Avionics upgrade
- Thread starter joen6171b
- Start date
That is one clean panel, very nice!
We should start a 'panel thread' with pics, I think it would certainly be of interest to all in the absence of meeting up at fly ins. That being said, I don't even have a pic of my panel. Right now I have the attitude gyro pulled, just stopped working out of the blue for some reason. A guy out here has a radio for sale for around $250, I wondered if it was worth buying just to have a spare on the shelf. I am especially interested in this from Aspen, which I doubt will make it on the 'cruisemaster approval list'. Supposed to start approving for tailwheel craft by the end of the year:
http://www.aspenavionics.com/index.php/products/efd1000-pilot
We should start a 'panel thread' with pics, I think it would certainly be of interest to all in the absence of meeting up at fly ins. That being said, I don't even have a pic of my panel. Right now I have the attitude gyro pulled, just stopped working out of the blue for some reason. A guy out here has a radio for sale for around $250, I wondered if it was worth buying just to have a spare on the shelf. I am especially interested in this from Aspen, which I doubt will make it on the 'cruisemaster approval list'. Supposed to start approving for tailwheel craft by the end of the year:
http://www.aspenavionics.com/index.php/products/efd1000-pilot
Jonathan Baron
New member
Uh....Rodney...not saying I'll be the one to do it, but if you stick that sort of modern monstrosity into the panel of a 1950 14-19 "someone" needs to stooge-slap you, son. :lol:
Not saying the advantages of contemporary avionics are a bad idea...not saying you need a Narco Superhomer face plate to cover your modern stuff after you park the airplane (yes, some people have resorted to measures similar to that). Just use a dash of creativity and taste to pay homage to your 'Master's heritage while benefiting by technology created after it was made.
Best example of this I ever saw was the panel of Vic Steelhammer's 14-19, pictured here. Yes, the dear man came to grief flying with this panel in serious IFR. Sadly, though, it's doubtful that his equipment was to blame.
The main panel plate is original, as is the subpanel, switches, and green switch name strip. It takes some doing to devise wonderful compromises such as this.
Jonathan
Not saying the advantages of contemporary avionics are a bad idea...not saying you need a Narco Superhomer face plate to cover your modern stuff after you park the airplane (yes, some people have resorted to measures similar to that). Just use a dash of creativity and taste to pay homage to your 'Master's heritage while benefiting by technology created after it was made.
Best example of this I ever saw was the panel of Vic Steelhammer's 14-19, pictured here. Yes, the dear man came to grief flying with this panel in serious IFR. Sadly, though, it's doubtful that his equipment was to blame.
The main panel plate is original, as is the subpanel, switches, and green switch name strip. It takes some doing to devise wonderful compromises such as this.
Jonathan
Dan Cullman
New member
Vic Steelhammer had an original 16" spinner assembly that was not installed on 522A. Maybe someone can get it.
Jonathan Baron
New member
Radome? <attempt at topic save>
And, no, Vic was looking for that something we're discussing elsewhere in the forum.
We now return you to "Garish Avionics Upgrades," already in digress.
And please tune in next week for, "Saving for that Recover Job, Part 1: Garish Avionics Upgrade, or Preserving a Classic?"
Not that I have any strong opinions on this subject <cough>. I fully expect, in fitting response. a twist on an old joke: "I've upgraded my avionics, now up yours!"
Jonathan
And, no, Vic was looking for that something we're discussing elsewhere in the forum.
We now return you to "Garish Avionics Upgrades," already in digress.
And please tune in next week for, "Saving for that Recover Job, Part 1: Garish Avionics Upgrade, or Preserving a Classic?"
Not that I have any strong opinions on this subject <cough>. I fully expect, in fitting response. a twist on an old joke: "I've upgraded my avionics, now up yours!"
Jonathan
Naaah, you are 100% correct. Not only does such an insert belong in a plastic plane, it just isn't necessary or a well placed significant expenditure. I'm just frustrated at my dang attitude gyro, I don't know why it would just one day up and quit. OK, no comments necessary as to owning an airplane and I had better get used to things just up and quitting. Thanks for the words, alway welcomed with a good laugh, and for ensuring I am on the right path with my ship. I'll be sure to seek 'permission' prior to any modifications... 
mhackens
New member
Rodney:
Is your Attitude gyro one of the 4 something inchers as pictured in, “balls to the wall”? If so I have one. I completely redid my pinball look alike panel, now it is an organized pinball. That big AH looks great in the pictured panel but can’t say the same for mine placed off to the side as it was. Have decided that I will take out the 10 lb. monstrosity and paint in a happy face. If I get caught in the scud it will do me about as much good as that old growler.
Started one day moving a carb temp that was a knee buster. A week later had removed the ADF, relocated the TX into the stack, moved to panel all of the under hanging instruments, installed an intercom, got rid of the old circuit breaker panel and a fuse panel replaced by a pull off type circuit breaker panel complete with original name plate, rewired the radio stack, relocated the stall warning to a place that will actually make it legal, and replaced carb heat cable with a knob that don’t look exactly like the park brake. Going for safety and functionality not necessarily classic or pretty!! BUT, I can do every
thing with these, 50 year old instrument, and 30 year old radios that I can with the 210 except see the storms ahead. Just have to watch that happy face,
when he starts to frown its 180 time.
Sorry you will have to catch me at a flyin for a look, I’m not going to take any pictures of it until the cover panel is redone and that is on the,
*after first flight list*.
Incidental if I had the bucks, I would put a full glass panel in this thing just to set under the wing at OSH and hear the comments.
Would be interesting.
Is your Attitude gyro one of the 4 something inchers as pictured in, “balls to the wall”? If so I have one. I completely redid my pinball look alike panel, now it is an organized pinball. That big AH looks great in the pictured panel but can’t say the same for mine placed off to the side as it was. Have decided that I will take out the 10 lb. monstrosity and paint in a happy face. If I get caught in the scud it will do me about as much good as that old growler.
Started one day moving a carb temp that was a knee buster. A week later had removed the ADF, relocated the TX into the stack, moved to panel all of the under hanging instruments, installed an intercom, got rid of the old circuit breaker panel and a fuse panel replaced by a pull off type circuit breaker panel complete with original name plate, rewired the radio stack, relocated the stall warning to a place that will actually make it legal, and replaced carb heat cable with a knob that don’t look exactly like the park brake. Going for safety and functionality not necessarily classic or pretty!! BUT, I can do every
thing with these, 50 year old instrument, and 30 year old radios that I can with the 210 except see the storms ahead. Just have to watch that happy face,
when he starts to frown its 180 time.
Sorry you will have to catch me at a flyin for a look, I’m not going to take any pictures of it until the cover panel is redone and that is on the,
*after first flight list*.
Incidental if I had the bucks, I would put a full glass panel in this thing just to set under the wing at OSH and hear the comments.
Would be interesting.
I guess there is a different feeling about panels and such in the triple trails vs. the single tail airplanes.
My goal was to have an affordable IFR panel, just to punch though some cloud layers or such if I need to. There was that 14-19-3 for sale in CO. that had a standard six pack and the same radios that I had, it was a nice setup, very user friendly.
I decided not to hack anything up, but keep all of the originally installed flight instruments, in their current location. I went and flew a couple ILS approaches yesterday VFR, and it was nice having the AI, DG, ALT, and the loc and GS all next to each other, worked out well.
Joe
My goal was to have an affordable IFR panel, just to punch though some cloud layers or such if I need to. There was that 14-19-3 for sale in CO. that had a standard six pack and the same radios that I had, it was a nice setup, very user friendly.
I decided not to hack anything up, but keep all of the originally installed flight instruments, in their current location. I went and flew a couple ILS approaches yesterday VFR, and it was nice having the AI, DG, ALT, and the loc and GS all next to each other, worked out well.
Joe
mhackens
New member
Joe
You did a fine job of keeping the originality and making these old panels usable. I like the way it looks, that big AH even looks good in your panel. Mine is much like Jonathans but with eyebrows on each top corner. The AH was setting out on the left corner, probably the original position. All kidding aside I will put a new/old 3 inch AH back in that hole that I hope is less conspicuous. Most of what I have moved is getting thing back in the panel. This thing was set up for IFR back in the Narco 120 days, with radios and instruments hanging everywhere. I guess I’m striving for the same as you are with a lot less room. Somewhat FACTORY original but, enough to get out of the clouds if I have to.
I received a lot of snide remarks years ago when I put a AH in a super cub we were using for contract work. We put over 7000 working hours on it. In that time it saved my bacon twice. I used that as an example in a meeting of gov instructors, the reply I got was, “If you hadn’t had the horizon you wouldn’t have got in that deep”.
You can’t please all of the people all of the time, and frankly scarlet I don’t give a damn.
Monty
14-19-2 N9840B
You did a fine job of keeping the originality and making these old panels usable. I like the way it looks, that big AH even looks good in your panel. Mine is much like Jonathans but with eyebrows on each top corner. The AH was setting out on the left corner, probably the original position. All kidding aside I will put a new/old 3 inch AH back in that hole that I hope is less conspicuous. Most of what I have moved is getting thing back in the panel. This thing was set up for IFR back in the Narco 120 days, with radios and instruments hanging everywhere. I guess I’m striving for the same as you are with a lot less room. Somewhat FACTORY original but, enough to get out of the clouds if I have to.
I received a lot of snide remarks years ago when I put a AH in a super cub we were using for contract work. We put over 7000 working hours on it. In that time it saved my bacon twice. I used that as an example in a meeting of gov instructors, the reply I got was, “If you hadn’t had the horizon you wouldn’t have got in that deep”.
You can’t please all of the people all of the time, and frankly scarlet I don’t give a damn.
Monty
14-19-2 N9840B
Jonathan Baron
New member
I must confess that I felt like a bit of jerk after I wrote my previous post in this topic. All of us have our view regarding old airplanes and mine is a tad....extreme. You see, I don't believe any of us own these airplanes. We've simply taken on the responsibility of caring for them and keeping them flying. We're mortal after all, and thus cannot truly own anything, but that's a bit on the deeper side of off the deep end <cough>.
A SuperCub is a working airplane. Putting an AI or AH in one is like putting a liner or heavier duty shocks in a flatbed pickup truck; it increases the utility of the vehicle. As for Cruisemasters, they were originally sold as aircraft capable of "blind flying." Thus it's hardly an abandonment of the tradition of the airplane to make it an IFR airplane. I've heard the argument too that if contemporary (I won't say modern, because modern is actually today, and then tomorrow comes) avionics were available when GMB made these, he would have employed them. This is a specious argument in my opinion because, using that line of reasoning, you could have a glass panel in an Aeronca LC and no one - no one - has the right to do such a thing to such a precious and rare aircraft. Again, an extreme view perhaps. WTF am I to make such a judgement, after all?
I suppose I draw the line at Bellancas made my Bellanca, rather than Bellanca designs made by another company. It's strictly an imaginary line I suppose because seldom do you ever see a Cruisair with an original panel. Ultimately fate and the pilot public has dictated that our triple tails are not really all that precious, and the reasonable view is that if you own an aircraft you get to do what you want with it.
The "I'm only going to use it to handle departures through a thin cloud layer" argument has always worried me, but I don't fly IFR. Plenty of people do, do so in Cruisairs, and our collective accident record does not have that spate of "Continued VFR flight into IMC" that many types do.
Jonathan
A SuperCub is a working airplane. Putting an AI or AH in one is like putting a liner or heavier duty shocks in a flatbed pickup truck; it increases the utility of the vehicle. As for Cruisemasters, they were originally sold as aircraft capable of "blind flying." Thus it's hardly an abandonment of the tradition of the airplane to make it an IFR airplane. I've heard the argument too that if contemporary (I won't say modern, because modern is actually today, and then tomorrow comes) avionics were available when GMB made these, he would have employed them. This is a specious argument in my opinion because, using that line of reasoning, you could have a glass panel in an Aeronca LC and no one - no one - has the right to do such a thing to such a precious and rare aircraft. Again, an extreme view perhaps. WTF am I to make such a judgement, after all?
I suppose I draw the line at Bellancas made my Bellanca, rather than Bellanca designs made by another company. It's strictly an imaginary line I suppose because seldom do you ever see a Cruisair with an original panel. Ultimately fate and the pilot public has dictated that our triple tails are not really all that precious, and the reasonable view is that if you own an aircraft you get to do what you want with it.
The "I'm only going to use it to handle departures through a thin cloud layer" argument has always worried me, but I don't fly IFR. Plenty of people do, do so in Cruisairs, and our collective accident record does not have that spate of "Continued VFR flight into IMC" that many types do.
Jonathan
Larry Lowenkron
New member
Hmm, I have always maintained that when they built our planes, they had their backs to the panel, and reached into a box and grabbed the instruments and threw them over their shoulder. Where ever it hit the panel is where it stayed!