Which gyro?

Which gyro?

The gyro is one of those little magic contraptions that is invaluable. In the early days of helicopters, they weren't used (probably cause they hadn't been invented) and the pilots would compensate for tail movements manually. Talk about difficult! I don't think I would have even bothered getting into helis if gyro's weren't around.

A good gyro is worth it's weight in gold. What does it do? Well simply put, it makes flying easier cause it looks after the tail.

Gyro's come in two flavours. Heading hold ability and non-heading hold.

When you're looking to buy a gyro, you've got to take into account a number of things. Some of these are:

How much it costs.
Obviously important in any purchasing decision.
Local knowledge
While these systems may look complicated (and they are!), they're not too hard to use. However, if you know someone who already uses the gyro you are thinking of buying and can help you set it up, it's much easier.
Reputation
What's the general opinion of this gyro?

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Non-Heading Hold
A non-hold gyro allows the tail of the helicopter to 'weathervane' behind the helicopter. This means that the tail follows the helicopter in the direction it's heading. This is good for smooth fast forward flight where the tail just follows the rest of the helicopter. However when hovering, it means you have to keep an eye on the tail and make any corrections when it starts drifting.
Futaba's GY601 gyro with servo. Futaba's answer to the JR 5000. Like the 5000, the 601 is switchable normal and heading hold mode

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Heading Hold
A heading hold gyro (when in heading hold) will keep the helicopter pointed in the direction the pilot last pointed it no matter what's going on. The wind can blow all it wants and the helicopter will stay pointing in your chosen direction. This is really good for hovering cause it allows you to concentrate on everything else that's going on, comfortable that the gyro is looking after the tail.
It's also really handy in fast backward flight. In normal mode (ie non-heading hold mode), the tail will tend to wander when flying backwards. However, in Heading Hold mode it won't.
I personally, find it really handy when flying inverted. I've got my hands full with the rest of the controls and it's nice to not have to worry about compensating for wind, weathervaning etc when you're upside down .
Most heading hold gyros will do both heading hold and non-heading hold. Most also have the ability to be remotely adjusted from the transmitter (in my opinion, an invaluable function).

Gyro's come in all sizes for all budgets. There are many 'non-name brand' gyros that are cheap, but once you get advanced you'll probably find yourself looking to a more able system.

I am just starting and have ordered a t-rex 450but need a gyro to learn!!!. I was wondering about a gws pg01, as it appears cheaper than a 03 on ebay. I know you get what you pay for. will it help.

pete

[Daz(DJLFlapper)]

electri pete,

I used the PG03 in my first heli and stayed with it for 2,1/2 yrs. The PG01 is a better model and is a very solid well proven gyro. Please be aware that it is not a heading hold gyro though. It will allow the tail to weather vain making the nose drift into the direction of any wind that is blowing. As long as you take off and land facing into wind till you get used to it you will not have any problems with the PG01.
I loved my PG03 and still have it. I learnt that although it is cheap it is very much worth the money paid. It wont let you down and is very easy to set up.
Good luck

Does anyone have any experience with the Century pg2000 IIR version 2 gyro. The Century Tech Rep said that gryo didn't need a fast servo to work well. He said you just had to turn off the digital setting. Has anyone ever operated a heli with a slow servo to control the tail? I just bought a Hawk Pro 30 helicopter and it came with the gyro above.

Originally Posted by muiser

Does anyone have any experience with the Century pg2000 IIR version 2 gyro. The Century Tech Rep said that gryo didn't need a fast servo to work well. He said you just had to turn off the digital setting. Has anyone ever operated a heli with a slow servo to control the tail? I just bought a Hawk Pro 30 helicopter and it came with the gyro above.

Hi,
I also have a Century pg2000IIR gyro -dual rate,-is it a good gyro for a beginner?-will it work well with a futaba ff7 with a ppm rx?what servo for a TT raptor30-is it a h/hold gyro?---everybody at my club says the one and only gyro is a gy401;what can i do with it?-can anybody please help!

[Old man]

Well the people in your club are right Gy 401 is the best if you use it you will never worry about tail control.

thanks old man!
Does anybody out there knows anything on the PG2000 gyro?-what are the dual rates it has?

[hawkman]

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