Proper Handling of Your Gyroscope

Gyros are essential pieces of business aircraft avionics equipment and you invest a lot of money to keep them airworthy. They can operate properly for many years or fail in just a few days, whether new in the box or overhauled. It all boils down to the environment in which they operate and how well you take care of them. When the OEM prints the words “Handle Like Eggs” across every unit, they mean it! Here are a few things to keep in mind when handling a gyro.

Proper Gyro Handling

1. Allow the aircraft to come to a complete stop and sit for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove the gyro. This gives the gyro time to completely spool down and stop spinning. The newer and more efficient the unit, the longer the gyro will spin.
2. Handle Like Eggs, seriously! During transportation is when potentially serious problems can occur. You may send in a unit for a simple fix, but if it is not properly packaged and shipped, then you increase the likelihood of it arriving with a more serious problem. To minimize ground turbulence, a gyro should be shipped by air.
3. Do not unplug or plug your gyro in with aircraft power on. Gyros should only be connected or disconnected after they have spooled down completely, minimizing the chance of any excessive vibration from installing or removing the connector to damage the gyro.
4. Unpack your overhauled gyro at the aircraft to avoid rumbling it across the ramp on a cart. Dropping a gyro from ½” above a hard surface can result in significant damage.

When you need to remove the gyro from the aircraft to troubleshoot squawks or gain further access, the same care should be used.

Proper Gyro Storage

1. Anytime a gyro is removed from the aircraft, it should be immediately put into an adequately padded shipping container, if possible.
2. Store the gyro flat on a shelf resting on padding in a temperature-controlled environment.
3. If the gyro will be stored for an extended period of time, it should be powered up every six months and allowed to spin for 10-15 minutes. This redistributes the oil or grease throughout the bearings. If left to sit, the oil and grease will pool at the bottom of the unit and cause friction damage of the upper bearings upon the next start-up.

Remember that a gyro is like an egg. Unless you want it scrambled, handle accordingly.