Sometimes you get lucky

Kaye

Kaye

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Messages
815
Location
Virginia
Display Name
Display name:
iPlaneless
Supposed to go to ONX yesterday. The forecasts went from cruddy to probably good to most likely cruddy with rain. The ceilings along the route were forecasted from 4000 on down to 2500. Good day to get some easy IFR, but I chickened out due to the forecasted freezing levels since I'm not smart enough about that area yet. So the day around here turned out pretty nice, and I was kicking myself in the butt for not going. I would've been in the clouds towards the last half of the trip, but not a big deal as ceilings were 3000 and above, good practice.

Since I cancelled, one of the other partners took the plane up to practice approaches, and guess what..................the AI started acting up, and then finally did a last tumble and died. Along with it went the autopilot and electric trim. Needless to say, I'm not kicking myself in the butt anymore, actually feeling kind of lucky that I didn't have to try out my partial panel skills that I just honed this past week.

Kaye
 
woodstock said:
yipes! glad you didn't go up either!
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Glad you stayed on the ground. losing your AI and all your autoflight as well is no fun at all.

Good luck getting it rebuilt/replaced and hope you're back in the air soon!

-Tim
 
Congrats on getting lucky. What Autopilot do you have? Century?
 
Very lucky.

I've had three AIs give it up during flight. The first was during my IFR training, one went on an IFR flight (but VFR conditions), and the third went while practicing commercial maneuvers.

This is a great example of why frequent IPCs are a good idea.
 
Quick, go buy a lottery ticket!
(thanks for the reminder to get more pp, too)
 
NC Pilot said:
Congrats on getting lucky. What Autopilot do you have? Century?
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Uhhhh, sure Mark, ask me technical quesitons. :redface: It's got a KFC 150 flight control system installed in it. Not sure how all the parts all play together, but I sure do know where where the circuit breakers are. :p
 
Kaye said:
Uhhhh, sure Mark, ask me technical quesitons. :redface: It's got a KFC 150 flight control system installed in it. Not sure how all the parts all play together, but I sure do know where where the circuit breakers are. :p
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OK, but obviously the AP takes it's inputs from the AI then. I know Century does, but I think King does too. S-Tec and some others take it's input from the turn and bank. Different ways of doing the same thing and each with advantages and disadvantages.

Glad it didn't happen during IMC.
 
NC Pilot said:
OK, but obviously the AP takes it's inputs from the AI then. I know Century does, but I think King does too. S-Tec and some others take it's input from the turn and bank. Different ways of doing the same thing and each with advantages and disadvantages.

Glad it didn't happen during IMC.
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I know that one!!!! and yes, it does take it from the AI, which I thought was a real bummer. Think I'd prefer it on the turn coord since it's electric, and if the vacumn went, I'd still have auto to help. But the plane does have a back-up vacumn system.....like you said, advantages and disadvantages.
 
Must be the day / weekend for auto pilot failure, went on a joy ride of this fine arkansas day and about 35 nm out the aircraft started a right bank and kept on going, almost a 90 degree before I got control....who needs an auto pilot on a fine VFR day anyways....seemed to hold the heading though.
Mark
 
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