Moscow Rules

Startup of a Russian "type 458" gyro block of a MiG-21 fighter after almost 40 years of storage
barjan82
YouTube Description:

The "type 458" gyro block (Russian: 458МКС-15-32) in combination with the AGD-1 1122A/B (Russian: АГД-1) type attitude indicator/artificial horizon is a part of the inertial navigation system used in the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 supersonic jet fighter aircraft. The same gyro block is also used on a big variety of other Russian aircraft still flying today. The shown gyro block was kept in storage for almost 40years after being rejected, this is the third startup after the storage. The current setup yet lacks the matching AGD-1 1122A/B type HSI instrument, instead the pitch indicator block (syncro resolver and AC servomotor with servo amp) of a AGB-3K type attitude indicator is wired up for operation. Power requirement of the system is 27V DC and 3x36V 400Hz AC. Steady state total power consumption of the system is around 60W off the 27V bus (with a solid state 3phase 400Hz sine-wave inverter with 80% efficiency). Video quality is rather poor as usual :)

Just the coolest thing I've seen today. The way it jerks into position and the way it takes forever to get to full speed are just very cool. Evidently they are still in use, though I think new designs all use MEMS and can fit inside your smartphone. Previous inertial navigation post here.