for some time and others who just heard about us from publicity from the flight. We even found some potential business partners. We are looking forward to Carter FutureFlight-II. We'll keep you posted.
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