Gyroscopes

Gyros are used to help stabilize the tail of a helicopter.   Basically, it is there to help counter act the torque of the engine and keep the tail from being pushed around by the wind.  Back in the days the first heli pilot did not fly with gyros.  Yes, it is possible but not a whole lot of fun.

The gyro sits between you and the tail servo.  You give the tail an input and the gyro can also give an input.  You and the gyro work together.   But, the gyro will also fight your input  A gyro has a gain controller, the higher the gain the better the tail will hold.  With a high gain this also means the gyro will work harder to fight your input.  The rule is the higher the gain the better the tail holds but the slower the pirouette speed.

We get around this rule by using a dual gain gyro.  A high gain for hovering, tail holds great and we are usually not concerned with the tail speed.   Then flip a switch to low gain for forward flight.  Now we have a good fast tail and it will stay behind the helicopter in forward flight.

Today, we have three types of helicopter gyros.

1: Mechanical Electric Gyros
2: Piezo Electric Gyros        
3: Heading Hold Piezo Gyros

Mechanical Gyros

Mechanical electric gyros are quickly becoming a thing of the past.   They worked well however, they were larger and  had a motor with moving parts.   Thus, they would wear, and were fairly easy to damage in a crash.  JR has discontinued production of mechanicals and I'm sure other manufactures will follow. These came in both single and dual gain models.

Piezo Gyros

Piezo Gyros have been around for quite a while now.  Initially, they were expensive but have recently come down greatly in price.  Piezos have no moving parts, they use the piezo crystal to sense the movement.  These gyros are 10 times more sensitive than the older mechanical gyros.  Without the moving parts, they do not were and generally tolerate crashes better. These come in both single and dual gain models.

Heading Hold Gyros

The newest Piezo Gyro technology.  A heading hold gyro will hold a 60 size helicopter in a 20 to 30 mph cross wind dead still.  Basically, these gyros separate the gain from the rate of pirouette.  In other words the heading hold gyro will allow you to run maximum gain (holding the tail extremely well) and dial in your own desired pirouette rate.  The best of both worlds.

These are two of the new Gyros from Futaba.  The GY240 is a great beginner gyro, It works as either a Normal or HH gyro and the gain is set on the gyro itself.  The 240 works great and is inexpensive at $124.99 The GY401 is the Best gyro for the money.  It is selectable from the radio in both gain and normal or hh operation.This thing works with slow servos or fantastic with the lightning fast 9254 digital tail servo.  We are all flying this gyro. $134.99  $209 w/servo

There are other gyros out there, but for the money I believe these are your the best value and performance.