This guy seems to have done a lot of experimentation with gyro stabilization, and he seems to be pretty sharp and dedicated...
http://www.********.com/davexplanes/x-36.htm
Just a point of reference for you to maybe get some ideas to help with your development.
I have a buddy with a CCPM helicopter who is starting to think about making it 3 axis gyro stabilized, but I think there's going to be a lot of "trial and error" (aka broken parts) involved, especially with a helicopter. A plane would probably be a bit more stable and therefore a bit less costly to experiment on, but I'm sure it's full of "opportunities for learning"!
Good luck, and keep us posted about how it goes.