AEA Pilot's Guide 2018-2019 - 50

NEXT-GEN AUTOPILOTS
Continued from page 49

Genesys Aerosystems
S-TEC 5000 and S-TEC 3100
"As the largest supplier of aftermarket autopilots in
the world, we have access to the largest pool of active
piston, turboprop and jet owner/operators," explained
Jamie Luster, director of sales and marketing for Genesys
Aerosystems. "After extensive research, we learned there
is a real need for a next-gen autopilot upgrade, particularly
in the Part 25 market segment. Current systems are
becoming less reliable and more difficult to repair every
day. Owner/operators want a reliable and relatively
affordable upgrade option - that's the goal of the S-TEC
5000 digital flight control system.
"The S-TEC 5000 is a high-performance system and
is certified with Level A software - that is the highest
standard there is. We want operators of these highperformance aircraft to have total confidence in every
phase of flight with the S-TEC 5000 and every autopilot
we make."
While greatly increased reliability and lower cost of
ownership are key, Luster said the target consumers are
keen to have new safety features. To that end, the S-TEC
5000 will be the first new-generation aftermarket autopilot
to offer envelope protection and one-touch straight-andlevel recovery to Part 25 category aircraft.
Also, according to Luster, the company is bringing all
the same features found in the S-TEC 5000 to piston
aircraft owners with its S-TEC 3100.
"From a features and functionality standpoint, the two
units are very similar," she said. "However, the 5000 has
much more heavy-duty servos and the Level A software.
The 3100 features standard-duty servos, which are perfect
for these Part 23 aircraft."
One Genesys philosophy that both units will feature
is the company's commitment to designing them around
an open architecture. What that means is the S-TEC
3100 and S-TEC 5000 will be able to interface with a
wide variety of legacy analog and newer digital avionics
systems.

Genesys Aerosystems S-TEC 3100

"We are above all, an autopilot company first," Luster
said. "Our open architecture philosophy comes from years
of experience in helping owners find the most-affordable
and most-capable autopilot solution possible. One of the
capabilities is a cross-talk functionality. Both the S-TEC
3100 and S-TEC 5000 will be able to share information
with the avionics in the panel, which will improve
functionality and reduce pilot workloads."
Trio Avionics Pro Pilot
Trio Avionics' Pro Pilot is another non-TSO'd autopilot
now available for certified aircraft through an FAA STC,
which the company received just before AirVenture 2017.
"We have the STC and PMA approvals from the FAA
for both the installation kit and the autopilot itself," stated
Chuck Busch, company president. "It's all clear and we are
absolutely ready to ship."
The STC'd Pro Pilot autopilot is derived from the popular
autopilot developed in 2004 for the experimental aircraft
market.
"Trio has some 3,000 autopilots flying around the world,"
stated Paul Odum, CEO of the STC Group, the holders
of the STCs. "As such, the Trio Pro Pilot is an excellent
off-the-shelf choice to retrofit into legacy general aviation
aircraft. Our initial STCs are for the Cessna 172, 175 and
180 aircraft type certificates. We also have an STC program
for the Piper PA28-series in the works right now."
Busch explained that, while the Pro Pilot has all the
typical features pilots want in an autopilot, it does introduce
a couple that you may not have heard of before: takeoff
disconnect and the automatic 180-degree turn mode.
"We looked at a lot of accidents, and one thing that stuck
out were the number caused by pilots trying to take off with
their autopilots engaged," he said. "We have sensors in our
Pro Pilot monitors to indicate airspeed and groundspeed.
If the system
sees a condition
where you are
taking off with
the autopilot
engaged, it will
automatically
disconnect it.
You won't know
it happened.
"Another
safety feature is
our automatic
180 capability.
Trio Avionics Pro Pilot

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