| Re: Which gyro?
Muiser.....I have a standard servo on my Hawk Sport...its a futaba S148...all the servos on my Hawk are 148's. the s148 controls my tail rotor just fine though the gyro used is fairly basic..its a CSM 200 HLG.
I see on some adverts that you get gyro/servo combinations..the GY401 seems popular...I cant speak from experience.
It depends on your budget, if you are just starting out theres nothing wrong with fitting a GY 401/servo package....if you have the money and if an experienced heli flyer reccomends it then take his/her advice.
The CSM200 I use has been ok, the gain is on the gyro itself....I found that its best to turn it up...fly the heli...if the tail seems a bit too active and starts wagging then its better to turn the gain down till it stops wagging.....but be careful...dont confuse the wagging with air getting into the carb....you can see this by hovering and carefully watching the fuel line...make sure you have good control and dont fly into yourself...try to keep a sensible distance.
In fact, thats an issue you might find with the Hawk....the fuel tank can foam at certain frequencies....its an engine tuning issue more than anything ....you might have no problems but if you do then check the tuning/carb mixture....its very easy to blame the gyro once the tail starts wagging....when the intermittent running of the engine is to blame....fuel foaming is very obvious...the tank will look like a washing machine....and no....fitting a header tank will not cure the problem.
Gyros are amazing bits of kit.....how the first heli flyers got along without them I will never know...but they did pioneer things like 'revo mixing' be it mechanical or electrical.....this mixing was coupling the collective to the tail rotor...more collective equals more pitch on the tail rotor to counteract....and vice versa.
I once had the experience of flying without a gyro....I had switched modes on my radio...and like an ***** failed to check (I had been messing around with a PC simulator) I actually flew the thing very well....but hovering and coming in to land was a nightmare...the gyro was there but couldnt do its work....it was probably saying 'hey man? why dont you use me????' the result was one heli...on its side with bits of brand new carbon main blade...coming down to earth and settling gently....the blade tips were dug into the ground....a good distance apart.
So....gyros are an important item...keep clear of the older type gyros...unless you are curious..the more modern types use less power and are easier to setup...the more you pay the better the performance...but if its general flying around with some mild aerobatics and inverted flight...one day then the more simpler modern gyros will deliver the goods.
Rob  |