Pics

This is the builder's picture section. I took these pics during a "Test for fit" assembly, which means I was just making sure all the parts would fit right before I painted it. So, you'll see a lot of places where there's washers missing, nuts missing, even bolts. Don't get upset! All you see here has to be completely taken apart, cleaned, primed and painted, then it'll be put together the right way.

I was impressed with the solid feel of the 'Bee. The first time I sat in the seat, I felt secure. There was no "Creaky aluminum lawn chair" noise or feel.

Major parts not included in the pics: Joystick ass'y, Tail Group, Engine, Head, Rotors.

	The dream takes shape, nestled in my den. Ok, it's a bit hard to see clearly. Well, taking pictures of what is mostly bare aluminum is pretty hard! It's kind of like taking pictures of a mirror... Anyway, here's an overall view from the front. But if you've been to Ralph's Gyrobee site, you've seen enough of them.
	Here's a closeup of the right tire/strut area from the front. Notice how tightly the bearing ends on the drag struts are screwed down. I had to remove one inch from each strut after I discovered they were too long! See my builder's notes.
	Drag strut to Keel area. Notice the single lap belt end? I later found out that two are needed, one on each side of the keel tube.
	The same view with the tail tube attached. Notice the milled-out area on the tail boom to make room for the control stick attachments above.
	Underside of the seat showing it's braces.
	Close-up of same area, with the brackets. Notice that there is no room for the bolts directly above the forward seat struts?? I drilled an alternate set just behind them. This might be one for the builder's notes.
	Seat back mounting plate.
	Seat bottom mount plate. This whole system of seat mounting that Ralph came up with (I assume he did), is rock solid, even with only half the bolts attached; Before mounting the seat, I thought it all might feel a bit rickety. Not a bit! You'll feel very secure in this.
	View from behind the seat.
	View from the back, you see the temp shock plate, the upper strut fittings, but mostly the arrangement of the various washers and spacers at the bottom of the diagonal engine braces. This is where the bungee cords tie up.
	Side view of the engine rails, and shock struts.
	*Engine rails. Here's another area that just exudes* rock-solidness. You could probably jump on these rails and not do any damage. Very secure mounting arrangement. Tank is seen below too.**
	Oops...
	Tank holder;drilled, riveted, bolted, welded and ready to paint. See the minor boo-boo in the center right brace? Always triple-check to make sure you're drilling the right side of your angles! :) This was the only drilling error I made (so far).
	Nose ass'y. You can see the 2 bearings and the spacers on the yoke. Also note the spacer on the fork. I hadn't attached the bearing to the pedal yet because of the shackles (see builder notes). Also, the holes on the pedal control ends may be too low. No measurement was available in the docs, had to guess it!
	Top view of the left pedal. Note my modest enhancement to the design; the lower pedal lip is 1-1/2" angle instead of 1".
	When you're in the air, this is about the most you can see of the aircraft without turning your head, and most of this will be covered by you!
	The first and last part of the 'bee that a bug might see. Front view, nose ass'y. Note how I used two blocks of 1" by 2" 2024-T4 aluminum block stacked to form the nose block.
	Underside front nosewheel.
	Cluster plate and all it's different duties. Notice the last hole at the bottom for the fairlead block. You can also see the bend in the axle clearly.
	Another cluster plate view.
	Another view with the tail boom in view.
	Yet another view. Plus the day's laundry.
	Boo! I hope you got something out of, and enjoyed the photo tour! It covered just about everything, I think. If there is anything I can help you with, let me know. Keep building the dream!!! Rich@gate.net

Last updated: 02/13/99