Flyer59 wrote:
I still find the technology impressive
What technology? What is impressive? All the button does is enable wing level and altitude hold. Just a marketing thing really.
What technology? What is impressive? All the button does is enable wing level and altitude hold. Just a marketing thing really.
Yes, then take an S-TEC55 or KFC225, turn the airplane upside down, 80 degrees bank and with 20 degress pitch and then press “ALT” and “HDG” or any mode you want. Have fun ;-)
I tried it with the S-TEC30+ in my very well mannered Warrior. It does not work.
The DFC90 uses speed, attitude and air data plus the signal from the turn coordinator, so it is not comparable with typical GA autopilots like the S-TEC55/X.
Don’t mix rate based and attitude based autopilots please. The former do not know that you’re in an abnormal attitude.
I would not be surprised if the KFC225 was able to recover like the others. What it is missing is envelope protection so it would likely stall or exceed Vne during its manoeuvers but in most cases it should be able to recover.
Add-on:
Show me any other A/P (except the GFC700, DFC100) that will recover an airplane safely from 60 degrees of bank and 30 degrees +/- of pitch, and can command a recovery at 2.5 g
Don’t mix rate based and attitude based autopilots please. The former do not know that you’re in an abnormal attitude.
Exactly.
Of course the “S&L” button does “similar” things as pressing ALT and HDG or STABILIZE … but combined with the Envelope protection system the outcome is very different. I was told that the programming of this feature is different too, but i do not know the details.
By the way: the A/P does not only do Envelope Protection but EA, Envelope Announcement not only in FD mode but also if it’s only in STBY and you handfly.
Flyer59 wrote:
By the way: the A/P does not only do Envelope Protection but EA, Envelope Announcement not only in FD mode but also if it’s only in STBY and you handfly.
Yes, yet another annoying female voice harassing me in my cockpit 
I normally retract the flaps right on touchdown and then the DFC yells “underspeed, underspeed” at me. That is usually preceded by Mrs Garmin yelling “terrain, terrain, pull up, pull up” on my base leg as that is right into a mountain ridge…
I hate that too … especially because in the Cirrus you have the EGPWS system yelling at you. At LOWZ, taking off twds the mountain it’s really annoying… and I always forget to switch it off before takeoff.
Are you sure retracting the flaps that quickly is a good idea? One day you’ll be thinking about something else … and retract the gear. Happened more than once. Better wait until you leave the runway ..
The WORST thing aboutthe DFC90 is that voice itself ;-) They could have done that a bit more sexy …
Small aircraft autoland. Really??? Not in a million years?
What is the overlap between the following envelopes
In an unusual attitude (a nice way of saying you have lost control, usually in roll), you will have only seconds before Vne, and if the magic button doesn’t work, how far away is the max deployment speed of the chute?
