Turn and Bank - RC Allen vs Electrical Gyro Corp

[Kevin Horton]

I need to buy a 3 1/8 inch electric turn and bank for the RV-8 I'm
building. Aircraft Spruce sells two, and I'm wondering whether there is
any reason to pick one over the other, other than the small price
difference.

Does any one have opinions on the performance and reliability of the RC
Allen 56-3B vs the Electric Gyro Corp 1234T100. I'll probably call a gyro
overhaul shop tomorrow to see if they will tell me anything useful.

I'll fly some IFR, so I want a trust-worthy instrument. I'll also fly a
fair bit of aerobatics, so I want one that is robust and overhaulable at a
reasonable cost.

--
Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
Ottawa, Canada
http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

[Rich S.]

"Kevin Horton" > wrote in message
...
> I need to buy a 3 1/8 inch electric turn and bank for the RV-8 I'm
> building. Aircraft Spruce sells two, and I'm wondering whether there is
> any reason to pick one over the other, other than the small price
> difference.
>
> Does any one have opinions on the performance and reliability of the RC
> Allen 56-3B vs the Electric Gyro Corp 1234T100. I'll probably call a gyro
> overhaul shop tomorrow to see if they will tell me anything useful.
>
> I'll fly some IFR, so I want a trust-worthy instrument. I'll also fly a
> fair bit of aerobatics, so I want one that is robust and overhaulable at a
> reasonable cost.

Are you installing an autopilot? The Navaids control head incorporates a
T&B, not "approved" for IFR, but it works.

Rich S.

[Kevin Horton]

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 18:21:01 -0800, Rich S. wrote:

> "Kevin Horton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I need to buy a 3 1/8 inch electric turn and bank for the RV-8 I'm
>> building. Aircraft Spruce sells two, and I'm wondering whether there is
>> any reason to pick one over the other, other than the small price
>> difference.
>>
>> Does any one have opinions on the performance and reliability of the RC
>> Allen 56-3B vs the Electric Gyro Corp 1234T100. I'll probably call a
>> gyro overhaul shop tomorrow to see if they will tell me anything useful.
>>
>> I'll fly some IFR, so I want a trust-worthy instrument. I'll also fly a
>> fair bit of aerobatics, so I want one that is robust and overhaulable at
>> a reasonable cost.
>
> Are you installing an autopilot? The Navaids control head incorporates a
> T&B, not "approved" for IFR, but it works.
>
> Rich S.

Rich,

Yes, I have a Navaid wing leveler, but I want a "proper" T&B with a nice
needle. I'm used to that needle, and it is also easier to see in a spin
than those little red LEDs on the Navaid.

--
Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
Ottawa, Canada
http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

[Eric Miller]

"Kevin Horton" > wrote

> Yes, I have a Navaid wing leveler, but I want a "proper" T&B with a nice
> needle. I'm used to that needle, and it is also easier to see in a spin
> than those little red LEDs on the Navaid.

Anyone got a web address for Navaid?
I searched but failed to find...

Eric

[Kevin Horton]

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:48:35 +0000, Eric Miller wrote:

> "Kevin Horton" > wrote
>
>> Yes, I have a Navaid wing leveler, but I want a "proper" T&B with a nice
>> needle. I'm used to that needle, and it is also easier to see in a spin
>> than those little red LEDs on the Navaid.
>
> Anyone got a web address for Navaid?
> I searched but failed to find...
>
> Eric

Navaid Devices - http://www.navaid-devices.com/

I called one of the major gyro overhaul and sales shops and spoke with
someone in the overhaul shop. She said that they see lots of warranty
returns on RC Allen turn and banks and turn coordinators, and very little
such returns on the Electric Gyro Corp stuff.

So, I'll buy the Electric Gyro Corp T&B.

--
Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
Ottawa, Canada
http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

[Eric Miller]

"Kevin Horton" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:48:35 +0000, Eric Miller wrote:
>
> > Anyone got a web address for Navaid?
> > I searched but failed to find...
> >
> > Eric
>
> Navaid Devices - http://www.navaid-devices.com/
>
> <snip>
>
> Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
> Ottawa, Canada
> http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
> e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

Thanks Kevin :-)

Just checked out the site and noticed they have a coupler for using a
handheld GPS... too cool!

Thanks again!

Eric

[Kevin Horton]

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 16:40:49 +0000, Eric Miller wrote:

> "Kevin Horton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 19:48:35 +0000, Eric Miller wrote:
>>
>> > Anyone got a web address for Navaid?
>> > I searched but failed to find...
>> >
>> > Eric
>>
>> Navaid Devices - http://www.navaid-devices.com/
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit) Ottawa, Canada
>> http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/ e-mail:
>> khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com
>
> Thanks Kevin :-)
>
> Just checked out the site and noticed they have a coupler for using a
> handheld GPS... too cool!
>
> Thanks again!
>
> Eric

Although I have a Navaid wing leveler, if I was starting fresh there are a
couple of new units on the market that are definitely worth a look. The
Navaid is pretty agricultural, and the guy who designed it and knew how it
works has died. The guys running the company now apparently only know how
to assemble and sell them. They supposedly aren't much use if you have
problems and need support.

The TruTrak DigiTrak is getting great reviews from users. TruTrak has a
whole family of autopilots with a wide range of capabilities. Jim Younkin,
who created the Century autopilots, and is very well respected for his
skills and integrity is one of the principles in TruTrak.

http://www.trutrakflightsystems.com/ttfsproducts.html

And Trio Avionics has a new system that got a good review from someone I
trust. Trio Avionics is pretty new on the market, and it is too early to
tell whether they are a flash in the pan, or around for the long haul.

http://www.trioavionics.com/
<http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/article.php?story=20031017210326293>


--
Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
Ottawa, Canada
http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

[Eric Miller]

"Kevin Horton" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 16:40:49 +0000, Eric Miller wrote:
>
> >
> > Thanks Kevin :-)
> >
> > Just checked out the site and noticed they have a coupler for using a
> > handheld GPS... too cool!
> >
> > Thanks again!
> >
> > Eric
>
> Although I have a Navaid wing leveler, if I was starting fresh there are a
> couple of new units on the market that are definitely worth a look. The
> Navaid is pretty agricultural, and the guy who designed it and knew how it
> works has died. The guys running the company now apparently only know how
> to assemble and sell them. They supposedly aren't much use if you have
> problems and need support.
>
> The TruTrak DigiTrak is getting great reviews from users. TruTrak has a
> whole family of autopilots with a wide range of capabilities. Jim
Younkin,
> who created the Century autopilots, and is very well respected for his
> skills and integrity is one of the principles in TruTrak.
>
> http://www.trutrakflightsystems.com/ttfsproducts.html
>
> And Trio Avionics has a new system that got a good review from someone I
> trust. Trio Avionics is pretty new on the market, and it is too early to
> tell whether they are a flash in the pan, or around for the long haul.
>
> http://www.trioavionics.com/
>
<http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/article.php?story=2003101721032629
3>
>
>
> --
> Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit)
> Ottawa, Canada
> http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/
> e-mail: khorton02(_at_)rogers(_dot_)com

Thanks for the additional pointers, I'm just gathering data right now, so
I'll definitely look into these.
Even if I don't go with Navaid, I'm pretty psyched, because they list a
pointer to Porcine's handheld GPS coupler!

Thanks again!

Eric