My new Instrument Panel

jsstevens said:
Not being a glider pilot myself, why is the TC not legal for contest flying?

John
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contests in the US do not allow instruments which would allow you to keep the glider upright in clouds. that way you cant climb into a cloud to get extra altitude. Only certain glider and glider pilots are capable of this kind of flying, so it is prohibited in intrest of fairness and safety.
 
gismo said:
You can get away with "bending" the dipole about 30 degrees to make it fit. The 1/2 wavelength for 108-136 MHz is 110-140 cm or 43-57 inches. Antenna elements are typically shorter by 5-10% to accommodate the lower propagation velocity in conductors vs a vacuum. You either need a 1/4 wave radiator mounted on a 1/2 wave diameter ground plane or a 1/2 wave dipole unless you use "loaded" elements to reduce the dipole's length. Wavelength in meters = 300/frequency..
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Put in the correct velocity factor and you get 468/F(MHz)
 
tonycondon said:
Im not planning on wave flying. I am thinking of putting the turn coordinator in for a few reasons. One reason is because I have it. Second is because the Cherokee has wimpy airbrakes and I want to have it if I need it. In Iowa there were a few times where I was having to push the nose down and pull the brakes to stay out of the clouds. The lift is generally not weaker in Kansas. I will probably not normally run the Turn Coordinator until I get close to cloudbase.
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How long does it take the TC gyro to spin up to a stable state? Does the aircraft have to be held perfectly level for it to be reliable thereafter (i.e., can you count on it being reliable in IMC if you start it up in turbulent air 30-60 seconds before cloud penetration?)
 
While thinking "outside the box/panel", another idea for the transponder is a non-panel installation; you're not going to get a squawk code other than VFR, right? Do you use flight following and get a code? If not, then leave it set to 1200 and you can just "reach down" and twist the transponder on.

Possibilities:
* under your seat with the knobs forward--reach down and twist to Mode C. You could even tune the numbers with a mirror.
* vertically on a side wall
* ???
 
TangoWhiskey said:
How long does it take the TC gyro to spin up to a stable state? Does the aircraft have to be held perfectly level for it to be reliable thereafter (i.e., can you count on it being reliable in IMC if you start it up in turbulent air 30-60 seconds before cloud penetration?)
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the gyro spins up to full speed in about a minute. My understanding is that it does not have to be level to be reliable.
 
tonycondon said:
there might be options for transponder mounting that doesnt involve the instrument panel, i'll have to investigate that when I've got everything out at the glider.
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SOMEDAY I'll learn to read entire threads before posting any replies... :redface:
 
well i've decided to axe the turn coordinator. maybe sometime in the future. for now I will save the weight and space. Will probably put my old Winter variometer in there. That way when the battery goes dead I still have a vario. I mounted the radio into my new panel tonight, will try to get a couple more holes cut tomorrow.
 
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