M16 and M24 "Trim Stable"

[Carbongyro]

Hi All,

Enjoyed this fantastic clip on youtube a few months ago and have a lingering question regarding gyro design:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8IB-5PbL9U

When the host describes the Magni gyros as trim stable (he demonstrates by taking his hands off the stick and throttle and the craft holds his existing heading), what tool/piece of equipment etc enables this on these craft? What does it look like? Can you retrofit one etc?

Regards,

Carbongyro

 

[ckurz7000]

Trim stability is something required of certified aircraft. It is part of the overall aerodynamic design and not achieved by one single apparatus or feature. Therefore it cannot be "retrofit" to a gyro.

-- Chris.

 

[Carbongyro]

Thanks Chris,

Does this mean you could take your hand off the stick in any gyro and the craft would hold that heading?

Cheers,

 

[ckurz7000]

Any gyro certified to BCAR section T standards or equivalent. I just skimmed the vid but there are, of course, variations in stability across different models. BTW, I didn't listen to the narrative but that seems not to be an Magni gyros but Autogyro gyros.

-- Chris.

 

[AirCommandPilot]

The Magni starts at the 7 minute mark.

 

[Vance]

In my opinion it is best to fly a gyroplane with one hand on the throttle and one on the cyclic.

Unless I am flying in calm wind conditions most of the gyroplanes I have flown won’t hold their heading, altitude or airspeed for long flying hands off.

In my experience the trim is useful to take some of the work load off of the pilot and makes it easier to hold a particular air speed.

I prefer to fly trimmed to a higher air speed than I am flying so that I have some back stick pressure to maintain my air speed and I have a feel for the gyroplane.

I find joy in controlling a gyroplane precisely.

 

[eddie]

Your right Vance it would be foolish not to have your hands on the controls,just about any

gyro will fly hands off in stable air,but even then bad things can happen very fast.

My RAF was retrofitted with the stabaliator at it will hold level flight.




Best regards,

 

[C. Beaty]

It is a real eye-opener to replace the Bensen offset gimbal rotorhead of “modern” gyros with a helicopter style cyclic control system that does not incorporate feedback of rotor thrust into the cyclic control system. Doing so makes it a challenge just to keep some gyros right side up.

 

[Uncle Willie]

...

When the host describes the Magni gyros as trim stable (he demonstrates by taking his hands off the stick and throttle and the craft holds his existing heading), ...

Any craft should do that.
Listen closely, what he is comparing it to is a helicopter that removing your hands from the controls usually results in a dramatic deviation in the flight path.
What you are reading too much into it is that hands off, a minute later, you will not necessarily still be at the same altitude and heading. You won't be in the ground, but you also might not be heading exactly the way you intended.
Think more like in an automobile, if you take your hands off the wheel, it may slowly drift across the road, but it will not abruptly spin out into the ditch.

Also, note that he states that taking your hands off in a turn, results in you staying in the turn. That is the description of Neutral Stability.
Positive stability would have the craft roll out of the turn and resume a straight flight path.

This is a marketing video. It contains a lot of fluff for the uninformed.

 

[Doug Riley]

We have danced around the issue a bit. The answer to Carbon's question is that the offset-gimbal rotorhead with excess offset and trim spring enables most small gyros to fly hands-off.

This hands-off stability can be further improved by making the airframe aerodynamically stable as well. This involves the use of a horizontal stabilizer and the arrangement of masses and drag-producing items on the airframe so as to minimize or avoid residual moments.

I normally cruised in my Dominator with my hands in my lap, as the machine held its airspeed more precisely hands-off than I could hands on.