As part of our parent company’s coverage of AirVenture this year, I had a chance to sit with several in the industry and talk about what’s happening generally and about new (and even re-emerging) technologies. One of those talks was with KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye, who is working hard to educate pilots of LSA and homebuilt aircraft about the value of AoA and how easily it can be implemented with today’s instrument packages.
Does the AOA in the EFIS’ that you’re referring to have an external sensor, or is it all in the software?
The plane I’m training in has a GRT Sport SX panel, not sure what the EFIS is but it is connected. I’m going to have to ask my instructor on Monday if the plane has it.
Most AoA systems require a special pitot tube with a second port. That’s true of Garmin and Dynon, for sure. uAvionix, in the AV-30, does a calculated AoA that’s nearly as good; it’s all done in software.
Thanks. After I posted my question, I shared the same question with a slack group of friends, and one of them sent me a picture of the pitot tubes on his Aeroprakt A-32, and then it all made sense.
The EFIS uses that second port in the pitot tube to calculate the AOA based off the pressure difference between the pitot and the second port. Proper calibration is key to having an accurate AOA.