New portable autopilot could save lives
Have you ever inadvertently penetrated a cloud bank? With time, this is a likely scenario for all GA pilots. Over my years of flying small single engine aircraft, I have had the misfortune to do it only once. I have never been reckless, nor do I take chances. I am what you call a fair-weather pilot. I do not fly in marginal VFR conditions and abide by VFR rules to the letter.
I recall the day very well. It was a relatively clear day with lots of sunshine with some scattered clouds at 2,500 feet. I thought I would do some ‘night’ flying with my daughter in the C150. I put the word ‘night’ in quotes because it was not dark. It was 30 minutes before sunset. Technically it was dusk. Legally this is considered night flying, but I felt comfortable going up. The runway lights were on and there was visibility as far as the eye could see. I was excited about viewing the Washington’s Snohomish Valley at dusk whilst using the lights of Everett and surrounding areas as a beautiful backdrop and navigational aid. I thought we would fly up to Skagit, loop around and come back.
It was to be a short flight with the goal of getting a feel for a little night flying. We were climbing to 2,000 feet just north of Everett. Whilst looking at Arlington’s runway lights in the distance, suddenly everything went dark. The only visible light was the faint glow of my instrument panel. I immediately knew what happened. We had flown into a low cloud.
At night the lights below are easy to see. However, the horizon often cannot be discerned and everything above the horizon is dark, obscuring clouds. I am a very cautious pilot, but this evening I was also lucky. My course reversal and ability to back out of this situation worked out well, but it could have gone very wrong. The lesson learned is when the right combination of conditions exists, along with the right rationale, an error in judgment can easily happen and it can be costly.
If I had had access to the new portable autopilot known as the PortaPilot, it could have easily aided in a safe recovery.
About a year ago, I had the great fortune of meeting Tee Sheffer, a fellow pilot who had a similar event happen in his aviation career. As a result, Tee spent years and great expense in the development of an affordable autopilot that someday may save the lives of fellow pilots. I was very curious when I heard about his device. Firstly, I had never heard of a ‘portable’ autopilot; just the notion of this had me intrigued and I had to learn more. Secondly, this autopilot can execute course reversal with a push of a button, with or without a GPS navigator attached. I thought this was nothing short of brilliant! As a matter of fact, there is nothing on the market like this. In my opinion, this device should be a part of every GA pilot’s flight bag with any cross-country flying. This portable and personal autopilot is appropriately named the PortaPilot. It is adaptable to several aircraft types and is small enough to fit in a case like that of an aviation headset.