Cirrus G1000NXi ESP experience

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Boatguy
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Cirrus G1000NXi ESP experience

Post by Boatguy »

From the COPA forum:

My airplane (SR20 G6) has decided to become a 737 MAX apparently. The stall sensor started acting up right after rotation. Crossing 200 AGL, the ESP kicks in and tries to push the nose down. The ESP action is so gentle and useless that any pilot instinctively trims against it. The interesting thing is that, after 20 seconds, the ESP gets angry and automatically engages the autopilot in level mode. Crazy stuff.

Anyway, Cirrus has fixed it under warranty. They replaced the stall switch and recalibrated it.

If you fly a G6 and you hear false stall warnings, get ready. The ESP will kick in and try to take over.

Interestingly, when I bought the airplane, I immediately put colored collars in some circuit breakers, including the stall warning (yellow) and all servos (red). It was a wise decision.
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VickersPilot
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Re: Cirrus G1000NXi ESP experience

Post by VickersPilot »

Some general thoughts, none relating to Boatguy posting the above but rather on system automation.

I think it's great that DAN provides balance when discussing system issues and avoid tabloid clickbait like the COPA post.

To provide a fair analysis to the above, we should highlight every pilot mistake with equal weight. I would suggest the ratio of pilot to system errors is 9,999 : 1. The challenge with doing that is system errors won't even appear as anything greater than noise on the fringe. The upshot to this noise "the system" is the primary reasons we no longer have commercial airliner fatalities (the pilot is generally no longer allowed touch the controls except in limited SOP defined periods).

An important area of focus is the flight schools have a very limited curriculum for teaching courses and little to no room is provided for teaching automation / automation failures / cascading failures / multiple system input/output methods. Therefore, at the GA level, automation is learnt by trail and error plus internet forums (or confessions!).

In summary, we should have more automation and not less. If you don't believe me, check the Cirrus LoC accidents prior to ESP/LSP in 2014 models onwards. Note the LSP was later added via a SW update, so the analysis should run from probably 2016-2021... there are almost none. Compare it to pre ESP/LSP in the 2000-2005 era and LoC is a common theme. We will all make mistakes and are all vulnerable, a system designed to save us from ourselves is priceless the one time we need it.

Now, observe this point: What percentage of the people critical of automation system can't afford such system? There is a striking correlation between affordability and criticism of the same. You don't find the Phenom 300 owners wishing they had steam gauges.
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Colin
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Re: Cirrus G1000NXi ESP experience

Post by Colin »

Excellent points on the automation. I no longer change lanes for myself on the highway and since buying the new car I have had zero of those pulse-quickening moments where I was hoping to change lanes and someone zoomed up into the lane or somehow managed to evade my blindspot checking.
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N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
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krellis
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Re: Cirrus G1000NXi ESP experience

Post by krellis »

VickersPilot wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:29 pm The upshot to this noise "the system" is the primary reasons we no longer have commercial airliner fatalities (the pilot is generally no longer allowed touch the controls except in limited SOP defined periods).
I don’t know where you are getting your “information”, but this portion of your post is completely inaccurate. Airline pilots (at least at my former airline) can hand fly much of the time. A couple of exceptions would be at cruise in RVSM airspace and for certain instrument approaches where autopilot and flight director are required.
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