GRT HX
GRT HX
GRT HX-Looming trouble on the horizon; it was a hot July day, 2005. I was single-pilot IFR flying from W78 (S. Boston, VA) to KMIV (Milleville, NJ) to KBED, (Bedford, MA) in a Cessna 172. A dozen or so miles southwest of Boston’s class B, ATC directed me to fly east out over the ocean. I had planned other options besides KBED in case of delay. On the other hand I wanted to get home if I could. I turned to the new eastward heading and watched my required fuel ETA fuel reserve dwindle and my distance to KBED double with each ticking minute. With KBED backed up I was on a delaying vector with no time limit-ugh! I also knew fuel consumption was higher than normal due to a high density altitude. I knew I had taken the first step onto a slippery slope.
we had to do something and do it fast. Now further out and down to about an hour of ETA fuel, I declared “minimum fuel” to put a stop to this unwelcomed Atlantic Ocean tour in a single-engine airplane. ATC questioned me, assigned a new Thheading and my two passengers and I breathed easier.
We arrived, fuel reserve intact – safely. One fraught passenger, my brother, jumped out and kissed the ground. He couldn’t swim and he had imagined the worst. Technology today has nearly eliminated this kind of surprise.
Safety via x-ray vision:
With Grand Rapids Technology, (GRT) HX Horizon, my Super Seawind, N71RJ, has 360 vision Flying with subscription XM weather I can get PIREPS, METARS, and TAFS and I can choose and set up my desired approach – all without keying the Mic. With the Garmin Pilot App on my IPAD and a GDL 52 ADS-B Receiver on the dashboard, I can look forward to airports and pilot approach activity, predict and expect the best options an hour away from my destination. Next, I push a few buttons on the Trutrak autopilot to couple with either the G900X or the GRT HX, sit back and run a few safety checks.
First the checks:
I review the Engine Info System, EIS. Is everything is in the green? Flip the screen to a camera to have a look inside to cowling instruments. No worries there. Flip again to the descent and pre landing checklist. Screen geo-referenced approach plate reviewed. Pre-landing; done! Now the Highway in the Sky and synthetic vision will guide me or the AP all the way to the runway threshold.
Ready to land:
Abeam the numbers gear is down and locked. If not, I can flip the screen and see what’s wrong with the gear and fix it in flight because N71RJ has x-ray like vision whether 100 miles or 100 inches away day or night. Try that with another retractable.
These days I’m never alone. I fly with the world’s two best instructors, my HX Horizon and my G900X flight deck friends. They never rest and they never make a mistake. With two companions in my face it’s like having two instructors verifying every move. If I make a mistake like trending to fly beyond N71RJ’s performance envelope, the HX alerts me first with a flag and then an audibly so I can take immediate corrective action. Am I near a stall, battery not charging, descending too fast, too much power, too little fuel remaining?
Moreover the integration;
the HX integrates easily with N71RJ’s Trutrak autopilot. Working together, I can preset my altitudes, rates of climb, airspeeds, and descent parameters. This takes a lot of work out of flying any complex airplane. In an emergency the AP can fly this amphibian even if I cannot. Moreover, with a few touches it also commands standby NAV/COM frequencies on my Garmin SL30 back up radio.
Furthermore the flight planning is simple. Add and Android App and I can remotely and effortlessly tune the same radios – with course to and distance to. While I’m at it why not add my flight plan too? It’s easy. I just touch “flight planning” and I select my route and destination. Then I touch “Activate” and I’m done.
Also with the HX Horizon I never feel alone. It’s with me during each and every phase of flight, monitoring my humming PT6 turbine engine, showing my flight statistics, saving trend data, keeping me inside the flight envelope and reminding me of important tasks like transferring fuel from reserve to main tanks with flight phase checklists. Its ability to guide N71RJ from lift-off to landing coupled or not is truly amazing and reassuring. With forward and inward vision surprises are now minimized.
Conclusion:
flying with the HX and its Android App substantially lightens my Super Seawind flying workload. It enhances my situational awareness and it makes my flying so much safer. I no longer have to wait for ATC or FSS to respond to me for information. With XM weather and ADS-B I already have it on my screen faster than I can say “minimum fuel”.
https://superseawind.com/photos/
For GRT products go to http://grtavionics.com
For video instruction on using the Android App go to
http://grtavionics.com/home/grt-remote-app/
3 Responses
Steve, the HX sounds like a very worthwhile investment. Question, you mentioned it watches the flight envelope . Do you manually enter these parameters when you set it up the first time? And how do you actually know what the limits are, given that this is a one-of-a-kind airplane? Curious if you had an engineer consult with you on this. keep up the updates cheers!
Ted, great questions. Thanks for asking.
You are correct, data on N71RJ’s performance envelope are entered in the GRT HX and the G 900X. Also, some flight management Apps may ask for performance limits, the data is derived from two sources; Seawind North America and flight test data. In the case of SNA, some data remains the same no matter what kind of engine powers the plane. Examples are Vne, Vfe, Vle and approach and landing procedures on water. What varies are things like W&B, takeoff and landing times and distances (land and water), ROC and much more such as Certificated ceiling. Testing started with the very first flight and it continues as new equipment like AoA (angle of attack) is added, W&B changes as in lighter batteries installed or stall speeds due to flap adjustments and indicated range that may have changed the actual flap position somewhat and thus stall speeds. If our spouses were put through vigorous testing like this there would be few surprises.
In sum, I know of no better way to learn how an airplane actually behaves in flight than by testing its actual flight characteristics and limits under variable conditions like weight and balance. By doing testing I get a much better feel for my Seawind and I grow more confident flying it. This makes flying more fun and safer too because I arrive at actual numbers – many specific to N71RJ. Happy skies!
Steve Wightman
Looking good!