Trio Autopilot
Installation:
The following photos shows the Trio Autopilot replacing our
mechanical electric DG. The Trio
Control-head provides Ground Track and Baring to Waypoint
along with various other user
defined GPS display parameters, so this replaces the old DG
with excellent directional and
other flight data. We wired the new Trio into our Garmin-396
GPS, which is located between
the seats for easy access. The GPS also was wired into our
Avionics Switch for continuous
power, and the GPS was setup to output NEMA 0183 data, which
allow the Trio fly in either
Course, Track or Intercept mode. I can’t say enough about how much we like this Trio setup
along with the SafeAir1 installation kit! Trio Avionics and SafeAir1
The following shows the Gold Servo along with the SafeAir1
mounting kit. The Servo mounts
on the outboard side of the Main Wing Spar, but since I
already had the Strobe Pack there and
all the associated mounting holes, I decided to use the
SafeAir1 mounting plate as a template
only for the servo footprint and make my own mounting plate,
which is shown as Zinc Chromate
Green. Trio Servos
have triple redundancy for pilot override, and does not get damaged in the
event of a quick stick input while engaged unlike other
autopilots such as TruTrack Autopilots.
I originally was going to install a DigiTrack but after
waiting for 8-weeks, I canceled and went
with Trio instead.
Only two weeks after ordering, I had the kit from SafeAir1 and Trio
Autopilot.
I also learned that TruTrack uses a shear-shaft in the event
of a pilot stick input while the servo
is engaged, which breaks the servo (YIKES!). Since the Trio Gold Servo uses an adjustable
slip
clutch, you just keep going after any traffic avoidance
maneuver needed. Given all of the
traffic
out here, I can certainly see this happening.
The following photo shows the Strobe Pack relocation side,
which has just been flipped to the
opposite side of the Right Wing Spar over the same mounting
holes as before. In addition,
while we had the wing tip off, we upgraded the landing light
and bay to the 100-watt round
halogen version as shown in the second photo.
Showing the new round 100-watt Duck Works halogen landing
light installation:
The following shows the Trio Gold Servo installed on the
opposite side of the outboard end
of the Right Wing Spar.
SafeAir1 also provides the builder with a new Control Arm, which
is custom built to your specific aircraft type along with a
custom push rod. I also ordered
the SafeAir1 Pre-built Wiring Harness, which made this
installation much easier. I would
highly recommend the Trio and SafeAir1 setup to anyone
considering an autopilot!
Showing the SafeAir1 pushrod on the aileron bell-crank side
about 3 feet inboard:
In the last photo, we are running through the
ground-calibration and setup tests. Do
not
forget this step because you may need to set the servo for
reverse operation due to the
the Servo orientation as we did. You will also notice that the Trio Ez-Pilot factory sets
your
Control Head before leaving the factory. They even put in our name and N-number, too.
If you go with Trio and SafeAir1, you will be very happy! Trio Avionics and SafeAir1
