Planned basic equipment list

[Coinneach]

Mission: two-up, most flights between 300 and 900NM.

-9A standard build
O-320 - carb and mags, possibly upgrade to dual Plasma III and EFI as finances permit
Catto 3-blade cruise prop
Dynon D180 EFIS/EMS
Garmin SL-30 NAVCOM
Garmin GTX-327 transponder
Garmin GPSMap 396
Altrak altitude hold
Grey fabric interior w/ tempur foam seat cushions
Medium grey paint with family coat of arms on the VS.

Y/N?

 

[Greg Dillon]

Mission: two-up, most flights between 300 and 900NM.

-9A standard build
O-320 - carb and mags, possibly upgrade to dual Plasma III and EFI as finances permit
Catto 3-blade cruise prop
Dynon D180 EFIS/EMS
Garmin SL-30 NAVCOM
Garmin GTX-327 transponder
Garmin GPSMap 396
Altrak altitude hold
Grey fabric interior w/ tempur foam seat cushions
Medium grey paint with family coat of arms on the VS.

Y/N?

Sounds like a good setup! Nearly the same as what I've planned. I'm going to go with the EFI and ignition from SDI on my 0-320-H2AD turning a Catto 3 blade. Sam James cowl for a little less drag. Luv that Dynon FlightDEK 180 too! Keeping it simple with an ICOM radio, Lowrance GPS and GTX-327. No autopilot planned as of yet. Gotta have the checkerboard rudder tho!

 

[tonyjohnson]

Coin

It looks like a pretty good setup to me and provides basic IFR. No IFR GPS to pay to update. You can add IFR GPS later if you need it.

One thing to consider is the EFIS. I do not know if the Dynon will interface with the SL30 as completely as the GRT Sport will. You might want to look at the GRT sport. It can tune your SL30 for you and act as a CDI. The Dynon can perhaps act as a CDI also, but I do not know if it can select frequencies for you from information it receives from NAV equipment. I am certainly not knocking the Dynon, they make great units.

Just a thought.

 

[Coinneach]

Oh yeah, if I could afford it, I'd install a zero-time Penn Yan IO-320 with all the trimmings, but $28K before FWF and prop is a bit rich for me. If I can find a decent -D1A or similar for $8K or less, I'll be one happy builder.

I'm going with the SL-30 because, as much as I love GPS (I have it in my truck, and it ROOLZ LOL), I'd like to have VOR for backup. The A200 is a fine COM radio in its own right.

Still having no luck getting a ride, though... may have to schedule a trip to PDX after Van gets back from OSH.

 

[Coinneach]

One thing to consider is the EFIS. I do not know if the Dynon will interface with the SL30 as completely as the GRT Sport will. You might want to look at the GRT sport. It can tune your SL30 for you and act as a CDI. The Dynon can perhaps act as a CDI also, but I do not know if it can select frequencies for you from information it receives from NAV equipment. I am certainly not knocking the Dynon, they make great units.

I'm not really locked into any particular EFIS at the moment. I've looked at GRT and they're shiny, but I don't really mind not having full integration for half the price.

 

[tonyjohnson]

GRT v Dynon

Coin,

I think your logic is on the right track. It seems to be a trade off with EFIS's, features v cost. The extra features are there with the GRT but they come at a cost. You just have to decide whether the cost is worth it to you. I just wanted you to know about the GRT features so that you could consider them.

Another thing to consider is the AVMAP IV instead of the 396. The will be about the same price I think, when AVMAP comes out with the weather feature. The AVMAP is larger. I don't know about the difference in other features between the two, and I posted a thread on that issue today.

Enjoy your planning, it is probably the most fun part of the project.

 

[N941WR]

I'm not really locked into any particular EFIS at the moment. I've looked at GRT and they're shiny, but I don't really mind not having full integration for half the price.

It is good you are thinking about this "stuff" now but do not purchase any of these items until the very last minute. The reason is that all of these electronic displays (EFIS, EMS, GPS, etc.) are improving so fast that by the time you are ready, they could all be different from what you know today.

The discussions regarding the advantages of one product over another have been delt with elsewhare on this forum so don't get hooked into those arguments yet.

When you plan your panel, keep your mission in mind and an eye towards future improvements. (For this reason I HIGHLY recommend spending the money on the Affordable Panels panel.)

Also, don't forget to think about interconnectivity. For instance, the Dynon EFIS & EMS can output a warning tone, where are you going to wire that in? That simple issue drove me towards the iCom radio because it has three mono audio inputs. However, I gave up the monitor feature of the Garmin radio. (I know, the new iCom has this feature and I am now thinking of upgrading even before my first flight.)

Things like an auto pilot can be added later but leave room for extra breakers or CB's, space on the panel, etc. (I went as far as starting the extra holes on the back side of the panel so that in the future it will be easy to drill them through and they will line up with the existing holes.)

Good luck

 

[the_other_dougreeves]

Pretty close to what I'm considering except (1) I'm going QB, (2) single LSE ignition, single mag, (3) dual dynons (not that much more $$) with internal battery, (4) ADI Pilot II autopilot for 2-axis AP as well as a backup horizon and (5) PS 3000 intercom.

Oh, yeah, and the small matter of not sure about a -7 or -9

 

[Coinneach]

Oh, yeah, and the small matter of not sure about a -7 or -9

You think that's bad? I'm torn between -9 and -9A (and yes, I've read all the tw/nw debates).

 

[the_other_dougreeves]

You think that's bad? I'm torn between -9 and -9A (and yes, I've read all the tw/nw debates).

Didn't someone post photos of an engine mount with mounts for both the -A nosewheel and taildragger mains? Might be helpful for your decision, should you decide to change later on.

 

[Coinneach]

It is good you are thinking about this "stuff" now but do not purchase any of these items until the very last minute. The reason is that all of these electronic displays (EFIS, EMS, GPS, etc.) are improving so fast that by the time you are ready, they could all be different from what you know today.

Yes indeed. I didn't even know about the D-180 until last week (since it's not in Van's catalog); I'd been set on a D-100, with steam gauges for the engine. I work in software and have been in computers all my life, so I'm intimately familiar with tech's rapid progress.

My panel plans - just rough sketches for now - leave plenty of room for upgrades and additions, mostly in the right panel. Gotta have something for my first officer/daughter to do on those long x-ctry flights.

 

[N941WR]

Back when I was laying my panel out, I thought a small LCD screen to play DVD's on the right side would be very cool. The left side would contain a EFIS D10A and EMS D10.

After just a few engine runs with the EMS D10 I'm 100% sold on this thing. It is easy to read, presents the info in a very easy to read format (even from the other side), and now that it logs data, it couldn't be better.

One of the reason for my selection of a hand held GPS is that I can remove it when we get to our destination and use it in the rental car. How cool is that?