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Legacy autopilot questions

I am telling that to everybody who has autopilot problems for years now: Go see Martin Scheifl at Avionik Straubing, he will solve it.

The problem, frankly, is that Avionics Straubing tend to have a very strange “communication style” in email comms, basically telling you to get lost. I have had this numerous times and so have others. It could be a “cultural thing” or it could be the same thing as that guy at Roeder Precision telling me (on the phone) they do business only in German and only with Germans i.e. just a random person who should really not be let loose anywhere near customer facing comms. Or it could be that a “foreigner” has to visit these people and then personal face to face contact works well. But email is the initial method of comms in the modern age, unless one can speak German and then one can use the phone.

Anyway it is great that we have a backup for Autopilots Central. I have asked in the USA and there is no indication they have gone bust, so I guess they just can’t be bothered. One issue is that companies there can do all the business they want without dealing with foreigners…. however the USA is not the only country where this is the case.

Another common issue is that avionics component overhaulers don’t normally deal with individuals; they deal only with avionics installers. You get this with DERs too…

Another thing with the USA is that shipping can be expensive – easily €100 each way for a small package.

Ultimately autopilots are simple things, as electronics goes. The real issue is that there is almost nobody working in avionics who understands electronics. 99% of the time this doesn’t matter because an installer can make a living just pulling example wiring diagrams out of the back of the installation manuals and combining these to create a “design” (and if it doesn’t work you phone Garmin’s dealer support hotline) but that works only if all the parts are working normally. It isn’t enough if you have to do component troubleshooting. Then you need to understand which wire does what e.g. you need to know that full scale is 100mV or whatever and troubleshoot from first principles.

Incidentally a lot of email goes straight into spam. I am getting this a lot nowadays. Some 20 emails to the UK CAA were “never received” (the reason it was 20 was because the relevant people had answering machines on the whole time). Another company (patio doors) is losing 100% also. It does look like a lot of companies are using weird antispam systems.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Like with Roeder this is the very first time I heard anybody say this about AS. Their customers are all over Europe and while it occasionally happens that they don’t reply immediately (some of the relevant people there travel a lot), they are known for working internationally and they have a very good reputation. All important employees of AS speak fine English – and they will always try to help you with a problem. Do they make mistakes? Yes, sometimes they do. Surprise.

Anecdote: When Cirrus Germany tried to find a failure in my A/P system for a day and sent me home with the words “nothing is wrong with it” in 2013 (resulting in several A/P disconnects in IMC on the way home), Martin Scheifl of AS found the failure within in ten minutes. One year later my (hidden mounted) Turn Coordinator failed (necessary as a second source for the DFC90 A/P). The gyro was overhauled while I WAITED in the restaurant.

Last Edited by at 16 Sep 09:22

The gyro was overhauled while I WAITED in the restaurant.

That, unfortunately, proves my point. The “personal relationship” aspect appears to make a big difference.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

It actually proves zero. I am one of thousands of their customers and they offered to overhaul the gyro while I waited, which of course is not possible always.

Fairly common, if they can do something on the spot, they try to. The only issue is that they tend to be over committed because too many people pop in. Typically a case like Timothy, the guy is busy with something else and you don’t get attention. Best is to come when the weather is really bad

Originally I didn’t use them for avionics work because I don’t like to be put on long waiting lists when I am about to spend tens of thousands of Euros. However, after a medium sized avionics job where the installer reverted to trial and error and eventually sent me to Straubing at his expense, I figured that I might just as well go where the knowledge, experience and test equipment is concentrated. As soon as you deal with old avionics, you need somebody that has the experience and all the test fixtures and manuals. Also it is cheaper to pay 0.5h * 90 €/h than 10h * 60 €/h as I learned.

Yes, the waiting time can really be too long, I agree. AFAIK they are plannning (or have they started?) to build another hangar/shop.

Some very long lead times (into 2018, reportedly) are being quoted right now by certain well known shops because of the 8.33 panic, but a smart shop isn’t going to expand the premises due to that because they know that when the 8.33 bonanza ends they will be back to normal times.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Straubing have had a 4-6 month waiting list for quite a number of years now. They have significantly increased their international customer base, I estimate ca. 50% foreign customers.

Before the 8.33kHz frenzy was Mode S. Before that 406MHz ELTs. Before that FM immunity. Before that 760 VHF channels, etc. Seems like a constant stream of regulation benefitting avionics companies.

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