On the way back from OSH this summer, we punched through some nascent
cumulous formations (in a C172). While partial panel is something that
we all practice (right?), and, even without a GPS as a backup, is not
that difficult to handle under some (most) circumstances, the few short
forays into the clouds lead me to investigate an electric AI. Although
we were only in the bumpy stuff for a few minutes at a time, I quickly
realized that I would be hard pressed to keep the plane right-side-up if
the vacuum system went south. I love my handheld GPS for general
situational awareness, but I'd much prefer an AI. (Nice spot for it,
too, right under the VSI. We'll need to remove the round G meter that
the original owner I guess thought would be worth while in a 172?)


David Megginson wrote:
Ray Andraka writes:


I've found that I can fly the airplane IMC with just the HSI page on my
Garmin III Pilot as long as I keep the control inputs gentle. Doing this,
my instructor covers all the flight instruments. Update rate is a little
on the slow side, but as long as you keep your turns gentle it is very
doable.


My concern is that in moderate turbulence it's much harder to keep
control inputs gentle. On my last trip in IMC, for example, I hit a
couple of jolts that tipped me past 20 deg bank in a fraction of a
second. I'd like to know how well the GPS HSI page works in that
situation (I acknowledge that the TC is also tricky when the air's
that rough, since it has a slight lag built-in).

Has anyone tried using the HSI page on a handheld GPS in moderate
turbulence? I'd be very interested in hearing the results (especially
if it was on a cloudy day or at night, when there were no light or
shadow clues).


All the best,


David


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