Bug HLG

You certainly do not need a gyro for discus launching the Bug. But the first time I tryed a gyro, I was hooked! It make the launch so simple it's wonderful. However, weight is really an issue on a plane this small. My carbon Bug is broken and I haven't had time to rebuild it, but when I do, I will remove the gyro and retry launching without it. I do not remember if I launched without the gyro in the final tail configuration. However, all non-gyro launches I've made with the Bug resulted in the plane immediately rolling left to inverted - resulting in a crash. Later, I learned about presets and with a small amount of right rudder, the launch without the gyro goes pretty well, except that you have to remember to turn ON the preset switch and then correctly time the point at which the preset switch is turned off. The gyro just makes it a real no-brainer for launching - dead straight and all you have to do is nose over at the top. The first gyro I used was a Century. I don't remember the actual weights, but I remember that Century being the lightest available. Now I'm using the GWS gyro which is few grams heavier, but works more reliably. The Century gyro appears to be temperature sensitive. I'm in Phoenix, AZ and it's very hot. Many, many times when I took the Bug out of the car for a quick toss at lunch time, the gyro initiated in reverse. I've tested this many times and it appears that once the gyro cools down, it will initialize correctly, but I've spent 15-20 minutes plugging in and unplugging the batteries before the gyro would respond correctly. Holding the gyro in front of the air conditioner duct for a couple minutes seems to help. You really do NOT want to launch with a gyro that is acting in reverse!!! - Very messy... Regards, --Colin-- --- In BugHLG@y..., "Dan" <danstrider@a...> wrote: > Everyone, > > I know that Colin used a gyro on his Bug for stability during > launch. I was wondering what gyros, if any, you all are using and > their weights. > > Colin, I'm curious to see if a gyro is worth the weight for the Bug - > - is launch performace really affected by the gyro? Might it be > possible to manage without the gyro? My control rod setups are > never rigid enough to get rid of slop, so do you think that a gyro > would even matter is this case? > > Thanks, > Dan