What do i need to know about *building* a new experimental plane

[iamtheari]

Yea that seems to be the big plus with Isham - the DRDT-2 and pneumatic squeezer. Couldn't you get the Cleaveland kit and add those two things easily enough?

I've wanted a decent band saw and drill press for years, but I got so lost in determining what to get that I basically just gave up on it for now lol. The range of opinions you get on those two things is overwhelming. Lot's of folks recommend looking for old Deltas, etc, but I don't have much interest in overhauling an old machine. I'd rather get something that is ready to go!

I've read a couple of your threads/posts over on VAF haha. I saw Wann post over there about tools as well ;p

I decided to go one-stop shopping for my tools. I could have bought the dimpler and squeezer separately. The joke is on me because I still had to buy other things. But that is going to happen no matter what. I sometimes wish I had a 2X rivet gun instead of a 3X because I turn the 3X down so low for #3 rivets and rarely turn it above 2 (it goes up to 6). But that's not an impediment. A higher-quality (Sioux or equivalent) drill would be nice. The one Isham gives you has less controllability over slow speed, it's almost an on-or-off proposition. And the backrivet set I got from Isham could have used a stronger spring and a narrower sidewall on the business end, so I bought another one of those. But ultimately, the tools I have are good and there aren't really any that I dislike. And they are a pretty complete set for the plane I am building. Most of the additional tools I have bought have been reamers (.311 and .375 sizes), a #20 drill bit, a tight-fit drill kit to remove my control column mounting brackets and replace the bearings, a super expensive Unibit to drill the brake fittings through the firewall (RV-14 taildragger only), and bucking bars.

 

[Skyrys62]

I've read a couple of your threads/posts over on VAF haha. I saw Wann post over there about tools as well ;p

Quislings!

 

[WannFly]

I see lots of panels like this and they always seem to take me down the same thought process. For day/night VFR one screen is fine and a radio is fine. If you're going to do actual travel, you probably want IFR and if you're doing IFR, you probably want two screens, both for better sit awareness and for some redundancy. So two screens and autopilot, check. Then I see that one giant IFR navigator and I think ok you're in the soup and that one radio goes TU, now what? That panel probably has a remote com radio so you can still communicate. I'm sure those screens have their own GPS source so you can still navigate. Don't know if the internal GPS is legal to navigate IFR on but its there so you'd use it in a pinch regardless I guess. But I'm assuming this still leaves you with no real option to shoot an approach anywhere. So then what? Just fly around till the gas runs out? If you can't lose a major panel component and still get down aren't you spending fortune and still shooting yourself in the foot in terms of safety?

And I find myself slipping deeper and deeper down that endless rabbit hole and next thing I know I've added another $40k to what was already a stretched projected budget and another year goes by and I still haven't pulled the trigger on a kit or started a build.

Most have a sl30 or sl40 for backup

 

[CC268]

I decided to go one-stop shopping for my tools. I could have bought the dimpler and squeezer separately. The joke is on me because I still had to buy other things. But that is going to happen no matter what. I sometimes wish I had a 2X rivet gun instead of a 3X because I turn the 3X down so low for #3 rivets and rarely turn it above 2 (it goes up to 6). But that's not an impediment. A higher-quality (Sioux or equivalent) drill would be nice. The one Isham gives you has less controllability over slow speed, it's almost an on-or-off proposition. And the backrivet set I got from Isham could have used a stronger spring and a narrower sidewall on the business end, so I bought another one of those. But ultimately, the tools I have are good and there aren't really any that I dislike. And they are a pretty complete set for the plane I am building. Most of the additional tools I have bought have been reamers (.311 and .375 sizes), a #20 drill bit, a tight-fit drill kit to remove my control column mounting brackets and replace the bearings, a super expensive Unibit to drill the brake fittings through the firewall (RV-14 taildragger only), and bucking bars.

Yea my neighbor building the RV14 said to get a 2X rivet gun - basically all he uses. Hear a lot about those Sioux drills. I've thought about doing that EAA sheet metal course just to get some more exposure to this stuff, but I'm nowhere near a position to be building an airplane lol. I think it would be more to fill my curiosity.

 

[CC268]

I believe the Cleaveland kit comes with a Sioux drill btw...I'd be tempted to go the Cleaveland route and add the dimpler and pneumatic squezer, but I'm just talking out my rear end

 

[WannFly]

For what it's worth, here is my philosophy on redundancy in my panel (not including things like an alternate trim switch in case the automatic trim controller dies and things like that):

G3X with two screens and one or two ADAHRS units (I'm still torn on that because only with dual ADAHRS will the G3X alert to a serious mismatch in data)
G5 backup flight instrument (which can feed ADAHRS data to the G3X displays if you turn off the G3X ADAHRS, so you would have to cross-check the G3X vs. G5 and make a decision as to which is accurate, and that is why a dual G3X ADAHRS is a good idea)
GTN 650 for IFR GPS, VOR, and ILS as well as a comm radio
Remote secondary comm radio
Backup battery wired to power necessary equipment in the panel.

If either G3X screen dies, I have the other and the G5. So I have to lose three screens before I lose a display of my flight instruments. If any ADAHRS dies, I have another. I have to lose at least two of those before I lose my flight instruments. With a second ADAHRS for the G3X, I would have to lose a lot of equipment before I lose the ability to cross-check and see that I have inaccurate flight instruments. (Basically I would have to lose the G5 screen and one of the G3X ADAHRS to be reduced to a single source of flight data in front of my eyes.)

If I lose the GTN 650, I can communicate using the second comm radio and navigate using the GPS in the G3X, which is a WAAS unit. It's not IFR certified but it's pretty easy to declare an emergency for failed navigation equipment and fly an approach using just the G3X. It probably can't do an LPV but I could find an LNAV easily enough to fly the step-down fixes.

If I lose all GPS data, the G3X and G5 will continue to display air and attitude data (unlike stories of Aspen products failing the attitude display if they don't have a good GPS signal). And I can navigate using the VOR/ILS in the GTN 650.

If I lose the alternator and the main battery runs out of juice, the backup battery will power at least a G3X display and ADAHRS for a while. That will get me flight instruments and GPS navigation. The G5 has its own backup battery, as well. I don't plan to wire a separate GPS antenna for the G5 because the level of redundancy described above is already about 50 times better than I have in my certified plane with steam gauges and a GNS 430W.

The total investment in my panel will be a lot. But everything is there for a reason and I believe I will have eliminated all single point failures in my avionics and flight instruments. (Single point failures are still possible in many other places, including the pilot, engine, and wiring. But those are not eliminated by spending money on the panel; they are eliminated by proficiency, luck, and care, respectively.)

You can splice the wire from WAAS of the 650 and provide it to G5. About dual ADAHRS, I was reading someone’s build log and he said that since G5 can provide it to G3X, he won’t be doing a dual ADAHRS, I am not if that means the G3X won’t automatically take the data from G5 when it’s own dies.

 

[CC268]

The real question is...why do I love tools so much? I really enjoy looking at tools online and dreaming about building an airplane I will probably never build LOL

 

[WannFly]

So uhh @WannFly you gonna go with Cleaveland or Isham? It seems like a lot of folks go with Isham, but it seems like Cleaveland's quality is quite a bit better? My hangar neighbor has been building an RV14 for years (he is almost done) and he was showing me all his tools (many of which were Cleaveland) - nice stuff.

Uh man don’t ask... so many decisions in life... for now I am working on my garage, whether I build or not, for now I want a heated garage finally!! One step at a time man... haven’t decided on the build yet... it’s ya know... very intimidating

 

[WannFly]

A -14 is substantially less work than any of the other RV's except the -12. You can buy the entire kit, less paint and interior from Van's. It is pre-punched, mostly no deburring or drilling necessary, and if you buy the "packages", they even provide wiring harnesses.

The 10 is not prepunched right?

 

[CC268]

Uh man don’t ask... so many decisions in life... for now I am working on my garage, whether I build or not, for now I want a heated garage finally!! One step at a time man... haven’t decided on the build yet... it’s ya know... very intimidating

HAHA. No kidding. Idk man. I think it would be a lot of fun, but a real test of patience (which is not a virtue I have particularly mastered yet). I'd need to really take some baby steps (EAA classes, etc) before I even considered something like that. Even then, I feel like I would be over my head. I am a perfectionist and very OCD. I think electrical wiring, panel layout, etc would maybe drive me insane. I'd like to think that maybe someday I can consider building though.

I really wanted to do the airfoil kit and the toolbox kit, but once I realized how much $ in tools you needed I figured I better hold off and put that money towards my flight training ha.

 

[WannFly]

I believe the Cleaveland kit comes with a Sioux drill btw...I'd be tempted to go the Cleaveland route and add the dimpler and pneumatic squezer, but I'm just talking out my rear end

I have a quote from both, price diff is fairly big, still nothing when you add up everything you got to buy, price for isham with those two upgrades is same at cleaveland without the upgrades and then it goes up from there.

On a diff note, I must say that it’s incredible to see this thread haven’t turned into a pizzing match of some sort yet and we are still on POA... wow!!

 

[CC268]

I have a quote from both, price diff is fairly big, still nothing when you add up everything you got to buy, price for isham with those two upgrades is same at cleaveland without the upgrades and then it goes up from there.

On a diff note, I must say that it’s incredible to see this thread haven’t turned into a pizzing match of some sort yet and we are still on POA... wow!!

Yea Isham is like $2500 and Cleaveland is $2750. Add the dimpler and pneumatic squeezer to Cleaveland and your another ~$1000 into it. Still seems rather minor compared to the total cost. But then again...I'm a bit of a sucker.

 

[CC268]

So here is a question one of you building aficionados can maybe answer. EAA has a workshop for Electrical Systems and for Sheet Metal here in Phoenix...but they are both on the same days - Feb 23rd & 24th. Why would they do this? You can only attend one or the other? Or can you take both classes?

Nevermind...found my answer:

Can I take more than one workshop at a location on one weekend?
You are only able to take one workshop each weekend. Each workshop is a full two days in length.

 

[WannFly]

Yea Isham is like $2500 and Cleaveland is $2750. Add the dimpler and pneumatic squeezer to Cleaveland and your another ~$1000 into it. Still seems rather minor compared to the total cost. But then again...I'm a bit of a sucker.

It gets to about 3800 from cleaveland

 

[CC268]

It gets to about 3800 from cleaveland

Just do it.

 

[WannFly]

So here is a question one of you building aficionados can maybe answer. EAA has a workshop for Electrical Systems and for Sheet Metal here in Phoenix...but they are both on the same days - Feb 23rd & 24th. Why would they do this? You can only attend one or the other? Or can you take both classes?

Be glad they have one, if I want to attend one I have to either go to Maryland in January or sometime later in Vegas... I think Vegas makes more sense for a single guy

 

[CC268]

Be glad they have one, if I want to attend one I have to either go to Maryland in January or sometime later in Vegas... I think Vegas makes more sense for a single guy

Yea I was thinking I could fly to Vegas for one and then do the other here in Phoenix.

 

[CC268]

I guess the question becomes...is it pointless to take a sheet metal class if you have no intention of building an airplane anytime soon...probably would be better to take one closer to when you were wanting to actually build something. The classes are rather cheap, guess you could always take the course twice.

Anyways...sorry to hijack your thread lol

 

[kyleb]

The 10 is not prepunched right?

Everything in the lineup above the RV-7 is prepunched (including the -10). The difference is that the -12 and -14 are punched to size, so you don't have to ream (i.e. drill to size and perfect fit) all of the holes.

The challenge with the -10 is all of the fiberglass. The cabin top has to fit the fuselage and the doors have to be made to fit both the metal fuselage and the fiberglass cabin top. It is a challenge.

 

[Ravioli]

I like the layout. Just need to get rid of that yellow tape!!!

After all that I couldn't afford CLEAR tape. Actually, I've started experimenting with the print and rub down labels. Maybe by Easter it will look right.

 

[Sam D]

I guess the question becomes...is it pointless to take a sheet metal class if you have no intention of building an airplane anytime soon...probably would be better to take one closer to when you were wanting to actually build something. The classes are rather cheap, guess you could always take the course twice.

Anyways...sorry to hijack your thread lol

I took the sheet metal class and I'm building a tube and fabric plane. But its still got nutplates and some aluminum in side panels and other areas.

To your other question about 2 classes at the same time, I think its kind of the EAA travelling roadshow so they do them all at the same time. I opted for sheetmetal first because I figured it would come before fabric covering and wiring stuff. If you're thinking about an RV build this class is a great way to get your feet wet...and you don't need to buy all the equipment first.

 

[kyleb]

After all that I couldn't afford CLEAR tape. Actually, I've started experimenting with the print and rub down labels. Maybe by Easter it will look right.

What system are you using? I've waffled on how to label the panel on the -10. On my -6, I got a local vinyl shop to cut the labels in white vinyl, pick the trash out, attach the words to a transfer sheet, and apply to the panel. So, probably 250 individual little bitty vinyl letters are stuck on my panel. I was worried they wouldn't hold up, but I've lost exactly one letter in nearly 18 years.

I may do the same thing again.

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

What system are you using? I've waffled on how to label the panel on the -10. On my -6, I got a local vinyl shop to cut the labels in white vinyl, pick the trash out, attach the words to a transfer sheet, and apply to the panel. So, probably 250 individual little bitty vinyl letters are stuck on my panel. I was worried they wouldn't hold up, but I've lost exactly one letter in nearly 18 years.

I may do the same thing again.

Check out this place:

placards-c.html

I did my panel with water-slide decals, covered with a few coats of matte clear, but recently a few of the characters have started to flake off/abrade. So I think I'll use this place at some point to make placard overlays. Big selection of finishes, materials, etc.

 

[Ravioli]

The 10 is not prepunched right?

Ask that Q over on VAF. My understanding is the 6 was the last model that needed to be match drilled. From 7 on they were pre-drilled.

Not sure what punching is. pre or post.

 

[kyleb]

Check out this place:

placards-c.html

I did my panel with water-slide decals, covered with a few coats of matte clear, but recently a few of the characters have started to flake off/abrade. So I think I'll use this place at some point to make placard overlays. Big selection of finishes, materials, etc.

Honestly, I prefer something that can be changed a little easier. That seems to point me back to a local sign/vinyl shop. There are some beautiful panels and sub-panels out there done with things like decalpro, but I'm more of an airplane guy than a panel guy. If everything works, looks good, and is reasonably easy to re-label when I change something, I'm good with that.

 

[Bill Watson]

Ask that Q over on VAF. My understanding is the 6 was the last model that needed to be match drilled. From 7 on they were pre-drilled.

Not sure what punching is. pre or post.

Perhaps the holes aren’t drilled but punched?

Anyway, yes, all models 7,8,9,10,12, and 14 are ‘cut and holed’ with CNC equipment meaning no layout, no jigging, and straight components.

The composite top is a challenge because it is completely different than the sheet metal work and because in the beginning, the parts were pretty crude. The top has gone through 1 or more improvement cycles and now seems worthy of the rest of the kit. Not a core competency so I guess there was a learning curve.

... and it wasn’t that hard in the end, just a different skill set.




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[Bill Watson]

Honestly, I prefer something that can be changed a little easier. That seems to point me back to a local sign/vinyl shop. There are some beautiful panels and sub-panels out there done with things like decalpro, but I'm more of an airplane guy than a panel guy. If everything works, looks good, and is reasonably easy to re-label when I change something, I'm good with that.

I never figure out the right solution for my labeling my panel. I’m in the middle of an upgrade but this picture shows where I am now. Most of the labeling was done with custom switch and indicator light tops ordered from somewhere.

I originally printed the remaining panel labels on clear inkjet stock and just stuck them on. They got me thru the flyoff and several years flying looking pretty good.

I replaced those with having the graphics screen printed (or whatever process was actually used) on thin plastic I had painted to match the panel. They don’t look totally pro but considerably better than other solutions. The key is requiring a minimum of labeling.

BTW, just test flew the upgraded panel today with the big screen. Sweet!

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[Bill Watson]

And here’s the original panel.

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[WannFly]

I guess the question becomes...is it pointless to take a sheet metal class if you have no intention of building an airplane anytime soon...probably would be better to take one closer to when you were wanting to actually build something. The classes are rather cheap, guess you could always take the course twice.

Anyways...sorry to hijack your thread lol

I met a guy the other week who has built and fly a 9A , he didn’t take any classes, but that doesn’t mean other people like me won’t need it

 

[CC268]

I met a guy the other week who has built and fly a 9A , he didn’t take any classes, but that doesn’t mean other people like me won’t need it

They are pretty cheap for a 2 day course. I would think it would be well worth it

 

[iamtheari]

You can splice the wire from WAAS of the 650 and provide it to G5. About dual ADAHRS, I was reading someone’s build log and he said that since G5 can provide it to G3X, he won’t be doing a dual ADAHRS, I am not if that means the G3X won’t automatically take the data from G5 when it’s own dies.

As I understand it, the G5 has its own GPS receiver, and can use an external GPS position source like the G3X or the GTN 650. If the external source fails and you don't have a GPS antenna on the G5, then it will not have GPS data, but (unlike the Aspen PFD), it will continue to calculate your attitude and present you with your primary flight instruments despite the loss of GPS data.

As far as the G3X switching to the G5 when its ADAHRS dies, that apparently only happens if the ADAHRS is dead. "Inaccurate" or "in disagreement with the G5" does not count as dead. So you have to cross-check the G5 display with the G3X display just like you have a scan and cross-check in steam gauge flying. If the G3X has dual ADAHRS, it will indicate when they disagree beyond a certain tolerance. Then the pilot has to decide which instrument to trust. Again, same as your steam gauge cross-check and interpretation, just easier for your brain to process because all of the instruments show attitude.

If you have two ADAHRS units, apparently the default is for PFD #1 to show ADAHRS #1 data and PFD #2 or MFD #1 (when showing attitude) to show ADAHRS #2 data. So you can have three independent attitude and air data sources being displayed on your panel at once to cross-check. And you can also turn off the ADAHRS units and, if you run out of them, the G3X will then display the G5's data. Knowing this last bit is important for me because it means that I need to plan a way to turn off the ADAHRS units separately from the rest of the panel. I had planned to put ADAHRS #1 and PFD #1 on a shared circuit in the VPX (solid-state circuit breaker replacement) but now I need to re-plan my circuit assignments so that the ADAHRS units have their own circuit breakers that I can manually turn off if they are acting up.

 

[WannFly]

As I understand it, the G5 has its own GPS receiver, and can use an external GPS position source like the G3X or the GTN 650. If the external source fails and you don't have a GPS antenna on the G5, then it will not have GPS data, but (unlike the Aspen PFD), it will continue to calculate your attitude and present you with your primary flight instruments despite the loss of GPS data.

As far as the G3X switching to the G5 when its ADAHRS dies, that apparently only happens if the ADAHRS is dead. "Inaccurate" or "in disagreement with the G5" does not count as dead. So you have to cross-check the G5 display with the G3X display just like you have a scan and cross-check in steam gauge flying. If the G3X has dual ADAHRS, it will indicate when they disagree beyond a certain tolerance. Then the pilot has to decide which instrument to trust. Again, same as your steam gauge cross-check and interpretation, just easier for your brain to process because all of the instruments show attitude.

If you have two ADAHRS units, apparently the default is for PFD #1 to show ADAHRS #1 data and PFD #2 or MFD #1 (when showing attitude) to show ADAHRS #2 data. So you can have three independent attitude and air data sources being displayed on your panel at once to cross-check. And you can also turn off the ADAHRS units and, if you run out of them, the G3X will then display the G5's data. Knowing this last bit is important for me because it means that I need to plan a way to turn off the ADAHRS units separately from the rest of the panel. I had planned to put ADAHRS #1 and PFD #1 on a shared circuit in the VPX (solid-state circuit breaker replacement) but now I need to re-plan my circuit assignments so that the ADAHRS units have their own circuit breakers that I can manually turn off if they are acting up.

makes sense. the internal GPS is disabled for the certificated installs, wonder what happens when the external one fails... I have to try it out in flight. actually, in last XC, I lost GPS for about 10 mins (oh the horrors when the magenta line disappears ), G5 didn't went belly up, so there must be some mechanism built in. anyway, good to know about the ADAHRS and the benefits of having dual in the panel + g5. about breaker, can you not do a toggle switch to kill the ADAHRS instead of a new circuit?

feel free to tell me I don't know what I am talking about.... 'cuz I don't

 

[iamtheari]

makes sense. the internal GPS is disabled for the certificated installs, wonder what happens when the external one fails... I have to try it out in flight. actually, in last XC, I lost GPS for about 10 mins (oh the horrors when the magenta line disappears ), G5 didn't went belly up, so there must be some mechanism built in. anyway, good to know about the ADAHRS and the benefits of having dual in the panel + g5. about breaker, can you not do a toggle switch to kill the ADAHRS instead of a new circuit?

feel free to tell me I don't know what I am talking about.... 'cuz I don't

I'm planning to use a Vertical Power VP-X system in lieu of circuit breakers. It also handles switching. So you have a limited number of switch inputs to the VP-X and a limited number of circuit outputs that it can control. You can program it to assign multiple circuits to one switch if you want. (For example, I am planning a switch with positions Nav/Off/Nav+Strobe, which will electrically be two switch inputs to the VP-X and it will have two outputs, Nav and Strobe, but the Nav+Strobe switch will turn on both those outputs.)

Putting the ADAHRS on its own switch would probably be overkill. You interact with the VP-X's virtual circuit breakers through the MFD. So unless the MFD is also dead, you will be able to turn off the ADAHRS without having a physical switch on the panel to do that. It doesn't mean I won't put a switch in, but I am trying to minimize and simplify switches. My "abnormal operations" switch cluster is already big enough...Stick disable (3 positions so the buttons on either stick can be disabled), alternate static (a little valve that looks like a metal toggle switch), EFIS reversion, trim Alt/Norm (in Alt mode it disconnects the VP-X trim controller from the servo and instead direct wires the next switch), and Trim Up/Down. I want a very clean panel without a thousand switches on it.

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

I never figure out the right solution for my labeling my panel. I’m in the middle of an upgrade but this picture shows where I am now. Most of the labeling was done with custom switch and indicator light tops ordered from somewhere.

I originally printed the remaining panel labels on clear inkjet stock and just stuck them on. They got me thru the flyoff and several years flying looking pretty good.

I replaced those with having the graphics screen printed (or whatever process was actually used) on thin plastic I had painted to match the panel. They don’t look totally pro but considerably better than other solutions. The key is requiring a minimum of labeling.

BTW, just test flew the upgraded panel today with the big screen. Sweet!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Confession: I have a few switches that are completely unlabeled!! Oh, the horror!
They are switches of different types/sizes, located well away from my main bank of toggles. I'm sure they'll get labels eventually.

But seeing that I'm the only guy who flies it, I'm good with that.

 

[CC268]

I'm planning to use a Vertical Power VP-X system in lieu of circuit breakers. It also handles switching. So you have a limited number of switch inputs to the VP-X and a limited number of circuit outputs that it can control. You can program it to assign multiple circuits to one switch if you want. (For example, I am planning a switch with positions Nav/Off/Nav+Strobe, which will electrically be two switch inputs to the VP-X and it will have two outputs, Nav and Strobe, but the Nav+Strobe switch will turn on both those outputs.)

Putting the ADAHRS on its own switch would probably be overkill. You interact with the VP-X's virtual circuit breakers through the MFD. So unless the MFD is also dead, you will be able to turn off the ADAHRS without having a physical switch on the panel to do that. It doesn't mean I won't put a switch in, but I am trying to minimize and simplify switches. My "abnormal operations" switch cluster is already big enough...Stick disable (3 positions so the buttons on either stick can be disabled), alternate static (a little valve that looks like a metal toggle switch), EFIS reversion, trim Alt/Norm (in Alt mode it disconnects the VP-X trim controller from the servo and instead direct wires the next switch), and Trim Up/Down. I want a very clean panel without a thousand switches on it.

VPX is awesome. My neighbor building the RV14 gave me a "tour" of how it worked on his Dynon SkyView HDX. Really cool stuff.

 

[kyleb]

VPX is awesome.

Both of the guys I know locally who used it had AOG incidents because of it.

Have a backup plan for the day you're on top, or in the weather, or away from home and it goes down.

 

[CC268]

Both of the guys I know locally who used it had AOG incidents because of it.

Have a backup plan for the day you're on top or, in the weather, or away from home and it goes down.

Oh Kyle, I know I know...you got the best RV in town and anyone who configures their RV different from yours is silly!

 

[iamtheari]

Both of the guys I know locally who used it had AOG incidents because of it.

Have a backup plan for the day you're on top or, in the weather, or away from home and it goes down.

Can you share some more detail on the failures they experienced?

 

[kyleb]

One, in particular, had a total failure of the VPX. The box died the first time he left the pattern in Phase 1. Lost comm, lost txp, and on down the line. The manufacturer of the VPX blamed faulty or poor quality components in the VPX. It was a new unit when the builder bought it, but had been superseded prior to first flight.

The other, had random problems with electrical things. Flaps wouldn't do this, something else wouldn't do that. The problems were intermittent. They eventually concluded that the VPX was the problem, sent it back, got the reworked (or new) one, and everything has been fine since.

 

[kyleb]

Oh Kyle, I know I know...you got the best RV in town and anyone who configures their RV different from yours is silly!

Not at all. I do have personal preferences, hopefully well thought out, and the idea of adding a(nother) single point of failure for everything electrical on the airplane isn't something I like. That's why I suggest having a backup plan, at least for critical systems.

Fundamentally, my RV-6 is VFR only, so I don't need a lot of redundancy in systems.

The RV-10 will have much more built in redundancy from an electronic standpoint.