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What are your back up IFR instruments?

N

nbachert

Well Known Member
So you're flying along in the clouds just watching the moisture roll over your wings and bam your EFIS goes black (yes I know nearly impossible with back up batteries and what not but humor me). What instrument do you then go to in order to maintain aircraft control and get your aircraft out of the IMC conditions. I'm looking for something I can panel mount and that does not require any pitot static lines to be run forward. Thanks

Nick
 
If you do not want any pitot static lines, perhaps an ipad with one of the popular SW (WingX, Foreflight, etc) that gives you the basics. My back up instruments are a set of analog gauges with a TT Gemini ADI with a back up battery. Basics, super reliable, easy to read and follow and with the exception of the ADI no dependencies of electrical power. My ADI has a back up battery.
 
Dynon D10A powered by totally separate electrical system and internal battery.

For my Bo I have a Dynon D1. Totally self contained. Of course it displays GS instead of IAS, GPS altitude instead of PA and GPS track instead of heading.
 
Primary: GRT HX (with air data computer in rear)
#1 back up: GRT HS (shares same air data computer)
#2 back up: Dynon D6 (independent battery but needs pitot and static lines)
#3 back up: Trio Pro auto pilot. (Let auto pilot fly, or hand fly using turn coordinator and altitude read-outs. Also needs pitot and static lines).
Last resort: iPad WingX (gps based heading and altitude only - tough)
 
IFR backup

Primary EFIS AFS 3400; Secondary EFIS Dynon D-10A; 3rd iPad with Fore Flight; 4th TruTrak ADI (and round ASI, ALT, VSI), 5th TruTrak Vizion. Both EFIS' and ADI have backup batteries. If the engine keeps running I should be OK!
 
My backup is a G5, but there's no way for the display to show attitude information without also displaying the airspeed and altitude tapes. I'd love for the G5 to have a setting where you can use the entire display for attitude information; and I'd also love for it to have a static system failure mode, in which it displays GPS altitude and groundspeed. (I'd love to have GPS altitude displayed all the time, somewhere on the panel, so that I get a feeling for how much difference there is on every flight. Otherwise, I'm guessing but would assume that the GPS altitude is 400 feet higher than baro.)

And then you need to get some time flying with just your standby to make sure that you can actually fly it okay. I've flown approaches with only the G5 and it felt funny but the results were only slightly worse than my average.

Ed Wischmeyer
ATP/CFII
 
Dual 10" Skyviews with 2 ADHRS, Primary and Standby, both with backup batteries.

Backing that up is a Dynon D6 tied into the pitot/static system, also with a backup battery installed.

B&C backup alternator mounted on the vacuum pad backing up the electron flows if the primary craters.

Belt, suspenders, ???

Not perfect, but defense in as much depth as available $$$ permit...

N75WV%20After%20Panel%20Upgrade.jpg
 
How about a Garmin G5 and a Sandia SAI340 (both require P-S though) to back up the G3X with dual ADAHRS.

IMG7671-650.jpg
 
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Backups

Since others have posted about these things, I should add that 69D has two batteries, two alternators and two independent ADHARS. I'm very dependent on that single engine!
 
nbachert said:
So you're flying along in the clouds just watching the moisture roll over your wings and bam your EFIS goes black (yes I know nearly impossible with back up batteries and what not but humor me).
Click to expand...

NOT impossible. Loosing the functionality of the EFIS does not mean it has to go black. It only means that the data and images are useless. YES, I have had that happen in IFR conditions. Without a backup I would have been in a very tight spot.

My backup is a 2-1/4" TT ADI supported by steam ASI and Alt. With those, the remaining enroute and approach were a non-issue.

Please plan for systems failures in IFR.
 
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Primary: 2-screen Garmin G3X EFIS supported by a Garmin GTN 650
1st backup: TruTrak Gemini PFD
2nd backup: Tablet running GarminPilot tethered to a Garmin GDL39 3D for attitude info

All of this is supported by a 30amp backup alternator and a standalone TruTrak autopilot.
 
Aggie78 said:
Dual 10" Skyviews with 2 ADHRS, Primary and Standby, both with backup batteries.

Backing that up is a Dynon D6 tied into the pitot/static system, also with a backup battery installed.

Not perfect, but defense in as much depth as available $$$ permit...
Click to expand...
Similar to mine except I have dual 7" SkyViews. Didn't have space for the 10" ones. I also have a Garmin AERA and an Android tablet each with it's own battery backup.

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:cool:
 
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