Melnic
Key Veteran
Location: Columbia, MD,USA
My Posts This: Topic Forum | The one thing I keep seeing is people equating a gyro to "pilot skills" I'm a pretty accomplished pilot flying fixed wing since 1989 but when I have a small plane and it's 15mph winds jerking the thing around, the level of "fun" depletes. I don't always want to be challenged. Sometimes I want to just relax. When the wind is what's making your plane jerk around, sure I can handle the corrections, but w/ the gyro, it's like flying in wind that is more than half the velocity. I don't see how pilot skill is going to keep the wind from jerking around a 2lb plane in 15mph winds. Sure you can deal w/ it and correct it, but your not going to enjoy it as much as a nice calm day. If I pulled out my 104" wingspan 75CC gas plane, I'm not going to notice a thing, but is that stability, my piloting skills? No, it's the plane that is stable. If I had the time to load, setup, cleanup and unload that thing every time I went to fly, I'd do it, but I only fly during lunch hour so I have to stay light and quick. Just because you CAN fly in the wind, take off and land it does not mean you should have to fight it all the time. For the same reason people tweek their helis to make them more stable or get bigger helis, I see putting a gyro on a fixed wing as no different use of technology. Taking a spare gyro, I can turn a POS $60 ebay foamie into something that flies like a larger plane.
NOW, I'm a bit of a hypocrate though because when people ask if I recommend the "helicommand" stabilization stuff, I say NO!
It seems some of the people who talk to me about gyros are the people who remotely pilot their planes w/ a camera or take photos and stuff w/ them. That I can understand as well.
Food for thought. |
Just asked a simple question.
The downdrafts can be scary when your only three feet off the ground to begin with
