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TruTrak

Dave S

Active Member
I'm building an RV-7 I'd like to make IFR capable with an auto pilot. I'm leaning towards a TruTrak due to its 'independent/redundancy' in the event of avionic failures. I visited the booth in Oshkosh and they folks were helpful, but now that I'm home, looking over the information, I'm confused.

Can someone in plain english explain the difference between the Gemini, and the Vizio models.

I know the Vizio has the option of two different control heads, and the Gemini has a back up Attitude indicator with airspeed, vertical speed on the control head.

Thanks in advance
 
Do yourself a favor and go with the AP from which ever vendors glass panel you install (this assumes all new aircraft are built with glass of course).
 
Do yourself a favor and go with the AP from which ever vendors glass panel you install (this assumes all new aircraft are built with glass of course).

I disagree. The OP said he?s looking for redundancy/backup. That?s a good thing, IMHO, to have. It will cost $1K more than one built into the efis.
To the OP: Take a look at the Trio. It integrates perfectly with my GRT HX, but also can run stand-alone. It even will display a symbolic turn coordinator, and digital altitude, without efis input. And it uses a clutch so when not in use it is totally out of the loop.
 
AP

I'm building an RV-7 I'd like to make IFR capable with an auto pilot. I'm leaning towards a TruTrak due to its 'independent/redundancy' in the event of avionic failures. I visited the booth in Oshkosh and they folks were helpful, but now that I'm home, looking over the information, I'm confused.

Can someone in plain english explain the difference between the Gemini, and the Vizio models.

I know the Vizio has the option of two different control heads, and the Gemini has a back up Attitude indicator with airspeed, vertical speed on the control head.

Thanks in advance

I have a TruTrak Digiflight 200 without vertical speed and am upgrading it to a Vizion. I spoke to GRT and TruTrak at Oshkosh and decided to upgrade, I have a Garmin 430 (non W), which I may upgrade to either a 650 or Avidyne in the future. I have a switch for selecting either the EFIS driving the AP or the 430, the 430 is connected to the GRT EFIS via an ARINC so the system is capable of shooting approaches. By upgrading to the Vizion I will be able to have the 430/EFIS drive the Vizion and shoot a coupled approach, which is my goal.
 
Gemini AP thoughts...

I have the Gemini AP. It can fly and approach better than I can. Like coming down on rails. The backup EFIS is great.

The things that could be better. It does not remember the last Pressure setting when powered down. It does not fly the VNAV from the GTN650 en-route. It does fly approaches. It only flies RNAV, not ILS/VOR/LOC.
It does not take fly with input from my DYNON D100. It has one input encoder. A knob that pushes in, rotates, and toggles up/down, left/right.
It bumpy conditions it is possible to input something you don't want to.
 
Missed your post!

I'm building an RV-7 I'd like to make IFR capable with an auto pilot. I'm leaning towards a TruTrak due to its 'independent/redundancy' in the event of avionic failures. I visited the booth in Oshkosh and they folks were helpful, but now that I'm home, looking over the information, I'm confused.

Can someone in plain english explain the difference between the Gemini, and the Vizio models.

I know the Vizio has the option of two different control heads, and the Gemini has a back up Attitude indicator with airspeed, vertical speed on the control head.

Thanks in advance

Sorry I missed your post until tonight.

Anyway, they are exactly the same autopilot feature wise. The difference is the Gemini AP has the backup flight instrument built in. Gemini AP only comes in 3-1/8? package. Vizion comes in 2-1/4?, 3-1/8?, or flat pack.

Gemini AP is $2800
Vizion is $2100.

Either will integrate with most of the popular EFIS systems. Some provide a little more integration than others.

HMU if you have more questions!

Thanks!
 
Andrew. I am thinking about upgrading my dynon d180 efis and have the vision 385. Can you tell me which efis system will give full functionality with the autopilot?

Thanks
 
I disagree. The OP said he?s looking for redundancy/backup. That?s a good thing, IMHO, to have. It will cost $1K more than one built into the efis.
To the OP: Take a look at the Trio. It integrates perfectly with my GRT HX, but also can run stand-alone. It even will display a symbolic turn coordinator, and digital altitude, without efis input. And it uses a clutch so when not in use it is totally out of the loop.

Bob, I was in the same camp as you, but my thinking has changed recently.

Some of the EFIS vendor AP solutions have additional features that aren?t available on Trutrak.

I have AFS EFIS and am thinking about swapping the Trutrak Servos for Dynon.

This will give me the capability of having the AP fly an IAS on approach, which I can?t do with the current AFS/Vizion combo I currently have installed. I was told by AFS is that the Vizion can?t accept data fast enough to support the data volume needed to manage support of IAS. That may be a limitation of the ARINC bus, but I?m not familiar with those specs.

Because I have multiple EFIS screens, should the PFD ever fail, I can simply have the MFD scan the SV-Network. This now makes the MFD the master to the AP servos and other SV-Network devices.

If I?m enroute no big deal. If i?m In IMC on the approach, I?ll be hand flying regardless because I don?t want my attention focused on a hardware problem during that phase of flight.
 
Some of the EFIS vendor AP solutions have additional features that aren?t available on Trutrak.

This will give me the capability of having the AP fly an IAS on approach, which I can?t do with the current AFS/Vizion combo I currently have installed. I was told by AFS is that the Vizion can?t accept data fast enough to support the data volume needed to manage support of IAS. That may be a limitation of the ARINC bus, but I?m not familiar with those specs.
snippity snip
Bob, I'm having trouble understanding that. How can a 2 axis autopilot fly IAS without throttle control? Or is autothrottle out there and I've had my head in the sand?
 
Bob, I'm having trouble understanding that. How can a 2 axis autopilot fly IAS without throttle control? Or is autothrottle out there and I've had my head in the sand?

It pitches for IAS (within limits set). No auto-throttle.
I think I see your confusion though as Bob's comment seems to imply a coupled approach and IAS. The pilot is definitely required to manage throttle.
 
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Bob, I'm having trouble understanding that. How can a 2 axis autopilot fly IAS without throttle control? Or is autothrottle out there and I've had my head in the sand?

No autothrottle. He was I think referring to non-precision, step down type approaches. I use the GRT Hx to drive the Trio, and it gives me the option of making step down descents holding either IAS or VS constant at a selected rate. (VS recommended). When there?s a glide slope, those settings are ignored.
 
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