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Best place for standby attitude in a side-by-side?

Where's the best place for a standby attitude display?


  • Total voters
    9
  • Poll closed .

rmartingt

Well Known Member
Working on some panel layout stuff in the evenings (made a course change and GRT is looking mighty attractive now), and got to wondering... where's the best place to put a standby attitude display? I don't have any personal experience to guide me (I'm not instrument rated yet and I've never flown anything but a sim with standby attitude) so I'm turning to the experience of others.

The plan right now is for a dual-screen Horizon 10.1 system, eventually with an IFR GPS; although the second screen and GPS may not be fitted initially I'm trying to plan for the space.

I keep coming back to one of two possibilities... first one would be to mount it all the way to the left (RV-7 slider), which would be convenient in some ways but is way across the panel from the navigation instruments and radios.

The second is to mount it as high as it will go and just off-center to the left. Thinking there is it's up close to the radios and IFR GPS, plus it's also available for the right-seater to use until the second screen gets installed.

So from those who have fitted one in a -6, -7, or -9... what's worked out best for you, given the limited real estate?
 
Scan

I think it depends on what is the plan for the other expected (if you are going to the trouble of putting in an AI) standby instruments e.g. airspeed, altimeter, vsi, skid ball:

- If the plan is for a mini efis standby e.g. Garmin G5 then I would put it near the centre.

- But if the plan is for separate backup instruments then I would group them together in a traditional scan pattern wherever that is going to fit.

So... really need more info on the overall panel layout to give a more helpful response.
 
I have my 10" GRT slightly right of my centerline and the mini is immediately to the left high on the panel. You almost never need to swap view between the PFD and radio or GPS navigator. However, when the GRT goes down, you will have to scan your ipad or GPS for situational awareness. We seem to become dependant upon it over time, though technically not necessary. The long distance scan shouldn't be an issue in an emergency though. It is better that the PFD is close to your head's center than close to the radios IMO. You don't want to have major head turning to see the PFD when IMC. You want the key info conventiently in front of you, especially in times of high stress.

Larry
 
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It?s really not a big deal to use a backup mini-efis regardless of where it?s located. It is a big deal to realize that you have to use a backup in the first place-some failures are not obvious. So mount the mini as close as possible to the main efis (top, bottom, left, or right, doesn?t matter much). You?ll see the backup out of the corner of your eye all the time, and should detect any non-agreements between the two displays.
 
Yeah, I should have specified that... mini EFIS as the backup.

In the concepts I'm playing with, both of them have the stndby right next to the main display. In one it's as far to the left as it can go; in the other it's just to the left of the center support rib.

I've printed a couple full size pictures to stick up and see how it looks, but I think either way will put the standby about the same distance from my centerline.
 
Go look at SteinAir, Aerotronics, and Garmin galleries on their website(s). The middle can be pretty busy. Mine is upper left (7) and I have 2 GDU 3XX units with backup battery, but I notice lately the 14's have the G5 in the center a lot. It is a larger space to work though.

I assumed if the backup was used it was the only device still working, so it was desirable to be usable in IMC.

Keep in mind a space for your iPad and FF or other support device. It can get pretty tight in the 7 - - never drop a pencil!!
 
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A 2-1/4" horizon will fit nicely above a rectangular EFIS in the gap between the EFIS and the top curve of the panel. With good planning, a 3-1/8 will fit too but it needs to be closer to the centerline of the panel.

I have a 2-1/4 TruTrak ADI above my EFIS but I know other instrument options are available today. I chose its position to be blatantly in line of sight in case of IFR EFIS failure. I felt vertical arrangement was better than horizontal.

In my one IFR failure case, the AHARS went tango uniform causing the horizon to do barrel rolls at roughly 180 deg/sec and the map on the second screen to spin at the same rate. However, the displayed WAAS GPS approach needles were fine. It was relatively easy to transfer observation of attitude to the miniature horizon just above the EFIS and keep the approach needles still in scan even with the spinning background.
 
I used to have the G5 on top and the CGR on the bottom but found I was looking more at the CGR for eng info than the G5 so I swapped them.
Full size 10" Ipad.

IMG_0683%20orig%20%282%29-L.jpg


Or if you prefer 2 10" screens with a "normal" center stack:

IMG_0904%20%282%29-L.jpg
 
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