With many popular models already approved, low-cost autopilot maker TruTrak says it’s expanding the number of aircraft that can be fitted with its Vizion autopilots and with several hundred already in the field, the company is refining kits to reduce installation costs. At AirVenture 2018 this week, TruTrak is showing its new autopilot in a Mooney and other models are on the horizon.
TruTrak established itself as a go-to company in the experimental aircraft market and thanks to relaxed FAA approval policies, the company began developing autopilots for certified aircraft in 2016. In this exclusive AirVenture podcast, TruTrak’s Andrew Barker told us that uptake of the company’s inexpensive autopilots—priced at about $5000, sans installation—has been strong enough to support aggressive expansion of the workforce. In addition to adding new models under an STC-AML process, TruTrak is also refining installation kits.
“We’re busy trying to keep up with everything. Currently, we have the Cessna 172, 175, 177 and the PA-28 and PA-32 are all approved. We’re not shipping the PA-32 yet, there’s a couple of changes we’re making there. We have the Cessna 180, 182 and 185 into the FAA and the next type we’re tackling that we’re actually showing AirVenture is the Mooney,” Barker told us.
“We’re trying super hard to get it right on the first kits that go out. We’re on the third or fourth revision of the 172 manual and we’re learning a lot through that process,” Barker added. Barker said the dealer network to support TruTrak products has tripled in the last six months and will expand more as the company gains market expansion. “We work really hard on the dealer installation kits to try to keep the costs down,” Barker said.
The hardware, along with the STC, costs $5200 and Barker said, “We don’t want to see installations costing another $4000 or $5000.” He says installation are typically costing about $2500, although that’s not possible in all aircraft.
The Vizion system builds on the capabilities TruTrak built into its experimental aircraft and includes heading, tracking, altitude hold and rate and speed functions as well as some envelope protection. Check out the company’s products in Hangar C, booth 3030. Its outside booth is 174.
