Story ID: 
TruTrak Closer to Affordable Autopilot Approval
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: The FAA has approved installation of TruTrak Vizion autopilot hardware in Cessna 172s and 177s in preparation for autopilot approval this summer.
Word Count: 329
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s EAA STC, LLC affiliate has received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for autopilot mounting kits for the TruTrak Flight System Vizion autopilot in Cessna 172 F through R and Cessna 177 models. TruTrak also received FAA parts manufacturer approval (PMA) for the Vizion autopilot.

Issuance of the STC means that aircraft owners can have the mounting brackets, hardware and wiring harness for the Vizion autopilot installed in their airplanes, in preparation for final approval of the autopilot in the 172 and 177 this summer. 

TruTrak’s autopilots are currently installed in experimental amateur-built aircraft, and they sell for thousands of dollars less than certified autopilot systems. The Vizion autopilot currently retails for $2,100 (round panel instrument) or $2,200 (flat), which includes two servos, the controller, automatic pitch trim module and mounting kits and connectors. Features include built-in ground track directional gyro, track select mode, GPS nav and steering modes, altitude hold, select, and pre-select, vertical speed select, vertical GPS steering mode, control wheel steering, pitch trim annunciation, and emergency autopilot level mode.

“Approval of the EAA STC and our facility PMA are two huge steps forward in this certification process,” said Andrew Barker, TruTrak CEO. “It has been a pleasure working with EAA and the FAA on this project, and we are eager to keep this momentum pushing forward and finish the rest of the approvals by summer.” 

“At the Sun ’n‘ Fun Fly-In last year, EAA, the FAA, and Dynon showed how bringing affordable safety equipment from the homebuilt community into the cockpits of general aviation aircraft was possible and affordable,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “Several avionics manufacturers have seen the possibilities since that time, with TruTrak stepping forward to find a way to get affordable autopilot technology into some of the most popular GA airplanes. It shows what can happen when entities work together to discover what can be accomplished.”