Dynon Certified December 2021 Program Update

[Dynon]

With 2021 coming to a close, we want to give you an update on our Dynon Certified programs.

First, thank you for your partnership. 2021 is Dynon Certified’s best year yet, and that’s despite autopilot approvals taking longer than expected and the current supply chain crisis. We are really excited for 2022, even though there are tough challenges ahead.

There are two specific challenges that we want to share updates on.

First, the Bonanza 36 series autopilot approval is taking longer than expected - over a year longer. The reality is that although we’ve been “done” for months, we are not really across the finish line until we have our signed approval documents from the FAA. Their final reviews are taking much longer than we ever expected. Over the past couple of years, progress with FAA projects has slowed considerably.

Related, the resumption of shipping SkyView HDX displays is tied to the Bonanza 36 autopilot approval. Earlier this year, we made a minor internal change to SkyView’s display hardware that required certification. For multiple reasons, including efficiently packaging projects to work with the FAA, we decided to include that revision in the Bonanza 36 project. With a lot of schedule slack already factored in, this should have been a transparent change to customers. The approval should have been in hand long before we ran out of the previous hardware revision. Unfortunately, with the certification delays, that is not what transpired. As a result, Dynon Certified displays are currently backordered.

Where does that leave us? As of right now (Dec 16, 2021), we believe we are waiting for final FAA signatures. There is a chance that instead of the signatures we need, we get additional requests for information. But we have closed out all of the FAA’s outstanding documentation requests. Whether this means that we’ll be able to ship in days or weeks, we can not honestly say.

What we can say is that once we have the approval, we will be able to ship displays immediately. We are preparing our manufacturing operations in advance of approval so that we can rapidly clear out the existing backlog. Similarly, the Bonanza 36 autopilot will be available right after approval.

Going forward, we have three more airframes currently in-house actively receiving work towards autopilot approval. Those are the Cessna 182, Beech Baron 58, and The Mooney M20. Details about the progress of these projects can be found at www.dynoncertified.com. Going forward, we will no longer estimate approval dates, as our ability to estimate the FAA’s responses and timeframes has proven to be more difficult than anticipated. However, know that if an airplane is on our website, it is actively being worked on, with one caveat: The exact sub-models a particular approval applies to is not precisely known until relatively late in the project. Therefore, if autopilot availability is crucial to you or your customer’s panel plans, please wait until autopilot is available for your airplane before making upgrade decisions.

One final note: The current supply chain crisis means there may be longer lead times for some products. Please contact the Dynon Sales team if you have specific questions about the availability of particular products.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this challenging time.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I feel really badly for Dynon. FAA delays have made it so they can't even sell their flagship product. I guarantee this wasn't an easy post or email to write. I hope the FAA gets on the ball and gives y'all what you need. You make the best product out there at the best price and deserve tons of success with it. It's a real shame that these approvals are hampering your efforts. Wish there was something the user base could do to help.

 

[Fixxme]

Merry Christmas Dynon. Good things are on the horizon.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I see the approval came through today!!!! Congrats Dynon!!!! Must be a bit of a relief. Get those units off the shelves! I'm looking forward to installing v16 in my certified unit and checking out the lighting and pireps..

 

[Bill Putney]

The FAA is worried about the most obscure corner case autopilot failures with out one shred of statistical proof to support their fears, while people die in Loss of Control and Continued Flight Into Terrain accidents that autopilots could help save. They've abandoned reason and and integrity to protect a few profit driven companies that place profit above safety and peoples lives. The responsibility for this can't be laid at the feet of the people at the end of the FAA's implementation of these policies, the blame should be directed to the top of the agency. Their policies have the FSDOs and ACOs peoples hands tied.

Please! Please! Please! If you know any Federal Representative or Senator well enough to sit down and talk to them, take the time to impress upon them that the FAAs policies have killed more people in GA, a few at a time, than all the Boeing MAX accidents put together and they need to insist the agency change its policies as they insisted the FAA do after the MAX accidents. The only way this is going to change is from the top down.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke.

My best wishes to everyone out there. Keep yourself, your families and friends safe and here's to a better 2022. -Bill

 

[JohnAJohnson]

I don't believe any individual writing a congressman (unless the congressman is Jim Inhofe) will have any impact. We are such a small group that even together through AOPA, EAA, et. al., we have no voice, and getting anything done is like pulling teeth.

I have been very disappointed with our lobby groups. AOPA in particular did lots of chest beating when Basic Med was passed but the truth is, when asked for an update at Oshkosh, the Administrator said, "What? I'm unfamiliar with that initiative." Shortly thereafter, congress created its own bill and of course it was passed into law.

To me, the aviation alphabets should lobby relentlessly to bring home the simple, common sense point that you and I understand well:

The FAA is worried about the most obscure corner case autopilot failures with out one shred of statistical proof to support their fears, while people die in Loss of Control and Continued Flight Into Terrain accidents that autopilots could help save.

But I am not sure we have any lobby fighting for us on this or other common sense issues - at least I don't see any traction year after year, just a steady erosion. It is exactly why I canceled my AOPA membership three years ago. "We're all you have fighting for you" just didn't cut it anymore.

The news of the autotrim not being approved was very disappointing. My friend and I installed the HDX system in his Bonanza almost three years ago and even the schematics showed compatibility with his Century pitch trim system. Dynon said it would be functional in a couple months with the approval of the rest of the Bonanza line. Now it appears the 737 autotrim system will have GA victims in addition to those perishing in the two 737 Max crashes. Auto pitch trim is all about preventing disengagement transients, which can be deadly at low altitudes.

The FAA is worried about the most obscure corner case autopilot failures with out one shred of statistical proof to support their fears, while people die in Loss of Control and Continued Flight Into Terrain accidents that autopilots could help save. They've abandoned reason and and integrity to protect a few profit driven companies that place profit above safety and peoples lives. The responsibility for this can't be laid at the feet of the people at the end of the FAA's implementation of these policies, the blame should be directed to the top of the agency. Their policies have the FSDOs and ACOs peoples hands tied.

Please! Please! Please! If you know any Federal Representative or Senator well enough to sit down and talk to them, take the time to impress upon them that the FAAs policies have killed more people in GA, a few at a time, than all the Boeing MAX accidents put together and they need to insist the agency change its policies as they insisted the FAA do after the MAX accidents. The only way this is going to change is from the top down.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke.

My best wishes to everyone out there. Keep yourself, your families and friends safe and here's to a better 2022. -Bill

 

[OgieOglethorpe]

I don't believe any individual writing a congressman (unless the congressman is Jim Inhofe) will have any impact. We are such a small group that even together through AOPA, EAA, et. al., we have no voice, and getting anything done is like pulling teeth.

I have been very disappointed with our lobby groups. AOPA in particular did lots of chest beating when Basic Med was passed but the truth is, when asked for an update at Oshkosh, the Administrator said, "What? I'm unfamiliar with that initiative." Shortly thereafter, congress created its own bill and of course it was passed into law.

To me, the aviation alphabets should lobby relentlessly to bring home the simple, common sense point that you and I understand well:

The FAA is worried about the most obscure corner case autopilot failures with out one shred of statistical proof to support their fears, while people die in Loss of Control and Continued Flight Into Terrain accidents that autopilots could help save.

But I am not sure we have any lobby fighting for us on this or other common sense issues - at least I don't see any traction year after year, just a steady erosion. It is exactly why I canceled my AOPA membership three years ago. "We're all you have fighting for you" just didn't cut it anymore.

The news of the autotrim not being approved was very disappointing. My friend and I installed the HDX system in his Bonanza almost three years ago and even the schematics showed compatibility with his Century pitch trim system. Dynon said it would be functional in a couple months with the approval of the rest of the Bonanza line. Now it appears the 737 autotrim system will have GA victims in addition to those perishing in the two 737 Max crashes. Auto pitch trim is all about preventing disengagement transients, which can be deadly at low altitudes.

To add to the disappointment with aopa... I always found it odd the Experimental Aircraft Association were the ones that partnered with Dynon getting the HDX certified. Grateful for the EAA. Ok, maybe disappointment isn't the right word. Perhaps telling.

 

[airguy]

To add to the disappointment with aopa... I always found it odd the Experimental Aircraft Association were the ones that partnered with Dynon getting the HDX certified. Grateful for the EAA. Ok, maybe disappointment isn't the right word. Perhaps telling.

AOPA has no interest in innovation, that's not something that will generate revenue for them.

 

[OgieOglethorpe]

AOPA has no interest in innovation, that's not something that will generate revenue for them.

But sending me an email to be a legacy donor and give them my money when I kick off is far more important. EAA holds the STC, pretty sure that generates revenue. I give EAA far more respect for what they have done for the spam cans.

 

[JSmith]

I’d love to hear from Dynon about the 182 AutoPilot update. I know it was said that once the A36 got approved, the 182 would be right behind. Hopefully right behind doesn’t mean a year. Any updates?

 

[Rhino]

Dynon isn't causing these huge delays. That's the FAA's doing. There have been things Dynon has had to address, but those have been resolved in fairly short order. The long periods where nothing happens is due to waiting for a response from the FAA. Our tax dollars at work yet again.

 

[OgieOglethorpe]

Well, just put a deposit down and on the schedule for a December install of 2-10" hdx displays and ifd with aerocruze a/p on the Cherokee Six. Was going to put a 7" hdx in the center just for engine monitoring but installer thought that would be a waste. Would put a Dynon AP in of it were certified. Maybe tear the aerocruze out if/when Dynon ever does get certified for the PA32 and put the aerocruze in the future rv

 

[JSmith]

Dynon isn't causing these huge delays. That's the FAA's doing. There have been things Dynon has had to address, but those have been resolved in fairly short order. The long periods where nothing happens is due to waiting for a response from the FAA. Our tax dollars at work yet again.

Oh I know it isn’t Dynon. I was just hoping they could update us. At least say “we’re just waiting on the FAA right now”. Anytime the government is involved, nothing gets done without a million hoops.

 

[Rhino]

I've heard more than once from Dynon that the government gives them very little information, if any at all. Usually it's just silence, or 'we'll let you know', 'wait and see', etc. I also heard from one of their reps that when they do get some hints from the FAA, they often turn out to be wrong. So I can't really fault Dynon for not saying anything when there's nothing to say.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, just put a deposit down and on the schedule for a December install of 2-10" hdx displays and ifd with aerocruze a/p on the Cherokee Six. Was going to put a 7" hdx in the center just for engine monitoring but installer thought bird be a waste. Would put a Dynon AP in of it were certified. Maybe tear the aerocruze out if/when Dynon ever does get certified for the PA32 and put the aerocruze in the future rv

That sounds like an awesome setup. Im interested in putting in a 7" in the middle just for engine monitoring like you mentioned. I don't currently have the engine monitoring (since I had a JPI previosuly in the plane) but think that would be the ideal setup in the 6- I don't think it would be a waste. You could have a fairly large screen in the middle for engine, use the 10" pilot side for PFD and half screen map and then use the copilot 10" for large map in a different view or display the flight plan, etc. Tons of options. But I think having the dedicated display in the middle for engine monitoring would be amazing.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I've heard more than once from Dynon that the government gives them very little information, if any at all. Usually it's just silence, or 'we'll let you know', 'wait and see', etc. I also heard from one of their reps that when they do get some hints from the FAA, they often turn out to be wrong. So I can't really fault Dynon for not saying anything when there's nothing to say.

Can you imagine having your business be held at the mercy of non-communicative bureaucracy while having customers waiting for product? It would be frustrating beyond belief.

 

[OgieOglethorpe]

That sounds like an awesome setup. Im interested in putting in a 7" in the middle just for engine monitoring like you mentioned. I don't currently have the engine monitoring (since I had a JPI previosuly in the plane) but think that would be the ideal setup in the 6- I don't think it would be a waste. You could have a fairly large screen in the middle for engine, use the 10" pilot side for PFD and half screen map and then use the copilot 10" for large map in a different view or display the flight plan, etc. Tons of options. But I think having the dedicated display in the middle for engine monitoring would be amazing.

We flew to Daytona from Illinois for the 500. Already had a quote with your guy Jesse Saint who had also come recommended by my instructor, who also lives in Florida in the winter after I already got a quote from Jesse. Jesse thought the 7" hdx for a dedicated engine monitor would have been a waste. He also talked me out of the ifd 540 and going with the 440. Was checking out your videos in the hotel in between races so thank you for those! This '67 has a basic panel with dual 155's with glideslope. But just a single egt so any form of analyzer would be a helluva upgrade. Hell, just getting rid of the fuses would help. And that ADF and DME are coming out too. Have fun Jesse!

 

[JohnAJohnson]

The STEC 3100 now has over 100 planes on their AML and the Garmin GFC 500 has at least 100 with more in the works, with new approvals announced often. Both brought their autopilots to market around the same time as the HDX system. The FAA is approving autopilots, just not Dynon autopilots.

 

[Bill Putney]

IMHO-The FAA has a very odd methodology when it comes to adding airplanes to an AML. The Dynon Skyview has been in a lot of Certified and experimental aircraft by now and it seems like the EFIS software pretty much stays the same. All the servos in all the existing autopilots from various manufacturers use arms pushing rods or capstans moving yoke cables. The only outlier I know of is Brittian with their pneumatic bellows. It's been that way for 6 centuries. By now any airplane type that isn't brand new has had an autopilot applied to it. It seems like the FAA refuses to accept the historic record as a fact. They want to start at square one and reverify everything. "One definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same things again, expecting a different outcome."

Yes there's a lot of brackets to design, but that can be outsourced pretty easily and get a DER stamp. An IA has to pass judgement on the installation before the airplane is returned to service. The IA has the last word with regard to applicability because every airplane that isn't fresh off the assembly line has probably had other STCs applied to it and any conflicts have to be resolved.

Flight testing? What?! Do Dynon's arms or capstans do something magically different than Garmin's or S-Tec's or anybody's? Does the manufacturer sticker on the servo change the flight characteristics of an airplane with an autopilot attached? Once you can test the servo on a bench and determine that it behaves like everyone else's, you make that part of the PMA specification not, something you have to test on every new addition to the AML.

So, how are Dynon servos different? The shear pin that's used as a fail safe against the servo jamming. I think everyone else is using spring washers and clutches that connect the output of the servo gearbox to the shaft that drives the arm or capstan. I actually like the shear pin better because, if the servo jams, I have to overpower it once and break the pin. Then I can carry on hand flying the airplane to my destination the same way I fly the airplane with the autopilot off. And, I can even leave that fuel stop and continue my trip with the arm or capstan merrily spinning on the servo output shaft. If I have a servo with washers and clutches, I have to fight that all the way to the ground. Essentially learning a new way to fly the airplane in mid air with passengers and weather to contend with until the wheels are on the ground. Then, do I really want to take off again and continue doing that? I probably wait for an avionics shop to open and send someone to where I am to remove/replace the servo, if they have a spare on hand that's been setup for my airplane. Less fun than finishing my flying and taking my airplane home to call a mechanic to do the remove/replace on a more leisurely schedule.

So what's the hold up? Yeah, pins are different than clutches. So, pins have been proven to work on a dozen types/models already on the AML. Is that going to change if you put the same servo in a different type/model? With the exception of brackets and rods/cables, which haven't changed in 60 years or more, what is the agency struggling to establish? The cynic in me suspects that there is something other than safety and scientific method at work here.

 

[Bill Putney]

Paragraph 1) I meant 6 decades... It just seems like 6 centuries.