Along with my recent acquisition of the Insight Strike Finder, I threw together a quick updated mockup of my instrument panel.  I realize it looks a little busy, and I think that’s at least due in part to both my Android phone (Left side of panel) and iPad Mini (Lower center panel) screens not showing aviation related info.  The Android phone will connect to the GRT system via Bluetooth and will display engine instrument data.  The iPad Mini will display an electronic flight book like Foreflight or FlyQ EFB.  Also, the switches are displayed with white strips of paper for spacing, when of course they will be mounted in normal fashion with standard aircraft style labels.

So, with that, here is the latest version of my instrument panel:

After reviewing my intended mission profile and realizing that using the Long-EZ’s range in traversing the US–meaning midwest thunderstorms–as well as flying up and down the mid-Atlantic region with its inherent summer thunderstorms, for safety and increased comfort factor I wanted some form of real-time lightning detection capability… above and beyond NEXRAD weather.  I researched out the various lightning detection systems, and decided that I would like to install either a Stormscope or an Insight Strike Finder.

I found an older Strike Finder on eBay and decided it was worth purchasing.  Although it was an older model, I had pre-coordinated with Insight Avionics to check out and upgrade the unit to an Ultra Bright LED display.  This upgrade replaces the face of the instrument so that not only is the display much more readable and reliable, but the the entire instrument face is brand new.

I was able to buy both the control head and the sensor unit (antenna) as well.  I shipped the control head and sensor off to Insight where they provided a sensor cable, and checked out the unit.  After the control head & sensor units checked out fine, the Insight techs upgraded the display to the Ultra Bright LED.

Here’s the actual unit (before upgrade) shown below:

Here’s a description of Strike Finder’s capabilities from the Aircraft Spruce site:

The STRIKE FINDER® Digital Weather Avoidance System detects and analyzes the electrical activity emanating from thunderstorms within a 200 nautical mile (nm) radius of the aircraft. A unique graphic display plots an accurate, reliable and easily-interpreted picture of electrical activity that you can use to circumnavigate the hazards associated with thunderstorms.

The STRIKE FINDER® System analyzes the individual strike signal properties to determine the bearing, range and severity of the activity. Strike data is plotted on the display as single orange dots by range and azimuth, in relation to the aircraft symbol (“heads up”). As the number of lightning strikes increase, so does the number of plotted strike dots. Cells start to form indicating increased lightning activity.

Over the past few months I’ve been going round and round on my Instrument Panel layout. I’ve researched a myriad of instruments & avionics, built matrices to compare various components–from clocks to autopilots–and am slowly getting a picture of WHAT components are going on the panel, maybe just not exactly WHERE the components will go on the panel.  Of course, since I’ve been working on my electrical system, current draw, integration, weight and cost have all been factors in the panel plan as well.

Moreover, a  lot of the panel layout will be based on ergonomics, which of course requires me actually sitting in the cockpit making airplane noises before I decide on my final configuration.

Still, I thought I would post a few pics (out of MANY) of my proposed panel options.

Again, my panel is currently an ever-changing storyboard.  For the most part, the avionics and instruments are what I’m planning to go with presently, but as time moves on & new technologies and/or opportunities (e.g. the TruTrak ADI) present themselves the panel design can of course easily be updated.

Finally, one point of note.  My panel cutout is about 0.7″ shorter in height than my real panel, so in reality I have a little bit more wiggle room to play with when stuffing various electrowhizzies onto the panel . . .  if it all fits on my mock up.

Just an update on the continuing project planning & component acquisition efforts.  I have been spending a lot of time both on my electrical system & subsequently on my instrument panel.  As I get more research under my belt, gain a bit more knowledge, and figure things out, I then of course ask my building buddies what their plans are for whatever I’m currently carrying on about.

In one of the latter iterations of my planned instrument panel, my buddy Marco noted the myriad of redundant capabilities I had for simply displaying airspeed and altitude.  Of course I want SOME redundancy in my systems for backup purposes, but having 4-5 different ways to measure airspeed may be a bit overkill!  I hadn’t intentionally planned on having this many, just so many of the newer avionics these days have built in extras that may add more than we need if we go back and assess our actual requirements.

One of my primary culprits in this area was the TruTrak Gemini PFD.  It’s a great piece of technology and really has a lot packed into a nice, small package.  But when I went back and re-assessed my requirements, I had included it on my panel for one primary reason: as a backup attitude indicator.  I had accepted the fact that it provides airspeed and altitude information simply as a bonus.  But at what cost?  Cost here meaning actual money, since at 5.4 ounces it wasn’t necessarily breaking any feasible weight allowance thresholds.

So, in the vein of saving money and sticking to a prioritized plan to get this project in the air soonest, I decided to forgo the extra ASI & ALT features built into the Gemini PFD and focus on the primary capability I needed here, again, simply a solid backup attitude indicator.  In my ensuing research I found a TruTrak ADI for sale on Ebay for way below half the cost of a new Germini PFD (and well below the new touchscreen 3-1/8″ TruTrak ADI as well).  After a number of emails back and forth with the seller–who had just pulled it out of an RV-8 during a panel upgrade–I decided to pull the trigger.

Now, I will suffer about an 8 ounce weight penalty vs using the Gemini PFD/ADI, but for now I’ll simply put the Gemini PFD/ADI (or whatever future equivalent) in the “planned upgrades” category, to be purchased down the road after my bird is flying.  Swapping TruTrak for TruTrak will be a fairly easy upgrade both physically & electrically, but will of course require a new weight and balance . . . but most likely I’ll have a few more upgrades & modifications in the mix around that same timeframe, so I’m sure a new W&B will be in order regardless.

Thus, introducing the latest addition to the instrument panel:

TruTrak ADI (3-1/8″) Features:
– Gyro / VS pitch display
– Bank Angle display
– Built-in Ground Track DG (via built-in GPS)
– High Bank Angle Warning
– Low Airspeed Warning
– Slip/Skid ball

In looking back over my notes I failed to post this in the correct order.

So the plan right now is to definitely have full ADS-B by using the Trig S-mode Transponder and a capable ADS-B receiver to provide that capability.  I have to say that one thing I really like from the GRT folks is they tend to play nice with others, this means options.  On GRT’s page where they discuss the various ADS-B receivers that will integrate nicely with their EFIS systems, they provide some pretty good info.  Of course, I original set my sights on the Navworx ADS-600B, but after looking at & assessing my actual bottom line requirements I decided that if I am going to have enough funds available to get this bird in the air within the next 10 years, I better forego the almost $2600 receiver and get a little more pragmatic (my primary goals were to have an ADS-B receiver that would integrate with my Trig S-mode transponder, display weather & traffic data on both my EFIS display and iPad, and meet the FAA’s 2020 ADS-B requirements).

Enter Radenna’s SkyRadar ADS-B Receiver.  Although at first glance the SkyRadar seemed to be nothing more than a portable receiver, as I looked at it more and more it seemed to be a very capable receiver.  And, as with the many components I’m looking at or have bought, a number of the RV drivers give the SkyRadar enthusiastic thumbs ups. So, the SkyRadar went on the list as the most likely candidate that I would purchase in the future for my ADS-B receiver.

You may be asking, “What happened?”  Well, if the recent past tells you anything, then you’ll know that I’m cheap… and in being cheap I refer back to my oft cited mantra that sometimes you’ve got to spend money to save money!  Ok, the bottom line is I went to Radenna’s website to confirm some info on the SkyRadar-D, when lo & behold they had just come out with the SkyRadar-DX . . . which includes a built-in AHRS!  Moreover, they [are having] a sale where the first 50 buyers get $200 off the price that the SkyRadar-D normally sells for (the offer appears to still be going on!).  So, after a few hours of conformational research to ensure this was in fact the ADS-B receiver I wanted, I pulled the trigger.

So here’s the info on this device:

SkyRadar-DX Dual Band Receiver with Built-In AHRS

Key features:

• SkyRadar-DX’s operating frequencies are 978MHz and 1090MHz and the latter conforms to DO-260 standard.
• 5Hz GPS receiver
• Artificial Horizon Information
• Output data over Wi-Fi network (multiple displays can be connected)
• Operates as Wi-Fi Access Point
• USB high speed serial port output
• Input voltage 11-36 volts
• Power consumption less than 5 watts

The SkyRadar Receiver contains the following major components:

• UAT receiver tuned to receive and process ADS-B data
• High accuracy GPS module
• WiFi module transmitting data to iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch

Well, since I’ve been researching out my avionics & instruments alongside my engine components, I’ve started scheduling out some purchases for some of the panel avionics that I know I’ll for sure be installing.  One such item I serendipitously stumbled across in my research is the Flight Data Systems AFP-30 Air-Data Fuel Computer.  This guy was developed by an RV driver to add some more data points that he wanted to see in his cockpit.  After researching this out and cross-referencing it in a matrix I have to compare all the functions of all possible avionics and instruments, I decided that this was definitely going on my instrument panel to provide me both unique & back-up instrument capabilities.

The AFP-30 performs functions in 3 main areas:

Air Data Computer

• Altitude
• Density Altitude
• Indicated Airspeed
• True Airspeed
• Mach Number
• Total Air Temperature
• Saturated Air Temperature
• Winds Aloft
• Crosswind Component
• Headwind Component

Fuel Flow Computer

• Fuel Flow (Gallons/hour or Liters/Hour)
• Fuel Used
• Fuel Remaining
• Fuel to GPS Waypoint
• Fuel At GPS Waypoint
• Range
• Endurance
• Fuel Efficiency (NMPG, MPG, MPL)

Performance Computer

• Manifold Pressure
• RPM
• Percent Horsepower
• Mach