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RV-12 auto pilot

J

johns4689

Well Known Member
I built my 12 as an EAB with no autopilot. Can anyone give me any information on what it would take to add the autopilot and would it be worth the effort? I'm using the Dynon D100 EFIS. I have 54 hours on the plane and it is all apart for painting at this time.
 
AutoPilot-Is it worth it?

Well, that is totally up to you.
1. If you make a bad decision flying and fly into IMC, you can push a button and the autopilot will take over and make a 180° turn out of the soup.
2. If you want to take pictures, the autopilot can keep you right side up when you are fooling with the digital camera.
3. If you want to hold an exact altitude and course while X-country on flight following, the autopilot will do so while you watch for traffic, eat a sandwich and enjoy the scenery.
So...there are a lot of reasons, those are some of mine.

Installation is a bit difficult on the completed aircraft. If you already installed the servo brackets, less so. If you don't have the servo brackets in you will need a right angle drill adapter to drill out some rivets in the tailcone to mount the brackets for the roll servo.
You need to take off the left instrument panel to make the cutout for the AP-74.
I had about 19 hours in the autopilot install.
There are a series of pictures here that show most all of the aspects of the work required to install the autopilot.

Tony
 
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johns4689 said:
I built my 12 as an EAB with no autopilot. Can anyone give me any information on what it would take to add the autopilot and would it be worth the effort? I'm using the Dynon D100 EFIS. I have 54 hours on the plane and it is all apart for painting at this time.
Click to expand...

I put the autopilot in mine at the second condition inspection. You have to add two brackets to the bulkhead aft of the flaperon torque tubes which involves drilling out some rivets. You also have to add a doubler to one of the seat ribs under the pilot seat for the pitch servo, which involves some trimming and drilling in tight quarters but nothing you can't handle if you built your airplane. I would recommend buying the kit from Van's. It's priced competitively and includes all the instructions, brackets, linkages, etc.
-Bruce
 
I installed my autopilot after completion. I didn't find it that hard, just time consuming. I would echo Tony's comments. It is great to let Mike fly the plane while you check the map or have a bite to eat. If I ever get in IMC, I have an option.
 
You do not HAVE to have the $400 AP-74 module with a D-180. The software is in the D-180 and can be accessed via the menu system for all AP functions. Van's sells an "RV-12 Autopilot Servo Kit" that has just the servos and rods etc. without the AP-74. This is because the Skyview does not use the AP74 and many of us wanted to go ahead and install the servos while waiting. But I think that the AP brackets came with the fuselage kit and you could have optionally installed them them. (Could have been different for early kit numbers.)
 
I agree with what has been said, not hard to install but the servo in the tail cone is a pain if you are more that about 4 feet tall or over 100 pounds.

The AP74 isn't mandatory BUT it does make using the autopilot soooooo much easier. Another benefit of installing an AP74 is the synthetic voice alerts when connected to an auxiliary input on your intercom. For those with a D180 it's even better!

I blew an oil line in my RV-8 and the millisecond the oil pressure dropped the Dynon caught it and told me about it "Oil pressure low". A quick 180 back to the airport and I was on the ground before any damage done.

It will "say" a lot of other things like "altitude" or "stall" but that has been the most important one so far.

I'm convinced that the Dynon saved my engine and perhaps my butt. For 400 bucks, nice addition.
 
Any ONE of those is enough for me, three makes it a real bonus. I think back of all the times that I have wished I had an autopilot.

Tony_T said:
Well, that is totally up to you.
1. If you make a bad decision flying and fly into IMC, you can push a button and the autopilot will take over and make a 180? turn out of the soup.
2. If you want to take pictures, the autopilot can keep you right side up when you are fooling with the digital camera.
3. If you want to hold an exact altitude and course while X-country on flight following, the autopilot will do so while you watch for traffic, eat a sandwich and enjoy the scenery.
So...there are a lot of reasons, those are some of mine.

Installation is a bit difficult on the completed aircraft. If you already installed the servo brackets, less so. If you don't have the servo brackets in you will need a right angle drill adapter to drill out some rivets in the tailcone to mount the brackets for the roll servo.
You need to take off the left instrument panel to make the cutout for the AP-74.
I had about 30 hours in the autopilot install.
There are a series of pictures here that show most all of the aspects of the work required to install the autopilot.

Tony
Click to expand...
 
Im convinced

Im convinced. I have many hours in a 182 with a crappy auto pilot that never worked very well. But it wasn't my plane so I just didn't use it. Looking back on it now, I probably should have offered to get it fixed since I was using my friends plane for free. I feel like George Costanza!
With the auto pilot's being relatively inexpensive for experimental compared to certified planes, it makes all kinds of safety and convenience reasons to install one. I know several pilots that like to fly with minimal gadgets, but Im all for the extra safety it can provide.
 
Never eat with the autopilot engaged. :D

Many years ago a pilot turned on the autopilot in his twin engine aircraft and ate his lunch while en-route to an east coast destination. With a full stomach and the drone of the engines, he fell asleep. When the engines quit from fuel starvation, the pilot awoke to find himself over the Atlantic miles from shore. He called mayday, ditched in the ocean, and was rescued.
Joe Gores
 
Sounds pretty much like something I would do! Won't the Skyview wake me up hollering about low fuel or SOMETHING?
 
Mich48041 said:
Never eat with the autopilot engaged. :D
Joe Gores
Click to expand...

Next time when I cross the ocean I will disconnect the autopilot first before starting my meal, hopefully the passengers like the ride :D

I also bought the auto pilot kit as a safety feature to give me more opportunities in bad weather. I'm fully qualified IMC but even flying VFR with bad visibility is not my favorite thing to do in a small single engined aircraft. When I'm so stupid to fly in that weather the AP takes away a lot of stress.
 
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I like the "180 to clear sky" feature. I have got into IMC by things slowly getting worse and not being alert enough to notice in time.
 
DonFromTX said:
Sounds pretty much like something I would do! Won't the Skyview wake me up hollering about low fuel or SOMETHING?
Click to expand...

Yes, You can also set the timer in the D180 to sound. I guarantee you you will not sleep through that sound. :D
 
Thanks for all the good information. Since I'm running the D100 and did not do any pre-wiring, will this cause any problems? Also, if I order thru Vans will I get the wiring or do I have to make up the harness myself? I have the plane apart now for painting and would like to install the autopilot before I put it back together.
 
johns4689,
Van's Aircraft will probably sell you any wiring they have in stock. But their harness is made for the control board and the D-180. Assuming that you do not have Van's RV-12 Control Board, the plug and play harness will not help you much and will cost more than just buying the wire and making your own connections.
Seven wires run from the instrument panel to the servos. The colors of the short pig tail wires coming out of the servos are:
RED, BLK, GRN, BLU, YEL, WHT/GRN, WHT/BLU
A 2200?F capacitor is connected between the RED wire and ground at the servo under the seat. Steinair will be happy to sell you the colored wires with or without pins on the ends to match your D-100 and AP74.
The hardest part of the installation will be drilling out rivets and routing the new wires. A very small 90 degree drill is required to get at the rivets. The 90 degree adaptor that I bought at Home Depot was too big. A friend loaned me a smaller one that worked.
Joe Gores
 
This drll will do it, a little pricey from Avery, but maybe you can borrow one for a couple of drillouts.
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Mich48041 said:
johns4689,
Van's Aircraft will probably sell you any wiring they have in stock. But their harness is made for the control board and the D-180. Assuming that you do not have Van's RV-12 Control Board, the plug and play harness will not help you much and will cost more than just buying the wire and making your own connections.
Seven wires run from the instrument panel to the servos. The colors of the short pig tail wires coming out of the servos are:
RED, BLK, GRN, BLU, YEL, WHT/GRN, WHT/BLU
A 2200?F capacitor is connected between the RED wire and ground at the servo under the seat. Steinair will be happy to sell you the colored wires with or without pins on the ends to match your D-100 and AP74.
The hardest part of the installation will be drilling out rivets and routing the new wires. A very small 90 degree drill is required to get at the rivets. The 90 degree adaptor that I bought at Home Depot was too big. A friend loaned me a smaller one that worked.
Joe Gores
Click to expand...
 
Tony-

Your photos are good and a big help.

On a completed aircraft, does the fuel tank need to be removed to gain access for installation of the roll bracket & servo?

Art Kressly
 
Yep, tank needs to be removed if the aft floor panel and the corrugated bulkhead have not been split.
 
Autopilot

McPara, if installing during construction, does your comment re panels apply? Not quite sure of my question, somewhere I've seen about splitting some panel so that the tank does not have to be removed for annuals but can't find the relevant posts.
 
See this entire post. Page 13 has the split bulkhead and panel. http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=64145

If you install the servos during construction it is easy. You install them when you are connecting up the flight controls. Best advice is also before you attach the tail to the fuselage. You can also order the servos (and their associated hardware) in advance of ordering the avionics kit.
 
I added inspection ports on the belly to avoid removing the bulkhead for annuals. I put one in place so that I can inspect the aft servo with a bore scope.
 
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