it helps if you cut a bunch of stuff up, then you can't go back :)

good luck! at least you've got a bit more room to work in the defiant

A photo of a bluesky and brown landscape around an airport taken out the right side window of a Long EZ

I spent 2.5 hours circling the airport as I test flew the new panel today. Aside from needing to check the ammeter wiring, all went well! Planning another similar flight tomorrow with maybe some ventures out to the other local airports. Looking forward to taking some real trips again soon 🛩️

thanks!

yeah I love having an AP. For now I'm just replacing the previous roll only AP, but I'll put in the pitch servo eventually too

you could also remove the serial connections between GDU and GTX if you wanted, but there's no benefit to doing so unless you're short on serial ports to the GDU

ah in that case, I'd remove the GPS 20A and sell it

connect your GA35 to GPS 175

add HSDB between GPS-GTX

add 2 RS232 between GPS and GDU (connext+mapmx)

add 2 A429 between GPS-GAD

GAD goes on CAN bus

it's very comfortable! akin to wearing your plane. upfront you sit semi supine with your legs stretched out and it's lovely

where does your GTX currently get its GPS source from?

yeah @acfoltzer.net is right. the gad is mostly a bridge between the experimental avionics speaking CAN and the certified avionics speaking A429.

looks like it held up! please excuse the messiness, no else was supposed to see these unless it were dire circumstances :-)

a picture of the primary wiring diagram for my panel

sure, this is a GNX 375, so there's an extra connection to the GSU that you won't have, but otherwise it'll be pretty similar. The GPS 175 will also have everything coming out of the same connector and different pins

can't tell if the image quality holds up enough for this to be readable...

I've had a couple "while I'm here" jobs that I've had to really talk myself out of, both for the sake of my wallet and for the sake of I want to fly!

side note: if anyone wants some old avionics, I've got a handful of stuff that I have not sold yet, and I'd happily part with it :)

No project is ever quite finished, but I'm feeling incredibly close now. I still need to install my fuel pressure sensor and fuel flow sensor, but everything else is now hooked up. Hopefully next weekend I can perform the mag cal and perhaps a short flight test.

🧵7/7

A photo of my new avionics installed in the airplane and powered on

Finally with the harness hooked up to the avionics and battery, I was able to turn everything on for the first time (in the airplane).

🧵6/7

A photo of the right "switch panel" in my Long EZ. On it there is a switch and breaker labeled "E IGN," a split switch labeled "ALT/BAT," three switches with blue covers for strobes, nav lights, and landing light, and a red covered switch labeled "AUX FUEL."

In order to finish hooking up the new wire harness, I also had to complete a little side quest to update the side panel.

This panel is located over my right arm and holds all the switches I need to access.

🧵5/7

A photo of the new panel temporarily installed in my Long EZ. Wires are still strewn about.

I wasn't quite ready to install the new avionics yet, but I took a chance to loosely place them in the plane, just to see a sneak peak of what it'd look like. The new panel is cut from 1/8" aluminum and bolts through the old panel structure and a nut plate.

🧵4/7

A photo of the avionics trays, referred to as "the stack," that will house some of my new avionics in my Long EZ panel upgrade

It took a little bit to figure out how to fit "the stack" and remote mounted radio behind the panel while leaving adequate clearance for the elevator control linkages. It's not the prettiest but it came out solid and mounts to the new panel via six screws.

🧵3/7

A photo of the hangar floor beneath my plane with wires, panel pieces, and vacuum tubes strewn about.

One goal of my panel upgrade was to redo nearly all of the electrical wiring. This was necessitated by the panel needing a new harness, but I also chose to redo a little extra in order to replace some bad crimps and connections. This is just a small part of some of the wiring that was removed.

🧵2/7

A photo of the instrument panel of my Long EZ which has had all of its instruments removed and part of the structure cut out.

So at the beginning of December I grounded my plane for an extensive panel upgrade. In order to install a new panel, the old one first had to go.

It's a little nerve wracking to take a saw to your plane

🛩️🧵1/7

Something about seeing a camera clamped to the step with safety wire all over is quite amusing. I've been considering mounting a 360 camera to my wing through the tie down holes, just for fun

From the Foreflight community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the Foreflight community

ForeFlight, the application that I and thousands of other pilots depend upon for safety-critical information, was sold to private equity last year. They've now laid off half their staff without any knowledge transfer plan, citing offshoring and AI www.reddit.com/r/Foreflight...

Autoland Saves King Air, Everyone Reported Safe - AvBrief.com Aircraft landed safely at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Denver on Saturday afternoon.

“What would appear to be the first emergency use of Garmin’s Autoland system occurred on Saturday in Colorado. Social media posts from flight tracking hobbyists reported a King Air 200 squawked 7700 about 2 p.m. local time today.”

🛩️ #Aviation #AvGeek

photo from the air of fall trees amongst a neighborhood with the sun highlighting a few in the middle

another attempt at fall colors, maybe a little more successful this time 🛩️

a organized mess of wires and connectors on the floor

completed my wire harness for the panel upgrade, or at least the part I can do outside the plane.

still plenty more to run for engine sensors, audio, and other bits and bobs

nice, yeah you definitely timed that better than me

a photo of a small town, lakes, and ponds with fall foliage and farm fields surrounding them

I wasn't quite able to catch the peak fall colors but nonetheless I had a nice sightseeing flight this morning 🛩️

Neat! Nice to find another canard appreciator. Velocities are cool too, but they cost as much as a house and are much more plane than I need. Also, it's fun to say that my plane is more efficient* than the average car**

*by miles per gallon not emissions, under some circumstances
**in the US

I am very much looking forward to it. lots of work though!

a pile of boxes on a table

got some more goodies today