Fast Erect

[Greg]

Jeff,

If you've got something that works for you that's fine, but there is no stacking of level sets -- I know, I built the thing. The closest thing I think that COULD cause that is if you are off a little and you level it, then you are off a little the other way and level it back, pretty soon you don't have any idea what Zero really is and you're stuck head-scratching.

That's a good time to hit 0, and make sure everything is as it should be. I personally Set Level once I'm at altitude and stabilized, and that's how I intended it to be used.

If you've got a procedure that works for you, keep on with it! That's one thing I've learned from Ira / James / Bryan / Clay / et. al. is that there's more than one way to do something, and the way I intended isn't the only Good one.

Works for me ...

[Todd Sanderson]

I guess I don't get any off this. Shouldn't the machine be set once and be done? When I fly busy IFR or VFR for that matter, the last thing I want to worry about is telling the machine what "level" is. That is what IT is supposed to do. You don't do this in a G1000 setup and I don't even do this in old "spin-n-whine" gyros. If it won't display level flight automatically then what is the point in having it?

[rampil]

Todd,

Two good reasons I can think of

1) What happens if you're in a taildragger? Start electrics with the nose
pointing to the sky but in the air, the level is different. Lotta homebuilts
are taildraggers. I ve not yet seen a G1000 in one. What about just
an unlevel ramp. Same problem. The BMA stuff can handle longitudinal
and lateral deviations from level without a problem. Why does a steam
driven gyro have an adjustible level - same reason.


2) All electric and mechanical devices drift with time, temperature, phase
of moon. Better to be able to zero than not.

[juliet bravo]

Originally Posted by Todd Sanderson

If it won't display level flight automatically then what is the point in having it?

I agree with Todd! All excuses aside, before you set take off thrust for an IFR departure, the ADI solution should be flawless, or the instrument is not airworthy. That said, one "set level" and one "fast erect" carefully applied should be done, and is all that should be necessary.

JB

[n834st]

What does happen with a taildragger?

I set mine up in the hangar to a level flight attitude (according to the plans), then hit set level. Now the EFIS knows where level is.

[Greg]

You know, I flew a 1960 model 210 a couple days ago and remembered to look at the old spinning mass gyro. Like all gyros, it has an adjustment for level: you can move the little stick up and down.

You don't have to hit Set Level ever if you don't want to. It'll show your plane flying at slightly different pitch attitudes as they vary with phase of flight, which can be annoying.

It's a matter of taste -- mine is to be able to zero the ADI to dead zero when I want to, but then again I like manual shift in my cars too. What ever you like best ...

[kentb]

Does the "Set Level" just effect the pitch info for the ADI or does it also effect the bank info?

Kent

[jon_scholl]

Guys:

I fly an RV6 taildragger. The EFIS works perfectly.

When I start up, the unit remembers where level is and shows me the deck angle on the ground. I taxi, runup, etc. No problems

When I am airborn and I am in level flight, rarely do I set level again, but I do sometimes to correct a small variations.

Frankly, it's no different from gyros.....whenever I flew a plane with gyros (as a taildragger) i couldn't set level on the ground, so you estimate the deck angle and fly....then tweak a little when in the air.

as for IFR platform, again, no different from gyros. Not to sound trite, because I am an engineer and want things perfect, but in the soup one is always cross checking. Even if "level" was a degree or two off, your vertical speed will show it, and you will be flying just fine....in a mechanical gauge airplane you determine "zero vertical speed and wings level" not just by staring and the AI, but by looking at many other instruments. The EFIS is far more accurate and stable than the mechanical gyros, but when you cycle the thing on and off, do aerobatics or just load the plane differently so that "level" (zero vertical speed, zero roll) occurs at a higher deck angle (and higher lift to carry the load), then I like to tell the plane what "level" is in that configuration.

Happy to answer any questions....mine is flying two years now. Set level never an issue....I kinda ignore it usually unless i want to "tweak"



My two cents anyway.....

[sjakulski]

I agree, I think the Set Level should automatically zero out what is there before. I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to use Set Level while in IFR conditions...

BMA, why can't set level code work from '0' all the time? (or give us the option for it)? What we have now is worse it seems. I don't carry keyboards to plug in my G3 to fix it as a rule...assuming I can '0' out a G3 Lite as well.

Steve

Originally Posted by CTSW

I don't get this. Seems to me level is level, end of story. Whey is the EFIS set to take an array of level data and consider the entire data set?

Shouldn't any new set level entry simply replace the previous?

[sjakulski]

Greg,
Based on your comment that you set level once at altitude and stabilized and that is how you intended it to be used, isn't that saying that this it is not
designed, or safe, for IFR use since it can't be relied on then for takeoff purposes or once in the soup thereafter?

Steve

Originally Posted by Greg

Jeff,

If you've got something that works for you that's fine, but there is no stacking of level sets -- I know, I built the thing. The closest thing I think that COULD cause that is if you are off a little and you level it, then you are off a little the other way and level it back, pretty soon you don't have any idea what Zero really is and you're stuck head-scratching.

That's a good time to hit 0, and make sure everything is as it should be. I personally Set Level once I'm at altitude and stabilized, and that's how I intended it to be used.

If you've got a procedure that works for you, keep on with it! That's one thing I've learned from Ira / James / Bryan / Clay / et. al. is that there's more than one way to do something, and the way I intended isn't the only Good one.

Works for me ...