Century 1 Autopilot and Replacing Loran

Indiana_Pilot

Indiana_Pilot

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Does anyone have any ideas on upgrading my Century 1 autopilot to remove the Loran receiver and replace it with something that will just fly a heading.. Am I looking at some type of GPS source? I really just want to be able to set a heading and it will fly it.. Right now it's connected to VOR or Loran

Has anyone ran across this? The Avionics shops around here don't have much of an answer for me..

I only have 2 King Nav/Com radios with no current GPS source.. I am about to have a new 406ELT with built in GPS (external GPS antenna) installed next week but not sure I could use the serial connection on it to obtain GPS data or not..

Any ideas that I can take to my avionics shop?




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Flying a heading requires no avionics input, that runs off gyros, and you provide the interface to track radials by tweeking knobs. You only need a radio/GPS input if you want it to NAV mode and track designated radials, airways, or procedures. There should be a HDG mode to select that will keep it pointed where the heading bug on the DG or HSI is set.
 
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I have a VOR and a Loran toggle.. It will track a VOR but there isn't a heading mode.. How would I convert this or describe it want it converted? Sounds like it may be cheaply done.. I would really like to go the GPS route so I could have GPS and VOR but not sure how or what o would need to add GPS to .. Im not even looking for a certified install at this point maybe something more for connivence and not to fly approaches (although that would be nice !! )


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It's extremely strange to have a NAV mode with no HDG mode. I suspect what has happened is the DG that drives the AP broke, and they didn't get it fixed, but rather tossed in a regular cheap DG or something like that. :dunno: There is no heading bug on your DG?
 
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Unless I'm missing something.. I'm not sure how I would put it in "heading mode". I only have nav 1/2 and VOR/Loran switch.. ( pictured). Can I change the Loran side of the switch to "heading mode? I would imagine I will need a new DG?


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Many of the old Pipers had no heading bug. I don't think it is a simple install, but I am not an avionics guy.
 
I think you are missing the DG that goes with the A/P, but don't know the system well enough to say for sure. I don't have much time behind A/P, typically they don't work in the planes I get in that have them.
 
Ok, I have also read that I cal replace the Loran with an Apollo GPS and it will work very well but I can't seem to find any..


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Firefighter_324 said:
Does anyone have any ideas on upgrading my Century 1 autopilot to remove the Loran receiver and replace it with something that will just fly a heading.
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There is no LORAN receiver in a Century I autopilot, and even with an independent LORAN receiver, there is no way for a LORAN receiver to send steering signals to a Century I. The only way for a Century I to track a navigation course is via a CDI, and you can feed VOR, GPS, or LORAN to the CDI without the Century I knowing the difference in what's driving the needle.

. Am I looking at some type of GPS source? I really just want to be able to set a heading and it will fly it.. Right now it's connected to VOR or Loran
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There is no way to get a Century I to fly a heading -- it just doesn't have a heading input.

Has anyone ran across this? The Avionics shops around here don't have much of an answer for me..
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You can certainly replace the LORAN with a GPS, have the new GPS drive the CDI, and have the Century I follow the CDI needle just as it did when the needle was driven by the LORAN.

I only have 2 King Nav/Com radios with no current GPS source.. I am about to have a new 406ELT with built in GPS (external GPS antenna) installed next week but not sure I could use the serial connection on it to obtain GPS data or not..
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You can't. The GPS receiver in the 406 ELT is just a GPS receiver which determines its position and nothing else. You need a GPS navigator like a Garmin GPS400 to drive the CDI needle. OTOH, if you want it to be able to fly headings off a heading bug on the heading indicator, you'll have to completely replace the Century I with an autopilot capable of doing that, such as an S-Tec 20.
 
Henning said:
It's extremely strange to have a NAV mode with no HDG mode.
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Not with a Century I -- that's just they way they were built, with no means to input heading to them. Nothing you can do to change that, either -- it's not something you can upgrade or add on. All you can do is replace it with a heading-capable autopilot like a Century II (which has no commonality with the C-I) or an S-Tec 20.
 
Firefighter_324 said:
Ok, I have also read that I cal replace the Loran with an Apollo GPS and it will work very well but I can't seem to find any..
Click to expand...
You can replace certain Apollo or FlyBuddy LORAN with an Apollo/UPSAT GX55 GPS (and only a GX55 is a slide-in replacement), but that only works with those LORANs, not ones made by other manufacturers. If you do, the GX55 will send data to your CDI which your autopilot can follow.

The reason the GX55's are very hard to find is that when they turned off the LORAN in the US, everyone with a LORAN went out and bought a GX55. Since Garmin (which had bought out UPSAT which made the GX55's) had already discontinued the GX55, there were no new ones to buy, and the price on the used market about doubled overnight. Those who have them are now keeping them, and the supply is very, very small.
 
So if I purchased say a Garmin 330xl or go for a 430/530 (what I really want) either of those should be able to interface with the CDI in place of the Loran and work efectiv to to fly a course? This may be the way I go.. I am hoping to upgrade one of my radios soon so if this works this would be great... I am not looking for this for IFR purposes but it sure would be nice on long trips! Thanks everyone so far.. I am learning I keep wanting and wanting with aircraft ownership! lol


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This is why I put an STEC-20 in my Arrow this year and replaced the similar set up .....really the best option if you have the cash and want it to work....but not cheap...
 
Firefighter_324 said:
So if I purchased say a Garmin 330xl or go for a 430/530 (what I really want) either of those should be able to interface with the CDI in place of the Loran and work efectiv to to fly a course?
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Just as effectively as it did with the LORAN, which (after a lot of experience with C-I's) isn't very effectively. It will do a fairly decent job of tracking once you get on the course, but it won't intercept at all.

And I think that's a 300, not a 330. The 330 is Garmin's Mode S transponder (GTX330). Also, the GNC300 is a combination GPS and comm radio, not just a GPS. For the GPS of that Garmin generation, you'd be looking at the 155XL. That said, for what it's going to cost, go ahead and splurge on a GNS430 -- you'll be glad you did.
 
Thank you sir! Great information! I noticed that with the VOR once it get it close it does a decent job of tracking it but it would be all over the place if it tried to intercept a radial.. But hey it's better than not having one at all! lol thanks again!!


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The knob on the right side of the Century 1 selects between tracking (pushed in) or holding a heading (pulled out). The left knob is a high/low sensitivity switch and l/r trim.

I have one and it works good for what it is, no altitude hold. It did work off the Loran in it's day. Now it is tied to my Garmin 430W GPS and VOR inputs.

The century 1 is located in the lower left of your picture.
 
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Pegasus said:
The knob on the right side of the Century 1 selects between tracking (pushed in) or holding a heading (pulled out).
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The pulled out position is not repeat not a heading hold. With that knob out, it functions as a turn rate command, and that's all. With the knob centered (there's a detent at the center), you turn the trim knob on the other side to get it to hold zero turn rate, and then you rotate the turn command knob to get a desired turn rate (twisted to the limit gives standard rate). The C-I has no idea what heading it's on and no idea what heading you want, so it has no way to hold heading.

While zeroing the turn rate will in theory hold heading, every little bump moves you off heading, and the C-I merely returns you to zero turn rate without returning to the original heading. As a result, the heading wanders around -- it's slow wandering, but it's still aimless wandering.
 
Ron Levy said:
While zeroing the turn rate will in theory hold heading, every little bump moves you off heading, and the C-I merely returns you to zero turn rate without returning to the original heading. As a result, the heading wanders around -- it's slow wandering, but it's still aimless wandering.
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Quick question, if it is in the tracking mode and the CDI is deflected the c-1 will turn to re-center the CDI isn't that returning you to your original course??
 
1RTK1 said:
Quick question, if it is in the tracking mode and the CDI is deflected the c-1 will turn to re-center the CDI isn't that returning you to your original course??
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Course? Yes -- more or less, within the limits of that system's capability. But that's not the same as heading hold.
 
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