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View Full Version : EFIS reverts to Autopilot mode



Fly More
09-20-2013, 07:57 AM
Yesterday, the AF-5500 was commanding the autopilot based on heading and altitude bug settings.
During descent in mild turbulence the EFIS stopped commanding the autopilot so the autopilot
reverted to track mode and altitude hold. There was also an annunciation that I missed because
I was listening to ATC at the time but the first word was "autopilot" and I missed the second word.
Can you tell me the cause of the reversion to autopilot control or tell me what to watch for in case
it happens again?

After I used the autopilot disconnect switch on the stick and reset the commands on the EFIS it
commanded the autopilot as expected for the remainder of the flight (roughly 20 more minutes).

AF-5500 with engine board (but no engine sensors yet), GPSMAP 396, SL-30, AF-Pilot, AF-ARINC,
in a Cozy III.

Thanks,

Greg

Fly More
09-24-2013, 07:34 AM
Yesterday, the AF-5500 was commanding the autopilot based on heading and altitude bug settings.
During descent in mild turbulence the EFIS stopped commanding the autopilot so the autopilot
reverted to track mode and altitude hold. There was also an annunciation that I missed because
I was listening to ATC at the time but the first word was "autopilot" and I missed the second word.
Can you tell me the cause of the reversion to autopilot control or tell me what to watch for in case
it happens again?

After I used the autopilot disconnect switch on the stick and reset the commands on the EFIS it
commanded the autopilot as expected for the remainder of the flight (roughly 20 more minutes).

AF-5500 with engine board (but no engine sensors yet), GPSMAP 396, SL-30, AF-Pilot, AF-ARINC,
in a Cozy III.

Thanks,

Greg

Rob Hickman
09-24-2013, 03:42 PM
Are you sure you did not hit the control wheel steering input on the stick?

Has it happened again?

Fly More
09-24-2013, 04:32 PM
I'm sure that I didn't hit the CWS input on the stick.

This has never happened before and I haven't had a chance to fly the airplane since that happened. Are there any conditions that might cause it to happen that I should watch for?

Thanks,

Greg