@Regent – I never had any issues, not one single second with the GPS receiver (I run the D3 as backup sice two years now on every flight). I don’t even have the seperate GPS antenna connected. That said, it may differ with other aircraft types. Mine is a Europa Experimental and the D3 is mounted in the top left of the panel, just left of the Dynon D100 EFIS.
Ibra: if your in a Cirrus it’s OK. Sit back as the chute lands you
It’s first resort not last one, I made few jokes on this, someone almost believed one of them 
- You need to pull the chute before battery/alternator dies out: if CAPS circuit breaker pops up you reduce electrical load, wait 5min, before resetting CB, recycle alternator and try again
- You need to pull the chute before AI/PFD dies: if not the line net & cutters will not know how to to level the aircraft vertically for impact on wheels & seats cushion
- You need to pull the chute before the engine fan stops: if not CAPS will not get inflated by relative airflow and prop wash
PS: All jokes of course, all you need is hand force…
Ibra: if your in a Cirrus it’s OK. Sit back as the chute lands you. Look
From 4:10 you see what you get without GPS signal… also seems to be a very weak receiver, every smartphone does better. Free EFIS TA app does the same and shows attitute without GPS signal.
Well if you ever fly in IMC and lose primary AI for flying, lose COM/TXP for radar vectoring and lose GPS signal for pocket PFD/MFD backup and can’t find VMC, then it’s really your time !
If it’s also 20min left on emergency battery driven FADEC or electrical fuel pump, why even resist death? I would just make few random wishes and quick prays, pull the keys out and switch fuel OFF and enjoy my last seconds, if lucky I may even walk away out of it…
Indeed – autopilots which need GPS to fly an ILS.
Major downside of these units is, they will basically stop working when GPS signal is lost. They fall back to a black screen with a very tiny turn coordinator in the lower left corner. That is why i never got one…
In line with this topic, fancy Garmin GFC500 autopilot will not follow the glideslope on an ILS if GPS connection is lost. Not talking about flying the GPS overlay or LPV, just the plain raw data VLOC green needles on the indicator approach. And that is why i would keep my KAP/KFC or whatever autopilot as long as it works…
For a reason the manufactures of these units are not very offensive to provide this information to the customer.
Malibuflyer wrote:
As one can’t mount it in primary field of view and in most planes it would even be mounted somewhere to the side so that one has to turn the head to focus on it, I’d expect it’s quite a challenge using it ?!?
Considering the traditional backup is a turn coordinator mounted on the bottom left of the panel, I can’t see how a proper AI mounted on the left of the windscreen is any worse. But I haven’t tried it.
Has anybody ever tried to really use it – so flying in IMC or under the hood (with a safety pilot of course) just with reference to this device with the AI, etc. on the panel blacked out?
Not in SEP, I was keen to try with vibrations to see how it performs, just never had a chance to mount and play with, I tried it in glider cloud flying, it does a pretty good job as long as your idea of backup is to maintain wings level on a well trimmed aircraft on stable speed & config until you find VMC…
If your idea of IFR backup is to fly Cat3 ILS with 1/2 dot in windy days, or get out of +/-45deg pitch & bank in TCU, or fly +/-1deg pitch & bank with 700hp in front, or to fly in radar TMA with machine gun vectoring, yes it’s not it’s not the right device and you should get something more serious, a second PFD or second AI in front of your eyes would be better
It’s utility is proportional to your required flying accuracy ! (still it’s easier to fly than partial panel on TC down left)
Has anybody ever tried to really use it – so flying in IMC or under the hood (with a safety pilot of course) just with reference to this device with the AI, etc. on the panel blacked out?
As one can’t mount it in primary field of view and in most planes it would even be mounted somewhere to the side so that one has to turn the head to focus on it, I’d expect it’s quite a challenge using it ?!?
