About Gyrobees

Review the Gyrobee Documentation either by ordering a disk (001-CD) or downloading the 130page information from the link on the StarBeeGyros.com home page.

Your Air Frame Preference: All SBG Rolling Air Frame Kits include parts necessary to complete Phases 1-13 of the Gyrobee Documentation plus a Starbee seat, Black Beauty rotor head and five gallon fuel tank.
To help you decide which Rolling Air Frame you will order, there are several considerations:

Raw Materials Kit (0985 - 0986) considerations:
Minimum space - clear one-car garage though the space of a two-car is optimum. Drill press, band saw, disk sander, good set of files, good quality drill bits, work bench or layout table, good lighting, table saw with minimum 60-tooth carbide blade, digital caliper, transfer punches, scribe, square, steel rule, center drills, access to a small lathe and milling machine. Purchase a bunch of quarter/twenty and 3/16 hardware bolts for pre-assembly. (AN hardware included in the Air Frame Kit will be used for final assembly.)

Predrilled Kits (0960 – 0981 & 00TB & 00BD) Considerations:
Assembly- in addition to space, lighting and layout table, you will need a good set of wrenches, an occasional extra set of hands, a couple 1' high saw horses, rubber-faced quick grip clamps and patience. You also need the ability to perform your hang test with minimum 500lb capacity and forethought on how you will extricate the 8' high assembled Bee from your building space. You may want to include the StarBee Split Mast option which eliminates the height consideration for trailering or storing.. The Split Mast allows you to trailer your Gyrobee in an unaltered enclosed trailer or roll it into a garage. Contact us.

Build-As-You-Go considerations: in addition to Assembly needs, refer to the Gyrobee Documentation Phases to plan your stages.

Gyrobee Kit Options: We offer a few Gyrobee Kits.  Total BEE (00TB) consists of a Drilled Single Mast Rolling Airframe Kit with modified suspension, cyclic control, aluminum T-tail, 4 point harness, MZ201m engine, Powerfin propeller, analog instruments, 23’ Dragon Wings, electric prerotator and battery. We also offer the BEE Deal (00BD) which has all but the instruments, engine and propeller. We can make modifications to any kit.  Either of these kits can be modified to suit your wants by contacting us.

No matter what type of Rolling Air Frame you choose, if you attend Fly-Ins, bring a camera and take many pictures for ideas and reference. Every gyro has a different twist and flair. Also, visiting the SBG Gallery may help. Each account picture has the capability of more than one picture posting so click on all of them to see if more are posted within.

Single Mast OR Redundant Mast
Information background: the original Gyrobee flew on a single 2x2x1/8" mast. The redundant mast consists of two 1x2x1/8" tubes bolted together.
Our single mast has been upgraded to 2x2x3/16". Our aerospace engineer consultant has determined that the single 2x2x3/16" mast is 13% stronger fore and aft and three times stronger side-to-side.
The redundant mast as it is would be stronger if it was BONDED but it is bolted at three points. Some pilots feel a peace of mind with the two and others prefer the single. This is your personal preference.
One consideration for Raw Materials Kit builders: there is half as much drilling on a single mast and it is much easier to line up the cluster plates.

SB Modified Suspension (889K) The Original Gyrobee has tread of 7'1". The Starbee Modified Suspension uses a 5'6" tread for ease of moving in a garage and trailering.  The 750lb spring rate shocks work within the triangulated suspension. We believe it is a more rugged and smoother operating suspension system than the original bungee cord system.  Many a hard landing has come off unscathed with the Modified Suspension that could otherwise have suffered suspension collapse.

Completing Your Gyrobee
After the initial decisions pertaining to the rolling air frame are made, you will need to plan for the other essentials to head you toward the runway.

Rotor Blades (922 -945) When you get to this point, contact us with your pilot weight and field elevation to determine the blade size that is right for you. A pilot weighing up to about 180-200lbs with a low field elevation can expect to fly on 23' Dragon Wings. These blades come crated and shipped directly from the factory to your local freight airport. Dragon Wings fly exceptionally well on a Gyrobee and have a small hub bar that is included in the price. Dragon Wings do require a prerotator. Sport Copter blades are hand startable or easily started with the StarBee Gizmo recoil prerotator (915). If you are planning on building an ultralight, using the Gizmo at 4.5 pounds is a consideration.  Rotordyne blades are also hand startable, excellent quality and mid-range in price.  Call us to discuss your choices to help determine which brand and size will be best for you.

Engine (950-958) Rotax 447,503,& 582 are the most widely known engines though they are not the only choices. Hirth works well on a Gyrobee as well as MZ and Kawasaki. The MZ 201m is built for Star Bee Gyros for use on the Gyrobee. This cog-belt driven, 50+hp engine weighing about 73lbs complete with electric start, works well with the electric prerotator.  By using the Gizmo recoil Prerotator, you can save battery weight needing only to turn over the engine.The MZ201 is an excellent choice for those of you looking it stay within the ultralight perameters weighing in at 63lbs complete!  The MZ202 puts out 60hp and has a gear box with a clutch.  All have a TBO of 500 hours compared to the Rotax TBO of 300 hours.

Propeller (932, 934, 935) The Tennessee Propeller is a two-blade laminated maple prop 60"x38".  The Ivoprop is a three-blade, ground adjustable composite prop. The Powerfin is a three-blade ground adjustable pitch prop. (e-mail SBG with engine size when ordering.) If you will be flying off a gravel air strip, either the Ivoprop or Tennessee propeller is a better choice.

Cyclic Control (890)  Is reasonably priced, has nylon bushings and is lightweight; built with 6061-T6 aluminum.

T-Tail (895) Is 6061-T6 aluminum 28" tall; 58" wide, has 6sf of horizontal stabilizer and mounting hardware.

Seat Belt Harness (975) Is a four point harness with 2' wide belts.

Instrument Pod (970) and Pod Mount (971)  Has six 2.25" slots and an engine hour meter slot. It comes in white and paints easily. A solid face is also available -contact us.

Instruments, Throttle and Battery and other necessities are available by contacting Star Bee Gyros.

Clear Skies to you in your StarBee Gyrobee !