Navi

I hear it is a similar install to the Cherokee series. We "self installed" (with mechanic oversight) in 25 hours, including removing the Century I. Paperwork was another 1-2 hours. "Brilliantly simple" is an adjective that has been commonly used.... Nav

Not suggesting anything. I only related comments of others that indicated the possibility, now discounted . The FAA DID find it necessary to issue an AD AFTER the SB/update came out. The reason it became an AD is speculation. A Manufacturer CAN request an AD be issued, perhaps they did. Most likely the FAA issued the AD to make sure the SB was carried out. SBs are not mandatory in some operations, but this makes it mandatory for ALL operations. As an aside...... Garmin is often very slow to admit there is a problem, and tend to downplay the seriousness of issues with their equipment. Some "fixes" are quietly distributed to dealers only. It took months for them to admit the issue with their servos. The porposing issue with Piper Arrows caused grief for owners for almost a year before Garmin took the issue seriously and fixed it. Not a Garmin hater, I have lots of their equipment. But is is a challenge sometimes getting them to "take ownership" of a problem and start a fix. My issue took 3 calls and lots of testing before they finally "upped " my issue to someone who FINALLY admitted that the issue WAS with the Garmin unit. After that fiasco, we were able determine a solution. FWIW ! Nav

Hmmmm... Word is around that they tried to get Garmin to do this voluntarily... but... https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ad-mandates-garmin-autopilot-software-fix/ I am astounded that there are "only" 5900 of these APs in the field... There has been suggestions from Garmin fans that there were this many in the Piper aircraft alone... Nav

I have this combo in my Piper Warrior. Aspen (E5) and AeroCruise 100. It is slick... Navigators are a Garmin 796 on the yoke, synched to the new 175 in the panel. Either Nav can be switched to the AP, (no GPSS from the 796 of course). Not legal for IFR approaches, but in an emergency, this combination WILL put your nose wheel on the centerline in a 5 knot crosswind. (Yes, it has been tested!) The baro, alt and hdg are set on the Aspen, the AP listens to all those. The Aspen ACU translates the ILS to display on the Aspen for legal approaches if needed. We have the Air Data option on the Aspen and an unexpected benefit of the AeroCruise "buttonolgy" is that, with experience, you can operate it by feel (one knob and two buttons) without having to look at it. The 175 does the WAAS heavy lifting with the approaches and AP, and the 796 with the big screen is better for touch operation with the big screen. The 175 touch screen is a BEAR to operate in rough air, but it was the only navigator that would fit in our panel. Fortunately , the zoom function is on the KNOB! FWIW.. The AeroCruise 100 handles rough very well. We switch off Alt Hld at some point and use the "VS 0" (recommended for a smoother ride) and when too rough, as with all APs, we have to switch it off. Nav

A bit more... Hardware and firmware are the same in all TT/AC units of the same firmware version. The differences are in the suggested "setup settings" (pilot changeable) and the installation brackets to mount the servos, all of which are unique to different models... The brackets are the "one off" stumbling block with the different aircraft and are the heart of the individual aircraft type STC approval process. The STC for the AP is relatively static, but the difficult part is getting the STC approval for the amendments in the AML to include each each model of aircraft. Nav

True.. As one that has been following the "inexpensive AP option" since early 2017, the Dynon "wait" times have been and are much longer now than TT/AC approvals have ever been. Nav

THAT would be a sweet combination! "Flying Monkey" uses this... Nav

My TT/AC has always worked well on our Warrior. Flies the plane well and is deadly accurate when coupled with a good navigator. We recently upgraded the software in our Aspen to 2.12, and now control HDG,BARO and ALT from the Aspen. A REALLY sweet combination! (IMHO anyway....! ) Nav

What was the total cost of this install in 2021 Skates? Nav

They are shipping Mooney Kits... But you gotta get on the list... Wait times are long for many products, it's the way it is.. I waited 6 months for a oil filter! BTW, we had an Aspen E5 software upgrade to Vers. 2012. I can report that the Alt bug worky just finnnnnne... The TT was waiting for this all along. You can set target alt on the Aspen and move the Alt bug and the TT/ AC 100 will follow nicely... (in addition to the Baro and Heading). The overshoot on turns through the Aspen is gone, and the overshoot on the heading turns is much better. (Saw a wee wobble on a full reverse course, but you had to be "looking" for it. It is a very nice combo.. Nav

Nope.. The TT/AeroCruise were NEVER after the same market. Supply chain? Holes in shelves ALL OVER the place, Food, medications, auto parts... everything.. I waited 9 months for an oil filter for my Lyc O-320. Aspen Just got the STC modified for their Aspen E5 so they could use an (alternate, approved) supply for some parts. Their original suppliers did not have some difficulty........ they are GONE! Like KAPUT.. forever.. Last summer there was a guy looking for a Garmin 175, willing to pay 2k over new for a used one to complete a panel upgrade to get his plane back in the air. Waiting since spring, Garmin maybe delivery for his was Oct. It is what it is... YMMV... Nav

7 months for my 2 oil filters... Nav

With you on this as well... My background is in engineering and electronics. The TT install manual is. (IMHO anyway) a work of art. The BEST logic, detail and install pictures and drawings I can ever remember having the pleasure of using. Nav

Following... I sent a mail off to Andrew about this... Part of his response......... "AC100 supplies are in rough shape. The semiconductor shortage is hitting controller production very hard and I don’t know expected delivery dates at this time. I actually don’t know if there is currently stock at any dealer. ☹" Apparently they are COMPLETELY OUT of some parts for the control heads. Other manufacturers are in the same boat, I have a 18 month old Garmin 175 I could apparently sell tomorrow for 1.5 - 2k more than I paid for it in Jan of 2021. Some out there is waiting on this final unit of a panel upgrade. A new 175 is many months away... It's a mess... Nav

Hi Carusoam! Yes, the same choices for Pipers and Cessnas. Get the feature set you need / want. For a lot of hard IFR, the Garmin or the S-Tec are the FAR better choices! For some IFR and VFR, the TT/AC or the Trio is a superb addition, reliable and work very well, and does exactly what it was designed to do. TT and Garmin were after and have succeeded in two completely different markets, and two very different costs. The TT is installed out the door in Cherokees for about 7500 - 8000 USD The Garmin with auto trim and yaw damper is North of 25 K. The TT is self contained and is a complete autopilot, the Garmin is not. Garmin and TT/ AC never intended to compete for the SAME customer and still do not. Arguing the differences is futile, depending on WHAT and HOW you fly, the decision is easily and readily made in the first 5 minutes, strictly on the feature set and your budget. Comparing the two is like comparing my Navigator and my F-250. A driver will never argue the merits of one vs. the other. Two WIDELY different vehicles, there should be NO doubt about which one is the most suitable for the task. I do not take the Gator if I need the truck, and I do not take the Truck when I need the Gator... Picking the correct AP for ones needs/wants is the BUYERS ultimate responsibility, not the manufacturers. IMHO anyway.. ! Good to hear from you! (Above phrases intended for other readers... ) Cheers! Nav

Perhaps he has more than one vid on this ?... I did not follow the thread . I have flown with this AP a lot... "trimming up too much" I cannot imagine how... ? When mine asks for trim, it needs a minor "nudge" at most. I have only spoken to one pilot that has flown the TT/AC equipped Mooney. He said it was a normal operation in all respects. One would have to trim the plane to "fight" the AP so badly that the clutch would "slip" and the aircraft would respond as he describes... >>>I learned to trim by disconnecting the autopilot periodically and checking the trim Something is very wrong here.... The AP will request trim if it needs it.. No need to disco it to check trim... Any trim needed is announced on the head.. Usually "nudge" in the trim is all that is needed. Dropping flaps suddenly may need more... Weird... N

AC Spruce marketing dept. appears to have some challenges N

You are correct, he said "Rate Gyro" . Not totally sure what that term means in this context. I can assure you it is "Attitude based" as its primary input, and will interpret the "rate" if the excursion is large. Nav

Do all Mooneys need a yaw damper? I have only flown one model... It did not... Nav

No it's not... it's a poor summary... of a good review of the AP by "Flying Dirty" . Ck the vid, "Flying Dirty" LIKES it. and in the comments, several are opting for the AC 100 , supported by his review. This AP is NOT rate based, it is attitude based, with it's own AHRS. This "summerizer" (?) has this basic fact wrong. There is nothing "cheap" about it, - it just has a different feature set than the other product options out there. It is a quality built American Made product with a reliability track record better than the others. I have been flying with this autopilot since March of 2018. Check the source.. always... Nav

That's what so many have been waiting for... Nav

Seeing these posts, I followed up with Andrew.. Mooney STC is still with FAA.... BK has been "Slammed" (his words) with supply chain issues.. (no surprise) Worst he has ever seen... Nav

Guy here has ordered 3 Garmin units... G500 TXI, a COCM and a Transponder. Earliest (The TXI) promised ship date is Sept 10...... (for clarity, 2022) Nav

The "pent up demand" of the Mooneyites is not lost on TT/BK They are as anxious as as frustrated as you guys are... Latest I heard is that ALMOS ALL of it has the STC approval except 1 or 2 components.. Not sure what they are.. N

Often they temporarily move the aircraft inti the "Experimental " category, allowing such mods for the flight.. APs, extra fuel tanks, plumbing and other Facilities" ... Then restore the aircraft to original at the destination. N