What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Dynon in IFR Q.

az_gila

Well Known Member
OK, to start I''m not IFR-rated but am interested in making my -10 capable.

I had previoisly asked this question on another thread aboutpower bus architecture but it got lost in many other discussions. :)

If the plane has a Dynon Skyview and a Garmin GPS GTN-625, can a safe IFR GPS approach be made only on the Skyview using on it's back-up battery after a failure that loses the GTN unit?

This assumes all of the Dynon databases are up to date. I realize it would not be legal, but would it work in an emergency?

The answer would affect the power bus redundancy required for my plane.
 
No. You gotta do what you gotta do, but safe? No. The dynon would not tighten up the sensitivity as the 625 would and isn?t certified at that level. This is where old fashioned trip planning and backup planning come into play.
 
Certainly not legal - but in a pinch you can use the geo-referenced approach plate with the aircraft position and vector on it to serve as a (very) crude localizer, and use the LNAV minimum altitude for descent and hand-fly.

Not legal, and not really safe - certainly an "emergency only" procedure and I don't want to try it. Now if I ever found myself in that situation, where that was my only realistic way to get down, it's still preferable to appearing on the local 10 o'clock news that night.
 
SNIP..
If the plane has a Dynon Skyview and a Garmin GPS GTN-625, can a safe IFR GPS approach be made only on the Skyview using on it's back-up battery after a failure that loses the GTN unit?

This assumes all of the Dynon databases are up to date. I realize it would not be legal, but would it work in an emergency?

The answer would affect the power bus redundancy required for my plane.

Assuming you get the Seattle Avionics chart data subscription ($100/year) you get geo-referenced approach plates for every airport that can be displayed on the SkyView. That means you fly the little blue plane on the SkyView display along the approach. The GTN 650 or 625 has nothing to do with this.

But remember, while the SkyView GPS receiver is as good as the GTN, this is not a legal IFR approach. This is an emergency option.

I however would not fly IFR without the power reducancy to restore power to the GTN-650/625. Considering this is easy to do and if done well you can eliminate the need for the EFIS backup battery, it should be the best option for most IFR builds.

Carl
 
With that failure I would divert first, and ask questions later.

However, maybe, if it is lateral guidance to go through a layer with bottoms 2-3 times the height of the circling minimums... I'd probably divert.
 
OK, to start I''m not IFR-rated but am interested in making my -10 capable.

I had previoisly asked this question on another thread aboutpower bus architecture but it got lost in many other discussions. :)

If the plane has a Dynon Skyview and a Garmin GPS GTN-625, can a safe IFR GPS approach be made only on the Skyview using on it's back-up battery after a failure that loses the GTN unit?

This assumes all of the Dynon databases are up to date. I realize it would not be legal, but would it work in an emergency?

The answer would affect the power bus redundancy required for my plane.

IMHO: Safe, yes if you are proficient. Legal, only if you consider it an emergency.

:cool:
 
....
I however would not fly IFR without the power reducancy to restore power to the GTN-650/625. Considering this is easy to do and if done well you can eliminate the need for the EFIS backup battery, it should be the best option for most IFR builds.

Carl

Not really, the Skyview EFIS back-up battery is needed to retain attitude reference and engine monitoring. It would be really dumb to lose that feature in an emergency electrical power loss situation over a $180 expense. :rolleyes:


It also appears that some of the previous responses thought Dynon IFR use was for "normal" use. The question was specifically for emergency use if a total electrical power failure occurred. Would it get you down reasonably safely?
 
Last edited:
FWIW, I have practiced that exact scenario under the hood with a safety pilot in VMC several times. I would not hesitate to do it in actual IMC as my last option. YMMV

:eek:
 
Like Galen states, not legal, but could be done safely under certain conditions.

The Dynon GPS 2020 most likely can report position and altitude within a few of the Garmin 625. What?s not in the Seattle Avionics data used on the Skyview, is the approach data with all the fixes. It may have some of the intersections, but there is no guarantee you?ll have them all. You also won?t have any glideslope data that the 625 can provide.

Could you simulate the approach in a pinch using a non certified gps? Perhaps, but I wouldn?t want to do it anywhere near minimums.

That is why I have a separate Ebus with a dedicated battery and alternator to eliminate the lost of electrons as a potential cause for losing my certified gps. I?m like most of use and can?t afford a second certified gps on the panel.

Now if you have a nav installed, you could always fly a vor or ils approach.
 
Like Galen states, not legal, but could be done safely under certain conditions.

The Dynon GPS 2020 most likely can report position and altitude within a few of the Garmin 625. What?s not in the Seattle Avionics data used on the Skyview, is the approach data with all the fixes. It may have some of the intersections, but there is no guarantee you?ll have them all. You also won?t have any glideslope data that the 625 can provide.

Could you simulate the approach in a pinch using a non certified gps? Perhaps, but I wouldn?t want to do it anywhere near minimums.

That is why I have a separate Ebus with a dedicated battery and alternator to eliminate the lost of electrons as a potential cause for losing my certified gps. I?m like most of use and can?t afford a second certified gps on the panel.

Now if you have a nav installed, you could always fly a vor or ils approach.

The SkyView has the approach plates and if you keep them up to date, you can fly an approach and it will display an airplane icon on the approach plate.

I would recommend you include a handheld GPS in your panel that is always being charged so you can navigate with it, if needed.

Remember, in an emergency, the regs are tossed out the window.
 
Don’t know about the Dynon database you use in the USA but the Australian database for the Dynon supplied by AvPlan seems to have the waypoints for RNAVs. So, if my GTN 650 fails and time and workload permits I could load an RNAV Approach into the Skyview as a flightplan. The approach (flightplan) would display on the Skyview map and I would have HSI guidance and distance to the next waypoint. The georeferenced plate on the iPad could be used for cross referencing. I have a Trio ProPilot and a switch to select the Skyview as the GPS source (instead of the GTN) so the AP could fly the approach (flightplan).

Some time ago I simulated a GTN failure and it immediately became apparent that I did not know the procedures for coping with this situation.

Firstly I had forgotten how to change the HSI source to Skyview. Also the Skyview was set up to display the GTN flightplan on the Skyview map and I did not know how to make it display the Skyview flight plan.

Secondly my flight planning and direct to is usually done on the GTN and I did not know how to do this on the Skyview.

I now have these procedures on an accessible laminated sheet and to keep in practice I often use the Skyview for flight planning and navigating on VFR flights.

Fin.
RV 9A (IFR)
 
Last edited:
Don’t know about the Dynon database you use in the USA but the Australian database for the Dynon supplied by AvPlan seems to have the waypoints for RNAVs. So, if my GTN 650 fails and time and workload permits I could load an RNAV Approach into the Skyview as a flightplan. The approach (flightplan) would display on the Skyview map and I would have HSI guidance and distance to the next waypoint. The georeferenced plate on the iPad could be used for cross referencing. I have a Trio ProPilot and a switch to select the Skyview as the GPS source (instead of the GTN) so the AP could fly the approach (flightplan).

Some time ago I simulated a GTN failure and it immediately became apparent that I did not know the procedures for coping with this situation.

Firstly I had forgotten how to change the HSI source to Skyview. Also the Skyview was set up to display the GTN flightplan on the Skyview map and I did not know how to make it display the Skyview flight plan.

Secondly my flight planning and direct to is usually done on the GTN and I did not know how to do this on the Skyview.

I now have these procedures on an accessible laminated sheet and to keep in practice often use the Skyview for flight planning and navigating on VFR flights.

Fin.
RV 9A (IFR)

Fin, I presume you have the non-touch screen version of the Skyview?

Even flying VFR in my -6A I can say the switching you mention is quite trivial with the touch screen.

Sometimes sw/hw advances do make things easier...:D

But as you say, emergency procedures are best tried out when there isn't an emergency.
 
Last edited:
AvPlan and Dynon in Australia

Hi Fin,

I will add to your excellent write up for a “Touch Screen Skyview”

I practice VFR RNAV,s with the Dynon for the same reasons. My method is to simply :

1
Rubber-band the approach on the iPad then send to Dynon via wifi,the lovely lady inside the box says “Flight Plan Updated”
(Turn on IFR waypoints in the app )
(I also practise manually entering waypoints )

2
Touch the screen icon for “Flightplan Source” and it switch’s from GTN to Skyview

3
Flip the autopilot source from GTN to Skyview ( also using Trio Pro Pilot)

and I am done. (30 seconds tops )

I have flown VFR to mins many times and will often switch between GTN and Skyview source and have been unable to see any changes in aircraft position.
As an EMERGENCY back up, Dynon works well.
As always TEST AND VERIFY with your own aircraft.
 
Last edited:
ForeFlight has the approaches in its database, so you can add an approach to the end of the flight plan and WiFi it to Skyview and the Skyview will fly the lateral portion. You are still responsible for the vertical. What everybody already said about legality still applies.
 
Hi Fin,

I will add to your excellent write up for a “Touch Screen Skyview”

I practice VFR RNAV,s with the Dynon for the same reasons. My method is to simply :

1
Rubber-band the approach on the iPad then send to Dynon via wifi,the lovely lady inside the box says “Flight Plan Updated”
(Turn on IFR waypoints in the app )
(I also practise manually entering waypoints )

2
Touch the screen icon for “Flightplan Source” and it switch’s from GTN to Skyview

3
Flip the autopilot source from GTN to Skyview ( also using Trio Pro Pilot)

and I am done. (30 seconds tops )

I have flown VFR to mins many times and will often switch between GTN and Skyview source and have been unable to see any changes in aircraft position.
As an EMERGENCY back up, Dynon works well.
As always TEST AND VERIFY with your own aircraft.

Thanks Ashley for your excellent suggestions. I now have the WiFi adaptor ordered but can’t bring myself to upgrade to touch at the current exchange rate :(
Changing Flightplan Source on the Touch looks to be more straightforward than on the Classic Skyview.

Fin
9A
 
Last edited:
Not really, the Skyview EFIS back-up battery is needed to retain attitude reference and engine monitoring. It would be really dumb to lose that feature in an emergency electrical power loss situation over a $180 expense. :rolleyes:


It also appears that some of the previous responses thought Dynon IFR use was for "normal" use. The question was specifically for emergency use if a total electrical power failure occurred. Would it get you down reasonably safely?

Gil, I think Carl meant he uses a backup buss for both the gps and efis. Regardless, you still need to plan for the ?what if?? possibility of equipment failure other than power loss -whether primary efis or gps.
 
Back
Top