Tmpendergrass
Pre-takeoff checklist
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Tmpendergrass
RV panels are terrible
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tecprotb
Pre-takeoff checklist
The lower panel and center console are carbon fiber, I used a carbon fiber vinyl on the main panel...The vinyl was very easy to work with.
Its a RV10
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Tmpendergrass
Pre-takeoff checklist
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tecprotb
Pre-takeoff checklist
I did not purchase the option of engine monitoring with the G3X because the Dynon was already installed and working perfect.
The Dynon in front of the co-pilot is the engine monitor, the Dynon on the far left is the back up EFIS, they share info and either one can display PFD or engine gauges.
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
Nicely done Tim. Very cool.
Todd Copeland
Pre-takeoff checklist
Neal Howard
Cleared for Takeoff
Dav8or
Final Approach
I have to ask, what is the difference between a G3X and a 696? Those G3Xs look an awful lot like my 696.
tsts4
Pattern Altitude
Off the top of my head:
Physical: the SD card slot is on the front to the left of the rocker switch,
there's a 50-pin d-sub on the back (to connect to the AHRS, other displays (up to 3), and various avionics (audio panel, external NAV/COM, IFR GPS, Auto Pilot, etc). and the 375 MFD has an additional XM antenna connection.
Internal: software to make it an EFIS vs. just a GPS moving map. (eg remote transponder control, AP control, and whatever is required to display the outputs of the AHRS (flight instruments and engine sensors) and ADC).
Dr. O
Pattern Altitude
It is builder fatigue and out of money by the time they get to the last item, the panel.
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
There's a few of them, sure - but a lot more of it is from half-a88ed panel remodels that end up looking bad. It's so simple to redo the entire panel, Van's will happily sell you the blank instrument panel and it's only going to take you a handful of hours to recut all the holes, there's no excuse for it. Van's even has panels with precut six-pack holes for non-glass installs.
Dav8or
Final Approach
This why I think the sort of "three panel" set up used by Mooney and others is a great idea. A left "pilots" panel, an MFD panel and an avionics stack panel. That way when you want to make a small change, or addition, you don't have to redo the whole panel, just the section you need. If I were building a kit plane, I would do myself and the next guy a huge favor and develop a strategy like this.
That is exactly what I did on my experimental.
.. Three modules.. left side is for aviating. Center is for navigating and communicating and the right side is engine documentation..Attachments
Skylane81E
Final Approach
Gee, if I do my simple VFR build I was thinking an iPad hooked to an AHARS and airdata, basic engine info and a single radio/transponder. Just need to see what happens with ADS-B out boxes...
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
And that's fairly commonly done in the RV series as well, though it's not an option offered from Vans. We've seen quite a few folks do that, as well as modding the panel so that it hinges on the bottom and tips aft (toward the pilot) at the top for access behind it, all kinds of innovative stuff. For anyone with some halfway decent tools and no fear of making aluminum shavings, you can do whatever your little heart desires. There are even a few companies making aftermarket panels for the RV series, one of the most popular is a carbon fiber three-piece unit.
tecprotb
Pre-takeoff checklist
For $160.00 you can get a full size panel cut with a CNC router, I think the blank is $40-60.
He also lays out your panel,
http://www.upnorthaviation.com/the-process.html
At that price if you want to add instruments its not that expensive to just from scratch.
He also lays out your panel,
http://www.upnorthaviation.com/the-process.html
At that price if you want to add instruments its not that expensive to just from scratch.
S Joslin
Pre-takeoff checklist
I wouldn't say that all RV panels are terrible, I've seen some nice one's and I've seen some...umm...not so nice one's. I think ours is awesome.
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Drake the Outlaw
How many man hours and how many weeks of downtime do you believe are involved in a true panel rebuild?
Between pulling out the old stuff, reconfiguring wiring and all of that, cutting a new panel, test fitting, painting, then installing the whole mess, you're looking at a significant amount of time. One of the big factors is that, unless you've got quite the part collection, you'll have a frightening number of "Oh, I need to have Aircraft Spruce send me a $4 connector that I'm gonna need" expenses and delays.
A panel rebuild is not for the faint of heart. This is especially true since the airplane is at the airfield and if you've got everyday responsibilities like a job, a family, and a house to keep up, you only get to work on the panel in little snippets of time on the weekend and maybe evenings.
Tmpendergrass
Pre-takeoff checklist
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airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
If you're talking about a true panel rebuild, meaning you already have the components in hand and you're just rearranging or replacing items and you need to start with a blank piece of aluminum - maybe 20 hours. I spent about 30 hours doing my panel in my RV and that was simply because it was the first time doing it and I was being cautious, and spent quite a bit of time making sure everything laid out nicely to the eye.
A rebuild? Yeah, one long weekend and it's airborne without paint. I used a vinyl overlay on mine, so add another hour or two for a reprint and relay.
Of course, this is coming from the perspective of the builder - if you purchased the aircraft with no knowledge of how it was built, I would agree it will take longer - but if you spend more than 40 hours on it you're just wasting time.
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airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
Kyle - just for you...
Here's a complete TSO'd IFR panel for an RV for $7500, just need to install it.
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=106615
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Velocity173
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
Yuck, it's analog. I want my panel to look like a 777 not a DC-3.
Agreed - it's analog, and we share the same feeling about that. Mine is all glass, I'll post some pics of it as soon as I get it all back together, working on the EMS wiring at the moment.
A person would have to be retarded to put that old crap in a new plane...
Dav8or
Final Approach
Kind of have to agree. Even if you're going to go basic VFR, at least go with a new Transponder and a new Nav Com. I personally could never build a new plane and put any used thing in it. New engine, new prop, new avionics.
I have no problem with used avionics, but not 3-5 generation old crap used avionics. A Narco head Nav? Really? Lol. You can now get a pretty good deal on a used 430w.
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
When this thread was started, I promised to show a shot of my "ugly terrible" RV panel once I got it finished. Here it is, almost entirely finished (just need the mixture cable installed still) and powered up. I still need to calibrate and checkout all functions but all the components are talking to each other, looks great so far!
This is a dual Skyview 10" set, with an MGL EXtreme EFIS as a backup, 430W for IFR GPS, Dynon second comm, and PS engineering intercom. How terrible is that?
This is a dual Skyview 10" set, with an MGL EXtreme EFIS as a backup, 430W for IFR GPS, Dynon second comm, and PS engineering intercom. How terrible is that?
rbridges
En-Route
When this thread was started, I promised to show a shot of my "ugly terrible" RV panel once I got it finished. Here it is, almost entirely finished (just need the mixture cable installed still) and powered up. I still need to calibrate and checkout all functions but all the components are talking to each other, looks great so far!
This is a dual Skyview 10" set, with an MGL EXtreme EFIS as a backup, 430W for IFR GPS, Dynon second comm, and PS engineering intercom. How terrible is that?
I call that a good starting point. You still need one of these so you can listen to AM radio.
denverpilot
Tied Down
He can just install a car stereo. Maybe something nice that'll play 8-tracks.
When this thread was started, I promised to show a shot of my "ugly terrible" RV panel once I got it finished. Here it is, almost entirely finished (just need the mixture cable installed still) and powered up. I still need to calibrate and checkout all functions but all the components are talking to each other, looks great so far!
This is a dual Skyview 10" set, with an MGL EXtreme EFIS as a backup, 430W for IFR GPS, Dynon second comm, and PS engineering intercom. How terrible is that?
NICE panel....
oldShar
Cleared for Takeoff
Skyview comes with an XM interface. Prolly just up the subscription for music, news, & WX(vox) ...
Better'n just tapes
(Oh, but he has to update his data bases first --- Map page Says so!
)
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
Skyview comes with an XM interface. Prolly just up the subscription for music, news, & WX(vox) ...
Better'n just tapes
(Oh, but he has to update his data bases first --- Map page Says so!
That's what this cute little plug is for on the bottom right. My personal opinion - XM blows chunks and I won't use it. I've got ADSB in/out for weather, I'll just listen to my tunes on my phone. I've got dual separate music inputs since my wife and I have quite different tastes in music and the PS Engineering intercom allows different feeds to different users. The USB charging port was a no-brainer with all the different personal portable devices today that can be recharged on a USB port. This one has a neat little switching power supply in it for 2.1 amps output, I put ferrite choke coils on the power and ground to kill the high-frequency from the supply since those tend to be RF-noisy.
And yes, all the databases are out of date, no point in updating them until just before I'm ready to fly.
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yakdriver
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yellow peril
No Autopilot?
dell30rb
Final Approach
I see an A/P disconnect switch on the stick
snowbird
Pre-takeoff checklist
The autopilot is built into the Dynon SkyView. Note the A/P disconnect switch on the joystick.
CJones
Final Approach
Great looking panel! As an added bonus, you won't need cabin heat in the winter - just redirect the flow from your cooling fans for those displays to where you want it.
Side note - don't forget to label your throttle / mixture / prop controls. We got dinged on that during the final inspection and had to slap some labels on at the last minute.
Side note - don't forget to label your throttle / mixture / prop controls. We got dinged on that during the final inspection and had to slap some labels on at the last minute.
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
That A/P switch is for disconneting Aunt Peggy... Not the auto pilot..
If only....
Great looking panel! As an added bonus, you won't need cabin heat in the winter - just redirect the flow from your cooling fans for those displays to where you want it.
Side note - don't forget to label your throttle / mixture / prop controls. We got dinged on that during the final inspection and had to slap some labels on at the last minute.
I've actually got a laundry list of minor labeling changes I want to do on the panel already. I have a good friend with a graphics shop, he built a CAD drawing of the panel and printed my labels onto a sheet of vinyl which I laid up directly onto the full bare panel, so I can have him change/add labels and run a new print in just an hour or so. It only takes about 5 or 6 hours to pull everything out, lay the new vinyl, and put everything back, I'll probably save that task for just before the airworthiness inspection so I can catch all the changes that may occur between now and then.
As for the cabin heat comment - the Dynons really don't make much heat at all - but it's a popular mod to cut some air holes in the top of the glareshield behind the panel to allow the warmer air from the panel devices to drift up onto the windshield for mild anti-fog. A few guys have even put in a DC-powered fan from a computer power supply in there for forced air, but the consensus of opinion is that the fan is not needed unless you are in really cold areas of the country (I'm in west Texas, not a problem here). The Garmin 430W creates more heat (and fan noise) by far than the Dynon screens.
Yes, the Dynon screens have their own internal autopilot, it comes standard (just add servos). The autopilot can operate off either screen independently, if one dies then all functions go to the other one. I also have a one-hour backup power supply for the Dynon screens that is completely independent of ships power, it will operate the full suite of functions except for autopilot servo power in the case of full electrical failure. That means I'll still have GPS, NAV/COMM, synthetic vision, approach plates, and full engine monitoring for an hour, plenty of time to get down with full functionality even in IMC conditions.
The experimental world lets you do LOTS of neat tricks if you're not afraid of violating someone's paper tiger...
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yakdriver
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yellow peril
After I wrote that I saw the A/P CB. We have the AP 74 head in my friend's RV7. I had a pancake fan in my glareshield and it worked great for defrost. Nice panel you have there. Don
CJones
Final Approach
Very convenient! Bet the final product will be sharp!
We have the 'old' Dynon D10A + Grand Rapids EIS + Garmin 430 in the -7A. One hot (relative term of course) summer afternoon in Iowa, I actually had the Dynon switch from color to B&W with a nice little message saying that it was getting too hot. Only had it happen a couple of times when it was really hot and I was flying low instead of getting up higher with cooler air.
We have three AFS displays in the -10. We put two computer fans coming through the top of the glareshield blowing onto the windscreen like you mentioned. I don't think it gets nearly as hot under behind panel of the -10 as it does in the -7A.