Author Topic: 200 hrs + panel upgrade (Read 774 times)

Chairboy · « **on:** December 30, 2007, 09:12:26 PM »

I'm at 200.0 hours now, after 1.8 today flying around lovely rainy Oregon.

(My grinning mug today)

Hours flown:
2004: 5.5 hours - I had just started working on my ticket near the end of the year.
2005: 73.1 hours - The year I got my ticket, along with rentals up in Oregon. As some of you may remember, I moved to Oregon the day after passing my checkride at Santa Monica.
2006: 4.4 hours - So, I sorta got laid off at the end of 2005 and was unemployed for a while. 2006 was a lean year. This was when the whole pizza restaurant debacle reached it's fevered pitch in money loss and pain too.
2007: 117.0 - The year I got my plane! I have 114.8 hours on it since May, not too shabby.

2007 has been a fantastic year for flying for me. I've learned a _lot_, and I'm learning more every day. 2008 is going to be the year I buckle down on the instrument rating.

I'll be a low time pilot for a while, and I'm squarely in the middle of The Killing Zone right now, so we'll see if I can keep fighting off the angry gods of complacency, machismo, and all the other killing traits that get folks where I am. I'll circle back in a year, and hopefully I'll be at least another hundred hours wiser and maybe with another checkride under my belt.

On a related note, I'm doing a panel upgrade for this over the winter. I'll be making the plane into a useful trainer. I'm going to document my progress here:

http://hallert.net/panelupgrade/

(in case anyone is interested). The goal is to IFR-icize the plane by being smart instead of just throwing money at it. I'll be doing most of the work myself, something that's probably about guaranteed to get some of the weaker hearts here a-flutterin'.

I'd like to hear some feedback on the equipment I picked. My goal isn't to have some big glass-cockpit or anything, I going to take the 'learn to drive in a stick' model and apply it to this so I'm forced to develop a solid skillbase.

So, anyhow, just wanted to give y'all a quick EOY report and mention the panel upgrade.

Cheers!

nirvana · « **Reply #1 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:18:29 PM »

Awesome! Good luck and be safe.

Tac · « **Reply #2 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:19:55 PM »

I think that deserves an animated gif made with this one:

Chairboy · « **Reply #3 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:38:12 PM »

BTW, anyone have a transponder for sale? My KT-76 asploded, busted cavity tube.

splitatom · « **Reply #4 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:39:04 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Tac
I think that deserves an animated gif made with this one:

that is zoozoo screaming on the front

eagl · « **Reply #5 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:51:28 PM »

It's kind of funny you mention not being able to monitor more than one frequency... The T-37 is used for primary instrument training, and it only has one radio. Unless of course you count the fact that it has a backup guard transmitter/receiver, and you can monitor both the primary radio and guard freq at the same time...

As for no precision approaches, you could fly precision radar approaches but you'd be unlikely to be able to comply with most missed approach instructions without DME, so you'd always need alternate missed approach instructions.

If I had my druthers in a perfect world, I'd always rely on basic ILS/DME with the IAF in-line with the final approach course and defined by VOR/DME (or TACAN) with the VORTAC located either on the airfield or somewhere along the final approach course. I don't like having the VOR co-located with the FAF because it confuses things on non-precision approaches and can bork approach timing if you don't pass exactly over the thing.

Regarding rate turn indicators... Overrated

We use approximate bank angles that give us standard or half-standard rates of turns at the airspeeds we might need to make that kind of turn. Except for showing students that the gauge exists and correlates to the bank angles we tell them to fly, I don't think I've ever actually used the rate turn indicator.

Chairboy · « **Reply #6 on:** December 30, 2007, 09:52:25 PM »

Sure, but I've already GOT one of those.

eagl · « **Reply #7 on:** December 30, 2007, 10:02:41 PM »

Install an ILS/DME and appropriate CDI, and you're about as well equipped as a T-37

Chairboy · « **Reply #8 on:** December 30, 2007, 10:07:09 PM »

And if I add an ADF, I'll be as well equipped as Amelia Earhart!

So... the KNS-80 actually gives me the DME & ILS. The MC-60 fulfills the role of CDI.

SD67 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2007, 12:12:12 AM »

200hrs!
WTG! I'm struggling to get any stick time at all at the moment.

How's the Cozy coming along? I'm still getting messages from Dust asking how I'm going with my build

It's good to know he's still out there doing it.

Wolfala · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2007, 04:48:32 AM »

Chair,

What is your budget precisely? There are some very good panel mods out there - but things to think about esp in terms of resale value.

ADF - HAS zero value (Yet costs $2,000 to install)
DME - Again, zero value (Costs $2,000 to install)

You need a precision approach capability - a 30 year old CDI with Glideslope in 1 unit will work. A good site for used equipment is http://www.avionicslist.com/

You can find a used King KX170B with NAV for cheap - some with a yellow tag.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=300185847927
The only thing you would then need would be a CDI with Glideslope, (http://www.avionicslist.com/listing_detail.php?id=280186815731&title=Collins+351C+CDI+Indicator)
and someway to tell DME.

Ideally, for DME - you get a GPS of some type - anything that is TSO'd will work. Garmin would be great - King if yr on a budget.

Which gets me to the meat of this. Your panel is pretty much virgin territory so far as upgrades. IF, I were to get your panel - this is what I would do upgrade wise.

Keep the current single axis VOR CDI. Keep the radios. Remove the DG and Attitude indicator and replace with an Aspen Avionics EFD-1000 Pro MFD.

http://www.aspenavionics.com/index.php/products/efd1000-pro//

It'll plug into your existing panel holes for the DG and AI, and now give you an HSI instead of the DG. Considering the overhaul cost of your AI and DG at around 7 grand, vac pump failure and other crap - it will happen sooner or later.

Advantages here - you can keep your existing radios until you can afford to **** can the stack and put a Garmin 430 in its place (which is your upgrade path in reality). After that, you get the ARINC 429 data inputs and RS232 output from the Garmin - and you now have 2 moving maps - 1 with terrain, air data computer - and a pretty robust approach capability, and 3 points of failure driven off the Vacuum system now limited to 1 - which has a battery backup.

I think that'll run you about $8000 - which is less then overhauling the AI, DG and replacing the VAC pump every 600 hours. I was thinking about this on my SR-20, and I have a NSD-360A HSI with a slaved flux gate which I think runs around $10,000 and another $3000 if you need an overhaul. Some folks it's worked well - others not so well. So if it went another 1000 hours I might keep it. If not - its a possible path for me that I might explore down the line.

Some things to think about. Bottom line, you'll get a lot of bang for the buck if you go with #2 even if all you get at the beginning is an HSI. Thats a hellova lot better then anything you'll get on a budget - even if you were looking for an HSI with a yellowtag.

Chairboy · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2007, 09:34:30 AM »

The aspen stuff looks nice, but it's still not available. Anyhow, that's a lot more than what I spent. If you check out the URL, I already bought the following:

KNS-80
MX-12
KMA-24
MC-60

Total cash outlay was around $1500. Somewhat lower than 10k.

Dnil · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2007, 11:32:42 AM »

dont go cheap on IFR gear. Real world single pilot IFR conditions are not a time to go cheap.

Chairboy · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2007, 12:46:52 PM »

Write me a check if you'd rather I spent more, I accept all denominations.

In the meantime, I'm equipping the plane to be a reliable training platform with multiple failovers where it counts. I'm trying to be smart about where I spend my money, getting maximum bang-for-buck instead of just throwing cash at it until it stops making noise.

I know that's not as soundbyte friendly as "dont go cheap on ifr gear", but it's certainly a more accurate assessment.

Wolfala · « **Reply #14 on:** December 31, 2007, 05:19:36 PM »

OK, simply - get a used Garmin 396 so you don't lose SA.

You don't need the XM crap - but its a good solid WASS unit that you can even possibly tie into your existing panel.