TruTrak Autopilot Pre Order's / Status Update

[EricJ]

Now it shows as "Special Order", and the Pipe, Cessna, Vans, and general Experimental models show as "No Stock". 

There's definitely some odd stuff going on.

[McMooney]

I'm kinda bummed about the trutrak, was planning on an install this spring.  

On the brighter side,  my box of tempest oil filters will be here in a few days 8)

[NotarPilot]

It would be a shame that after all the work and effort BK made towards getting the Aerocruze STC’d that they end up with dismal sales numbers due to lack of confidence amongst customers. Looks like a great product (if you could get one). 

[cliffy]

I haven't even seen any available for the experimental market

Has anyone?

They seem to just have dropped off the earth.

[Navi]

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

[cliffy]

Buy and manufacture American!   Got to change our way of thinking. 

[WAFI]

Slightly off topic but does anyone know of a AP upgrade that uses the existing Century II servos?

[Lionudakis]

On 10/21/2022 at 8:57 PM, NotarPilot said:

It would be a shame that after all the work and effort BK made towards getting the Aerocruze STC’d that they end up with dismal sales numbers due to lack of confidence amongst customers. Looks like a great product (if you could get one). 

Exactly. I installed an AC100 in my brothers 172 beginning of the year. As long as I’ve been working in aviation it was the best laid out step-by-step installation instructions I’ve ever followed. The one hiccup (to no fault of BK’s) was an air frame variance discovered, I had somebody on the phone within five minutes and came to a solution. The unit worked flawless. I hoped for the same experience with the M20’s. 

[Navi]

2 hours ago, Lionudakis said:

Exactly. I installed an AC100 in my brothers 172 beginning of the year. As long as I’ve been working in aviation it was the best laid out step-by-step installation instructions I’ve ever followed. The one hiccup (to no fault of BK’s) was an air frame variance discovered, I had somebody on the phone within five minutes and came to a solution. The unit worked flawless. I hoped for the same experience with the M20’s. 

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

[LANCECASPER]

11 hours ago, WAFI said:

Slightly off topic but does anyone know of a AP upgrade that uses the existing Century II servos?

People with the Century IIB used to sometimes add the STEC PSS (Pitch Stabilization System) for Altitude Hold. But if memory serves me correctly that was a $5000-$6000 add-on. Not worth it in my opinion today to add that to a 40 year old autopilot.

[EricJ]

There may be hope! 

https://www.dynoncertified.com/cessna-182-autopilot.php

 

[Hank]

1 hour ago, EricJ said:

There may be hope! 

https://www.dynoncertified.com/cessna-182-autopilot.php

 

I saw their email. When will they be certified for short body Mooneys? I'll take their glass panel (which IS certified) and the AP, but only as a pair. Don't want to get stuck with a new panel that is incompatible with the auto pilot . . . .

And not a fan of Big G--their sales guy was unhappy that I didn't want his killer panel / AP combo for 100 AMU to put into my C . . . . Have to buy too many other things to make their AP work with my steam gage panel. 

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

I saw their email. When will they be certified for short body Mooneys? I'll take their glass panel (which IS certified) and the AP, but only as a pair. Don't want to get stuck with a new panel that is incompatible with the auto pilot . . . .

And not a fan of Big G--their sales guy was unhappy that I didn't want his killer panel / AP combo for 100 AMU to put into my C . . . . Have to buy too many other things to make their AP work with my steam gage panel. 

I think the previous scuttlebutt was that the 182 (and maybe one other type?) was in their pipeline and then the next thing was Mooneys.   So this at least means that the 182 has popped out of the pipeline and everything else moves up.    We hope, I guess. 

[Jesse Saint]

The next approval is for the 58 Baron, then the Mooneys. 

[cliffy]

Rollin; Rollin;  Rollin; Keep them doggies rollin' Rawhide

If you are old enough you remember the theme song. 

[cliffy]

3 hours ago, Jesse Saint said:

The next approval is for the 58 Baron, then the Mooneys. 

I'd bet the market is bigger for  Mooneys

[Jesse Saint]

4 minutes ago, cliffy said:

I'd bet the market is bigger for  Mooneys

I don’t doubt this, but another twin may open up the system to a blanket AML for light twins. The Baron project was started out-of-house long ago, and was brought in-house to get across the finish line. That may also give them the needed time to finish the Mooney development, which has likely been delayed due to reworking the last few approvals after changes in approval requirements. 

[MBDiagMan]

On 10/24/2022 at 7:28 PM, cliffy said:

Buy and manufacture American!   Got to change our way of thinking. 

No, buying American is the correct way of thinking.  The problem is that many American products rely on offshore components or even entirely produced offshore..  They are produced offshore because investors found cheap labor offshore that makes money for them at the expense of the security of America.  When I say security, I mean our military as well as economic security.

[MBDiagMan]

On 10/26/2022 at 6:25 PM, Jesse Saint said:

The next approval is for the 58 Baron, then the Mooneys. 

Keep a good supply of groceries on hand.  You’re going to get really hungry while waiting on this to happen.

[MBDiagMan]

22 hours ago, cliffy said:

Rollin; Rollin;  Rollin; Keep them doggies rollin' Rawhide

If you are old enough you remember the theme song. 

If you are old enough to remember,bet the theme song then you’re probably old enough to remember when TruTrak told us Mooney certification would be next month.

[MBDiagMan]

22 hours ago, Jesse Saint said:

I don’t doubt this, but another twin may open up the system to a blanket AML for light twins. The Baron project was started out-of-house long ago, and was brought in-house to get across the finish line. That may also give them the needed time to finish the Mooney development, which has likely been delayed due to reworking the last few approvals after changes in approval requirements. 

Yeah, and the tooth ferry left a quarter under my pillow last night.  This month marks 4 years and one month since a TruTrak representative sat across the table from me at a trade show, looked me straight in the eye and said that the Mooney would be certified “next month.”

I spent most of my career in the HMI software development industry.  Like other tech companies we missed release deadlines, but because we never missed them by anywhere close to four years we stayed in business.  Also as a result of not making promises we couldn’t keep, we had a loyal customer base.

[cliffy]

13 hours ago, MBDiagMan said:

No, buying American is the correct way of thinking.  The problem is that many American products rely on offshore components or even entirely produced offshore..  They are produced offshore because investors found cheap labor offshore that makes money for them at the expense of the security of America.  When I say security, I mean our military as well as economic security.

THAT is my point exactly !!    Quit buying offshore.  Militarily this puts us in a very  vulnerable position

We didn't win WWII with off shore production!!

Its no different if its clothes, chips. food or energy-   If we don't have our own infrastructure we lose. 

[EricJ]

Besides you guys being fundamentally wrong and anti-free-market and anti-capitalist, it's getting awfully political in here.

[MBDiagMan]

A free market is fine, but relying on foreign countries for items necessary for a properly equipped and supplied military is insanity.  All foreign countries are potential enemies. Many are highly unlikely to be, but who knows what the future holds?

[PT20J]

On 10/28/2022 at 8:13 AM, cliffy said:

We didn't win WWII with off shore production!!

Well, maybe not the production, but certainly a lot of raw materials -  which might be even more important - came from offshore sources: Rubber for tires, bauxite for aluminum, uranium for Little Boy.