My attitude indicator is starting to fail

[M20 Ogler]

After banking right my vacuum AI shows a right bank after the airplane has returned to straight and level. Would my Britain wing leveler still work if I replaced this with a solid state AI? 

[N201MKTurbo]

How long does it take to go back to level? How long was your bank? It should show a left bank after going back to level. Either way, the Brittian wing leveler doesn't use the AI. It uses the turn coordinator or a remote turn coordinator in the tail.

[Vance Harral]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

It uses the turn coordinator or a remote turn coordinator in the tail.

... or in some cases a "blind" turn coordinator that is behind the panel, but that has no glass face you can see from the pilot side.  In any case, N201MKTurbo is correct, the Brittain autopilot is a rate-based autopilot, not attitude-based.  It is not connected in any way to your attitude indicator.

[0TreeLemur]

Folks are ditching their vacuum AI's like crazy for digital.   I need a vacuum AI as a backup to the single Aspen PFD in my J.  I bought a serviceable one off eBay and sent it to a shop for OH.  Total cost $700 for a freshly overhauled Sigma Tech 5000-37, which has internal lighting. 

[Joshua Blackh4t]

I ditched mine for an AV-30 which is a great thing, BUT if you don't wait for it to align it can be all over the sky.

This isn't normally a problem except when you quickly shut down to maybe push the plane for a 3 point turn on a runway, then quickly start up, power and away.

Resetting in flight is possible but not easy. And you have an unstable AH that isn't useable.

At least with the old ones the gyros kept spinning through a short shutdown.

Don't know if a g5 does the same

[Mooneymite]

8 hours ago, M20 Ogler said:

After banking right my vacuum AI shows a right bank after the airplane has returned to straight and level. Would my Britain wing leveler still work if I replaced this with a solid state AI? 

Various year PCs are different, but the PC (wing leveller) on my '74 works on vacuum and is controlled by the electric turn coordinator.  The AI does not affect the PC.  You could replace your AI with a stone and the PC would work just fine.

[Vance Harral]

2 hours ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

Don't know if a g5 does the same

Alignment time on the G5 is very fast, and it aligns itself pretty rapidly even in flight.  I know this because the flight school I teach at has dual G5s in every single one of their airplanes, and I frequently turn them off for partial panel training.  Attitude indication comes back very quickly, though it takes longer for the unit to establish communication with the GFC500 autopilot and turn off the red Xs on the autopilot scoreboard.

[DCarlton]

17 hours ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

I ditched mine for an AV-30 which is a great thing, BUT if you don't wait for it to align it can be all over the sky.

This isn't normally a problem except when you quickly shut down to maybe push the plane for a 3 point turn on a runway, then quickly start up, power and away.

Resetting in flight is possible but not easy. And you have an unstable AH that isn't useable.

At least with the old ones the gyros kept spinning through a short shutdown.

Don't know if a g5 does the same

A great thing or all over the sky and unusable?  Every time I get close to installing a digital AI, I see another post regarding issues. The AV-30 is attractive because the install is so straightforward.  

[OR75]

Sadly , the only digital AIs capable of providing autopilot outputs take you above $10k .

namely the Aspen and the GI275 . They all do a lot of things that most of us don’t really need (many are wanted though) 
 

looking forward to seeing an AV30 or the RCAllen providing AI signal to an autopilot. 
 

in the meantime, tough to beat using a vacuum AI and keeping the vacuum pump 

Edited August 27, 2023 by OR75

[Joshua Blackh4t]

Autopilot output is apparently being worked on for a software update for the AV-30

They seem like a good company so I like to support them.

Its a great product 99% of the time. Especially if flying mostly/only vfr.

However, the biggest issue I find is that I can't see any way of checking on the ground that its aligned. It only takes seconds, but sometimes I taxi off as soon as I can, and only becomes apparently on take off. No probs in vfr, but at night/ifr it could be an issue.

Although I am never in such a hurry at night so maybe less of an issue. 

[tmo]

FWIW, I'll be all over the AV-30-C as soon as Uavionix get the AP interface for the legacy King stuff certificated. That said, it's been "soon" for a few years now, so not holding my breath while Garmin eat their lunch with the GI-275.