Semi-Custom Avonics panel builders

[#N72CR]

I can't make it ot Oshkosh this year, because I will be purchasing a custom panel for my RV-7A in the next 3 months. Leaning towards Garmin, but open to other options

I would like a wired panel with complete wiring harness...(trying make this as painless as possible)

Please give company names with a contact person and their email address.

I've budgeted $15K and hope it will buy me a nice IFR/GPS Panel.

You can PM this infor if you prefer


Finishing kit RV-7A

[ChiefPilot]

I'd suggest starting with SteinAir - great folks and good service. Depending on what you want, $15K might be tough but SteinAir would be a good place to start that process.

[bcam37]

Chris,

I looked at SteinAir and thought they were too expensive. I'm having my panel built by Fabian Lefler at www.affordablepanels.com. I think your cost estimate might be a little low for an IFR/GPS panel.

Good Luck,
Bob C. (RV9AQB)

[Jconard]

Always remember the cost of support, knowledge and advice when making these choices.

I have a hard time imagining any shop being able to sell the actual radios and instruments alone to make a GPS/IFR panel for less than $15K. You may want to consider a basic build with pre-planned future upgrades.

I will also suggest to be aware of the lowest cost supplier. You want a full time business with the knowledge to do it right, and the staying power to support you in the future.

[osxuser]

For that budget, you are going to have to build it yourself. Approach systems (http://www.approachfaststack.com/) could help with the wiring. Also the basic Vertical Power system (http://www.verticalpower.com/VP50.html) for power. Setup what you want and get the panel cut out at a machine shop...

I'm a big fan of doing stuff on a budget, but for 15K you will get a Comm radio, transponder, and steam gauges if you go with a pro/prebuilt panel.... ok maybe not that bad, but certainly not IFR.

[#N72CR]

Thanks everyone who responed. It maybe I will need to go with Standard instruments, in order to fit the IFR GPS into the budget.

I'm in the process of figuring all this out. I don't need a Garmin 430, and think the XL155GPS would be just fine for any approaches with a 700' ceiling.

I will follow-up on these leads and anymore that follow in this thread.

Thanks, CR

[ChiefPilot]

If you're willing to build the panel yourself, you should be able to do it for substantially less than $15K and still get an IFR capable panel. This is what I'm doing, since I can't afford the latest/greatest WAAS/HITS/etc. stuff. For approximately $9000, I've got :

1) Dynon EFIS-D10A + EMS-D10A
2) Traditional airspeed/altitude/turn coordinator
3) KMA24 audio panel
4) KX-155A + KI-209A NAV/COM with glideslope
5) ICOM A200 for COM2
6) King KLN-89B GPS with enroute and non-precision approach capability
7) Garmix GTX-327 transponder
8) PS Engineering PM3000 intercom
9) Lots of little odds & ends to help hook it all up

...but I get to wire it myself, which is turning out to be tedious but not actually that big of a deal. With the exception of the ICOM radio, all this is used equipment with a fresh yellow tag and with new faceplates/knobs. It's not exactly state of the art, but it beats a VFR-only panel and combines an EFIS with steam gauges. Put into one of Laird Owen's composite/modular panels, I can also swap stuff out without too much trouble in the future.

[N131RV]

I can't make it ot Oshkosh this year, because I will be purchasing a custom panel for my RV-7A in the next 3 months. Leaning towards Garmin, but open to other options

I would like a wired panel with complete wiring harness...(trying make this as painless as possible)

Please give company names with a contact person and their email address.

I've budgeted $15K and hope it will buy me a nice IFR/GPS Panel.

You can PM this infor if you prefer


Finishing kit RV-7A

None of the "custom" shops would really even give me the time of day since I did not want to spend $40K on an IFR panel. Seriously, even a steam gauge VFR panel was quoted at anywhere from $20 to $30 thousand. Yikes!

You can do a nice, basic IFR panel with EFIS/GPS for around 15K easy.

For example:

• MGL Odyssey and associated probes and senders. $5K. Moving map, terrain, Engine instruments, all Flight instruments on one screen. Also acts as altitude encoder.
• SL-30 for COMM1 and NAV $3300 (or so) (displays on the EFIS)
• GARMIN 300XL GPS/COMM for enroute and approach GPS ($3000 reman) or so. Can also display on the EFIS.
• Basic SL10 Intercom (not really needed, but hey). $1500
• Yellow tag Xponder (I have KT76C) $1500. There are cheaper ones.
• Add Anywhere map with XM weather, for around $1500.
• Budget around $1000 for wiring and breakers,or use Controlvision EXP2 bus for $300 (or so).

Buy your modular panel from affordablepanels.com.
Autopilot will run you about $1000 extra (once MGL releases their servos).

I have all the above except for the 300XL.
I'll be adding an MGL Enigma as my backup instrument set (soon).
Currently my "backup" nav is the Garmin 196 I have panel mounted and my PDA with Anwheremap WX.

No, it's not a dual Garmin 530/430 with G1000 displays, but it will get the job done and the $30K I saved will buy a lot of gas, even at $5.25 a gallon.

YMMV,
JP

[osxuser]

Here are a couple recommendations from someone who has used quite a few different IFR GPS'.

I'd pick a Apollo GX50 or GX60 over a 155XL or 300XL. Costs are similer, but the GX series use a much more user friendly. Less button pushing and things to do during IFR operations, and have the ability to monitor a SECOND comm.

My setup recommedations for a basic IFR panel are:
Steam gauges, non of those pictoral pilot, Gyro-Like instrument, but REAL gyros.
Garmin/Apollo GX60 (around $2000 with a switchbox for indicator)
Garmin 396 (talks to the GX60...) ($2000)
Garmin SL30 (KX155 if you can't afford the SL30) ($2400 to 4000)
Garmin 320A transponder ($1000)
PS Engineering 4000 Audio selector... OR Garmin 340, OR PSe 7000B OR whatever... ($1000)

At this point, I'd go with Approach systems unit for the wiring harness so you can swap stuff in and out later. You should be able to afford a nice Vertical Power unit for your engine monitor/electrical bus needs, and still get somewhere close to your budget...

I plan on an SL30, 396, SL70 or GTX320A for my -4, with the basic vertical power unit. No need for Approach systems in the -4.

[BillSchlatterer]

Seems to me that you can pay them to build a marginal panel for 15K or get a better panel and do some of it yourself. What do you really get with a fully wired panel that you can't do yourself? Almost everything you buy is pre-wired just not connected ;-(

Remember, even if you have the panel built, you still have to wire the airplane which is not insignificant. After you do that, the panel doesn't seem nearly as overwhelming as the first look. By that point, you may still be glad you had the panel wired but you will understand that there was no reason you couldn't have done it yourself if you wanted to.

I bought a Dual GRT EFIS/EIS system which is functionally pre-wired but you will need to add power. Everything is identified by pin location and color coded wire. I bought a GNS430, SL40, GTX330 from Stark Avionics and he wired the stack for free. TT Autopilot only has a couple of wires so no real problem there.

Granted, now I had three piles of wires. There is an EFIS, and EIS, a radio stack, and a mess of wires (but all neatly labeled). 27 labeled wires from the radio stack as I remember it and some open DB connector pins on the GRT system. I used the diagram from GRT which is wire for wire (did take a little interpretation) but I managed to get it all together and working. Just imagine that you are just connecting the wires from the left side of the page to the right side.

http://www.grtavionics.com/File/Wiri...WD-1003-02.pdf

Then after it was working, I rewired anything where the length was wrong or wouldn't bundle. (several times)

I think I saved a couple of grand, got better equipment, and now have a through understanding of how it works.

OK,..... maybe I made it sound too simple, but if you read and follow the Aeroelectric connection and are patient, it is really one of the more enjoyable tasks in the building process.

Just my .02

Bill S
7a finishing