Bushby Mustang II auto-pilot installation

owenssonex

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Messages
45
Hello,
Any forum members happen to have experience installing dynon auto-pilot servos in a Bushby Mustang II by adapting an available dynon kit?

Thanks,
Jim
 

Albee

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Messages
31
Location
Florida & Georgia
There was some discussion on the Mustang builders/owners group a few months ago. Mostly not Dynon, but using servos that appear to be bolt-compatible (not signal compatible). The Dynon generic servo kit was all I could justify "adapting", mainly for the harness components and some of the rod-end hardware. Hopefully someone will chime in; adding AP is on my short list of future mods and I've made a few drawings that might work, but not cut anything yet. I haven't seen anything about tuning or performance, with any AP. My plane is a little heavier on the controls than the RV-6 I once flew, but no so much as to make me think the AP won't work as well as it does on most Van's designs.

FWIW, my current idea is to cut a hole in the centerline top of the wing just ahead of the rear spar, with doubler and bracket to hold the pitch servo inside the wing with the arm sticking up, which links to the side of the stick-pushrod connection. I plan to put the roll servo in the control well, right side just behind the aileron pushrod, connecting to that side of the center rod that links to the sticks. On the Mustang forum somebody posted a picture of a roll servo in a similar location, but I've not seen the pitch servo where I'm planning. Mostly it looks like people are putting them behind the baggage wall. But since I'm usually loaded near the aft CG limit I'm always looking for ways to place things as far forward as I can, even when we're talking ounces.

EAA used to have a great deal for non-commercial SolidWorks licenses and I was using that to optimize the geometry. The pitch servo was a little tricky to position to maintain clearances to controls and still have room for doublers and brackets and to actually install everything. Unfortunately the SolidWorks deal changed after 2021 so just before my license expired I screen-cap'd what I had and then got distracted by non-aviation things. I'll attach the overall picture. Let me know if you make progress; if/when I get re-started on this I'll do the same.
 
Top