Brittain Main. Positive Control System. Course and Heading. Altitude Control. Tidbits and Rules of Thumb. Parts Gallery.
Brittain Autopilot in the Mooney
Franky, the Brittain autopilot system is brilliant.
Its design is genius, its maintenance is simple (and simple to understand) and it can be easily disabled. This autopilot flies the airplane and keeps the pilot in the loop of flight and of understanding.
Positive Control
BI 706 “Servo”
For the Brittain, the base condition is to get the Positive Control (PC) system working. This system uses four “servos” - one in each wing controlling ailerons and two in the tail controlling the rudder to keep the Mooney level through gusts.
Course & Heading
B-6 Controller (Assembly Number BI-601)
After the PC is confirmed working, many pilots work to get course and heading steering working. There is some type of course or heading input. These inputs are then “sent” to the servos to keep a course or heading.
Altitude Hold
Pitch, Altitude Hold, and Reference Chambers
Altitude hold is my favorite aspect of the Brittain System. This system uses only pneumatics to control the altitude. Except for vacuum source, this system is completely independent of the PC and Course & Heading. In theory, it is possible to have “just this” installed and working in your Mooney.
Huge thanks to people I’ve spoken with over the phone, but never met: Jerry, Cecilla, and Kevin - keepers of the system.