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Garmin G3X panel replaces BMA

I decided to completly re-do my panel using a 2 screen G3X system, 430W nab/com and a 106 cdi. I used the existing 340 audio, sl30 radio, 327 transponder and TruTrak upgraded my digiflight to a GX pilot. I took the bma and all the analogue stuff out. I will be doing the first "new panel" flight on Friday! Excuse poor quality pics.

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That set up looks really nice! Curious how you like it compared to your BMA.

Where is Kyalami in SA? I recently ferried a plane from Texas to Lanseria, then spent some time in a lodge outside of Sun City. Im already trying to find some time to go back to South Africa. I had a blast.
 
That set up looks really nice! Curious how you like it compared to your BMA.

Where is Kyalami in SA? I recently ferried a plane from Texas to Lanseria, then spent some time in a lodge outside of Sun City. Im already trying to find some time to go back to South Africa. I had a blast.

Hi Matt

It seems great so far, the blue mountain was a problem since i got the RV in from the US 18 months ago. I could not get updated map data, things stopped working like airspeed! So it was time to get rid of it.

Kyalami is close to Lanseria and my RV is there at the moment. The ferry flight must have been awesome?
 
Nice

Mark,
Nice looking re-do!

By the way my name is Mark Allison Burns.

My mom would call me Mark Allison sometimes :)
 
Hi Matt

It seems great so far, the blue mountain was a problem since i got the RV in from the US 18 months ago. I could not get updated map data, things stopped working like airspeed! So it was time to get rid of it.

Kyalami is close to Lanseria and my RV is there at the moment. The ferry flight must have been awesome?

It was fun. Since the plane was a regional jet we had to take the long way through Europe, Saudi Arabia, then the length of the African continent. It was great to hear the Joburg controllers after hours of not talking to anyone other than the occasional position report :D

Looking forward to your thoughts on G3X. Have fun playing with your new toys!!
 
CDI

Mark -

Panel looks great. I am going with the dual G3X with a 430W as well. What was the thought behind adding a CDI? Doesn't the G3X have the built in capability with full reversion?
 
Nice Panel !

Congratulations for the new panel and avionics. I now have 20hrs with the G3X and GX Pilot combo. This system rocks !
Best,
Flavio
 
Mark -

Panel looks great. I am going with the dual G3X with a 430W as well. What was the thought behind adding a CDI? Doesn't the G3X have the built in capability with full reversion?

Hi Mike,

The g3x does have built in capability and my panel is configured to ba able to use it that way by changing settings. The reason I went with the Cdi is that I wanted to be able to get separate information from the SL30. I liked the idea of being able to have 2 vor's showing on separate Cdi's. I also have a bit of redundancy as the SL30 is connected to a back up battery.

Cheers,
Mark
 
Congratulations for the new panel and avionics. I now have 20hrs with the G3X and GX Pilot combo. This system rocks !
Best,
Flavio

Hi Flavio,

Thanks! I am looking forward to getting some good time in over the weekend.
What settings, if any did you have to change on the GX pilot? I ask because on my first quick test flight today the GX pilot would follow heading but would not hold altitude. It does a wild roller coaster ride up and down at 1000ft /min. Once I have that set up it will be great, it was fantastic flying behind the G3x!

cheers,
Mark
 
Ooops

Hi Flavio,

Thanks! I am looking forward to getting some good time in over the weekend.
What settings, if any did you have to change on the GX pilot? I ask because on my first quick test flight today the GX pilot would follow heading but would not hold altitude. It does a wild roller coaster ride up and down at 1000ft /min. Once I have that set up it will be great, it was fantastic flying behind the G3x!

cheers,
Mark

Mark,

I was not the builder of my RV-10 ! Sorry ! Can I get forgiven for that ?? :eek:

Suggestion: send Lucas (from TT) a message describing you set-up issues and you should get a response very quickly.

Good luck !
 
Hi Flavio,

Thanks! I am looking forward to getting some good time in over the weekend.
What settings, if any did you have to change on the GX pilot? I ask because on my first quick test flight today the GX pilot would follow heading but would not hold altitude. It does a wild roller coaster ride up and down at 1000ft /min. Once I have that set up it will be great, it was fantastic flying behind the G3x!

cheers,
Mark

Hi Mark,

Make sure you didn't accidentally reverse the pitot and static lines on the AP. The pitot line plumbed into the static port will take you for a really (not) fun ride. It happens pretty often actually. ;) Thanks!
 
CDI

Mark -

Being a military flier I certainly appreciate back-ups and redundancy. Thanks for the words. - Strike
 
Mark -

Being a military flier I certainly appreciate back-ups and redundancy. Thanks for the words. - Strike

Strike,

I like the redundancy too, the blank on my panel is for the Trutrak Gemini PFD when it gets released. Thanks for taking an interest in my panel!

Mark
 
SO I did 3 hours behind the g3x today, and it really is terrific. The screen clarity and brightness is amazing, they make my avmap look like it is turned off! I am still in the fiddling and setup phase but it is great to have such good avionics and a real pleasure to use.
 
Hi Mark,

Make sure you didn't accidentally reverse the pitot and static lines on the AP. The pitot line plumbed into the static port will take you for a really (not) fun ride. It happens pretty often actually. ;) Thanks!

Hi Lucas

We double checked the pitot connection and they are right but i changed them around today to check. I flew again today and it does exactly the same with the pitot static either way around, imidiataly descending at 2000ft/min then up again with the g3x showing "trim up" "trim down" continuously.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,
Mark
 
Mark,

You have probably already performed the pre-flight autopilot inspection called out in the GX Pilot installation manual, but take note that there is a pitch servo reverse jumper between pins 1-2 on the 25 pin connector on the GX Pilot. Make sure the pitch servo direction is correct or you could easily experience the conditions you describe.

As mentioned in the GX Pilot manual, it is best to troubleshoot basic AP operation with the AP in standalone "AP" mode first.

If you fly straight and level and engage the GX Pilot by using the AP button, it should capture track and altitude and maintain these. Based on your experience to-date, I suspect it will not, but this will help isolate the problem.

Oh, and make sure to put the pitot/static lines back to the correct ports before doing any more troubleshooting. :)

Steve
 
Mark,

You have probably already performed the pre-flight autopilot inspection called out in the GX Pilot installation manual, but take note that there is a pitch servo reverse jumper between pins 1-2 on the 25 pin connector on the GX Pilot. Make sure the pitch servo direction is correct or you could easily experience the conditions you describe.

As mentioned in the GX Pilot manual, it is best to troubleshoot basic AP operation with the AP in standalone "AP" mode first.

If you fly straight and level and engage the GX Pilot by using the AP button, it should capture track and altitude and maintain these. Based on your experience to-date, I suspect it will not, but this will help isolate the problem.

Oh, and make sure to put the pitot/static lines back to the correct ports before doing any more troubleshooting. :)

Steve

Thanks Steve, we will check the pins tomorrow. When i engage the GX pilot using the AP button the symptoms are the same. The pitot/static ports are back to correct :)
 
Hi Lucas

We double checked the pitot connection and they are right but i changed them around today to check. I flew again today and it does exactly the same with the pitot static either way around, imidiataly descending at 2000ft/min then up again with the g3x showing "trim up" "trim down" continuously.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,
Mark

Thanks for the email Mark. I suppose I didn't read your first trouble post as well as I should as I thought you had pitch oscillations of 1000 fpm up and down, not an immediate descent. I'll let you post the update on your progress. Thanks!
 
Sounds like Lucas and Steve already have you covered, but when we first flew our -3, we had the jumper "in" for the pitch reversal, and got exactly what you are seeing - clipped the jumper and all was right with the world. Should have read the manual and done the ground checks - that was a lot quicker and burned less fuel.... ;)

Paul
 
Sounds like Lucas and Steve already have you covered, but when we first flew our -3, we had the jumper "in" for the pitch reversal, and got exactly what you are seeing - clipped the jumper and all was right with the world. Should have read the manual and done the ground checks - that was a lot quicker and burned less fuel.... ;)

Paul

Hi Paul,

Yep you are right, Lucas and Steve have been unbelievable, their support and commitment made the decision to go with an all Garmin/Trutrak panel very easy, and I very glad I did.
The jumper was the solution and I did a successful test flight a couple of hours ago, the G3X and GX pilot combo is absolutely amazing! I hear you about the fuel but hey, a bad day in the air is better than a good day on the ground :)
 
Mark,

You have probably already performed the pre-flight autopilot inspection called out in the GX Pilot installation manual, but take note that there is a pitch servo reverse jumper between pins 1-2 on the 25 pin connector on the GX Pilot. Make sure the pitch servo direction is correct or you could easily experience the conditions you describe.

As mentioned in the GX Pilot manual, it is best to troubleshoot basic AP operation with the AP in standalone "AP" mode first.

If you fly straight and level and engage the GX Pilot by using the AP button, it should capture track and altitude and maintain these. Based on your experience to-date, I suspect it will not, but this will help isolate the problem.

Oh, and make sure to put the pitot/static lines back to the correct ports before doing any more troubleshooting. :)

Steve

Steve,

Thanks, problem solved, working like a dream!

I have 2 more questions,

At the moment I get "no wind data" in the winds aloft box on the left of the PFD, no winds show on the 430 either. On 2 flights the wind data has come alive for about 30 seconds before disappearing for the rest of the flight. I have correct oat, altitude, gps data elsewhere. Any ideas?

My log files are logging correct flight time and track but the distances are all showing as 0 miles. Is that correct or is there a way to show distance travelled?

Cheers
Mark
 
Wind Data

Hi Mark,

I'm very pleased to hear that your pitch servo is no longer reversed. It must fly ever so much better! :)

To calculate and display winds aloft, the G3X needs true airspeed, heading, and GPS velocity vectors (must be airborne). Are you having heading or other problems that might cause one or more of these parameters to go invalid?

If you could email me (using email address below) one of your SD card flight data log files I can take a look at each of the parameters that are used in this calculation and hopefully help you out.

For the second question, I am sure you are referring to the Flight Log files that are maintained internal to the displays (not the SD card flight data log files). I looked at the Flight Log for my flight this weekend and likewise saw that the recorded distance was zero. We have introduced an issue in the software that we will correct before the next release.

In the meantime, you might try uploading your SD card flight data log files to CirrusReports (see this posting) since it will calculate separate on-ground and in-air distances and times. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Thanks,
Steve
 
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Hi Mark,

I'm very pleased to hear that your pitch servo is no longer reversed. It must fly ever so much better! :)

To calculate and display winds aloft, the G3X needs true airspeed, heading, and GPS velocity vectors (must be airborne). Are you having heading or other problems that might cause one or more of these parameters to go invalid?

If you could email me one of your SD card flight data log files I can take a look at each of the parameters that are used in this calculation and hopefully help you out.

For the second question, I am sure you are referring to the Flight Log files (not the SD card flight data log files) that are maintained internal to the displays. I looked at the Flight Log for my flight this weekend and likewise saw that the recorded distance was zero. We have introduced an issue in the software that we will correct before the next release.

In the meantime, you might try uploading your SD card flight data log files to CirrusReports since it will calculate separate on-ground and in-air distances and times. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Thanks,
Steve

TAS, heading and gps velocity all appear to be in place. I have some magnetometer alerts, i guess that could be causing the problem? I will get an SD card flight data log file to you in the next couple of days.

Thanks for the update on the recorded distances. I will try CirrusReports, thanks!
 
Hi Mark,

I'm very pleased to hear that your pitch servo is no longer reversed. It must fly ever so much better! :)

To calculate and display winds aloft, the G3X needs true airspeed, heading, and GPS velocity vectors (must be airborne). Are you having heading or other problems that might cause one or more of these parameters to go invalid?

If you could email me (using email address below) one of your SD card flight data log files I can take a look at each of the parameters that are used in this calculation and hopefully help you out.

For the second question, I am sure you are referring to the Flight Log files that are maintained internal to the displays (not the SD card flight data log files). I looked at the Flight Log for my flight this weekend and likewise saw that the recorded distance was zero. We have introduced an issue in the software that we will correct before the next release.

In the meantime, you might try uploading your SD card flight data log files to CirrusReports (see this posting) since it will calculate separate on-ground and in-air distances and times. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Thanks,
Steve

Hi Steve

I have tried Cirrusreports and it is great! One thing that does not seem correct is the "hobbs" time which is recording time for the duration the g3x is turned on, not the time that the engine is running. If you spend 5 or 10 minutes "tinkering" before start, that time gets included.

I have 2 questions regarding the tach and airframe counters. What are the majority of users using for airframe time... Oil pressure, RPM or flight time?
What is the accepted RPM=1 hour when using a FP prop? The default is 2300RPM, is that what most people use?

Also, i would like to suggest an addition for a future software release :)
When using the pointer to select a point on the map, a very useful info bar comes up showing distance, ETE and other info.... would it be possible to include ETA in the info bar in the blank space above the ETE?

Cheers,
Mark
 
I have tried Cirrusreports and it is great! One thing that does not seem correct is the "hobbs" time which is recording time for the duration the g3x is turned on, not the time that the engine is running. If you spend 5 or 10 minutes "tinkering" before start, that time gets included.

I have 2 questions regarding the tach and airframe counters. What are the majority of users using for airframe time... Oil pressure, RPM or flight time?
What is the accepted RPM=1 hour when using a FP prop? The default is 2300RPM, is that what most people use?

Also, i would like to suggest an addition for a future software release :)
When using the pointer to select a point on the map, a very useful info bar comes up showing distance, ETE and other info.... would it be possible to include ETA in the info bar in the blank space above the ETE?

Hi Mark,

The G3X data log files do not include a second-by-second accounting of flight time, engine time, or airframe time, so the time values displayed by the Cirrus Reports website are calculated on their end based on other data in the log file. Therefore you'd want to to talk to the owner of that site regarding the point you mentioned.

It's completely up to you how you configure your system to record airframe time. Many older airplanes use oil pressure to drive a mechanical hourmeter, but it's your choice how you'd like to measure airframe time. For engine time, I recommend consulting your engine manufacturer to get their recommendation on the rate that engine hours are recorded.

We love suggestions from users, so thanks for yours! We'll keep it in mind for a future update. I should also point out that you can already set up the configurable data fields to show ETA at the active waypoint or destination waypoint. You can also see ETA at each waypoint in the active flight plan using the FPL page.

- Matt
 
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