bobgoodman
New member
i gave myself a dynon d3 for christmas. it came last week but the weather was crappy and i didn't fly with it until today.
i flew with it today in my rv and in the bellanca, and i really like it. it takes some getting used to, my only problem was setting the pitch exactly where i wanted it. i kind of wish it had a button on the side to adjust it, like a normal artificial horizon, but once you get it where you want it you don't need to fool with it any more, so i guess i'll give them a pass on that.
the other issue is when you put your finger on the screen to adjust something, the automatic dimmer cuts the lights down in some cases. again, you don't need to adjust much when you get it set up.
i took some foggles and a safety pilot, and even though my instrument skills are rusty, i had no problem flying with it. of course, all the gyros were working (more or less) so i didn't have the distraction you can get with a failed gyro, but i felt pretty comfortable after just a few minutes.
the little clip-on bracket worked like a charm, i can use it in both planes very easily. it clips on the panel cover in the bellanca and i made a bracket for it in the rv. in the rv i covered up the turn coordinator, in the bellanca i covered up the rate of climb, both of which are shown on the dynon.
i think it was money well spent. reliable flight instruments give you some confidence even if you don't "need" them. the fact that it was showing my ground speed, not airspeed, and course instead of heading made no difference at all. in fact, i like knowing course more than heading and often set my dg on gps course instead of using the compass to set heading.
i think it was money well spent. i think i'll spend some time with it and maybe get instrument current again. just for proficiency's sake of course. a good friend's son will be getting his cfi soon, and maybe he will want to fly with me. he may use the bellanca to get his high performance sign-off. except there aren't any instructors here that have a tailwheel endorsement. not sure i would trust them anyway, but the son is very proficient and has flown both the rv and the bellanca and has a very good stick and quick feet.
bobg
i flew with it today in my rv and in the bellanca, and i really like it. it takes some getting used to, my only problem was setting the pitch exactly where i wanted it. i kind of wish it had a button on the side to adjust it, like a normal artificial horizon, but once you get it where you want it you don't need to fool with it any more, so i guess i'll give them a pass on that.
the other issue is when you put your finger on the screen to adjust something, the automatic dimmer cuts the lights down in some cases. again, you don't need to adjust much when you get it set up.
i took some foggles and a safety pilot, and even though my instrument skills are rusty, i had no problem flying with it. of course, all the gyros were working (more or less) so i didn't have the distraction you can get with a failed gyro, but i felt pretty comfortable after just a few minutes.
the little clip-on bracket worked like a charm, i can use it in both planes very easily. it clips on the panel cover in the bellanca and i made a bracket for it in the rv. in the rv i covered up the turn coordinator, in the bellanca i covered up the rate of climb, both of which are shown on the dynon.
i think it was money well spent. reliable flight instruments give you some confidence even if you don't "need" them. the fact that it was showing my ground speed, not airspeed, and course instead of heading made no difference at all. in fact, i like knowing course more than heading and often set my dg on gps course instead of using the compass to set heading.
i think it was money well spent. i think i'll spend some time with it and maybe get instrument current again. just for proficiency's sake of course. a good friend's son will be getting his cfi soon, and maybe he will want to fly with me. he may use the bellanca to get his high performance sign-off. except there aren't any instructors here that have a tailwheel endorsement. not sure i would trust them anyway, but the son is very proficient and has flown both the rv and the bellanca and has a very good stick and quick feet.
bobg
