GFC 500 Service Bulletin

Hang 4

Hang 4

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Hang 4
There's a service bulletin for GFC500 AP's with pitch trim. Can get un-commanded pitch excursions and they recommend pulling a breaker until there is a SW revision. Actual bulletin in this link.
Edit - added attachment to fix bad link
 

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I saw this.
My trim servo recently went crazy and shut down the whole AP system. There was not a loss of trim control, but it definitely spent a week back at the avionics shop chasing bugs.
 
Try these
 

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Here's the attachment
 

Attachments

  • GarminGFC500APAlert.pdf
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I just had my pitch servo replaced under warranty after shutting the whole autopilot system down. I had my GFC500 installed a little over 2 years ago and about a dozen times over those 2 years the auto pilot would disconnect. You could restart it usually instantly, some times after a min or so. About a month ago the autopilot disconnected and would not work after that. I got it back into the shop that installed it and after a week they called to tell me Garmin covered it under warranty. I havent had a single issue since that time, granted its only been about a month since that got done.
 
eman’ll be along soon to post a big red X.




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oh, there it is.
 
The email I got said expect software update Q4 2022.
Four days left and one of them is New Year’s Eve.
Anyone for breath-holding?
 
NightSkyReader said:
The email I got said expect software update Q4 2022.
Four days left and one of them is New Year’s Eve.
Anyone for breath-holding?
Click to expand...
Pretty sure a dealer will have provide the update. I haven't called mine yet, probably won't until next year.
 
Here’s a quick poll. Who here has that autopilot and who has actually INOP’ed it? I hand flew 2 hours last weekend and didn’t realize how much I love my AP until then.
 
NightSkyReader said:
Here’s a quick poll. Who here has that autopilot and who has actually INOP’ed it? I hand flew 2 hours last weekend and didn’t realize how much I love my AP until then.
Click to expand...

you don’t have to INOP it if your avionics shop disables the trim servo. It’s just not as smooth.
 
NightSkyReader said:
Here’s a quick poll. Who here has that autopilot and who has actually INOP’ed it? I hand flew 2 hours last weekend and didn’t realize how much I love my AP until then.
Click to expand...
I have one. I have no intention of disabling it unless it acts up on me. I've put about 20 hours on it since this bulletin came out.
 
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Jim K said:
I have one. I have no intention of disabling it unless it acts up on me. I've put about 20 hours on it since this bulletin came out.
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Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. Mine hasn’t had any issues either. Even if it starts to have uncommanded trim I would think such a thing should be easy to notice and so you hold down the AP disconnect button while you pull the breaker. It doesn’t seem like a life threatening failure to me.
 
I am having GFC 500 installed in January. According to my installer, the update is complete and awaiting approval from the FAA. He is expecting it to be available before he starts my install on the 16th.
 
Motor6 said:
I am having GFC 500 installed in January. According to my installer, the update is complete and awaiting approval from the FAA. He is expecting it to be available before he starts my install on the 16th.
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oh, that will be quick then

/s
 
Wait, what? Since when does anybody believe 1) an avionics installers time estimate 2) An avionics manufacturers estimate on when an approval will happen 3) That an approval will be "quick".
 
Word on the street is that the software is now FAA approved for certified aircraft. The shops just don't have it in their hands yet.
 
Jim K said:
Software is available on garmins website.
https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=10739
The service bulletin that goes with it says it's warranty reimbursable, so I think I'm going to call my avionics shop to do it and make the log entry.
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That link looks like it’s for the G5. Is it the right one? I’ve scheduled a trip to my avionics guy in 2 days to get the autopilot update. Am I wasting my time?
 
NightSkyReader said:
That link looks like it’s for the G5. Is it the right one? I’ve scheduled a trip to my avionics guy in 2 days to get the autopilot update. Am I wasting my time?
Click to expand...

You update the autopilot including servos over the serial ports, all connecting to G5 (or G3X).

I already updated and have experienced problems (AP disconnects), I wouldn’t be in a hurry.
 
NightSkyReader said:
That link looks like it’s for the G5. Is it the right one? I’ve scheduled a trip to my avionics guy in 2 days to get the autopilot update. Am I wasting my time?
Click to expand...
The g5 is the brain of the gfc500. If you look at the notes you'll notice it also includes updates for all the connected units. If you have a g5 that's the update package you need. If you have a gi275, I don't think that's been released yet.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
You update the autopilot including servos over the serial ports, all connecting to G5 (or G3X).

I already updated and have experienced problems (AP disconnects), I wouldn’t be in a hurry.
Click to expand...
Were you having trouble before the update?

Jim K said:
The g5 is the brain of the gfc500. If you look at the notes you'll notice it also includes updates for all the connected units. If you have a g5 that's the update package you need. If you have a gi275, I don't think that's been released yet.
Click to expand...
Cool. I have the G5 but I’m wondering if maybe I should postpone the update like MooneyDriver implied. Currently my AP hasn’t given me any problems other than having a hard time managing pitch and altitude in bumpy weather but I imagine that is something few APs are good at. I’d hate to intervene prematurely and actually create a problem.
 
NightSkyReader said:
Were you having trouble before the update?


Cool. I have the G5 but I’m wondering if maybe I should postpone the update like MooneyDriver implied. Currently my AP hasn’t given me any problems other than having a hard time managing pitch and altitude in bumpy weather but I imagine that is something few APs are good at. I’d hate to intervene prematurely and actually create a problem.
Click to expand...

No, I didn’t have any problems, I had about 50 hours on it.

Had a problem on a 1 hour test flight.

My avionics shop said they will contact Garmin tomorrow.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
No, I didn’t have any problems, I had about 50 hours on it.

Had a problem on a 1 hour test flight.

My avionics shop said they will contact Garmin tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Any word back from your avionics shop?
 
Motor6 said:
Any word back from your avionics shop?
Click to expand...
Garmin says it was a mismatch between G5/G3X/GFC500 altitude calculations, they recalibrated all simultaneously which hopefully fixes the problem. I haven’t had a chance to do a test flight.
 
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