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Dynon Angle of Attack Pitot Probe

B

backcountry

Well Known Member
Dynon has pitot probes that also includes the AOA pressure port.

They have the normal L shaped units but also have a unit that mounts strait out.

Has anyone looked at using this unit mounted through the propeller spinner?
 
I can confirm that the method Robert pointed to works fine and costs very little to implement. I did it to mine last fall. I just used a blind rivet with the mandrel driven out, similar to a static port.
 
aoa probe

I used the Dynon probe and mounted it on the underside of the wing near the stall warning Access is easy via removable inspection plate
I have removed the probe from the spinner
 
Had anyone done this as a retrofit? Seems like getting the tubing from the port to the wing root would be problematic.
That being said I agree it would be a very useful mod and one that I'd hope Van's will eventually add to the ESLA/SLSA aircraft.
 
Yes, I did it as a retrofit. There was a pull string left by the builder, but I just used the stall warning wire to pull it through to the wing root. You could probably also use piano hinge pin material to pull it through, or some piano wire from the hobby store.

I used the 1/16" ID tubing, but not the inflation needles. I had to use a short length of 1/8" ID tubing to connect the smaller diameter tubing to the rivet I used on the wing. I could have just used 1/8 ID tubing, but the small stuff was pretty easy to coax through all the tight spots in the fuselage run between the D180 and the wing root. I used a quick disconnect quarter-turn air fitting there, I think my total parts cost from McMaster was under $13.00, and the whole installation took about an hour. That did not include disassembly and reassembly of the plane, of course.

It's so easy and so useful, I cannot imagine a reason not to make the change on the kits. I'm looking forward to covering up the hole for the stall warning vane when I get the plane painted.
 
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There is no problem at all getting the tubing from the wing root to the rivet "probe." Get the small diameter, tough tubing specified in the parts list in the referenced thread. Just lay it in the big lightening holes - use a long stick to fish it. You dont have to get it through those tiny snap bushings.
 
If you are really worried about the AOA tubing wearing through, , you could put it inside some larger plastic tubing as a shield, and secure one end of that to a rib. Or, use that black corrugated duct stuff.
 
Absolutely. Only spent about $15 to install it, and my carrier landings have improved out of sight. ;)
 
Absolutely. We have all heard about stalls on the base to final turn. I thought that I was too good of a pilot for it to happen to me. Well, it didn't. But it could have. Recently while making a steep turn from downwind to base, the Dynon D-180 yelled "STALL". I immediately pushed the nose down.
Some pilots do not realize that wings will stall at a higher airspeed when heavily loaded. That load can be from heavy people and baggage or from G-forces due to a steep bank or pull up from a dive. But the wings will always stall at the same AOA regardless of wing loading (with the exception of flap deployment). The Dynon has AOA capability. Why not utilize it? You too can make carrier landings like rgmwa without rolling off the deck. :D
 
Why would anybody "make a steep turn from downwind to base" or steep turn anywhere in the landing pattern? Seems the pilot should exercise good judgement and plan turns with moderate bank angles, or so I was taught...
 
Pilots make mistakes. Many (about 50 I think) crash and die each year. Why not install safety features like canopy switches, stall warning vane switches and AOA? Those who have installed the $15 AOA love it. I should have known better than to post my mistake online. :D
 
"Really necessary"? I suppose not, but then I guess neither is an altimeter or an airspeed indicator. I mean, you can look out the window to see how high you are and and feel what the plane is doing, right? Real pilots don't need those wussy instruments.

All kidding aside, if you do everything right you don't need AOA, or a stall warning. But if you do get a little too slow, or a little sloppy, or try a little too hard to salvage a misjudged crosswind approach, it can be very helpful in pointing out your folly before the situation gets too bad.I've had it "nudge" me on the base leg when I was paying more attention to my position than my airspeed and got a little slower than I intended. That happened a few knots before the buffet, which is what I want. Maybe I'm just the only one who hasn't perfected flying a stabilized approach, I don't know.

Being a very low time pilot as I am, and as I am still developing my skills, I actually find it most useful when I'm a foot or three above the runway. The AOA audio tones get progressively faster to give me a good indication of where I'm at to make a nice smooth touchdown, just at the stall. In ground effect I don't feel the buffeting that I do when practicing at altitude. Maybe if I had a few hundred more hours I wouldn't find it so useful.

The stall warning would squawk far too early and far too loudly. I know both could be adjusted, but in less time than it would have taken to adjust the tone and the angle of the switch I had AoA installed. AoA is a progressive and much more useful indication than the off/on nature of the stall warning switch.
 
backcountry said:
Dynon has pitot probes that also includes the AOA pressure port.

They have the normal L shaped units but also have a unit that mounts strait out.

Has anyone looked at using this unit mounted through the propeller spinner?
Click to expand...

P/N 100532-000 Dynon strait pitot/AOA
 
Jim,

To answer your question about a steep turn in the pattern, I sometimes use this to bleed energy if I'm high and hot.

Rich
 
AOA for SLSA ?

Are we allowed to put the AOA pitot on an SLSA?

Sounds like it would be great for a newby.....soloed and did cross country but not yet scheduled the Practical Test.


Tim
 
TLYNCH said:
Are we allowed to put the AOA pitot on an SLSA?
Click to expand...

Currently, per the regs the answer is no. Van's would have to approve that modification and as of right now they have not issued that as an approved change. They are generally very responsive to customer input and given that this is a sig. safety enhancement, I'd encourage all SLSA owners to formally request Van's to consider doing so.
 
If you need an AOA to fly an RV12 you should hang up your wings and sit around drinking beer and telling tall flying tales. :)

Might be a nice toy, however. But the main "problem" in flying an RV12 is not getting too close to the stall but rather getting the little bugger to slow down enough to lower the flaps.

EBB
 
I guess as long as we’re at this point… I agree with the simplicity and tactical feedback of the 12. For me, slowing the machine from cruise to the white arc is very straightforward. Water-cooled 912 is not susceptible to shock cooling so pull power to full idle and hold nose in level attitude. IAS bleeds off in pretty short order. At the top of the white arc I lower both notches of flap in one pull and trim for hands-off speed of about 62 mph. I usually have the trim nailed before starting the first turn. Once on base, I release the stick and confirm that pitch trim is holding desired airspeed. From that point to the threshold the plane flies the glideslope by itself as solid as if it were on rails. A well-coordinated turn onto final with moderate bank angle does not scrub off any speed. Technique works very well for me with both light and heavy loading.
 
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I love tech since I'm an engineer which by definition makes me a geek! My concern is the tendency to move away from basics to gee wow stuff to a point where we lose basic pilot skills.

Today I was shooting practice approaches when I realized my geo-synched plates had expired so the little blue airplane didn't show up. It was nice to do things old school with the needles without "cheating" by looking at the GPS generated God's eye view. My moral: love your tech, but keep your basic skills sharp!
 
I operate off a 1260 foot strip with a valley at one end with flaky winds. So I keep my head out of the cockpit. I love the Dynon's audible AOA - I can get the beeps going at a certain rate and hold that all the way down. Use the tools you have.
 
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