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Flight Instruments
When I bought
my Sinus kit, I omitted the Brauniger primary flight display that is standard for Pipistrel aircraft at this point.
I plan to purchase instruments of my own selection, lay out the panel and do my own installation. In keeping with standard
practice for selecting and purchasing anything electronic these days, I'll delay my choice until the last moment, so as to
take advantage of ever-increasing capability for little or no increase in price.
My initial intent was to install
the Dynon FlightDEK-D180, which combines compass, airspeed, altimeter, artificial horizon (and more) for flight instrumentation,
plus engine instrumentation, all in one bright, crisp 7-inch diagonal sunlight-readable display. When I flew with Tine
Tomazic at the factory, he said that they were evaluating the Dynon unit, and he was very favorably impressed with its display
clarity and its in-flight performance. The Dynon should weigh less and take up less panel space than all the separate
conventional instruments. In 2010, however, Dynon announced their SkyView system, which I have selected for installation.
I'll mount the wet compass that came with the kit, and will add backup "steam gauge" altimeter and airspeed,
although some would argue that for the strictly VFR flying that I plan to do, the backups aren't necessary. We're
all taught to fly and land safely with no instruments at all, right? As they say even for large aircraft design, "Simplicate
and add lightness." I'll also have a total energy variometer for soaring, from which there are many
to choose, and I don't have any special preference at this point. Michael Coates recommends the Borgelt B40, but I will
probably install a Tasman all-electronic unit (no separate flask required) made in Australia that has become popular among
soaring pilots.
For GPS and moving map cross-country navigation, I plan to install the AvMap EKP-IV.
For communications, I recently took advantage of an introductory special from X-Air Australia to purchase a pair
of their headsets, and while I was doing that, I also ordered an XCOM 760 VHF radio. With the radio I included a wiring harness tailored for the Sinus, an antenna and a capacitor that goes
with the installation.
I'll leave a spot on the panel for an autopilot, but am undecided about whether
or not to install one. I'll see how the Sinus handles on cross country flying before I decide. Michael thinks
it's best to have the factory install autopilot servos when ordering the kit, because their preferred servo location is
difficult to access after the fuselage shell is done, but we'll see...
Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)
In the USA, the FAA has recently mandated replacement of all 121.5 MHZ ELTs with 106 MHz ELTs. This makes sense,
since 121.5 MHz is no longer being monitored for ELT alarms; however, it raised widespread objections at the cost involved,
so the FAA has softened their position, making the old ELTs legal, although they have never been particularly effective for
search and rescue. Paul Remde of Cumuls Soaring likes the ACK E-04 ELT, which operates on both 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz, although it is not ready for shipment yet. I'll keep an eye on it, since
I can defer that purchase for awhile yet.
Initial Panel Layout ideas
Today (4 Jan 2007) I got some very useful ideas from Janusz, a Pipistrel enthusiast in Australia. He is contemplating
purchase of a Sinus, and while doing so, he has put some thought into a potential suite of instruments and avionics, and has
worked on a panel layout. Coincidentally, Janusz had selected almost exactly the same combination as I had. He
even went so far as to do some electronic cutting and pasting to see how the instruments might be arranged on a Sinus panel.
This picture shows his suggestion, and I like it very much. I doubt that I'll install a backup artificial horizon,
however.
Janusz also suggests powering the panel such that the Dynon and Avmap in the center can be shut
down during soaring flight, thus using battery power only for the vario and radio (and perhaps transponder, depending on your
local airspace regulations).
Thanks, Janusz -- great ideas! Isn't the web a wonderful resource?
August 6th, 2010 2.0 hours - Install VHF antenna
ground plane
I had purchased an X-COM 760 VHF radio from X-COM Avionics, which fits into a 2 1/4" hole in the instrument panel and
combines radio and intercom functions in one unit. The installation instructions for the X-COM 760 VHF radio call for
a 20" diameter ground plane. I used the cut-and-try method to make a ground plane template out of cardboard that
will cover most of the top of the fuselage in the top of the baggage compartment and conforms to the outline of the parachute
tube. I then cut the ground plane from a piece of .016" aluminum and held in in place with a bolt through the hole
in the fuselage where the antenna coax cable connector will go. I used several dabs of silicone between the ground plane
and the fuselage skin to secure it into position.
August 7th, 2010 0.9 hours - Install VHF antenna
I temporarily installed the BNC cable connector on the antenna, centered the antenna in the hole in the top of the fuselage,
then drilled four mounting holes and mounted the antenna with 8-32 stainless steel machine screws. The antenna is electrically
connected to the ground plane by the mounting screws.
August 7th, 2010 1.5 hours - Mock up instrument panel
I have tentatively decided on the instruments and avionics that I will install, so I made some cardboard cutouts and
taped them to the instrument panel to ensure that they are visible and can be reached for operation. For primary
flight information I will have two Dynon SkyView 7-inch displays. My original choice was a single 10.2-inch SkyView display, but it seemed a bit crowded for simultaneous display of
flight information, navigation information and engine monitoring. It was also a single point of failure that would leave
me stranded waiting for repair if it fails at some en route location. The dual displays let me spread the information
between them and gives me a backup in case of failure. I am also planning to purchase the newly announced
Dynon transponder, which can be controlled from the Dynon SkyView display, so I don't need a separate spot for it on the panel. The
radio is an X-COM Avionics 760, which is small, light weight, has a very comprehensive set of features, and includes a built-in intercom that will accept
a separate audio input for listening to music. Headset jacks will go in the upper cockpit bulkhead between the seats. When soaring I plan to turn off the Dynon displays, so I will install separate airspeed, altimeter and variometer.
The airspeed indicator is a Winter W6413, which spreads 0 to 140 knots over a 510 degree dial rotation, with expanded scale at the lower airspeeds for more precise
flying while soaring. The altimeter is from United Instruments. The variometer is a Tasman V2000, which is all electronic, using pressure transducers rather than the traditional accumulator flask. It has a nice audio
implementation and has become fairly popular in the soaring community. I plan to purchase these three instruments
from Cumulus Soaring. Their web site is very comprehensive, well organized with excellent reference information and handy comparisons among
various manufacturers and products. Paul Remde, the owner, is also very knowledgeable and helpful. The
pictures below show the cardboard instruments taped to the panel in an arrangement that I believe will work for me.
There is ample room to add a few switches as well.
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