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  #11  
Old 03-04-2016, 08:38 PM
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Jesse Jesse is offline
 
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For full disclosure, I am a dealer of Dynon equipment, but that doesn't change my opinion of them. I sell their stuff because I like it, I don't like it because I sell it.

I also have installed a lot of TruTrak auto pilots. They work somewhat differently than the Dynon, but overall are very stable and dependable as well.

I have also installed some Garmin servos, and they work well also.

I have never had the need or request to install Trio or GRT equipment, but I hear good things about both.
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  #12  
Old 03-05-2016, 10:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cactuspilot View Post
I haven't read the article, but I don't have a clue what he is talking about. I have never flown an airplane with an autopilot, (inc. g/a, commuter, Boeing, Airbus, etc.) that required me to preflight or otherwise test the autopilot as part of the preflight checks.
The King autopilot in my Mooney had to be ground tested or it would not engage in flight, so it's not unheard of.

"POWER ON AND SELF-TEST

When power is applied to the KAP 150 the TRIM light will be illuminated indicating that the system self-test should be initiated. The test must be completed before the A/P can be engaged. To perform the test momentarily push the TEST button."
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  #13  
Old 03-05-2016, 11:48 AM
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N941WR N941WR is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dynonsupport View Post
There are no clutches in a Dynon servo. They are inherently safe in that the internal drive motors are torque limited. Every time you "slip" the servos you are experiencing the maximum torque it can exert in a failure.
The servos also have a shear pins which will break, if the AP jams.

Mac is a good writer but he doesn't seem to understand the experimental products we enjoy so much.
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  #14  
Old 03-05-2016, 12:21 PM
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The preflight checks in Even a basic late model 172 have you engage the AP during preflight and move the controls, I believe to verify that you can over power the controls, then you disconnect the AP and hear the annunciation.

The Garmin AP instructions tell you to do the same. During any preflight when I knew I would be using the AP on my G3X I would do this... AP master switch on, Engage AP (GMC 305), move controls, disengage using remote disconnect/CWS button. Sort of a loop to verify all is good, takes two seconds.
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  #15  
Old 03-05-2016, 02:07 PM
49clipper 49clipper is offline
 
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In the King Air models, it is part of the checklist to check break out force and to see if they move in the right direction on each startup. I never do it on my TruTrak though. Maybe I should at least check the direction.
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  #16  
Old 03-05-2016, 02:08 PM
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WingedFrog WingedFrog is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbro172 View Post
The preflight checks in Even a basic late model 172 have you engage the AP during preflight and move the controls, I believe to verify that you can over power the controls, then you disconnect the AP and hear the annunciation.

The Garmin AP instructions tell you to do the same. During any preflight when I knew I would be using the AP on my G3X I would do this... AP master switch on, Engage AP (GMC 305), move controls, disengage using remote disconnect/CWS button. Sort of a loop to verify all is good, takes two seconds.
This is exactly the answer I was looking for. Can I do that with my Skyview and how? I understand that the slip warning is a virtual slip as well explained by the Dynon representative (not knowing better I had taken the slip warning as the sign of a clutch existence) but still, is a preflight test of the Skyview AP really useless?
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  #17  
Old 03-05-2016, 04:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedFrog View Post
This is exactly the answer I was looking for. Can I do that with my Skyview and how? I understand that the slip warning is a virtual slip as well explained by the Dynon representative (not knowing better I had taken the slip warning as the sign of a clutch existence) but still, is a preflight test of the Skyview AP really useless?
Yes you can. The Dynon AP has a self test function.

Check your PM's.
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  #18  
Old 03-06-2016, 06:10 AM
cactusman cactusman is offline
 
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Well I read the article, and it was excellent.

I will say that this thread probably misses the intent of the article all together.

Fly the plane...use automation to help you fly the plane...know the limits of that automation...intervene to correct when necessary.

First off, I am no expert on autopilot servos, but it strikes me that generally testing servos the way some suggest here is putting wear and tear on devices that don't necessarily need to be tested that way.

Second, a refresher:

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  #19  
Old 03-06-2016, 09:45 AM
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Default automation and staying on track

Mac is pretty old school... well, so am I so look who's talking.
But, some of the writers don't get around much before they start typing these days. I do have" not so fond" memories of rental Cessnas that came with an autopilot. No one I ever knew would engage one of those without a firm grip on the wheel. More likely than not, the plane would be headed for an oil starvation situation in moments.
One item that always sticks in my mind though, was asking the FAA flight test engineers how much force was allowed to be in the pilots hands if elevator trim ever went full travel (un-commanded) at cruise speeds. It was at a time when an Italian professor was introducing his autopilot via STC here in America. It had no servo on the elevator. Only a brushless motor servo on the trim tab. It came to mind again this weekend when I was hefting a sixty pound sack of concrete pre-mix for a backyard project. The FAA, the designer and of course the marketing people could never give me a straight answer. But I do have a suspicion that the forces in pitch would certainly be a challenge until one got slowed down and or pulled a breaker.
My Tru Trak and my Trio are very well mannered BTW.
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  #20  
Old 03-06-2016, 05:39 PM
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WingedFrog WingedFrog is offline
 
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This thread is getting more and more interesting and funny... Eventually I would like someone to come with an idea on how to do this preflight test in a way that's not as cumbersome as the Dynon test which IMHO is more adapted to test the installation than for a preflight test. I personally (I may be wrong) do not see great harm in not having this test but as an avid user of the autopilot, it would bother me having to turn around after finding out that 10 minutes into my flight the autopilot is not working. Yes, I admit, I hate flying my RV-12 on a straight and level flight of one or two hours!
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