SlickZERO

I have a couple WW1 tail draggers with fixed rear skid and narrow front wheel track. On a bumpy grass field it is hard to go straight for take off and landing. Ground looping is a pain and can cause damage. As I pass 70 years old my thumbs and reflexes aren't fast enough to stay ahead of the rudder so I am looking for some help with a gyro. There are many available from under 20.00 to over 100.00.
Any experience or advise?
This is a list of some I have noticed so far.
Xflight Tech - Ice Man BL-3GRC 3 Axis 79.00
Futaba GYA430/431 1 axis 79.00
Futaba GYA460 6 axis 79.00
PowerBox 1 Axis iGyro 1e Chief Aircraft 89.00
Hobbypartx 3 Axis Flight Stabilizer 19.95

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

If the A/C are gas or nitro I dont think any of those would work,
If electric any should do the job

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

I use the Futaba GYA430 on the rudder with good results.

Bruce

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

IGyro

Gyro's work on both gas and nitro as well.

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

They work fine as a stabilizer in flight. But not well at low RPM such as when landing.
At low rpm the vibration produced by the engine is close to the frequency produced by the aircraft movement.
The gyro can't tell the difference.
If you have one that does please let me borrow it

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

I've used several different gyros in gassers and never experienced anything like what is described.

clpahodges

My Feedback: (3)

I use the GYA430 in a 1/4 scale Cub with a DLE20 and it works fine at all rpm's.

Bill Hodges

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

Well guys I am happy to learn you have used your gyros at low RPM and got away with it. Unfortunately that does not mean everyone else will be so lucky.
Since I am blind in one eye, I would like to have a gyro that takes over the A/C during landing since I have trouble landing.
A local very experienced helly pilot told me gyros are sensitive to vibration so I decided to test them before I used them.
I built myself a shake table. Its just a small electric motor connected to a mounting table with an adjustable arm that I can change the stroke with. I can change the plane by the way I mount the gyro
I can change the frequency by changing the motor speed.
The first gyro I tested was the eagletree. It failed miserably at low rpm. It works good at high rpm.
So far I have tested the Iceman and a hobbyking special.
The Iceman seems best as it has a kalman filter. But even that seems to have a resonate point.
I have one I got from Grayson hobbies that I have not tested yet. Its the same as the $79 Futaba.
All I can say is good luck. You may luck out. It depends a lot on how your engine is mounted as well as the gyro.

s3nfo

My Feedback: (14)

I'm using Hobby Eagle A3 Super II's from Motion RC and have never had a problem at any RPM and I've got 8 of them, so pretty good data point.

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

First I am talking of a one cylinder gas engine. if you fly an electric,turbine or twin gas engine it don't apply.
that eagle is a cheapie I like that last line of its instructions:

• Proper setup of the Hobby Eagle Gyro is crucial. Read the gyro instruction manual completely before attempting to fly your aircraft. Failure to follow setup instructions can result in loss of control and inevitable damage to your aircraft.
• Ensure the gyro is installed in the proper orientation (see manual) and is mounted to a hard surface near the aircraft's CG point.
• When you first plug in your aircraft battery, keep your radio sticks in the centered positions and DO NOT move your aircraft for at least 10 seconds to allow the gyro to perform self-calibration. The gyro LED will blink blue rapidly for about 3 seconds while calibrating.
• It is crucial to verify that the gyro is moving the control surfaces in the correct direction BEFORE attempting to fly your aircraft. Failure to do so could result in loss of control or even a crash during flight.
• We strongly recommend that you setup one of your gyro control switches (3 position switch on your radio) to activate Gyro Disable. This safety feature will allow you to electronically bypass the gyro if you encounter a gyro setup issue during your maiden flight.
• ANY warranty claim for Hobby Eagle gyros applies to the gyro only, not the aircraft in which the gyro was installed.

Good luck!

s3nfo

My Feedback: (14)

This line from the warranty of the $3,100 DA-200 which people put in their $6,000 CARF airplanes. "This warranty covers defects in workmanship and materials only" . Ya know what that means, right?

• ANY warranty claim for Hobby Eagle gyros (DA Engines) applies to the gyro (engine) only, not the aircraft in which the gyro (engine) was installed

Haven't had a problem with the Hobby Eagle gyros, and like I said, I have 8 of them.