Thinking of adding gyro to airplane?
 

Only info i can find is related to heli.
I want to add a flight stabilizing system to my airplane..
Can anyone recomend a good one ?
I have spectrum radio and a 6 axis gyro is avail.
But is it worth it ?

As far as being worth the cost only you can determine that. If it adds to your enjoyment of the hobby then I sa give it a go. The only thing that I don't like about gyros/stabilization is when they are being used to correct a bad setup. They do a poor job of this in fact. It's best to sort out poor flying charictaristics through other means and then add the gyro as a flight enhancement.

Depends. And depends on what you want to do. I can HIGHLY recommend the Aura by Flex Innovations. But it is made specifically to smooth out flying, not assist in not being able to fly. So no wing leveling, auto-level, etc. It does however do a fantastic job of counteracting effects of wind and gusts. Makes a small foamy fly like a giant, etc. I fly in 30mph winds with my foam plane as well as my 50cc gasser using it. At $99 I think it is worth it. But it is your judgement to make.

Hi!
Why do you want one? Totally unnecessary on all planes if they are set up right.

Hi Jan, that's not true.

@ the OP
Gyros can expand your enjoyment of the hobby, which is after all, the idea of a hobby.

There's several gyros on the market from cheap to not so cheap. Powerbox iGyro, Demon Cortex, Aura, AS3X receivers and the plug in AS3000 if you fly Spektrum, all all excellent and high quality and several I wouldn't bother with unless you're sticking them in a foamy.

Each of the above have their setup and flight differences and implementations but they all work very well.

What airframe are you considering installing a gyro in?

We have some jet pilots that fly high end, high dollar jets in our club. They use current gyro systems of some sort, I think they use the AS3000 Spektrum units actually, but the stabilizer feature makes these jets extremely stable and realistic, and allows for very realistic landing and maneuvering of all sorts.
As mentioned there are several gyro devices and systems available, and each has its place.I'm sure.

To say they're "totally unnecessary" is wrong though. That's a bold uneducated statement that's just ridiculous. They might not be necessary for many applications, but that's for the user to decide... and can't be determined with a "total" statement.

A stabilizer or gyro won't make a person suddenly an instant pilot either. A person still has to have the skills and knowledge of how the plane flys, and knowledge of how to set it up. I can say though, some of the best pilots flying the high end jets are smart enough and good enough that a gyro/stabilizer really enhances the incredible skills they already have... and they use these things to the fullest.

Watching this thread with great interest. Would a gyro help straighten out the take off roll for a twitchy tail-dragger? Like a ME-109?

Absolutely.

provided that twitchness isn't being caused by a stickey linkage, bad servo, too much throw etc. I personally like to make sure that other things are tried first. The first question should be " why is the airplane twitchy on take off"? IMO most guys will set up a tail dragger to steer on the ground well, that ends up being too much rudder throw for a smooth take off roll. Some don't beleive in using right thrust. Some use the throttle as an off/on switch, some don't beleive in using expo or dual rate switches. These are all things that IMO should be tried before contemplating a gyro. IMO the gyro should be used as an enhancement not a fix.

I believe the twitchyness of the ME-109 is mainly due to the wheels being so close to the center line. My first tail-dragger was a Midwest fun scale ME-109. Boy, that thing was a beast to take off! As you advanced the throttle, it would suddenly LEAP to the left! I eventually learned to give it a hard bump of right rudder just at the correct moment. Since then I have flown lots of warbirds, but none are as bad as that Messerschmidt!

The question here is did that Midwest 109 or your current 109 have any right thrust? Don't get me wrong, the narrow gear and relatively small vertical fin/ rudder are contributing factors however the standard fix to combat engine torque is right thrust. Adding a gyro onto an airplane that has limited rudder authority at the beginning of a takeoff run may give only limited results. Beleive it or not, playing with a throttle curve to get the power band as linear as possible will also make takeoffs much easier.