Check my posts. While I didn’t use the word “leans” I did write about Vertigo! IMHO one of the real dangers of flying in IMC
Peter wrote:
the envelope within which the magic blue button will recover / the aircraft doesn’t hit the ground before it works
I’m surprised noone has brought up the ‘leans’ yet. I could imagine it’d be really useful if you felt you were getting more and more disorientated. Of course a fix of incompetency in the first place, but it happens. Better than trying harder only to fail harder…
The parachute deployment airspeed was demonstrated at Vpd of 133 knots. The demonstrated loss of altitude was 400 feet from level flight and 920 feet from initiation of a 1-1/2 turn spin. It is know that CAPS will work at much higher speeds. Four CAPS deployments occurred successfully at higher speeds, 168, 171, 187 and 190 knots indicated airspeed, and one deployment failed at an airspeed estimated at over 300 knots airspeed.
The Straight and Level button can be used within the parameters described above. And if you pull the power when you press it and don’t used it in 1000 ft AGL then the airplane will recover long before reaching Vne. No, it will not help you in a spin or s steep spiral power on, but it can upright the airplane in many situations, like when the pilot experiences vertigo in IMC.
We do not have to discuss that it can NOT solve all problems, that much is obvious. Hey, it’s a $ 10.000 auutopilot, it’s the best (by far) retrofit autopilot on the market and the S&L-Button is only one of its many safety features, and not the most important one.
I once flew a Eurofighter simulator in the factory. It has such a button too. But of course there’s more technology behind. It will recover the airplane fomr any sutuation and speed and put it in a wings level climb.
What is the overlap between the following envelopes
In an unusual attitude (a nice way of saying you have lost control, usually in roll), you will have only seconds before Vne, and if the magic button doesn’t work, how far away is the max deployment speed of the chute?
Small aircraft autoland. Really??? Not in a million years?
The WORST thing aboutthe DFC90 is that voice itself ;-) They could have done that a bit more sexy …
I hate that too … especially because in the Cirrus you have the EGPWS system yelling at you. At LOWZ, taking off twds the mountain it’s really annoying… and I always forget to switch it off before takeoff.
Are you sure retracting the flaps that quickly is a good idea? One day you’ll be thinking about something else … and retract the gear. Happened more than once. Better wait until you leave the runway ..
Flyer59 wrote:
By the way: the A/P does not only do Envelope Protection but EA, Envelope Announcement not only in FD mode but also if it’s only in STBY and you handfly.
Yes, yet another annoying female voice harassing me in my cockpit 
I normally retract the flaps right on touchdown and then the DFC yells “underspeed, underspeed” at me. That is usually preceded by Mrs Garmin yelling “terrain, terrain, pull up, pull up” on my base leg as that is right into a mountain ridge…
Don’t mix rate based and attitude based autopilots please. The former do not know that you’re in an abnormal attitude.
Exactly.
Of course the “S&L” button does “similar” things as pressing ALT and HDG or STABILIZE … but combined with the Envelope protection system the outcome is very different. I was told that the programming of this feature is different too, but i do not know the details.
By the way: the A/P does not only do Envelope Protection but EA, Envelope Announcement not only in FD mode but also if it’s only in STBY and you handfly.
Add-on:
Show me any other A/P (except the GFC700, DFC100) that will recover an airplane safely from 60 degrees of bank and 30 degrees +/- of pitch, and can command a recovery at 2.5 g
