Dynon Avionics SkyView Autopilot In-Flight Tuning Guide - Manual (Page 6)

Overview
1-2 SkyView Autopilot In-Flight Tuning Guide - Revision B
Things to Look For
Most autopilot problems come down to two things: SLIP and SLOP. Be alert for the SLIP
/ indication on either axis. While either SLIP indications are being
displayed NOBODY IS FLYING THE AIRPLANE. Resolve SLIP issues on either axis before
proceeding, either by increasing torque, switching to a larger servo, or contacting Dynon for
service.
Lost motion (SLOP) between the servo and the control surface will have a negative impact on
performance. Verify that the control surface cannot move more than one degree (total motion)
while the servo is holding position.
The Flight Director provides a valuable tool for evaluating the performance of the AP. If the
autopilot is not able to keep up with Flight Director command bars, sensitivity should be
increased. If the autopilot can keep up, but gets a late start and lags behind the flight director,
PITCH GAIN or ROLL GAIN can be used to speed up response. Use sparingly! Excessive PITCH
GAIN and ROLL GAIN can result in rough performance.
Resetting Autopilot Defaults
A final note on tuning the autopilot: Less is more. Before changing any settings, try each
procedure and determine if performance is acceptable as-is; often you will have to make only
minor changes. If you find that you’ve turned all the settings all the way up, you’ve probably
gone too far. Stop and review the procedures, and then go back to the defaults and re-evaluate
performance.
If you feel you need to reset the settings in the Autopilot Settings menu back to their defaults,
see Appendix A: Autopilot Settings –Defaults for the default values.