Will Dentists Darken The Skies Over Sturgis?

by ANN E-Media Producer (And Resident Gyro-Nut) Paul Plack

The name, "Super Sky Cycle," sounds like something out of a 1960s sci-fi short story, and perhaps that's appropriate. The notion of a road-going flying machine has been Larry Neal's dream for decades, according to friends. Now, Neal has done what no other designer before has done -- brought his hybrid motorcycle/gyroplane into production.

Neal's company, The Butterfly LLC, is in production with its first 30 Super Sky Cycle kits, and Larry says the first five are sold. The machine is a lightweight, tricycle-geared gyroplane with a roadworthy suspension and folding rotor. The kit, after assembly by the buyer, is registered for the air as an experimental amateur-built aircraft, and for the ground as a homebuilt motorcycle.

The production version of the machine is powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 ULS engine, running through a variable-speed, belt-drive transmission. It features disc brakes on the front and main gear wheels, and long, sleek wheel pants with integrated taillights inspired by classic Cadillacs. Neal says the Super Sky Cycle utilizes streamlining of some draggy parts to allow a top speed of 100 MPH.

Because gyroplanes use unpowered, free-wheeling rotors, and employ autorotation in all flight regimes, they normally require a moderate takeoff roll. Neal (right) addresses that shortcoming with an adaptation he calls the "Metro Launch System," employing a powerful engine-driven prerotator while the wheels are still in ground contact, allowing takeoffs in just a few feet.

The Super Sky Cycle prototype first flew in December 2005. Neal says he received a US patent for his "Fly-Drive Vehicle" just days later. He hopes the concept will provide solutions for unique transportation challenges around the world.

Unlike some designers in the experimental rotorcraft world, Neal has been involved in the sport for decades. He is credited with the frame redesign which improved the stability of Air Command gyroplanes in the 1990s, was a leader in promoting gyroplanes in his home state of Texas, and was one of the test pilots for the Carter Aviation Technologies "Carter Copter," a development test bed for Carter's advanced rotors and propellers.

Neal acknowledges the checkered history of small companies developing machines which promise machines which can negotiate both the sky and the highway. He observes, "Now, instead of just reading about them, you can buy one. They're real! I've flown the Super Sky Cycle in front of thousands of people at air shows, and more have seen the television news coverage. Almost unanimously, people tell me this is an idea whose time has come."

The Super Sky Cycle kit lists for $37,195 US including the Rotax engine, and is recommended for pilots under 280 pounds. Claimed maximum highway speed is 55 MPH.

FMI: www.thebutterflyllc.com