Today I flew my RV-9A back home after having it down for the last four weeks while VAF'er bruceh installed a new AFS panel in it.
We (really, Bruce) removed the panel and all contents (Dynon D100 and D120, Garmin GPS 496 and GTX 327, Icom A200, and aileron/elevator trim indicators), pretty much all of the wiring in the airplane, and fixed some build issues along the way.
After about 2 weeks of work in tight spaces, and dirty areas.. the airplane was finally gutted and it was time to start the wiring and mounting of the new components, along with accomplishing more build issue repairs. Over the next two weeks, in went the AFS ACM, AFS-5600T screens, a Dynon comm, transponder, ADS-B IN, ADAHRS, GPS, Garmin GNC 355, new comm and GPS antennas, a flap position sensor, an audio panel, and a backup battery.
And two weeks later, it was time to run the engine. We experienced a few minor sensor configuration issues, and after adjusting those, we had good indications. The next day, a few more details wrapped up, and it was off for a first flight. Again a few more small issues.. mostly related to software bugs, and one missing resistor, and another quick test flight was done this morning with great results. Time to take it back to the hangar. Bruce followed me over and gave me a ride back in his beautiful RV-9A and Bruce reclaimed his hangar and for the first time in a month, his airplane was in it again.
Bruce works on aircraft as a hobby. I manage a corporate jet for work and work with maintenance shops all the time. Bruce showed work ethic, determination, and fairness not shown at very many professional shops. He always welcomed me into his hangar, happily answered my sometimes uneducated questions, was always willing to teach me about anything at all, took tons of photos along the way, and was just a pleasure to work with. Should you have a project that you'd like some assistance on, I'd highly recommend calling Bruce. Thank you for all of your help, Bruce! My airplane is much better equipped, and in much better shape, thanks to you.
The end result
We (really, Bruce) removed the panel and all contents (Dynon D100 and D120, Garmin GPS 496 and GTX 327, Icom A200, and aileron/elevator trim indicators), pretty much all of the wiring in the airplane, and fixed some build issues along the way.
After about 2 weeks of work in tight spaces, and dirty areas.. the airplane was finally gutted and it was time to start the wiring and mounting of the new components, along with accomplishing more build issue repairs. Over the next two weeks, in went the AFS ACM, AFS-5600T screens, a Dynon comm, transponder, ADS-B IN, ADAHRS, GPS, Garmin GNC 355, new comm and GPS antennas, a flap position sensor, an audio panel, and a backup battery.
And two weeks later, it was time to run the engine. We experienced a few minor sensor configuration issues, and after adjusting those, we had good indications. The next day, a few more details wrapped up, and it was off for a first flight. Again a few more small issues.. mostly related to software bugs, and one missing resistor, and another quick test flight was done this morning with great results. Time to take it back to the hangar. Bruce followed me over and gave me a ride back in his beautiful RV-9A and Bruce reclaimed his hangar and for the first time in a month, his airplane was in it again.
Bruce works on aircraft as a hobby. I manage a corporate jet for work and work with maintenance shops all the time. Bruce showed work ethic, determination, and fairness not shown at very many professional shops. He always welcomed me into his hangar, happily answered my sometimes uneducated questions, was always willing to teach me about anything at all, took tons of photos along the way, and was just a pleasure to work with. Should you have a project that you'd like some assistance on, I'd highly recommend calling Bruce. Thank you for all of your help, Bruce! My airplane is much better equipped, and in much better shape, thanks to you.
The end result
