Panel Talk

[EricP]

We are planning on using the Mini X display as our engine display. The Sport EX display can display all info at once but obviously it will be very crowded with all that. The Mini X can also display everything but on a much smaller screen. GRT does have a very small LCD display for EIS (EIS 4000) but if I understand it right we can just put all the EIS functions on the two displays. My idea is that the Mini X will serve as EIS and as backup for the PFD. I will try to get more info from GRT but I think the regular displays can do everything we need. However, we could add the EIS 4000 if we felt the displays got too crowded with Engine readouts.

We plan to leave room so the tablets can be used in a vertical or horizontal mode. I just have it in the horizontal for the picture, it will be velcroed and can be moved at will or just taken off the panel. I see the tablet as being a totally independent backup for NAV and weather info as well as flight planning. If everything electrical quits it should have enough to help get us down.

The Garmin GTR 200 is definitely one that we will look at. I am also looking at the TRIG TY91 and ICOM IC A220. I think they all have built in intercom which seems to be the way to go.

[whee]

I like panel discussions. So many options and different ways of doing things.

Where's the GRT EIS? To have a full engine display you have to have one but some guys hide it under the panel.

I don't have much experience with navigation apps but the few I've looked at seemed to want the tablet oriented vertically (portrait mode). That's something to look into.

The Garmin GTR200 looks like a great radio if all you want is a com.

[EricP]

We are now having to define the panel in the Tinhawk. Brent is using a BlackBox Relay system for our switching. Here is a link to that product:

https://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BX-10

You can see the start of the install on the right hand side of the panel. We plan on using a velcroed cover to hide the part of the box that we don't need to see in normal operation. We will label the buttons on the cover but if we need to access the rest of the panel you can just pull the velcro cover off.

We will do a low budget VFR panel but of course with my airline background I want a lot in my panel! We are now planning on using GRT (Grand Rapids Technology) avionics. I think we will use the new 7" Sport EX for the main display and a Mini-X for the engine/backup display. We still need to decide on transponder with ADSB IN/OUT and COMM solutions. Also an intercom. I hope to decide at Sun N Fun this April and purchase it there.

We are leaving room for a tablet with our flight planning software on it to be velcroed to the panel on the left. I am really liking the updated Garmin Pilot ver. 5.5. We plan to build a small clamp that can hold the tablet and then velcro the clamp to the panel. Then we can just press the tablet into the clamp. We will have "cigarette lighter" outlets on each side to power tablets, phones, etc. This way we can have backup NAV that is always ready if we lose everything else. I plan on having a back up battery for the main display although I think Brent thinks this is overkill We will also have a handheld radio for independent backup on comm.

Any thoughts?

Edit: we have to add the EIS 4000 to enable the engine monitoring, this will then work with both displays and have it's own dedicated display