Vertical Power new products

[BruceP]

Stein is building my panel in April and I hope to be one of the first in line for VP-400...I for one can't wait and believe it will be worth every penny...

[GusBiz]

I see the -400 as an airbag, a device to take action after the disaster has taken place.

I see the -200 as the Antiskid braking system, a device that assists preventing the disaster.

Autocheck lists, modes of flights that set and calibrate flight configurations along with procedures mean your doing it right in the first place.

It means you can catch your engine quiting because you did the check proceedure and every thing else as it should be. Your promoted to be a professional pilot rather than get in and go, like a car.

If the -400 gets all the flight modes of the -200 then OK. I feel the display is a little big for a backup EFIS, try putting that into a -7 with a G900x There ain't a lot of room there.

Still, I am more glad that Marc is doing what he is doing instead of not doing it at all.

It was a bold move and you have to appreciate the guts and commitment it takes to do that.

As far as a BRS goes. I am all for pilots knowing that if you don't get this right your dead. It perks up your dilligence, it makes you do your job. Every pilot should be able to shut off their engine and know what to do to get her down on the wheels.

Always having something that will save you sometimes can make people complacant.

But that is just how I approach my life.

[bruceh]

Ran across these 2 web pages (first page, second page) describing more of the development and flight testing (on an RV-7) of the new VP-400. Gives a much better description of what the software behind the system is trying to do.

I've used the X-plane flight sim software on my Mac for years. I had no idea that their sim expertise is what is behind the runway seeker on the VP-400.

Very cool stuff!

[Buggsy2]

Does the guy write pulp fiction paperbacks for a living? Check out this over-the-top stuff:

Soon enough, we were airborne, and the turbulence was unlike anything I have ever felt. While my Columbia-400 would punch through the turbulence quickly with short, precise jolts that were instantly damped as the airplane held it?s footing, the light, slow little RV-7 rocked, rolled, climbed, descended, and (most annoyingly) pitched over to low or zero G as the wind lifted up and down on the tail. And, since the lightweight, less-stable little bird was moving so much slower, each upset from the turbulence lasted a much longer time. What in the Columbia would be a short jolt, with no change in heading, speed, attitude, or altitude, was in the RV-7 a 3-second long, dizzying pitch-over, with low-G, pitch change, and altitude change. After it was over, some new upset would spin the little RV-7 into some new flight path direction. On and on this went. You could really tell that the air was moving in large vortices, or swirls, that the Columbia would punch through in an instant, but would swirl the RV-7 around like a pair of underwear in a washing machine on the wash cycle.

[Matt Dralle]

Originally Posted by Buggsy2

Does the guy write pulp fiction paperbacks for a living? Check out this over-the-top stuff:

What a hoot! Aunty Ann, Aunty Ann, and Toto too! I love how he used the phrase "punch through" twice in the same paragraph. Ack.

According to this Columbia-400 Specs the C-300 Maximum Structural Cruising Speed is 181 kts in the neighborhood of 15gph+ with a maxmimum climb rate of 1300fpm.

My "slow little" IO-390 powered RV-8 climbs 3000fpm solo and cruses 174 kts on 11gph. Oh, and its fully aerobatic.

There something swirling around in that guy's washing machine, but I think its a load of ****...

[pvalovich]

Originally Posted by Buggsy2

Does the guy write pulp fiction paperbacks for a living? Check out this over-the-top stuff:

I'm one of those guys who, when on an airliner, thinks you need moderate turbulance - just to keep the pilots awake.

-8A with a TruTrak ADI II autopilot. I would like to invite the dreamworld author of this piece to punch through turbulance in an RV-8A so equipped. Amazing how the AP responds. As the Tru Trak manual sez: Our AP's love turbulance.

And if I don't like it , I can Imelman, barrel roll or split S outta dodge in my acro-capable magic carpet!

[PropellerHead]

I am, admittedly, delayed from starting my RV-10 because life got in the way with a job/home relocation and an upcoming house build. As upset as that made me for delaying my project, I'm pleased that it allowed technology to develop and mature while I watch, learn, and make decisions. In the additional time for me to be ready to buy, the VP-400 will be matured with the flight modes and everything else people were asking for anyway. The only down-side I see is having the room for it in RV's with smaller panels. Maybe a smaller form-factor EFIS can be made (VP-400 Sport) for those customers.

Back when I talked to my wife about the idea of building a home-built airplane, her biggest requirement was that I would make it as safe as possible. I recently started showing her the Vertical Power VP-400 features and explained, "If something ever happens to me in flight, you have the ability to get down safely by yourself with some training." I think of it as both a pilot hazard insurance and a survival advantage for my family and I in a crisis situation.

I was planning a G-900 panel in the RV-10 and would want a backup EFIS anyway. Why not get the VP-400 for the functionality, simplicity, and the additional safety available for my family and I in the event something bad happens. I pay for many insurance policies, already, for all sorts of peril. This is just one more to give me and my family peace of mind.

[MCA]

We have the VP-400 working with Garmin G-900 (and TruTrak Sorcerer) on the Lancair Evolution. See it here. You'll have to do the measuring to see if it'll all fit on a -10.

[TruTrakAndrew]

Yesterday Marc was here at our facility in AR to get the autopilot interface working better with the Runway Seeker in the VP-400. The interface was working ok, but not great. We did some tweaking to the AP and I must say...WOW!!!

These two systems working together are very impressive. I flew with Marc a few months ago and I thought it was cool, but now that the AP can hold it EXACTLY on the desired course it is even better. No overshoot, no oscillation. What the VP-400 is asking the autopilot to do is quite a bit more than your normal run of the mill GPSS or approach, so we had to up a few gains and get a few limiters out of the way. When we did, it was so much more aggressive than the normal AP mode...I was impressed. We will be using this high rates / gains mode exclusively for the VP-400. This is so that we can provide the smoothest ride in normal conditions, but in emergency conditions we can really get with it. Of course I may just be a little biased in the autopilot direction, but what can I say. :-)

Marc's poor 7 must think that we have nothing better to do than climb to altitude, cool the engine, then throttle all the way back to nothing and circle to land. Because that is what we did over and over again. I grew more impressed each time we engaged the Runway Seeker.

Cool technology, no doubt about it.

[MCA]

Wow, what a difference! Truly amazing what your engineers can do!