Rigidity in space
A spinning gyro holds its position in space, no matter how the airplane around it moves.
Attitude indicator
Fly the airplane
Gyro
Try this: bank with the gyro spinning, then turn the spin to 0 and bank again. The green rotor follows the airplane and the attitude indicator stops showing the bank. Dashed gray line = true vertical.
Key points +
What makes a gyro more rigid?
- More mass in the rotor
- Faster spin
- Weight concentrated at the rim