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I'm getting close to installing seats, consoles, seat backs, and such.  I would think it would be much easier to install autopilot servos now, rather than after the interior is complete and the plane has been flying for two years.  I can't afford the entire system now, but I want to make it possible to (when the time comes) just open the shipping carton, bolt the parts in, and go fly. After talking with Lancair Avionics, Chief Aircraft, and S-TEC directly, I have discovered that installation kits (appx $600) include the mounting brackets and the other various mechanical bits connecting the servos to the control linkages, as well as wiring harnesses.  However, I'm sure I'd need servos in hand (temporarily) to mount them properly.  The problem is, the pair of servos cost about $1600, and they'd be totally unused until I buy the rest of the system.

The ideal situation would be to install dummy servos now to get the mounting worked out.  Then remove it and be ready for the real thing when my previously unknown rich uncle dies and leaves me a lavish inheritance.

Three questions for y'all...

1)  Are the pitch and roll servos geometrically identical?  Can I use a single servo to get the mounting worked out in both axes?

2)  Has anyone obtained a dummy servo?  Where and how much?

3)  Has anyone retrofitted an S-TEC autopilot?  Would installation have been substantially easier if done while installing the consoles?  Is this worth doing in advance or is the retrofit not much harder than if done earlier?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

- Rob Wolf

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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.