Bad attitude

I had an in flight failure of the vacuum system while training under the hood. Thankfully I caught it and pulled the knob to activate the backup vacuum.
 
RCA 2600 with inclinometer option. Cheaper than an Aspen setup and can replace the turn coordinator. Alternatively you can opt for a Dynon D1 portable EFIS as an emergency backup. I have the D1 and though it's a decent backup it's bulky and is sensitive to installation. I had it velcroed and the vibration of the engine made the accelerometers a little twitchy.

This is one safety of flight upgrade that will be the first order of business when I get my next aircraft. I'll move the vacuum AI to the old TC position and place the RCA in the primary AI hole. No more worrying about vacuum failures or russian roulette 'needle-ball-airspeed' nonsense in order to retain crucial attitude information. That coupled with a vertical card compass and any kind of portable GPS (in the event of main electrical failure) will ensure uneventful and seamless recovery of the aircraft in IMC.

It's amazing how having a family has changed my attitudes toward IMC flying. The stupid s--t i've done as a younger guy in an piston single in IMC.... These days it's redundant dedicated attitude indicators or I'm not doing IMC recreationally.
 
It's all about the backups ;)
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Yeah, very interesting. Better on the ground than in the air!
 
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