Anyone running auto pilot with floats?

[gear]

I was talking with Float Flyer the other day and he told me that his auto pilot (S-Tec 50) doesnt work worth a S#@! when he has his floats on his 185 (pitch axis up and down). Has anyone got experience with using their auto pilot with floats? I have an S-Tec (can't remember what model and I don't have my plane yet) and I'm curious as to how it will work with my 182 and Aerocets.

thx.

garth

[Rhyppa]

Garth I run my 182 on aerocets with my century 2000 autopilot all the time and it works great

[steve]

Garth,

I have a S-tec 55 with altitude hold on the 185 with Aerocets and it works fine. I had a S-tec 50 with altitude hold on the 182 that was on wheels and it worked good in that application. Maybe Ford needs to spend some Mexican pesos and get his looked at. Seems that autopilots can be finicky at times, like anything plane related, it something else to throw money at.

Steve

[gear]

Garth,

I have a S-tec 55 with altitude hold on the 185 with Aerocets and it works fine. I had a S-tec 50 with altitude hold on the 182 that was on wheels and it worked good in that application. Maybe Ford needs to spend some Mexican pesos and get his looked at. Seems that autopilots can be finicky at times, like anything plane related, it something else to throw money at.

Steve

I'll pass that on to him
Thats good news - I just wondered if this was a float thing or not. I tried mine in the test flight while on wheels and it worked great so hopefully it will be the same on floats.

Is it almost spring time yet?

[steve]

Garth,

Hate to break this to you, but there is still about a 5 1/2 month wait for ice out. You better go to Florida this winter and fly the 180 around just to stay in practice.

Steve

[nofate]

I have an STec 50 with altitude hold in my 180 floatplane. I don't use it much , but it seems to work OK when I do.

The last time I used the autopilot it did not want to track the GPS line. It would only hold the heading that the DG bug was set on. Gotta get that checked out.

[gear]

Garth,

Hate to break this to you, but there is still about a 5 1/2 month wait for ice out. You better go to Florida this winter and fly the 180 around just to stay in practice.

Steve

Steve - don't tell me s#%! like that - i can't wait that long.

[FloatFlyer]

Garth: Please inform Steve that if I had his "farming" money, I would be flying something with kerosene and not having a crummy S-Tec 50 a/p to deal with! Also help him out a little by telling him that you have a 182 (Skylane) not a 180 (Skywagon). Frozen north might be a contributing factor!! And finally, don't go to Florida, too many retired New Yorkers there, come west to where real pilots are.

On a more serious note, I have fought this a/p ever since I bought the plane. Have replaced or overhauled everything but the servos. At least now it is ok on wheels and that is when I do the long cross country flying. I used to have a bitch of a time with the plane yawing on floats regardless of a/p use. It is still very sensitive to yaw but better after I had the rigging on the floats checked and found the right float toed out 3/4", grrrrr. FF

[OregonMaule]

Real pilots hand fly!


Ok I'll admit I'm jealous I don't have a auto pilot.

[OregonMaule]

If Ford runs his auto pilot like his computer I think I found the problem. Let Wendy try it Ford.

[FloatFlyer]

Ouch, now you are getting personal, but could be true,

[gear]

If Ford runs his auto pilot like his computer I think I found the problem. Let Wendy try it Ford.

maybe when he thinks he's turning his auto pilot on, he's actually activating his portable electric bear fence in the back of the plane,.....

[steve]

Ford; I was refering to flying Brian's (Adventure Seaplanes) 180. If you would eat a few more corn flakes maybe I could buy a ticket on a smoker to get back to the frozen north. Still stuck in Illinois until I get a drainage project done. For some reason Ellen thinks I need to come home, don't know why, I have only been gone three months. Have a Mexican turkey leg for me Thursday.

Steve

[185 Bushbird]

Garth, i have flown several 182 & 185's with S-tech 30 and 55's on floats and they worked fine, a Beaver is another story, always searching for pitch trim. Why don't you and Steve come to FL- [Cherry Pocket] and hand fly the 180 on Aerocets and drive our airboats for some real fun! There are more Canadians, MN, WI, MI, OH and IL around us than NYorkers, they are on the east coast! Us MN rednecks are in the central part where you can have lots of fun! Steve how was the yield- 200+ corn or too wet of spring for a late start?

[steve]

That would be fun Brian. Yes, too wet a spring to get planted in a timely fashion, then drought, yields were way down. Ground still dry at the 6 ft level. If it was easy, everybody would do it.

Steve

[Durango Skywagon]

I have an S-Tec 30 in my 185 and straight Aerocets. When I fly LOP my autopilots altitude hold is not worth a shit. It will slowly lift the nose until I am wallowing at a slow speed, whereas when I hand fly the altitude I can keep a nice nose low cruise attitude and go way faster.

If I'm lightweight or flying ROP the autopilot works pretty well.

-Brad

[gear]

Why don't you and Steve come to FL- [Cherry Pocket] and hand fly the 180 on Aerocets and drive our airboats for some real fun!

Brian - love to do that and plan to whenever i get back to Florida - Cherry Pocket brings back good memories - where I flew my first float plane with you guys.

[FloatFlyer]

Durango Skywagon, would you explain what you mean by LOP and ROP and how it relates to a/p performance?? I am only guessing but are you referring to fuel leaning?? Thanks, FF

[pilotjpw1]

Yes. I don't reall follow that LOP would cause such a drastic or even slight enough speed drop to cause autopilot troubles.


My STEC and Aerocet amphib's on the 182 work fine except with a turbulent flight the trim needs more adjustment and the horn drives me nuts, so I will hand fly then.

Hold and tracks nice on a smooth day.

[185 Bushbird]

Brad, i'm tell'n you have to put some yellow paint on that bird if you want it to not only get off the water better but it will go through the air much faster which will help you when try'n to burn 9.7 gph on floats! Even a yellow stripe on those fancy new Aerocets will help, i'm off to Surfside now and i'll paint one on for you with a roller! I'll bet the S-30 works fine with a bit more power going through it or when on wheels LOP. You forget your dragg'n 2 big heavy canoes out there!