It finally happened

[Huck]

I might add that instead of dual A/I's you can get an autopilot that steers off your electric turn coordinator. If vacuum fails just turn on the a/p - just know the right power settings for speeds so you don't chase pitch too much. This way you get an autopilot for long flights out of the deal.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

My dad flies SE IMC all the time, and for extended time periods. He just dropped my mom off near Kennedy Space Center, flying about 6 hours of IMC that day. He had a 2nd vacum system put in, and his turn coord. is electric. He carries a hand-held comm radio. 1 ADF, 2 vor/locs, 1 ILS. It has an old AP that does OK at straight and level. He's had the plane for 26 years and never had a partial panel or failure of any main instrument. His biggest emergency was almost instantaneous icing after TO.

I've flown a lot of SE helo IMC, both in flight school and in real life. I did find out my former Army Inst instructor had an engine failure in a Huey in IMC, and was hoping to break out in time to find a safe landing spot where he wouldn't damage the aircraft. He did.

Cliff
GB,WI

 

[Snakum]

Reading these posts one would come away with the idead that SE IMC is suicidal. With all due respect to the experience level of those who've posted thus far, I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree. When I was working on the IR, I flew with the AI covered till I almost began to ignore it even when not covered (it helped that the AI in the crappy trainers I had access to were notorious for not spinning up ). I still train PP anytime I'm VFR pleasure flying with another pilot (gotta stay sharp). I am fully confident that within my personal mins, and if nothing else is going TU, that an AI failure isn't gonna be much of a problem. I know other guys involved in SE Piston Corp/Business flying that do it all the time. I just don't see the hazard if the aircraft is properly maintained and the PIC is competent.

Perhaps ... when I've logged two thousand hours on something bigger than a Seneca I will see the folly ... I dunno ...

Minh
SEL Corp Geek