I've been reading a lot and watching a bunch of videos, and I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. I'm wondering if there are any types of accessories or after market parts that need to be purchased early in the process in case it affects the assembly of the empennage. It seems like there are lots of options later in the process, but aside from electric trim, I don't know of any parts I might need in addition to the standard kit.
Van's Air Force
Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.
Empennage extras
- Thread starter msmst25
- Start date
ERushing
Well Known Member
IFR?
If you're planning on an IFR airplane and want a NAV radio, you might consider securing a conduit up through the VS to hold a coax cable for a NAV antenna at the top of the VS. It is definitely not a necessity. Many put the Nav antenna in the wingtip and get good performance.
If you're planning on an IFR airplane and want a NAV radio, you might consider securing a conduit up through the VS to hold a coax cable for a NAV antenna at the top of the VS. It is definitely not a necessity. Many put the Nav antenna in the wingtip and get good performance.
BrianDC
Well Known Member
I looked at it this way. I really didn't know enough to make any decisions on upgrades / aftermarket parts for the Empennage until I was almost done. When I went to order the wings, I had a lot better idea of how to read the plans and was able to understand the points being made by other builders.
No need to rush on upgrades just yet, and nothing that really needs to be changed on your Emp order. Just my 2 cents.
No need to rush on upgrades just yet, and nothing that really needs to be changed on your Emp order. Just my 2 cents.
flion
Well Known Member
It greatly depends on your overall plan for your build. If you are doing a straight-forward build according to Van's basic design, then very little needs to be done in the tail cone. Conduit would be about the only thing I'd suggest. But some additions may have implications for the tail section and are more easily handled while assembling than after. Trim servo for the rudder? Auto pilot for elevator and/or rudder? Air conditioning? Oxygen bottle? Depending on how you intend to equip, you may need mounts for an AHRS, magnetometer, strobe drive, and ELT. And some of these may conflict with each other.
I modified the battery mount for a 24V system which, together with the pitch servo, left no room for the AHRS mount. I could have reversed the design to put it on the other side of the battery, but I already had the mount for the O2 system there. The next bay back was taken with the intake and outlet plumbing for the air conditioning, and the ELT on top, so the AHRS ended up in the fuselage under one of the rear passenger seat pans. With so much equipment in the back, I elected to put the magnetometer in a wing tip. And, I built a trim tab into the rudder as I assembled it.
So, you can see that your equipment plans may affect what you do. People will tell you not to plan the tech too far in advance because it changes and, to an extent, that can be true. But many of the items I mentioned don't change that much (air conditioning or O2 system) while others are fairly standard (strobe drive, servos) so the decision is not what but rather will you or won't you use them. Other things that may be specific to your panel can be decided later but you still want to leave room for them and plan conduit runs.
I had difficulty installing some items into my RV-6A because I didn't decide to add them until after the airframe was built. On the -10, this caused me to over-plan, which caused me some heartache when the VP200 became obsolete and I had to redo the panel. Learning from both experiences, I think a happy medium (whatever that might be) would be the best approach.
I modified the battery mount for a 24V system which, together with the pitch servo, left no room for the AHRS mount. I could have reversed the design to put it on the other side of the battery, but I already had the mount for the O2 system there. The next bay back was taken with the intake and outlet plumbing for the air conditioning, and the ELT on top, so the AHRS ended up in the fuselage under one of the rear passenger seat pans. With so much equipment in the back, I elected to put the magnetometer in a wing tip. And, I built a trim tab into the rudder as I assembled it.
So, you can see that your equipment plans may affect what you do. People will tell you not to plan the tech too far in advance because it changes and, to an extent, that can be true. But many of the items I mentioned don't change that much (air conditioning or O2 system) while others are fairly standard (strobe drive, servos) so the decision is not what but rather will you or won't you use them. Other things that may be specific to your panel can be decided later but you still want to leave room for them and plan conduit runs.
I had difficulty installing some items into my RV-6A because I didn't decide to add them until after the airframe was built. On the -10, this caused me to over-plan, which caused me some heartache when the VP200 became obsolete and I had to redo the panel. Learning from both experiences, I think a happy medium (whatever that might be) would be the best approach.
Tail lights
I think I am going to order the FlyLEDs taillight unless there is some reason not to order it now. I am planning on an IFR airplane, so will definitely need NAV radio antenna. Is there any downside to installing it in the VS? Also, I will plan on installing the conduit. It looks like there are different types of conduit being used, but a forum search didn't really reveal any explanation or recommendation for which type of conduit to use. Sounds like I'm going to have to make a hole in the top rib for the conduit and reinforce it.
Matt
I think I am going to order the FlyLEDs taillight unless there is some reason not to order it now. I am planning on an IFR airplane, so will definitely need NAV radio antenna. Is there any downside to installing it in the VS? Also, I will plan on installing the conduit. It looks like there are different types of conduit being used, but a forum search didn't really reveal any explanation or recommendation for which type of conduit to use. Sounds like I'm going to have to make a hole in the top rib for the conduit and reinforce it.
Matt
Many people have used the Archer Nav antenna located in a wingtip. Here's a photo of what it looked like in the -14A I built. I'm starting an RV-10 build myself and will do it the same way again.
BrianDC
Well Known Member
Only reason to wait is tech gets better every day. Could be something nicer or upgraded version is released In the time between now and when you are ready to fly. Same goes for avionics. I say wait to buy.
I installed some of the vans conduit in my vs as I was thinking about a camera mounted up there or possibly a vor antenna. Either way I have a pathway should I need it. At this point I haven?t run any wire or mounted any lights in the tail. Maybe in the next few months?
