Greetings everyone!
I've just joined the ranks of Ercoupe owners. The plane is currently getting a very thorough "I've been hangared for a few years" annual, center section corrosion-proofing, various STCs, and some new instruments. She won't be flying for a while but that's okay since I'm only halfway through my sport pilot training.
Training in RV12's has taught me the value of an autopilot, but as everyone knows that's a tall order for an Ercoupe.
I recently saw that Uavionix is working on a new autopilot they're calling "Retro Pilot" and it's extremely interesting. Basically, it's a horizontal rail clamped to your passenger yoke with a motorized weight that zips back and forth to control the ailerons. So it's only a single-axis autopilot but (a) it will have wing-levelling *plus* course and GPs steering via your AV-30, and (b) since it's a bolt-on accessory there shouldn't be any worrying about STC's, AML's, or 337's... just strap it on (like a yoke-mounted Ipad) and go!
Short video of the prototype here
So why the call to action? Because Uavionix just quietly launched a
retroPilot Interest Survey page
. I already filled it out and they didn't SPAM me. If you're interested, I encourage you to sign up - it's very quick and will hopefully encourage Uavionx to the retroPilot with Ercoupes in mind.
