----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- At 04:03 PM 12/26/01 -0500, Ross Boelke wrote:
I'm starting to plan my panel. I've got a new blank so I can do a lot of things with it. Look at some pictures. I know there is one of N99387 out at the Ercoupe gallery. It's pretty nice, if I do say so. Let us say out front that the depth of the instruments and radios is a serious consideration, That's why you see avionics down at the bottom of panels. That's also why you have to know how deep your gyros are before you buy them. While it would be neat to install a bunch of flight instruments and avionics, I suffer easily from sticker shock. Weights also a bit more of an issue with my C-model than those of you with later model Coupes. Yes, weight is important. If you're building the plane 'from a kit' you may as well do the 415D conversion right off the bat. Very easy when the plane's apart. Once you do that, you really have the option of flying it as a C or D (practically, if not strictly legally). Let me preface my advice by suggesting that you ask yourself, 'self, how do I *really* see myself flying this airplane, 90% of the time?' And if the answer comes up 'getting my IFR rating and flying in the clouds' re-ask the question. Too many of us have too many hours in airplanes with all sorts of electronic crap hanging off them, and don't think we can fly without it. We're wrong. Personally, I became a MUCH better pilot by spending two years without the stuff. Started looking out the window. Extraordinary thing! Glad I did, too, because today I f***ed up and set the altimeter for a field elevation of 1546' instead of 546'. Wierd low pressure here. Things looked wrong on climb out, so I decided to come back and land in the familiar. Chose to trust my eyes instead of the altimeter. Easier to do when you've been looking outside for two years. PAPI confirmed I was on track. I rolled out, chastised myself, reset, and went on the way to Princeton, to meet our Frank and the rest of the CAF crew. Aside from the primary flight instruments (do I really need a turn coordinator when I don't have rudder pedals), I've never found much use for the TC or T&B. I might if I were doing procedure turns IFR in the plane. It can help you make a 180 out of the clouds. what instruments are worth putting in and what can I afford to leave out? My old 'Coupe had only an electric T&B. No other gyros. My new one has an electric T&B and a vacuum-pump driving a DG and AI. With the new one, I blundered into a cloud (don't ask) and was glad of the gyros. The good news about a coupe is that even without the gyros you'll probably be able to make the critical 180 without killing yourself. Probably :-) Other than that, I don't much use them. I use a Lowrance Airmap 300 GPS, and match bearing to way-point to ground track, updated a 1sec intervals. No DG needed. The wind-correction is built in, too. Frankly, it's a great substitute for using your brain. A vertical card compass in the old 'Coupe was nice, because it gave me a visual compass rose, which helps me visualize relative layouts of runways, and what angle turn I'd make to get to a given course. Every so often I do a radial intercept with the VOR, just to prove I still can. So what? :-) The VOR is redundant if you have GPS. I've followed the recent discussions concerning the need for CHT and EGT gauges with interest. The EGT is handy, provided you have some control over leaning and aren't wired rich. If you're flying a Stromberg carb below 5000MSL 90% of the time, it's just weight. A CHT can warn of impending disaster more quickly than an oil temp gauge. I would describe neither as vital. I wonder if Aircraft Spruce has some sort of a digital multi-function device in the catalog that will serve both CHT and EGT roles. Whatever CHT you go for one with an expanded scale centered on around 1500 degrees. Those that go from 0 to 3000 are near useless. Speaking of oil gauges, if you can get rid of the ones with the capillary tubes and get a 337 approved for ones with electronic senders, your oil-changes will be simpler. And you won't have those stupid capillary tubes to be cautious of under the panel. Don't consider it an emergency, though. I have a little digital device that gives me outside air temp, density altitude (via the mode C encoder), pressure altitude, and bus voltage. A lot of bang for 8oz of weight. Nice to know about density alt in a 'Coupe. I'd know anyway, but hell, I'm lazy. What are the pros/cons associated with a panel mounted GPS/COM vs. a couple of "handheld" radios and some type of portable GPS? If I go the handheld/portable route, which manufacturers equipment has a good track record and which doesn't. I wouldn't rely on a hand-held for VHF communications. Put simply, it's a pain in the ass, and an unwarranted distraction with lousy ergonomics. A simple VHF radio, like a VAL760 (I love 'em), a Microaire (lots of guys here love 'em), or a reconditioned King KX170B beats a hand-held any day. That said, having only one COM radio, I usually carry a Yaesu hand-held in the back. Will a panel-mount GPS/COM fit somewhere where you can see the display well enough to use it (consider the depth)? They're lovely, but if you can't see them without leaning into your passenger's lap, they're worse then useless! A real advantage of the portable GPS is that you can take it home and program your routes in at leisure. On ground-mappers, you can usually run your route in simulation mode at high speed to see if you've missed any airspace issues. I like that. I take it with me when I travel. So if I rent a 172, I have one piece of nav equipment that is mine. I really KNOW it. It is a comfort. It connects to the ciggy lighter, but has an on-board rechargeable for back up. Unlike a panel mount it always will work, even if the rental's electrics go 'poof'. Indeed, I run my GPS off the rechargeable, which is being charged by the airplane battery, so it's buffered from voltage spikes AND any failure of the plane's electrics don't affect the GPS for a couple of hours. Minimizes crises. You get to where you appreciate a minimum of crises :-) You can integrate it into your 'Coupe so it is nearly part of the plane. My old coupe had it velcro'd to the panel. My new one has it on a 'custom' yoke mount. For plain ol' VFR flying, I don't think that the panel mounts offer anything that the portables don't. The other week, I flew safety pilot with a guy doing GPS approaches on a Garmin approach-certified GPS. Okay, that was impressive. It led him right through the approach, with graphics. Aces. Not necessary in a 'Coupe. (Of course when the bootstrap gyro packed up and the DG disagreed with the whisky by about 90 degrees, he didn't notice until I began pointing at one and then the other while clearing my throat furiously, but that's another technological debacle...) As well as the Lowrance and Garmin offerings, look at the GPS Anywhere products that work so nicely with Compaq IPAQ pocket PCs. I guess I'm saying that portable GPSs are great and that portable COM radios kinda suck. Me, I fly best when I have a minimum of things inside to take my attention from looking outside. Current procedure is to make bearing=track on the GPS then look over the nose to see what it's pointing at and keep it that way :-) When flying away from the home airport, I take note of the heading, so that I can either get there (kinda) or back (kinda) if all the electric toys go *poof*. Failing that, I fly to the nearest river and follow it to where I need to be. At 100MPH, you can just relax, think slow, and sort it out along the way. A lot of this simply comes down to weight, available funds, personal preference, performance, cockpit management, etc but I'm interested in the discussion and look forward to your recommendations. You're right. You have to become clear in your mind on the trade-offs. Keep it simple :-) Greg ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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