ASRA Clips Paul Bruty's Wings... Er... Rotors, For A Year
Controversial Australian Gyroplane instructor and designer Paul
Bruty has had his flying, instructing, and Technical Advisor
privileges suspended for twelve months after a late March decision
of the board of the Australian Sport Rotorcraft Association (ASRA).
He will also have to requalify as a Technical Advisor after his
twelve months' suspension is over.
Bruty, long a controversial figure in Australian rotary-winged
flight, came to ASRA attention after a rollover accident which
substantially damaged client Keith Holmes's Little Wing tractor
autogyro, while Bruty was testing the machine (photos).
In Australia, gyroplanes that would be flown either as Part 103
ultralights or Part 91 experimentals under FAA oversight in the
USA, and their pilots, are managed by the ASRA. This
self-government is analogous to the way that the US Parachute
Association manages sport parachuting in the USA, relieving FAA of
the need to expend its resources in an area tangential to its
primary purposes. The ASRA takes a dim view of regulation
violations, knowing that if gyro pilots down under get a "rogue"
reputation, the Civil Aviation Authority can yank the sport's
self-governing status in a heartbeat.
The charges against Bruty did not include the accident per se,
but he faced three specifications of violating particular parts of
the ASRA Operations Manual:
(1) Operated a gyroplane which was not properly registered;
(2) Made modifications to a gyro "not consistent with sound,
safe or acceptable engineering practices"
(3) Failed to comply with the requirements of the ASRA
Operations Manual Section 4.08 para 4, and Section 4.08 para
6."
The accident machine was not registered -- Bruty says it is his
custom to fly first and do the paperwork when rising winds grounds
the machine -- but the first charge refers to the modified RAF
2000, which Bruty calls "Hybrid," that is his principal training
machine.
Bruty modified the rotor head by disabling the automatic teeter
stops, which engage on the ground at low rotor speeds to prevent
the rotor from striking the tailboom, but disengage when the rotor
speeds up above about 60 RPM to allow full control motion. He
instead jerry-rigged a control stick stop using washers, safety
wire, and electrical tape. This was the core of the second
charge.
On the third, these sections of the ASRA Ops Manual refer to
accident reporting. Bruty says that he did report the
accident fully, but as of the end of March the operations director
of ASRA had not received a detailed report. It was several days
before Bruty sent an initial email about the subject, a delay he
ascribes to bad internet connectivity at the site.
Some of the board members recused themselves from voting due to
previous quarrels with Bruty or perceived bias; the remaining board
members unanimously found him guilty on all counts and the board as
a whole voted to ratify the decision of the partial board. The
Board decision was made on the 24th and made public on the 29th,
but Bruty's privileges had already been suspended on an emergency
basis by email from the ASRA Operations Manager, Alan Wardill, on
the 12th.
The outcome of the charges costs Bruty his livelihood, as he was
a full-time gyro instructor. But it will also have an impact on the
community, as he was the only full-time gyro instructor in all
Australia.
The bright-green machine that Bruty was testing is reported to
be the first Little Wing completed in Australia. Keith Holmes, the
builder, called it the "Green Gecko" because of the large lizard
graphic that the builder put on it, along with the legend -- now
looking sadly non-prophetic -- "no pushover." The machine turned
over and was substantially damaged. Bruty reports that he had
bruises all over, but no more serious injury, a testament to the
design of the Little Wing's steel-tube fuselage and landing gear,
and the construction of this example.
The design of the machine does not appear to have been any
factor in the crash. Bruty has said that he lost control of the
machine due to a poorly swaged cable and improperly rigged return
springs on the rudder pedals. When the cable let go, the springs
pulled the rudder pedals to the opposite extreme, and the machine
departed in yaw, leading to the mishap.
Other witnesses cited by ASRA (but unidentified by name) said
the unlucky machine made ground contact straight down while moving
straight forward, not after a 160-degree yaw, and only yawed in the
process of the crash. They claimed that any control separation was
the result of impact forces and/or a rotor strike on the tail
structure.
The retro-styled machine, designed by American Ron Herron, is
increasingly popular, despite being a plans-built design for which
no complete kit is available. One of Herron's Little Wing
owner/builders, Andy Keech, currently holds a number of NAA/FAI
speed/distance and altitude records in his Rotax 914-powered Little
Wing, and Ron's own Little Wing, powered by an Australian-built
Rotec 2800 radial engine, is a favorite of photographers at the big
airshows. Herron has won numerous awards for his design, which
includes a unique redundant control system that has been much
admired by gyro experts.
A pilot report that Bruty posted online praised the handling
qualities of the machine, but did not mention that he had crashed
the gyro, nor that the report was based on his pre-accident
flights. He admitted that after other Australians who were aware of
the circumstances confronted him.
The rancor over the accident continues. Paul Bruty has taken the
position that the gyro owner assumed all risk in engaging him to
test it. Other Australian rotorcraft aficionados --including some
of Bruty's most vociferous detractors -- have called on their
community to pitch in with parts, time, expertise and money, to
help repair the gyro. The ASRA is collecting donations for the
rebuild.
Holmes was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support; indeed, it
lifted him from the doldrums where he was considering abandoning
the Green Gecko that took him four years to build. "I am blown away
by any of you caring about my gyro and my predicament," he posted
on the ASRA forum. "What can I say? Does THANKS sound pathetic or
what? But it's from the bottom of my sad heart." Later on, he
added, "I'm really surprised at people's reactions. Sometimes good
stuff can come from bad eh?"
The biggest problem he has is the fright that the accident has
given his wife.
Despite the severity of the damage, Keith Holmes's gyro might
well be flying before Paul Bruty is. But it's a given that both
will take to the air again -- when they can.