Tom Martin
Well Known Member
I recently upgraded my TruTrak ADI II to a AFS autopilot and a Gemini PFD. The AFS autopilot, AFS AP, has been linked to my Advanced Flight System 4500 EFFIS.
First impressions are amazing. This unit flies my EVO rocket the way I always felt that the ADI II should have. Perhaps there is something about the EVO wing but the other unit could never stop a mild wing rock, regardless of settings.
Before I wired the new unit up I was not really sure that I wanted to tie it into the EFFIS but boy am I glad that I did. Even though I had read the manual it really did not make sense to me until I had flown the unit for a couple of times.
It is very easy with the "joystick" knob on the 4500 to change the flight modes of the AFS AP. You can set it up to take commands directly from the heading and altitude bugs. This is particularly useful when you are being vectored by control. A change in altitude is as simple as rotating the knob, the same for heading. If you are in the gps mode, GNS430W in my case, the unit will follow the flight plan perfectly. During the approach it correctly makes the transition laterally from one waypoint to the next and if you intercept the glide path from below it will perfectly follow the path down. All you have to do is adjust power to get the speed that you are looking for. If you have preset the minimums the aircraft will even level out at those minimums. If you need to do a "missed" you merely have to push the suspend button on the 430, add power and the aircraft will climb on the missed procedure. Not only that, but it will climb to correct altitude if preset, and then execute a perfect holding pattern. Amazing.
This might be old hat to you airline guys but to this rookie IFR pilot it really has the potential to not only reduce workload but significantly improve the safety of the flight. I realize that i still have to be able to hand fly the approaches but for single pilot IFR this is really the way to go for me. I had no idea that I would be able to reach it level of sophistication in a single engine homebuilt aircraft. I have been flying long enough to remember VFR flight before the Loran system and so this leap of technology is really impressive to me. I have to say that I am enjoying the IFR world, it is quite interesting, and always a challenge.
First impressions are amazing. This unit flies my EVO rocket the way I always felt that the ADI II should have. Perhaps there is something about the EVO wing but the other unit could never stop a mild wing rock, regardless of settings.
Before I wired the new unit up I was not really sure that I wanted to tie it into the EFFIS but boy am I glad that I did. Even though I had read the manual it really did not make sense to me until I had flown the unit for a couple of times.
It is very easy with the "joystick" knob on the 4500 to change the flight modes of the AFS AP. You can set it up to take commands directly from the heading and altitude bugs. This is particularly useful when you are being vectored by control. A change in altitude is as simple as rotating the knob, the same for heading. If you are in the gps mode, GNS430W in my case, the unit will follow the flight plan perfectly. During the approach it correctly makes the transition laterally from one waypoint to the next and if you intercept the glide path from below it will perfectly follow the path down. All you have to do is adjust power to get the speed that you are looking for. If you have preset the minimums the aircraft will even level out at those minimums. If you need to do a "missed" you merely have to push the suspend button on the 430, add power and the aircraft will climb on the missed procedure. Not only that, but it will climb to correct altitude if preset, and then execute a perfect holding pattern. Amazing.
This might be old hat to you airline guys but to this rookie IFR pilot it really has the potential to not only reduce workload but significantly improve the safety of the flight. I realize that i still have to be able to hand fly the approaches but for single pilot IFR this is really the way to go for me. I had no idea that I would be able to reach it level of sophistication in a single engine homebuilt aircraft. I have been flying long enough to remember VFR flight before the Loran system and so this leap of technology is really impressive to me. I have to say that I am enjoying the IFR world, it is quite interesting, and always a challenge.
