Glass panel vs conventional

[pierre smith]

...anything can fail.

This is my 42nd year of licensed flying (I'm 63) and have lost friends to bad vacuum pumps on final in IMC.

My buddy has a glass panel in his -4 that went TU during an upgrade install, so now he's grounded, for the most part...no oil pressure or temp available....and it's not a Blue Mountain.

I have steam gauges in my -6 because I'm old school but now that my GRT HX has arrived, I'm new school and really looking forward to it. Believe me, glass is so much easier to "scan" since it's all in one easy to read spot.

Bottom line, make yourself happy....you can always buy another aluminum dash for around $15 from Van and start over.

Regards,

[N131RV]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

...anything can fail.

My buddy has a glass panel in his -4 that went TU during an upgrade install, so now he's grounded, for the most part...no oil pressure or temp available....and it's not a Blue Mountain.

Regards,

Yup, that kept me up nights. I didn't want to be "stranded" away from home waiting on the EFIS mfg.

So I went dual EFIS. Then, just to be sure, I popped the extra $200 to keep a spare engine pod (all the sensors connect to it) on board. Weighs about 6 ounces and fits in my luggage.

[ClayR_9A]

I'm not against glass. I'm just saying that you need to know that it isn't all about the initial price when comparing the costs and don't be surprised down the road when you need to shell out a few $1000 for a replacement or upgrade on your EFIS.

One other mistake I've seen plenty of people make is buying their EFIS too soon. Two years later, they're still trying to finish the plane and that fancy new EFIS isn't so fancy anymore. No sense in watching your EFIS depreciate in your garage.

My free advice is to cut a BIG HOLE in your panel where you want to put your EFIS (or conventional instruments) and then create two or three blanks to cover up that hole and paint them all at the same time with the same paint you use on the rest of your panel. Now, you can cut a hole in the blanks for your new EFIS just before you complete your plane and start flying. In a few years when you want (or need) a new EFIS, take out the next blank, cut a new hole in that, and you can easily install your new EFIS and replace the old one.

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by ClayR_9A

My free advice is to cut a BIG HOLE in your panel where you want to put your EFIS (or conventional instruments) and then create two or three blanks to cover up that hole and paint them all at the same time with the same paint you use on the rest of your panel. Now, you can cut a hole in the blanks for your new EFIS just before you complete your plane and start flying. In a few years when you want (or need) a new EFIS, take out the next blank, cut a new hole in that, and you can easily install your new EFIS and replace the old one.

I agree, here is mine, ready for glass when the time comes.



John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[Ron Lee]

John, how does your plane fly without all glass? After reading all this I should never have flown with a six pack panel to the Bahamas, Caymans via Cuba, Kitty Hawk, Catalina, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Crystal River to swim with manatees, Devil's Tower, Mt Rushmore, Piney Pinecreek, Mineral Canyon, Leadville, CO, and so on.

[flyeyes]

Originally Posted by Ron Lee

John, how does your plane fly without all glass? After reading all this I should never have flown with a six pack panel to the Bahamas, Caymans via Cuba, Kitty Hawk, Catalina, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Crystal River to swim with manatees, Devil's Tower, Mt Rushmore, Piney Pinecreek, Mineral Canyon, Leadville, CO, and so on.

Umm, without the glass panel how can you be sure you really were all those places? ;-)

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by flyeyes

Umm, without the glass panel how can you be sure you really were all those places? ;-)

Hmm, not sure, but I think it has something to do with the brown book over by my right knee and looking outside. Otherwise, the last 43 years have been a complex fraud.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA