What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

TT ADI Pilot 1 Review and Questions

Kyle Boatright

Well Known Member
The question first:

What roll sensitivity and torque settings are people using on RV4's, 6's, 7's and 8's running TT autopilots? The installation manual offers very little help here and if people have proven settings, I'll just plug 'em in.

With that out of the way, I wanted to post some feedback on the ADI Pilot 1 I installed in the RV-6 last weekend. (Note to self - Don't sign yourself up for a weekend under the panel on the hottest, most humid weekend of the year.)

Anyway, my airplane's panel is/was straight out of a J-3 Cub. The only gyro I had was a T&B, and my heading indicator was a wet compass. Not the best setup if I ever got into low vis conditions, which I've managed to avoid for 8 years or so.

I've always wanted an artificial horizon for safety purposes (say I get stuck on top one day), and a DG would be nice too - chasing a heading on the compass isn't exactly precision flying. Also, I'm tired of studying a map for 10 seconds, and having to make a serious course correction because the RV has wandered off somewhere, so an autopilot would come in handy.

And what product that'll fit in an existing hole (bye bye T&B!) gives all those features? The ADI Pilot 1. What an upgrade! Essentially an artificial horizon, directional gyro, and autopilot all in one. I've only flown with it once (today), but I am very impressed. The single knob control is extremely simple to use and the unit does everything that it is asked to do. At this point, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I'm even more pleased that a couple of issues I was worried about are non-factors. First, I used the under-seat location for the servo. I was worried about pitch interaction from the roll servo, but that doesn't appear to be an issue. The folks at Trutrak said it wouldn't be, but I was skeptical. Also, I was concerned that the drag of the servo on the control system would be an issue for me. After I'd made the mechanical hookups for the servo, I noticed a slight juddering when I moved the stick on the ground and was prepared for a minor degradation of control feel. As it turns out, the resistance is unnoticable in flight.

This is one upgrade I'd strongly recommend...
 
49clipper

I added the TT also, but went with the ADI II for about the same reasons. Its a great little unit. Also needed a cost effective Attitude Indicator. I would also like to know the settings most used, as mine rools around a lot in slight turbulence. Only second flight though.
 
I added the TT also, but went with the ADI II for about the same reasons. Its a great little unit. Also needed a cost effective Attitude Indicator. I would also like to know the settings most used, as mine rools around a lot in slight turbulence. Only second flight though.
If you're just VFR and want an attitude-indicator (as others have discussed elsewhere, the ADI is not a gyro) as well as an AP, then the ADI Pilot makes sense. The ADI Pilot II's altitude hold works well. No vertical speed functions, but if you're VFR, you probably don't need it as much; YMMV.

TODR
 
Back
Top