The Gyrobee has never been a commercial project and, in the past, I made the documentation drawings available on loan, via the mail. This was an increasingly expensive option for me, as I paid for the postage out and, occasionally, the documentation books would not come back and thus required replacement! To avoid this hassle in the future, the Gyrobee documentation is now being made available here on the Internet.

Keeping this material available on the Internet is costly in terms of both money (I just spend $450 of my own money for a new server) and time. I spend a huge amount of time responding to e-mail from potential Gyrobee builders and, as a result, I am going to put some material right here which will let me ignore most of such mail.

Information. Any useful information I might be able to pass along is contained in the Documentation or on the many resource pages on the Gyrobee. All of this stuff is very comprehensive and demands that you spend time studying it!

Modifications. A huge number of questions deal with modifications or "improvements" to the design that builders (often with no gyro construction or flight experience) want to incorporate. My advice will always be to build the machine basically stock (there is plenty of latitude with respect to the tail group and a host of cosmetic features).Once you have flown it for a year or to, you will have the experience to decide what, if anything, you want to change.

Builders Groups. There is a large web-based builders group at  Rotary Wing Forums. The opinions you will encounter come in three flavors:

• Experienced Gyrobee Builders and /or Pilots. These are the best people to consult, especially if they have made modifications that interest you. These are the only people to talk to about flight performance and handling!

• Experienced Gyro Guys that don't have Gyrobee experience. There is a wealth of information here and it should not take long for you to figure out who is respected as opposed to just making noise. As a group, these folks may be down on ultralight gyros, which is why you need to talk a lot with the first group.

• Non-gyro Guys. This is a very mixed group, ranging from people with a lot of aviation and engineering experience to those that love to hear themselves talk. If in doubt, guys from the previous two groups can help you sort out the players as opposed to those taking up space.

To download the PDF file to your computer, RIGHT CLICK on the highlighted link. A window will drop down containing several options. Select Save Target As.. and you will be prompted as to where you want the file to be stored. It can go into any directory in your system - just remember where you put it when you want to look at it later! The file will be downloaded to the directory you select. A total of 131 pages of drawings and text is a big file, so it will take some time! However, the newly-revised package is just half the size of the original, so progress does get made! Grab a cup of coffee and the latest issue of Rotorcraft and the time will pass quickly. Even if you are paying for your Internet connection by the hour, your total charges will probably be less than the postage required to mail the package. If you have a fast Internet connection at work (Ethernet, etc.) you can certainly download the file much faster than via a modem and telephone connection. Just make sure that doesn't violate the acceptable use policy at your work site. When downloading is complete, use your back-arrow to return to this page.

Attempting to download this material over a VERY slow dial-up connection can cause problems. Not only will the download take a LONG time, there is also a good possibility that you can generate a timeout in the server, making life tough for everyone else who wants the material. If you have such a connection, it might be better to go to a public library, Internet or Cyber Cafe, school, a neighbor, or other site that can handle a faster connection.

Once you have installed your Acrobat Reader software and have downloaded the Gyrobee documentation package, you can view in page by page or print it out on your printer - both functions are supported by the Reader software.

• Download the Gyrobee Documentation Package This is the latest version (5.0) of the package (text and drawings). The latest version includes documentation on the LEAF dynafocal engine mount, new material lists, the Watson Tail, and a new Appendix on setting up the rotor system. I have also implemented the "bookmark" function so you can instantly jump between major sections of the document when using the Reader. Revised June 2004. Revisions include:
• Updated discussion of stability issues.
• Current blade options
• Removal of outdated suppliers and inclusion of StarBee Gyros
• See the link below for how to upgrade your existing documentation package without downloading an entirely new copy. Note: If you have not previously downloaded the package, you will have to use this link, not the upgrade option.

•  Revision 5 Upgrade Pages The June 2004 revision consists of only four pages. Three deal with stability and blade selection to replace pages 6-8 of the original text (counting the cover sheet as page 1) that was seriously out of date with respect to the factors that determine gyroplane stability. The fourth page is new and contains some photos from "Doc" Watson taken during the construction of the prototype "Watson Tail". This page should be inserted at the end of the section on the Watson Tail. If you have an older (pre June 2004) version of the documentation, you can upgrade it to the latest version by clicking on this link. It will not take long to download the four pages, which you can then print out and insert into your existing documentation pack.

• Digipod Mount. Two-page description of a mount for the Digipod that is suitable for either the Gyrobee or the Honey Bee. Note that this material is now included with the latest revision of the documentation package. With changes to the dimensions of the support cradle, other instrument pods can be accomodated.