Edo-Aire / Century Flight Systems 52D75 Repair

JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold
in General Discussion

My old '63 Cherokee still has the original Edo-Aire Mitchell wing leveler/Turn and Bank indicator in it. It's worked well over the years and when it needed repair I was always able to send it back to Century Flight Systems in Mineral Wells, TX for repair. Well, they don't repair them anymore. Does anyone have a recommendation on a good repair facility for these units? I checked with some of the avionics shops in my area and they don't work on them either. I really don't want to spend the money on replacing this with a more modern wing leveler/autopilot.

Thanks.

John

Comments

  • Seneca38173Seneca38173

    Hi John,

    Both Midcontinent and Duncan Aviation used to overhaul the Century gyros.

    https://www.mcico.com/turn-and-slip-indicators-1/52d75-4-14
    https://www.duncanaviation.aero/services/components-repairs/

    You may also find some units with an 8130 on Ebay for about $200, but not sure if they have the right -suffix for your installation.

    Bob

  • Scott ShererScott Sherer

    http://www.centuryinstruments.net/Catalog-08-2012/08-2012_Catagalog-Printable.pdf Check page 2.

    Scott Sherer
    Wright Brothers Master Pilot, FAA Commercial Pilot

  • JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold

    Bob - I'm certainly not looking to replace the unit especially at well over $2000! Yikes. That's crazy!!! There's a Duncan Aviation fairly close by in Scottsdale so I'll give them a call to see if they still work on them. I'll be right by KSDL in a week or so, so it'd be easy to drop it off.

    Scott - so I guess Century Instruments is different from Century Flight Systems. It looks like they want $500 for a full refurbish which includes a 90-day warranty. My last repair on the unit through CFS was about $300. None of this old stuff is cheap, I guess. But certainly less expensive than installing a new unit!

    John

  • JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold

    And just out of curiosity, if people are replacing these old units, what are they replacing them with?

  • Scott ShererScott Sherer

    Hi John, I've been using Century Instruments for over 40 years for my mechanical instruments. They've been awesome. See if you can do an exchange! Good luck.

    Scott Sherer
    Wright Brothers Master Pilot, FAA Commercial Pilot

  • JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold

    By the way, I checked with Duncan Aviation and they no longer work on these units either. And Century Instruments' price has risen considerably. They now want $650 for a refurbish. YIKES!!!

  • Seneca38173Seneca38173

    John - out of curiosity, what's wrong with your existing turn & bank? Bob

  • JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold

    Bob - the gyro isn't spinning. The unit has power - I can turn on the wing leveler and the servo moves the ailerons. At least for my unit, the gyro power circuit is the typical problem. There's an inverter board that takes the 12 VDC and turns it into an AC signal which then drives the gyro motor. There's also a feedback loop that keeps the gyro spinning at a constant speed - something like 21,000 rpm. There are four power transistors in the driver circuit that tend to fail. For the last 2 or 3 repairs those transistors were changed. (Some of the rebuilds also included new mechanical parts, like the gyro bearings.)

    The truth is (please don't tell anyone), I'm tempted to fix it myself. I've got the manual and I've worked in electronics all of my life. The transistors are standard parts. I don't think there are any mechanical problems because the gyro was working perfectly until the failure. I want to keep this all legal but they aren't making it easy. Granted, it's an old unit.

    If I wasn't in the process of homebuilding a new Velocity, I'd spend the money to rip out the old Century I and upgrade to something new. But between the unit itself and the installation costs, we're looking at thousands and thousands of $$$. I'd rather spend that on the Velocity! (Still have to buy and engine and avionics for that project!)

    John

  • Seneca38173Seneca38173

    John - had a feeling that might be your situation. And I would call the FSDO and report you, but I'm too busy doing the plumbing and electrical (licensed for neither) work for the bathroom remodel that my wife says is my "Covid-19 project." ;-)

    Are you far enough along with the Velocity to post some pictures? Sounds like a cool airplane.

    Bob

  • JohnTrautscholdJohnTrautschold

    Bob - Glad to hear you won't be reporting me! :D Thanks! And here's a link to my website where I'm documenting my build. I've been working on the project for 3 1/2 years and hope to have it substantially completed by the end of this year. You'll notice that the home page also shows off my Cherokee! http://trautschold-velocity-xl.com

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