Standy Attitude Indicator

[Guptar]

A contact of mine is doing an avionics upgrade to an aircraft he owns and is online at a flying school. Main display will be an Aspen 1000 Pro.

My question is, if you're going to have a standby attitude indicator, but is not required by the regs, ie for charter.....aircraft is airwork category only(IFR training). could you use a non certified unit as a standby AI.

Blue mountains avionics have a nifty little AI the EFIS Lite that is actually cheaper than the conventional standby AI such as the Life saver AI.

Can this be done?

[27/09]

Two questions.

What does the Aspen install manual say?

Does the aircraft have an autopilot that uses the current AI for roll and or pitch info? If it does then that AI has to be the one that is used.

Why not use the existing AI anyway it will be the cheapest option.

[VH-XXX]

You can put anything in there as long as it's plaquarded to say that it is a Secondary non certified VFR guide for reference.

Can't remember the exact wording but I remember JRL an SR22 had a sticker across the top of the Avidyne (map) saying that it was for secondary use only and not to be used for IFR - and this is a factory built certified IFR aircraft.

[rjtjrt]

Your friend is lucky.
Blue mountains avionics just announced 2 days ago it was out of business and closed!
see their web site to confirm.

[Jabawocky]

Yes BMA is not the best option.

The best thing for this job is the "Entry Level" Dynon D6 with a back up battery (assume the old girls not fitted with dual battery systems). Small but enough features to be really useful, and you are not paying for things like the A/P and HSI features. If you want a nice HSI to go with your ARINC 429 Nav gear, its a great idea!

This is an approved back up by the CASA boys and girls.

Would strongly suggest the extra few $$ for the remote compass head as well. These are very reliable and the best all round value on the market. I have probably 1000 hrs or more on units I have purchased. If there is a problem the company bed over backwards to help :ok:.

Dynon Avionics (http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/D6_intro.html)

http://www.dynonavionics.com/images/d6%20straight%20on.jpg


And these are a good thing too!

http://www.dynonavionics.com/images/EMS-D10_angle_small.jpg

If you have plenty of space go the bigger units, but really these smaller ones are perfect for this retrofit to older certified a/c.

Contact Horsham Aviation down in Mexico.....ahhh I mean Victoria.

[baron_beeza]

Dynon Avionics - Australian Government Approval (http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/news_australia_casa.html)

The Australian government Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) recently released a letter stating that all of Dynon's EFIS and EMS systems may be fitted as non-required equipment in certified aircraft.

[Arnold E]

Cant find any evidence of Blue Mountains going tits up, more info please:eek::eek::eek:

[VH-XXX]

That Dynon statement is nothing but marketing and means nothing.

You can fit ANY device to your IFR aircraft that isn't certified as long as you don't rely on it for Primary Navigation !!!!!

They fit them in Jabiru's with a sign on them to not use them for primary navigation.

[KittyKatKaper]

Arnold E
From Welcome to Blue Mountain Avionics (http://www.bluemountainavionics.com/) (the home-page that I bookmarked quite some time ago) Well, it's been fun. We developed a whole new class of machine, started an industry, dominated it, and are now leaving it. BMA will be ceasing production and spinning down. The best way to contact us is via email:
Dang it.. The way the AU $ was/is/was/is going, I'm in the market for some solid-state attitude gear.

[Arnold E]

Ok got it now, far out!!:eek: well I have got Grand Rapids gear and I hope they stay on board. I have a few mates that have Blue Mountains stuff and I hope they dont get left in the cold. At this stage I can say that the GR AHRS system is excellent.:ok:

[baron_beeza]

You can fit ANY device to your IFR aircraft that isn't certified as long as you don't rely on it for Primary Navigation !!!!!

This is a new one on me. Sure I have been involved in modifications on aircraft in many countries but I was thinking an EO is the norm for certified aircraft in Australia. NZ may be a little easier in this respect, certainly for introducing TSO'd items anyway. They have a couple of AC's that the IA can use as acceptable data when raising the Form 337.

I would be keen to hear other views on this.

[xiptg]

One of the problems these manufacturers are having is that the United States FAA declared war on them a few years ago. Someone in the FAA got in a snit over them not even starting the process to be approved for certificated aircraft, and made it so that the only way to install a non-approved electronic EFIS in a certificated aircraft was to completely remove the IFR certification from the craft. This kept them from being used in the back-up instrument market, and greatly affected their sales, at least in the US.

[Jabawocky]

I am not sure that is still the case....... you might like to check.

Certainly here in Oz it is fine and many of the major Avionics Shops now install them.

Ask the Dr about his second or third TSO'd system failure in the last few hundred hours. Takes out his DG and A/P also. The Vtail has a TSO elect A/H as a back up, but could easily be a D10A or D6.

If you run a PVt IFR and have only a steam driven A/H...... think very very carefully about it! :eek:

[Arnold E]

Jaba
Nothing realy wrong with steam driven A/H's, generally they are pretty reliable. I spend most of my days rebuilding them and most of them are pretty old, and I dont do many rebuilds. This is comming from a guy who has no steam driven stuff in my own aircraft, but that is mainly due to the fact that I own my aircraft in partnership with my son who is young.
Need I say more.:cool:
The one thing about steam driven stuff is that it will generally give you some indication that it is going to spit the dummy (ie will be slow to errect etc), where as the electronic stuff, which is generally very reliable, sometimes just quits, thats it!!. Can be somewhat hairaising in a lighty, not so bad in a group 20.

[Jabawocky]

Agreed Arnold,

Its often the pumps that give most trouble as far as I can tell. The gyros themselves are far better. Gotta love your machine man! :ok: