Brittain Autopilot Systems

[Seth]

 

I have heard good and bad opinions about this system.  But for a low cost working autopilot, it doesn’t seem bad.  My PC system works wonderfully.  I have no other autopilot, but with some of the reports I’ve read from other pilots, it’s really a good system for the cost (as one pilot put it “laughable” amount compared to certain S Tec systems - I got that from the only thread I could find on AOPA message boards).  Others say they are not reliable.  I have not yet called the service center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but I may call in the near future.

 

Does anyone have any experience with Brittain or have more than just the PC System (Positive Control - wing leveler) such as Accutrack or Accuflight?  I know that it can couple onto a GPS or VOR signal and track the plane for you.  They have a pitch and altitude hold system as well, but the sight, http://www.brittainautopilots.com/, has only basic information.

 

I’m not thinking of adding an autopilot yet simply due to cost since I’m considering the Garmin 430w or 530w, but if for really just a bit more I could have a decent AP, that’s not a bad deal.  I already have the wing leveler, and if the system really just locks onto a heading a signaled from the GPS or VOR then that would be quite an easy system to use for a basic autopilot.  An altitude hold would be pretty neat as well, but one step at a time here. 

 

So, opinions?  Information?  What do you know about the Brittain systems . . .

 

Thanks,

 

-Seth

[rasman]

I have a Statesman with Accutrack as well as a 231 with a kx155

I have had the statesman for 4 years and replaced on servo at $64.00.

I have had the 231 for 1 year the autopilot has been worked on by a qualified shop twice including a servo change and a tune up total cost over 5K.

The Accutrack will hold course at altitude with a severe crosswind the KX 155 will come close. The 155 drops often usually in the worst conditions. The Brittain has never dropped.

 

The folks at Brittain are great to work with, friendly professional and very helpful. I can recommend them highly. There’s a bit of a wait at the moment it seems the Cessna folks have recently discovered the advantages of a Brittan.

 

I am looking at the altitude hold box for the statesman.

[GeorgePerry]

Seth

Old doesn't always mean outdated or ineffective.  I have both the Brittain Acutrak II single axis (heading) autopilot and the standard PC System.   Came with the plane when I purchased.  I have to say - "no complaints"...I'm happy with it.  I use the heading bug about 90% of the time to make small heading changes and to keep the GPS track and course numbers the same.    My Brittian is also linked in to both the GPS and VOR CDI's but I find little need to ever slave it to either nav, but the options there if I want.

With the trim set in cruise I can fly hands off for 5-10 minutes if the air is smooth without touching the yoke to "tweek" the altitude and even then most times I just touch the trim wheel and it has the same affect.

I've seen what the S-Tec systems cost and they are up there.  Having a two axis system would certainly be nice but it would be hard for me to justify the expense since the Brittain works so well. 

Hope this helps.

[eaglebkh]

Thankfully, my E was built before the PC days, so I went with an S-tec system.  It's an all electric rate-based system, so it will still hold the plane incase of a vacuum failure.  Not sure how the the Brittain systems work.  Also, if you're going to fork out dough for an A/P, might as well get one with alt hold.  It's something you'll get a lot of use out of and will add considerable value to your plane vs. just a single axis.

[cliffy]

My 64C has an Accutrac II and I am very pleased with it. With 7 Type Ratings from 767 down I've flown a lot of autopilots, done CAT III Autoland etc and for what this huff and puff A/P does, it does it well. I use it ALL the time in GPS track. I don't have Alt Hold yet but I will as i just went by the Tulsa shop last week and had a nice talk with them  Yes, they are backed up due to the Cessna article but in 8 to 10 weeks they should be doing OK. I, too, have replaced one servo bag in 8 years along with one time to the shop for the computer for a couple of transistors. Very Cheap to maintain and it does the job. Had one years ago in a Navajo and had no problem then either. Alt Hold can be added at any time.

[Guest Anonymous]

I also have the Accutrak, and I like it.  I also have flown professionally, both military and airline, and few autopilots were as reliable.  Simple is just better in this case.  I don't even need to wrap the wing actuators (dash pots) when applying CorrosionX, as they are not electric.

One interesting thought.  The heading tracker (Accutrak II and up) uses the standard deviation signals that are output from the heading bug on many DG/HSIs.  In theory, at least, given the electrical characteristics of both devices of around 200 mv per degree, it should be possible to install a switch and relay that would connect this input to the roll steering output of a Garmin GPS.  It would require a little research, but if it worked it should be possible to fly a laterally coupled GPS approach directly from the Garmin outputs using all of the advanced features like turn anticipation, drift compensation, etc.

Not a bad trick for an old dog!

RFB

 

 

[alun]

this was a reply i had from brittain recently when i was looking at alternates for my non functioninig cIIB.

Alun,

 

My apologies for taking so long to get back with you.  I have attached a copy of our product brochure for our three axis B5 system and also of some more simple add-ons.

 

The systems require left/right analog output from your navigationa aides and therefore should work nicely with your current set up.  They are however on a backlog and we are currently quoting 8 months minimum lead time.

 

Pricing is attached for the add-ons and the B5 system is currently priced at $4898.20.  Like the add-ons this quote is for a yellow tagged serviceable system.

 

Take a look at the attachments and let me know how we can be of further assistance.

 

Regards,

Cecilia Henderson

Manager,

BRITTAIN INDUSTRIES, INC

[cliffy]

When I was there I don't remember "months" backlog  but they do work well and the price is hard to forget.

[alun]

the 8 months is what killed it for me.

[GeorgePerry]

I want to publicly express how delighted I am with Brittain and there second-to-none customer service.  Kevin and the entire staff have been incredibly helpful, courtious and responsive as I've been troubleshooting my A/P over the past several weeks. 

It all started when my avionics shop "repaired" a bad ground for the T/C power supply.  After that the heading hold function on the A/P quit working.  After numerous attempts by my local tech to repair, I decided to go directly to Brittain with the issue.  I described the problem to Kevin over the phone and he suggested that I swap the heading toggle switch.  They sent me a new heading rocker switch (at no charge) but alas that didn't fix it either. 

I was at the end of my rope, and decided to call Brittain one more time before sending the whole system back to be bench checked.  I was litterally in my plane with the engine runing talking to Kevin (via my Zulu blue tooth) and he stepped me through some additional trouble shooting techniques. 

Following his direction, I removed the control box I noticed an inline 2 amp fuse that was not visible until unmounting it from the firewall.  Sure enough, It was a 1980's vintage fuse that must have tripped when my local shop was doing their work.  A quick swap with a new fuse and the system was working good as new.

The best part (which I still can't believe) is that Kevin said I could keep the new switch for NO CHARGE!!  You don't hear that everyday in aviation.

Brittain's A/P's might not have cutting edge technology, but they are inexpensive, reliable and the customer service is phenominal!!!.  Bravo Zulu to Brittain!

[N6784N]

im interested in getting a brittain autopilot. i am planning on puuting the m20c for sale in 6 or so years but would like to put a inexpensive a/p in until then. does anybody know how much it would cost to put one in with alt hold if i already have the pc in? how much does it cost for installation also if anybody knows.

 

thnx

[scottfromiowa]

I purchased a used Accu-Trak system (complete with controller, servo, cans and TC-100 for $700 on Ebay.  I too had/have a functional PC system and wanted the capability of GPS tracking.  I sent the controller and servo into Brittain (Jerry was helping me) and they turned around the inspection/testing and set-up in three weeks.  Both are yellow tagged and ready for install.  The work was $200.  I elected to NOT use the TC-100 (which is an electric and pneumatic turn coordinator as my PC system was/is functional in the plane.  I Would sell this (AS IS) to someone interested.  I plan to install the Accu-Trak and servo (the servo essentially takes the existing pneumatic system and allows the electric integration of signals from the GPS) when I get funds saved up.   I am recovering from purchase of a MD-41 and installation of my 201 style yokes and electric PC cut-off in my plane.  I have had VERY POSITIVE experience with Brittain and am glad to hear the reviews regarding the excellent tracking capability of the PC system in all types of wind.  Good luck Seth, I will let you know how my installation goes.  Anyone else done my installation?  Where did you end up putting the servo?

[N5MD]

I've owned my 'new' 1966 M20C for 90 days now. It has a AccuTrack AP that is 'slaved' to the Garmin 396 and also to the Garmin 430. It has altitude hold and the wing leveler also. Problem is, I got no documentation on how to use the AccuTrack. Does anyone have procedures for using the AccuTrack?

[scottfromiowa]

Mine works by setting the unit to #1 Nav (GPS) setting direct to destination.  Trimming at altitude with plane set on track.  Turn on and let 'er track...

My sensitivity is on "high"

I can do right turns or left turns by turning "turn knob" to either direction.

To turn off I turn off...

The unit was NOT designed for GPS as the technology is PRE-GPS, but it works great.

[KLRDMD]

Quote: N5MD

I've owned my 'new' 1966 M20C for 90 days now. It has a AccuTrack AP that is 'slaved' to the Garmin 396 and also to the Garmin 430. 

[SkyPilot]

Interesting thread. I've fixed everything else on my airplane. Now I am tackling the Brittain. The folks down at Brittain were kind enough to email me a pdf Flight Manual and Maintenance manuals for my unit which is a great help.

My autopilot has only the heading function not the altitude hold. I had it working briefly on one flight but it hunted back and forth on HDG.  Now that I have the manual, I'll begin troubleshooting. If all else fails, I'll send it in.  Any suggestions?

[TonyPynes]

I am no expert and have called the great people at Britain a couple of times.

The Britain B6 AP I have on my M20F works well and has alt hold but if you are new to it you should get the manuals as stated by others. For mine I usually start off just using the heading selector on the B6 unit. It has an alt hold and a pitch knob too. I have a PC system so I am not sure the function of the pitch knob. Need to read more.

Its important to note that to slave off of GPS your CDI must also be set to course. At least in mine it is required. once GPS and CDi are set you then select CAP (capture) on the B6 then select TRK (track). I have flown for hours in CAP mode so I am not sure the difference but then I use it for cross country cruising only and there maybe be other stages of flight that require this process. It also has a LOC selection which I have not used yet.

Only once did the system not work correctly following the process above and that time it seemed to search 3-4 degrees off of course and I disengaged it. But I am wondering if that was more about the system adjusting for crosswind to keep her on course. I was moving away from the coast and winds were changing.

The PDFs Britain will send are more about the technical side of things but there are some user instructions....it does require your attention to figure them out. At least it did for someone new to APs.

I do agree that the system is very useful and I would not pop for the cash to replace it.

With the flight part of my instrument training about to start this summer it will be interesting to see if the system will be useful for IR work.

[N601RX]

Quote: SkyPilot

Interesting thread. I've fixed everything else on my airplane. Now I am tackling the Brittain. The folks down at Brittain were kind enough to email me a pdf Flight Manual and Maintenance manuals for my unit which is a great help.

My autopilot has only the heading function not the altitude hold. I had it working briefly on one flight but it hunted back and forth on HDG.  Now that I have the manual, I'll begin troubleshooting. If all else fails, I'll send it in.  Any suggestions?

[SkyPilot]

Quote: N601RX

By heading function do you mean DG tracking, or will it track anav or gps also?

[N601RX]

Quote: SkyPilot

By heading function do you mean DG tracking, or will it track anav or gps also?

[TonyPynes]

Quote: SkyPilot

Interesting thread. I've fixed everything else on my airplane. Now I am tackling the Brittain. The folks down at Brittain were kind enough to email me a pdf Flight Manual and Maintenance manuals for my unit which is a great help.

My autopilot has only the heading function not the altitude hold. I had it working briefly on one flight but it hunted back and forth on HDG.  Now that I have the manual, I'll begin troubleshooting. If all else fails, I'll send it in.  Any suggestions?

[Steve Dawson]

Quote: JimR

I've got a Century IIB in my 201 that I am apparently not willing to spend the money that is

[Seth]

It's always fun to see an old thread be reborn.  Especially since I originated the thread two years ago!  Update: I sold my 1967 Mooney M20F and now have the 1983 Mooney M20J Missile 300.  It's equipped with a KFC 150 system and I admit having an autopilot is amazing.  It allows you to manage the flight.  I hand flew my former F model accross the US from coast to coast, got my IFR Ticket, flew approaches to minimum in hard IFC with no autopilot, and now that I have one, I'd figure out a way to get a system into the old plane.

In fact, the new owner, who is a friend of mine, just purchased a Britain system and is looking to install it.  I let him know for the functionality it is the best bang for the buck.  I did a lot of research and I was planning to retrofit the aircraft with one of the Britain models.  However, I would only reccomend doing so if your PC system is working properly.  If your PC system is not working and you don't have the hardware, then plan on installing a newer system.  Otherwise, if it's simply repair or overhaul, get it done.  You won't regret it.

-Seth

[SkyPilot]

I just got the Autopilot fixed and it is real nice. I sent the main unit in to Brittain and Kevin there overhauled it very nicely.

[Hank]

Many PC problems boil down to two things:  either the hoses are old, cracked and/or missing; or the many connectors in the tubing lines are old, cracked and split. My tubing had all been replaced before I bought the plane, and the PC and Brittain systems worked great. A couple or three years later I was having issues, and had to replace the connectors in the tubing where it went through the firewall, split to go to both wings, split again to go to the static ports, etc. It was a very inexpensive fix, just like when I had an aileron servo rebuilt by Brittain.

 

It's a wonderful thing! I have both AccuTrak and AccuFlight, and love them both.