Panel Planning Thoughts. I purchased my 415-C a few months ago, and got through my medical, biannual, and an annual on the plane now it is time to get the panel in order. My father and I upgraded a 1966 Cessna with a very modern panel but it took 20 years to fund all the pieces! Hopefully I can move quicker with this one. The key is long term planning, so the panel does not need to be redone over and over as the parts are eventually funded.
My 415-C has a Univair mod to push the panel out for a radio stack. 2 old Gyros with venturi's , No DG, no nav, a loooong icom com that barely fits the extended panel, and a older Cessna transponder. I gathered every picture I could from the internet, the Wausau convention, and Oshkosh to come up with ideas . As much as I like the original two-glovebox and stripes layout, I am going for a modern light-sport panel (with all the gauges in a row) that is VFR, with the ability to go IFR later. If I can save weight, and go solid-state on items, even better. Pardon the long thread but I would like to hear from the ercoupe guys experience with some of the gear I am thinking about . Headsets / Intercom I liked the headset hooks and built-in intercoms that mounted between the rear windows. These get in the way when they are on the dash or yokes.. Radios The most popular location is underneath the original panel (which I don't like for inspections), or keep the claustrophobic bump- out in the panel. I am thinking about a Becker transponder and com with remote heads. I saw one or two pictures of them in panels, but I have not seen the mounting arrangement for the remotes in the baggage . Gyros I really wanted to save weight and drag and get a modern EFIS but a certified install is not realistic yet. With 2 venturi's and panel depth in mind, It seems that the best combo is the short RC allen AH and DG, and a electric Turn and bank RC allen has a prototype digital AH coming out soon which looks a little cheesy, but it is solid-state, certified, and would let me drop a venturi .. Any other certified brands that will fit between the panel and the tank? GPS Flying next to D.C I know my way around well, but NEED TO KNOW where the ADIZ ring is at all times. I am not a big fan of external boxes clamped in an already tight space in front of the gauges or sitting on the dash. I had a panel mount in the 172, but it lacked a good map and depth was not a concern then. The airgizmo snap-ins are promising the only drawback is cutting a non-standard panel hole for a gps that probably will be out-of date long before the next panel rebuild. I also have a tough customer (my father) who needs daylight readability. The little-bitty AV8OR had promise for least cutting, and the big AVMAP IV had promise for best screen I'm still undecided. Engine Gauges There actually are a few "EFIS" all digital gauges that are certified I am only going to exclude them because I don't see the same weight/drag/reliability/cost benefits with standard gauges. The only unique engine gauge I am thinking about is a carb- ice detector. Thoughts?
