Mayday Avionics Inc.

Troubleshooting autopilot systems can be a difficult challenge.  The quality and quantity of information provided to the technician on the failure can have a great impact on the time it takes and the cost of the repair.  This means that good communication needs to be established between technician and pilot; where the pilot can convey a concise, correct, and a complete description of the failure to the technician. 

Sharing some basic terms used in the industry for the different controls and operations of the system (since this is what is “generally” used in the repair field) may help bridge the communication gap.  Knowing how the system and aircraft react to specific, basic commands can narrow the search for the cause of a failure. 

By establishing and using these terms, we can understand more clearly what the pilot experiences during the failure.  For example, the “pitch command” is the control input to change the pitch angle of the aircraft while the autopilot is in a “vertical speed” or “basic pitch” mode.  How the aircraft reacts to this input is one of the first questions toward the resolution of a pitch problem. 

The next installment of this section will be about describing the dreaded “porpoise”.

Honeywell is introducing the new Bendix/King KDR 610 XM Data Link Weather Receiver. The KDR 610 offers real-time weather information to general aviation aircraft via XM® satellite radio. The new weather receiver will interface to the Bendix/King KMD 250, 550, and 850 Multi-function Displays. An antenna is also required, but not included with the KDR 610. The KDR 610 will display NEXRAD radar, Graphical METAR’s, AIRMET’s & SIGMET’s, as well as, Textual METAR’s, TAF’s, AIRMET’s & SIGMET’s. The KDR 610 offers current KDR 510 users an excellent opportunity to upgrade from ground-based coverage to satellite based coverage. The KDR 610 is expected to be available for delivery in January 2007.