Trio Pro Pilot For M20 Mooneys

[gacoon]

What I want to see is the interface functional specs for Aspen unit and TruTrac/trio.  I,d like to see how the Aspen would improve the button pushing. 

[NJMac]

One of the selling points of the TruTrak is an estimated 18-hour install for the whole system (vs 40+ for the GFC500).  Granted that no one has yet installed either a TruTrak or a GFC500 in a Mooney, is the Trio in the 18-hour ballpark, or the 40-hour ballpark?

This is taken from the pilots of America thread linked earlier

"Real world" install hours are closer to 20 hrs for the TruTrak, 60 hours for the Trio. (3 Trio installs I know of - hours were 50, 65 and 74) Add 4-5 hours to either for the install if you reconfigure the radio stack to install the rectangular heat as opposed to the "round hole" head. (The "74 Hour" install included a stack shuffle)

Some shops are doing the TT install in 15 hrs.. (round control head)

Real demonstrated numbers would be TT - $7100, Trio - $12245 Some shops are quoting the TT at a flat rate of $7100- $7200 out the door.

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[drapo]

On 5/23/2018 at 6:00 PM, N6758N said:

I get emails from Trio once every so often asking for 40-50 Mooney owners to sign up so they can add the STC to for the Mooney. They want $11k all in. If you ask me that price point is way too high to ask for volunteers. I am looking at the Trr Trak system, $5000 plus installation. 

We’ve had  these kind of requests made by Trio in the last few years. Sounds like a direct marketing scheme but I don’t want to judge the motives, maybe just a clumsy effort to attract customers. 

If I was a company trying  to attract a new customer base in the 2020 era, I would use options like a GoFundMe campaign with free install with a certain amount of $ or, as some have started doing with the TruTrak also not yet STC’d, ofer an installation included price to build up a clientele. 

I’m no expert, just my take on it!

[Bob - S50]

If you are considering a 2 servo system, I don't see why the installation of one brand should take much longer than another.  Should take about the same amount of time to mount the servos and run wiring to them.  Should take about the same amount of time to run wiring to the GPS unit.  Should take about the same amount of time to mount the unit itself.

The only differences I see would be if you are mounting more boxes to give one brand more capability than another.  The one exception might be that Garmin requires the GAD29 or GAD29B between the GPS and G5 while I don't believe the others have an equivalent box.

But differences could include:

GMU11 for Garmin so it will display magnetic heading while the others only do ground track.

G5 required for Garmin to give you a flight director/VNAV/visual heading bug/visual altitude bug/autopilot annunciator/secondary airspeed/secondary heading/secondary altitude/secondary VSI/the brains for the autopilot.  This would in fact involve several more hours.  However, it would take the same number of hours to mount it with another system if the owner wanted to replace their AI.  They just wouldn't get all the benefits.

[P51PAUL]

Based on the feedback to my offer on this Forum The STC Group LLC has opted out of pursuing an STC for the Trio Pro Pilot autopilot on the Mooney. We have many other type groups that are very supporting of our efforts.

Mark and I had a goal with this posting of gauging interest for an STC, nothing more.

If we have a Mooney owner that would like to bring us an airplane and put up $10000.00 we'd be happy to obtain an STC on their Mooney model.

I hope you have a Happy New Year everyone! Fly safely.

 

Paul Odum and Mark Sullivan

The STC Group LLC

[wcb]

WOW!  Looks like we are down to two players with TRUTRAK potentially for C and Up and then Garmin for J and up with F and G to follow.

[NJMac]

Wow indeed. I'm a huge fan of burning bridges but I don't do so in business any longer. Doesnt seem to pay off very well.

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[Steve W]

4 minutes ago, wcb said:

WOW!  Looks like we are down to two players with TRUTRAK potentially for C and Up and then Garmin for J and up with F and G to follow.

Don't forget STEC and King(hahahahahahahah, sorry)

 

[wcb]

4 minutes ago, Steve W said:

Don't forget STEC and King(hahahahahahahah, sorry)

 

You are right!  I should have said two players that seem to be priced in reality for the market.  For the price all the CB (including me at the top of the list) Mooney owners would most likely scratch the more expensive players.

I have nothing negative about Paul or the STC Group they simply needed some people to step up to pay some deposits and one person on the west coast ready to jump on the project now.

[orionflt]

That's a shame, I liked the Trio option the most

Brian

[Marauder]

Don't forget STEC and King(hahahahahahahah, sorry)
 

Doesn’t Avidyne sell autopilots as well? It was that one of those “competition is good” dreams?


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[Marauder]

That's a shame, I liked the Trio option the most
Brian

You can still move forward with it. Just give him $10,000.


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[orionflt]

only if I get proceeds from the STC to defer the cost after the fact.

Brian

[MARZ]

I'm gonna take my ball and bat and glove and go home......  thin skin don't get you anywhere. 

1 hour ago, P51PAUL said:

Based on the feedback to my offer on this Forum The STC Group LLC has opted out of pursuing an STC for the Trio Pro Pilot autopilot on the Mooney. We have many other type groups that are very supporting of our efforts.

Mark and I had a goal with this posting of gauging interest for an STC, nothing more.

If we have a Mooney owner that would like to bring us an airplane and put up $10000.00 we'd be happy to obtain an STC on their Mooney model.

I hope you have a Happy New Year everyone! Fly safely.

 

Paul Odum and Mark Sullivan

The STC Group LLC

I'm gonna take my ball and bat and glove and go home......  thin skin don't get you anywhere. 

[ArtVandelay]

Doesn’t Avidyne sell autopilots as well? It was that one of those “competition is good” dreams?

The DFC 90, reuses the stec servos IIRC. They promised that Mooney would be supported....and were never heard from again.



Tom

[Steve W]

14 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

The DFC 90, reuses the stec servos IIRC. They promised that Mooney would be supported....and were never heard from again.

Tom

They also promised they'd make their own servos, also never heard from again.

I know a guy with a 182 who went the Avidyne route, basically install an STEC, throw away/sell for pennies the control head and then install the DFC.

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Steve W

[carusoam]

Well,

Mark that down as the strangest way to build a business...

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

So now you know why he didn’t want anyone to reply to his post.

No company wants to hear anything but good comments on their products and bad comments about their competition. Especially in forum format.





Tom

[gsxrpilot]

6 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Well,

Mark that down as the strangest way to build a business...

 

Evidently they're not. As he said, it's just a part time gig and he has another much more important job. This is a side hobby, and the way they're going about it, will never be more than that.

 

[aviatoreb]

2 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

Evidently they're not. As he said, it's just a part time gig and he has another much more important job. This is a side hobby, and the way they're going about it, will never be more than that.

 

Everyone I need 40 people to send me $500 each over the weekend and don't ask any questions or discuss anything.  We are that good.  Just send me money.  

[Marauder]

Everyone I need 40 people to send me $500 each over the weekend and don't ask any questions or discuss anything.  We are that good.  Just send me money.  

Cash okay?


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[NJMac]

Cash okay?


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If we were nice gentlemen we would fly it to him and deliver in person.

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[aviatoreb]

6 minutes ago, Marauder said:

 

Cash okay?


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I prefer gold coins.

[Andy95W]

2 hours ago, P51PAUL said:

 

Paul Odum and Mark Sullivan

The STC Group LLC

I met one of these gentlemen at OSH 2017.  We talked about Mooney installations and I tried to share what I knew as a Mooney owner, A&P, and IA.  He was very pleasant in person, but somewhat dismissive via email later on.

Its a shame, really.  Between the TruTrak and the Trio I always thought the Trio was the better option, and the control head is far better than the TruTrak.

[orionflt]

Maybe several of us should work together and get our own STC, @Sabremech and @takairhas the experience dealing with the ACO and we have the knowledge and resources as a group to cover all models. since there is little change in the overall design once the basic design is complete the tweaks for the different models should be minor. 

Brian