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KFC225 AP Training

Dear all, despite re-reading the user manual of the KFC 225 AP I conclude sometimes not fully outbidding all features of this device. Does anybody know about a training possibiity or an online training course that could help?

TB20 Airman
Borkenberge EDLB, Germany

I have not heard of any such course.

This autopilot was installed from about 1999 to about 2003, after which all OEMs (airframe manufacturers) dropped it due to poor reliability of the servos, which were burning out due to a software bug in the computer exposing a design defect in the servos. Details here. Apart from these issues it is an excellent autopilot, very good performance, all-digital control loop… as good as anything out today.

It was installed in various planes including TB GTs, PA46, Cessna Caravan, Mooneys, C182s… I think the PA46 installation was the only one which didn’t keep burning out the servos. Many were eventually ripped out and replaced with probably the STEC 55X.

It was never sold as a retrofit, although many years later Honeywell did try to do that, apparently with zero success. It was expensive – over 40k – but then all fully functioning autopilots are.

When I got my plane in 2002 I just read the handbook, flew around and played with it.

It works like all the others, especially from King, i.e. press AP and if the roll angle is within 7 degrees it levels the wings and captures the pitch. Then pressing HDG captures the heading bug. Etc.

There are some funny things like if you press NAV it won’t capture the GPS track unless the deviation bar is at least half scale off centre. I don’t know if this was changed in some firmware update.

It doesn’t check if the VS direction will ever produce a capture e.g. at 5000ft, selecting -500fpm and having 6000ft preset, will obviously never capture. But I am told even airliner autopilots do that.

I have all the manuals if you need them, including all the MMs for all the parts including the servos. They were hard to find. The only thing I don’t have is the “certification diskette” which is used to configure the configuration module. Only dealers have these. I have been trying to get one for ages. I did manage to get one for the PA46.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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