After 470 hours the Navaid is getting a sibling:  "Altrak". Altrak is an autopilot that does only one thing, hold altitude.  It was pretty easy to install and worked great right out of the box.  Trutrak, the manufacturer, supplies the mounting brackets and pushrod.  You must supply the AN hardware.   Installation: I would recommend buying your own angles 1-2" longer than those supplied.  The supplied angles cause one of the servo mounting screws to possibly interfere with the elevator bellcrank.  Longer angles and a longer pushrod would take care of this problem.  Also, the edge distance on the most forward rivets could be improved by fabricating your own brackets. The two screw heads visible on the bulkhead hold the computer box for the unit.  The box has a static port which can be optionally attached to the static system.  I am flying without it the static hookup and it works fine. Only three wires must run from the bellcrank area to the instrument panel,  not bad at all. The company website is:    http://www.trutrakflightsystems.com/

I am installing the Navaid single axis autopilot.  It will level the wings or track the signal from a GPS. I stiffened the bottom skin of the airplane opposite the aileron trim with shims and .032" aluminum angle.  The Servo is attached to the floor with #4 screws on the stiffeners. It is attached via a control rod and included fitting to the main control weldment with a couple of hose clamps.  For more info on what it will do see the company website:  www.naviad-devices.com

Autopilot Mounting Frame Under the Rear Passengers Right Footwell

This shows Servo and its attachment to the aileron system as viewed from the front looking aft.

Update 4/10/01 42.0 hours Total Time--  The Navaid is a fantastic unit.  It works perfectly and was simple to make the few calibrations required for this installation.  The airframe  attachment seems to be just fine.  Two hose clamps are used to attach to attach the control rod to the main control weldment and there has been no slipping.  Adjustment is easy.  Be sure to center the system with the trim knob in the center and the ailerons in trail before installing the footwells and front seat (oops!). The trick to get the unit to track the GPS well is to: 1) Scale the CDI where 1 NM is full scale 2) Get the plane close to on course  3) Trim for wings level in the wing leveler mode with the "Trim" knob 4) Be sure the "Turn" knob is centered 5) Switch to the tracking mode It tracks the VOR and Localizer well using the same procedure as above without step 1.