RV-8 - your panel opinion and suggest !

[lucaperazzolli]

Well, before doing the water cut I ask you the 'final' suggest.

Thanks in advance

[Ron Lee]

Was a picture supposed to appear?

[lbgjb]

If that's the small Dynon, put the bigger Dynon EFIS in. lbb

[N941WR]

Luca,

It looks good. Question for you, why not go with the Dynon D10 EMS and drop the steam gauges? That will save you a lot of room and give you some really good features.

I would also drop the VSI, you will be able to tell if you are going up or not based on the altimeter. Besides, the D10A EMS also has a very good VSI.

If you are going to stay with the steam gauges, why not center them under the D10A EMS and move the radio and transponder to the left? You will play with those a lot and your scan won't have to go from the top center of the panel to the lower left, it will just go top to bottom while staying centered.

Also, what about your switches, where are they going? Fuel pump, landing & taxi lights, etc?

[lucaperazzolli]

I need round gauges due to italian faa, they give me too many problems with all electric panel.

Vertical speed and compass too are requested from my engineer ..... it's not so easy like in Usa.

Centered the steam gauges ... why not, I'll try to figure how it works.

My switches are on the right panel with CBs; trim, fuel pump, smoke, a/p engage are all on my infinity stick

Thanks

[chaskuss]

Luke,
In the 8, it is best to keep your radios (and anything else with knobs and buttons) on the left side of the panel. Your right hand will always be on the stick. The left hand is for the throttle and the radios.
Make your radio tray so that the center part of the F-803 can be removed without having to remove all that stuff. I can email you photos of how to do this, if interested. I think I stole that idea from Mark Richardson.
Charlie Kuss
PS Move your electric trim indicators off of the center F-803 section. Put them on the side pieces.

[asav8tor]

Originally Posted by chaskuss

Luke,
In the 8, it is best to keep your radios (and anything else with knobs and buttons) on the left side of the panel. .

That is 100% right on.

You can adapt to any layout. The T-37 panel looked like someone built it who had no idea what the instruments were for, and had never seen a panel before building it.

Knobs and buttons you use during flight center working left. Center real estate for the stuff you watch the most. Right side for stuff you look at and starter switch/key, CBs, etc.

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by chaskuss

Luke,
In the 8, it is best to keep your radios (and anything else with knobs and buttons) on the left side of the panel. Your right hand will always be on the stick. The left hand is for the throttle and the radios.
.

Well, that is certainly one opinion, held by many, Charlie - but not all, including a lot of human factors people and test pilots I know. The argument for having a lot of stuff on the right is that you can fly pretty darn well with either hand, but fine motor skills (for turning tiny knobs to select those 760 channel radios and picking out waypoints with the Garmin dialect) are better done with your dominant hand.

I never ask people to accept that argument on face value - I tell them to lay out their panel, then practice with it in mockup - even if that means taping your radio stack to your desk and trying out the locations with the actual radios and knobs. That's one way for each individual to find out what works best for them.

Paul

[chaskuss]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

Well, that is certainly one opinion, held by many, Charlie - but not all, including a lot of human factors people and test pilots I know. The argument for having a lot of stuff on the right is that you can fly pretty darn well with either hand, but fine motor skills (for turning tiny knobs to select those 760 channel radios and picking out waypoints with the Garmin dialect) are better done with your dominant hand.

I never ask people to accept that argument on face value - I tell them to lay out their panel, then practice with it in mockup - even if that means taping your radio stack to your desk and trying out the locations with the actual radios and knobs. That's one way for each individual to find out what works best for them.

Paul

Paul,
You make a good point here. If a right handed individual's left hand is clumsy, having the radio stack on the right would be an advantage. That should also be a consideration (being able to use the stick with either hand) before falling for the lure of an Infinity or other F-16 wannabe stick grips. Most of these items are either set up for using the left or (mostly) right hand. RAC grips (as well as other manufacturers) design their grips to be used with either hand. If you don't have a bunch of switches and buttons on your stick grip, this won't be an issue.
To take Paul's argument farther, if you are right handed, moving the control lever console over the the right side, would eliminate hand switching (more work than it would be worth in my opinion)
Charlie the lefty

[Ron Lee]

I am right handed yet fly quite my -6A well using my left hand on the stick (radio stack in the center). If I had an -8, I am guessing that I would want the radio stack and throttle on the RIGHT side.