I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy attending the various aviation events and interacting with Genesys Aerosystems S-TEC customers. From my experience attending countless events and shows, our customers are some of the nicest people in aviation.
It’s not that I don’t hear about their problems, suggestions, or complaints. I do. And I listen. But, believe it or not, those are the minority. Many, many more times than not, I’m hearing very positive comments. And oftentimes, those compliments come in the form of emails. I know when I like something, I’m quick to share that with my friends. Same with our customers.
One email I received recently is from the popular YouTube aviator, Kevin Thornton. You may know him as 310Pilot. During his weekly vlogs (video blogs), Kevin and his wife Jaime take viewers along on their adventures in their Cessna 310, 771 Bravo Charlie.
Anyway, here is the email that Kevin recently sent regarding his decision to install the Genesys Aerosystems S-TEC 3100 digital autopilot in his beloved twin Cessna. Oh, and before anyone thinks his message is in any way repayment for a “free” autopilot, it’s not. Of course, we’re extremely happy that the autopilot is living up to their expectations and I’m very proud to share his email with you.
Hello Jamie,
I wanted to send you a note to tell you and everyone at Genesys how happy we are with the 3100 autopilot. As you know, ever since we bought our 310 a few years ago I’ve been working on upgrading her to take advantage of all the advanced safety/efficiency-improving technology that has made its way to general aviation cockpits. Within months of purchasing her, the original Cessna 400 IFCS autopilot, which worked well up to that point, decided to turn straight-and-level flights into roller coaster rides.
I knew from the logbooks that all the legacy autopilot components had recently been sent to one of the premier autopilot shops in the country for rehabbing. Knowing that, and considering I didn’t want to waste more money on old technology, I decided to upgrade to a new digital autopilot.
I spent a lot of time on the owners’ groups and other aviation forums trying to decide what the best upgrade path would be for us. After much research and deliberation, it was an easy decision for us to upgrade to a new Genesys S-TEC 3100.
In addition to the precision that comes with this new digital flight control system, we were able to take advantage of a lot of weight savings gained from losing all the clunky old servos, mode selector, control head and factory yaw damper.
From the first demo flight, through the past 80-hours flying with the S-TEC 3100 all over the country, I’m blown away by all the features! Whether VFR or IFR I simply depart and upon reaching 200 feet AGL, I activate the yaw damper/autopilot and it flawlessly flies the assigned heading, intercepts the course and provides GPSS throughout the waypoints, climbs/descends to selected altitudes in either VS or IAS modes and, although I hope it’s never needed, is always there to provide envelope protection or emergency straight-and-level operations.
The way it easily integrates with everything in my cockpit and easily flies complex instrument approach procedures in turbulence or during strong crosswinds brings a smile to my face on every flight.
Long story short, the new Genesys S-TEC 3100 has made flying easier, safer and more enjoyable. Even after lengthy and/or complex flights I arrive at the destination much more relaxed and less fatigued than during my flights before we installed it.
We are incredibly happy we chose to upgrade with the S-TEC 3100 and look forward to enjoying many more years of flying with it. We also love the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing that S-TEC has been the leader in autopilot retrofitting in General Aviation over the last 40+ years.
Thank you,
Kevin and Jaime Thornton
310Pilot
I’m sure you can understand how much notes like this mean to me, and everyone at Genesys Aerosystems. We all work very hard to deliver products that make flying safer and more enjoyable for our customers and their families. To have them share their experiences with all of us just makes it all that much more gratifying and rewarding.
Until next time, fly safely,
Jamie