Interesting. It's our "good ol' boys" that started using gyros before anybody. The jet guys use them on their nose gear to help track straight down the runway at the much higher speeds. I'm not aware of anyone who uses them on large scale 3D planes. Those things are so easy to fly, I don't know why anyone would need a gyro. The small and foam aircraft is where a gyro really shines. Those fast little ducted fan foamies are quite a handful, especially in wind. A gyro really makes them more fun in my opinion. Gyros have their place. I tend to agree that they can actually be a hindrance to learning, but if someone choses not to learn to fly without one, that's their business.
For Beginners
I think the safe mode on some of the foam trainers is wonderful. My gosh, you can actually save your plane when things go bad instead of picking up the pieces and going back to the shop for days, weeks, or months. I would think the "good ol' boys" above all would recognize how awesome that is. The younger generation can save much of the heartache they had to endure after turning their brand new scratch built plane into toothpicks 30 seconds after takeoff. Of course there are those who think everybody ought to have the exact same experience they did, which is sad. That said, wrecking a plane or two does make you try harder to master the skills, and every beginner should step up to a plane without safe mode at some point.
What's way important than the kind of plane, radio, servos, gyros, is that you go fly, and fly, and fly, and fly, and fly. Gyro or not, flying in the only thing makes you better at flying.
