Design a $15,000 (or less) panel

How about this. If you had $15,000 to design your day/night VFR XC panel, what would you put in it? I'll prime the pump: (approx pricing)

Airspeed Indicator $200.00
Altimeter $200.00
Dynon Sportpack+ Accessories $4,833.00
GPSMap 296 $1,500.00
Trutrack Digiflight $4,000.00
SL40 $1,400.00
GTX 327 $1,500.00
Intercom $300.00
TrafficScope VRX $795.00
========
$14,728

Feel free to justify choices and tell what works for you. Sorry for the format, I could not get the tab to work.

Thanks,

Pete

Dual Screen Grand Rapids Technology EFIS w/ EIS4000: $8995
Internal GPS Option for GRT: $450
SL-40: $1375
GTX-327: $1575
DigiTrak: $1595
Intercom: $300 (used your price)
Backup Airspeed: $143
Backup Altimeter: $200

Total: $14,633

I'm doing basically that except I'll probably trade out the SL-40 for an SL-30 to give me VOR/LOC/GS and add an audio panel with marker beacon. You could also investigate getting the GRT Sport and adding their EIS+moving map (approximately $6040 total for both screens).

Under $15,000?......Debatable

Grand Rapids Dual EFIS With GPS/FF/MAP $10,250.
KY97 Comm with employee discount 820.
KT76A Xponder with employee discount 1200.
Sigtronics Stereo Sport intercom 250.
Compass 250.
Trim indicators, 2 ea. 70.
ACK ELT 215.
Trio autopilot 1680.

Total $14,735.

I think this is pretty good bang for the buck!

See my post for a picture under "Show us the status of your 9/9A project".

Let's see some pictures of your panels!

Now, this does not include circuit breakers, switches, dimmers, stick, panel powder coat or silk screen lables. You could probably add another $750.
Some times it is best not to add everything up but just do what you have to do.

I did mine for about $10K 2 years ago. Without any EFIS technology, but with GRT engine gauges and new radios.

All glass & autopilot for under $13,000

I designed my panel around a single screen GRT EFIS.

GRT EFIS single screen $6,000
EIS4000 engine monitor with fuel flow, backup altitude & airspeed $1500
Garmin SL-40 COM $1295
Garmin GTX327 Transponder $1250
Garmin GPSMap 196 $700
NAT stereo intercom $150
Trio EZ-Pilot autopilot $1800
Precision vertical card compass $275

Total: $12,970



Now if I can just get this thing finished!

Mike Schipper
-9A finishing
www.my9a.com

I guess I'm just the po folks here, but why would I want to put $15K into my instrument panel. My whole airplane cost just $28K.

$1300 flight and engine instruments (including gyros)
2100 GPS/Com (Garmin GNC 250)
800 #2 Com (MX11)
1100 Transponder (Garmin GTX 320)
175 Intercom (PM501)
$5475 Total

Mel...DAR

Po folk #2

Thanks Mel, you're not alone. I'm hoping to get my panel done for about the same as you.

Steve Zicree

$10K panel

How about for $10K:

AVMAP IV $1500 GPS
SL40 $1375 COM
GTX-320A $1263 Xpond
PS PM501 $180 Intercom
EFIS D10A $2300 Flight Instruments
ENS D10 $2300 Engine Instruments
Compass $63 Cheap backup and looks good
Miss $1000 Wires, breakers, switches, etc

I will also carry a handheld COM and GPS in my flight bag.

This is what I am planing for Night VFR.

Larry

I think I'm at about $8500.00 including sensors at this point, but how many firewall penetrations do I have to seal up?
http://img271.echo.cx/img271/5979/p60500298cy.jpg

IFR with glass and 2 axis auto for 12,000

If I was to do it over I would probably stick with Apollo radios, maybe an SL30 with a GX60, that would push me a little over the 15K limit but it would be a sweet IFR with ILS,LOC,VOR, and GPS approaches.

I've just started my instrument training so I may decide in the future all this IFR stuff is for the birds and then my panel would be something like Mel's. I may have to keep the D10 though and the last instrument to leave my panel would be the Altrak. Next to the GPS the alt hold is the most used thing in my panel.

Dynon D-10 2223
Garmin 196 824
Van?s ASI & ALT 365
GRT EIS 4000 1624
KT76A (used) 690
KX125 (used) 1400
KN75 GS (used) 400
KI209 (used) 600
Navaid 1450
Altrak 1650
Vertical card compass 159
Wires and switches 600

Total 11,985

How about $8670 w/ new parts?

Radio $759 (ICOM A200)
Intercomm $300 (not sure which one yet)
Transponder $1300 (AT155)
Compass $73
Dynon EFIS & Engine monitor $4250
GPS $1600 (Garmin 296)
ASI $145 (Van's)
Altimeter $205 (Van's)
Ball (slip) indicator $39.90

Total: $8,669.90

Oh, and I'll probably add another $95 for AIRGIZMOS PANEL DOCK to hold the Garmin.

Thanks, that was a good exercise. I had not updated my "dreaming" spreadsheet in about a year.

BTW, I've started buying some of the items I've listed. Whenever I need a $5 replacement part from Van's I add on one panel item to make me feel better about the S&H charge. Plus, I figure I by the time I'm done with the fuselage I should have all the items I need for the panel.

This is for Cam. Where did you buy your used radios and would you do it again? I had a KX125 in my Cessna and loved it.
Jim Wright 90919 RV-9A wings

Jim
I bought the KX125 from a fellow EAA chapter member. The KN75 and the KI209 I got from Mid America Avionics in Indiana. I would consider used avionics again. Probably wouldn't go for King the next time though. The radios work real nice but it seems like King has gotten out of the GA side of things and the tech just isn't there. I did just find out today while getting an IFR check done on my altimeter and transponder that there is an AD out on my KT76A. King's paying for the parts but it will cost me 65 to get them installed. I felt like a certified plane owner today. I spend $335.00 to have someone tell me that my two altimeters and my transponder work.

Cam

I notice a lot of GTX 327's here. Running a comparison on the Garmin website reveals that the 320A is one lb lighter and does everything the 327 does except the cool digital display, and a timer plus readout of what the xpndr thinks your altitude is. It is smaller and cheaper to boot.

What am I missing here??

Chuck

el cheap-O panel-O $6,850




Dynon D-10, mag module, AOA probe: $2300 (before cost bump)
EIS4000 Engine monitor w/ FF, amps and everything! $1500 (airshow spcl)
Nav Aid Autopilot/smart couple $1,000 (airshow/demo spcl)
Comm Radio: icom A200 $600 (airshow spcl)
DRE 244e stereo intercom $360
Artex ELT: $150 (used)
Garmin 195 GPS $300 (great used, out of production)
Transponder Collins TDR-950 $300 (used small)
Bent whip comm ant: $40 (high end model)
Dimmer PWM, home made $20
Transponder ant: $18
Switches/CB?s-used/wire/terminals: $250 (new/surplus)
_______________________________________________ TOTAL approx $6,850

Granted I was a good bargain hunter, but I have a deluxe X-country VFR panel with EFIS and autopilot and coupled GPS for less than "7 large" as Tony Soprano would say. The EIS-4000 has all non flight functions you could need: RPM, MAP, OT, OP, FUEL PRESS, FUEL FLOW, FUEL GAGES L&R, CHT x 4, EGT x 4, VOLTS, AMPS. This unit at full price with all these options is less than $1,700, not bad bargain.

If I was going IFR I would add a $2000 VAL vor/loc/gs/mb head receiver http://valavionics.com/p_ins422.html some pitot static altitude/airspeed back up (my EIS-4000 still has two aux channels out of the 6 for these items to be displayed digitally) and one back-up electric attitude gyro. I figure it would be around $3,250. So the total for a IFR panel $10K. The nice thing about not going IFR GPS is the cheaper paper approach plate updates and no expensive electronic updates an IFR GPS needs. Also an ILS will get you to 200' TDZ and 2400-1800 RVR. GPS can't get there. With a VFR GPS it still helps with situational awareness during vectors and a sort-of DME/area nav. Granted this is bare bones kind of, but it is safe.

Cheers George RV-7 :rolleye s:

I think you are seeing lots of GTX-327's because they can do serial and interface with a Dynon D10A as the GTX-320 is parrallel only and cannot without a converter module.

I am at ~$16.5k (wow I hadn't added it up that way, how depressing) with a "simple" IFR panel. Not to me, but compared to most people.

Dynon D10A
Pictoral Pilot, Altrak
(already over $6k right there)
Standard airspeed, vert speed, altimeter
vertical card compass
All Van's engine gauges with 4 cylinder EGT/CHT
GarminAT SL30 Nav/com
MDI200 CDI
GarminAT GTX327
PS Engineering PM3000 Intercom

I admit to a few "Deals," but nothing anyone with a bit of digging couldn't have done. I may be off a few bucks, but here goes:

2300 Dynon D10A
1700 Trio AP (bought at same time as Dynon, saving $100)
3500 AF2500 engine monitor
1050 XCOM 760 comm radio
1500 Avmap IV GPS
(Used and such)
100 Narco 111 Nav
40 ASI
270 Allied ALT and VSI (new but bought from someone going all glass, 1100 new from ACS)
550 KT-76A Xponder + Alt reporter
400 switches fuses etc

11,410 total, with rio alt hold still to come, bringing the total to around $13,000. Still a couple of $k to spend on a decent nav w/GS. The XCOM radio has built in intercom. Still have lots of panel space to fill, but should fly and re-fill the bank account first.

Bob Kelly, 90854