Dynon Autopilot

[Hank]

Ya'll J & K owner's just got lucky, the Vintage crowd is still waiting. I'd put one in tomorrow if I could.

 

MOONEY M20J AND M20K AUTOPILOT NOW FAA APPROVED Dynon Certified announces that its autopilot - available as an option for its certified SkyView HDX avionics system - is now FAA approved for all Mooney M20J and M20K aircraft. When equipped, Mooney pilots benefit from a full-featured three-axis autopilot system – including yaw damper – that is approach capable when paired with a compatible third-party IFR navigator.   Dynon Certified products, including this autopilot approval, can be purchased and installed by any Dynon Authorized Installation Center. Additionally, pilots can opt to buy Dynon Certified equipment directly from Dynon and have it installed by a qualified installer. Pricing for a three-axis autopilot system starts at a list price of $6,434 for Mooney M20J/K series aircraft, including all required brackets, hardware, and servo harnesses. Frequently chosen options include the SkyView Autopilot Control Panel ($644), which provides dedicated autopilot controls for the pilot, and the Knob Control Panel ($335), which has dedicated knobs to adjust the values that pilots adjust the most when they fly under autopilot (altitude, heading/track, and altimeter setting). MORE ABOUT THE MOONEY M20J/K SERIES AUTOPILOT STAY CONNECTED

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[LANCECASPER]

That's great news - it opens up a lot of options for J & K owners. I have a feeling that @Jesse Saint is going to be very busy.

[Utah20Gflyer]

Too bad it didn’t include vintage Mid bodies, I wonder how different our Fs and Gs are? 

[Steve Dawson]

I just looked at their site and they haven't yet given a total for the J/K however for a Beech V35 the total parts are $30K plus installation. How does this compare against a Garmin G3X with autopilot? 

[Hank]

3 minutes ago, Steve Dawson said:

I just looked at their site and they haven't yet given a total for the J/K however for a Beech V35 the total parts are $30K plus installation. How does this compare against a Garmin G3X with autopilot? 

The notice above says parts.are $6434, with about another 1AMU of options. Your A&P can do the install. A full new SkyView panel costs less than a GTN650. Once the AP is approved for short bodies, I'm going into all the way.

[Steve Dawson]

I believe they priced out the complete Dynon package including EIS, Autopilot, 10" screen ect so the price would be higher than just the AP addition 

[Marc_B]

The odd thing is there isn’t an approach mode. It’s more of a VFR autopilot. Coupled approaches seem to be an important part of an autopilot in my mind.  I guess it’s a step above a wing leveler.  But I was hoping for a little more direct competition with the GFC500 to help drive improvements in both!

[LANCECASPER]

13 minutes ago, Marc_B said:

The odd thing is there isn’t an approach mode. It’s more of a VFR autopilot. Coupled approaches seem to be an important part of an autopilot in my mind.  I guess it’s a step above a wing leveler.  But I was hoping for a little more direct competition with the GFC500 to help drive improvements in both!

Here are the specs: https://www.dynoncertified.com/mooney-m20j-autopilot.php

It shows fully coupled approaches

[dominikos]

14 minutes ago, Marc_B said:

The odd thing is there isn’t an approach mode. It’s more of a VFR autopilot. Coupled approaches seem to be an important part of an autopilot in my mind.  I guess it’s a step above a wing leveler.  But I was hoping for a little more direct competition with the GFC500 to help drive improvements in both!

Hmm, have you looked at this page? 

https://www.dynoncertified.com/mooney-m20j-autopilot.php - Fully-coupled approaches (GPS/VNAV/LPV/GS/LOC/ILS)

[Marc_B]

Ahh. I guess it’s using the VNAV mode. Too used to an “APR” nomenclature. Ha. I was thinking that was odd. 

[NotarPilot]

This is wonderful news that I’ve been patiently waiting for. Perhaps @Baker Avionics can chime in and talk about what this would cost or labor hours needed to add to an existing Skyview system. 

[MoonFlyer68]

The only thing I can think of about why the F wasn't included is that some F's (like mine) have the twisted wing.

[PT20J]

17 minutes ago, MoonFlyer68 said:

The only thing I can think of about why the F wasn't included is that some F's (like mine) have the twisted wing.

A Dynon engineer told me that the decision to go for J and K was based on market estimates. Lots of these models were built and they are higher value which makes them ripe for upgrades. Dynon did not originally understand that the J and F airframes were more similar than the J and K. But, by the time they had figured this out, they were too far down the approval path to add a model without delaying the project. 

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

A Dynon engineer told me that the decision to go for J and K was based on market estimates. Lots of these models were built and they are higher value which makes them ripe for upgrades. Dynon did not originally understand that the J and F airframes were more similar than the J and K. But, by the time they had figured this out, they were too far down the approval path to add a model without delaying the project. 

This may mean that people with F models may be able to ask Dynon for some assistance and get the data to support installation in an F with the assistance of a DER.    Honeywell offered this during the latest round of re-do for the AeroCruze, which was on the market and then got pulled off due to bracket variances within models.   They offered people who already had orders or wanted to order product that they'd assist with installation via DER.    This may be available from Dynon as well given the similarities of the airframes.

If I had an F or a short body and was interested in a Dynon system it might be worth checking with them.

[Baker Avionics]

On 10/4/2024 at 8:53 PM, NotarPilot said:

This is wonderful news that I’ve been patiently waiting for. Perhaps @Baker Avionics can chime in and talk about what this would cost or labor hours needed to add to an existing Skyview system. 

Thank you Steve!  The cost for the parts are about $7k-7.5k and labor will vary depending on shop rates.  

 

PS, I replied to your email....

[Jamesp]

I just finished up with the install of only the auto pilot to my already existing Dynon system, I paid for 60 hours for the install.

oh, and just a sidenote, I love the auto pilot