Panel Power—For the Pilot Our Project Airplane Goes Under the Knife

Panel power—for the pilot Our project airplane goes under the knife

BY STEVEN W. ELLS hile the original instrument panel in our 530’s very capable little brother; and a GTX 327 solid-state transponder. Light- sweepstakes Bonanza was a good exam- ning detection is provided by a Goodrich WX500 Series II weather map- ple of cutting-edge technology in 1966 ping sensor system, which will display W activity on the 530 or 430 screens. when Beech pushed her out the door, it just For those who have been out of the loop for the past three years, it’s time to couldn’t contain all the avionics we wanted to wake up to the Garmin GNS units. The smaller 430, and the 530 with its 5-inch, install. So we ripped out all the old stuff of early twenty-first-century general full-color screen, are chock full of fea- and started from scratch. Since the sweep- aviation avionics technology. tures (such as a Jeppesen database) and stakes Bonanza will be outfitted with capabilities (moving map, VHF nav, the latest avionics from Garmin and Meg- The avionics equipment list VHF com) that fit perfectly into the gitt Avionics, and a brand-new autopilot The center stack of avionics will be all Bonanza’s new panel. Simply put, from S-Tec, we had to get creative. Garmin. From top to bottom the stack Garmin has done it again. The com- When J.A. Air Center at DuPage Air- will consist of a GMA 340 audio panel pany Web site offers detailed informa- port in West Chicago is finished with and six-place voice-activated intercom tion, downloadable owners’ manuals the avionics/autopilot/instrument with marker beacon receiver; one GNS (the GNS 530 manual is 214 pages panel installation (it was to be done by 530 GPS/nav/com, the all-in-one long), and a GNS 500-series simulator. the first week in May), it is guaranteed design that has ratcheted the capabili- (Contact information for project con- to be the envy of some airline captains, ties of GA avionics well into the new tributors may be found on page 111 and will be a ﬂying example of the state century; a GNS 430 GPS/nav/com, the and on AOPA Online.) Take a few

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LESLIE HICKS evenings to experiment with the simu- numerals on a white background, but Steering) has been integrated into the lator (it’s also downloadable) and you’ll amber is used to focus the pilot’s atten- system circuitry. This improvement helps soon see that the 530 provides capabili- tion—for example, the airplane symbol the Fifty Five X respond better to GPS roll ties that GA pilots had only been able to on the pitch indication display, or warn- steering information (which is converted dream about until recently. ings of problems, such as failure flags, the to rate commands in the autopilot) from To the right of the Garmin stack will stall warning indication, decision height the Garmin GPS units. This allows the be an improved, third-generation indicator, and the air data attitude head- autopilot to execute transitions and pro- Avionics Innovations CD player and ing reference system (ADAHRS) source cedures that are available in the Garmin AM/FM radio. AI’s high-quality AM/FM warning. Red is reserved for maximum GPS navigators’ database, such as flying radio and CD player is increasingly pop- airspeed and stall indications. procedure turns, holding patterns, and ular among GA aircraft owners. This Located directly under the PFD is the DME arc handoffs. unit, combined with the excellent audio navigation display (ND). The ND has The Garmin 530/430 GPS units, when management systems in the GMA 340, menu options for type of display (HSI, combined with the System Fifty Five will deliver stereo music to the intercom Arc, or Map), what symbols the pilot X flight control system, will be able to headphone jacks. desires to show on the display (airports, take over the flying of the Sweepstakes The GMA 340 audio panel will also waypoints, navigational aids, and non- Bonanza immediately after takeoff and be the distribution point for the P2 Inc. directional beacons), and information fly a flight plan of almost any complexity, Audio Advisory System. This STCed sources for various displays. The pilot in almost any weather. system generates audio advisories for can change the display (add intersec- normal and abnormal landing gear tions, NDBs, airports, etc., or remove any Round instruments positions, and for VNE (overspeed) or all information) to suit his needs at Yes, there will be 11 round instruments conditions. any time after the unit has warmed up. If in the panel. The reason there’s room Directly in front of the pilot will be the the PFD fails, the push of a button moves for all of this equipment is careful plan- two active-matrix LCD screens of the all the PFD data onto the ND screen. ning by the expert installers at J.A. Air Meggitt Avionics New Generation Inte- The last big piece of the panel is an S- Center, with assistance from Mike Keir- grated Cockpit (MAGIC) electronic flight Tec System Fifty Five X full-function two- nan, the manager of installations and instrument system (EFIS). The upper 4- axis flight control system. The panel com- certification at S-Tec/Meggitt. by-5-inch screen, called the primary flight ponents include a programmer/comput- Between the right side of the PFD display (PFD), will display information er that mounts in the avionics stack, an S- and the left side of the Garmin radio that would normally be shown on the air- Tec turn coordinator, an altitude selec- stack there are two rows of standard 3- speed, vertical speed, artificial horizon, tor/alerter, switches on the pilot wheel for and-1/8-inch instruments. The top row altimeter, directional gyro, and LOC/GS autopilot disconnect and control wheel has an airspeed indicator, a vacuum- instruments. At first this sounds like an steering, and a remote annunciator. driven artificial horizon, and an altime- impossible task, but Meggitt pulled it off. The Fifty Five X is an improved version ter. To the left of the ND will be a Different colors are used on the of the System 55, which was introduced Garmin GI 106A course deviation indi- screen display to signify the importance in 1994. New easy-to-read black-on-silver cator. These four instruments are of specific data. For instance, the air- LCD displays are part of the improve- required as backups to certify the Meg- speed and altimeter readouts are black ment package. In addition, GPSS (GPS gitt MAGIC system. Anticipating that J.A. Air Center’s Chad Zylstra gets the arm-twisting job of threading fuel lines to the tip tanks (opposite page). New VOR antennas add flair to the V-tail (far left, this page). Following the “mea- sure twice, cut once” rule, Mike Good and Chuck Walling take careful measurements for the new panel.

certification would also require a back- J. L. Osborne tip tank fuel quantity gauge, tions because we weren’t limited by the up electrical power source, we installed and a vacuum gauge. constraints of an existing design. How an STCed B&C Specialty Products did we create the layout? Simple—we engine-driven backup alternator sys- Planning ahead used paper building blocks. tem. This proven system will automati- Planning makes perfect. Nowhere is During a visit to meet the folks at J.A. cally take over if the primary alternator this more true than in instrument panel Air Center in March, I joined the avionics fails and can provide 20 amps of con- and avionics installations. We knew staff, and we moved paper instruments tinuous power indefinitely. pretty early that we would have to fabri- and radios around an instrument panel Below that row is the S-Tec turn coordi- cate a new instrument panel. The Meg- mockup. In addition to the large list of nator, engine manifold pressure, and gitt displays wouldn’t fit into the origi- avionics equipment, we had to locate the engine tachometer. A little lower in the nal shock-mounted flight instrument backup airspeed, artificial horizon, and panel is a J.P. Instruments EDM-800 section of the panel. Knowing this actu- altimeter instruments in accordance with engine monitor and fuel computer, the ally simplified a lot of layout considera- certain regulatory guidelines. This is CONTRIBUTORS AOPA would like to thank the following Olathe, Kansas 66062 10 Ammon Drive companies that donated or discounted their 913/397-8200 Manchester, New Hampshire 03103 products and services to refurbish the Fax 913/397-8282 603/669-0940 Sweepstakes Bonanza or otherwise assisted www.garmin.com Fax 603/669-0931 in the project. www.meggittavi.com J.A. Air Center Avionics Innovations Inc. DuPage Airport P2 Inc. 2450 Montecito Road 3N060 Powis Road Post Office Box 26 Ramona, California 92065 West Chicago, Illinois 60185 Mound, Minnesota 55364-0026 760/788-2602 800/323-5966 or 630/584-3200 888/921-8359 or 952/472-2577 Fax 760/789-7098 Fax 630/584-7883 Fax 952/472-7071 www.avionicsinnovations.com www.jaair.com www.p2inc.com

B&C Specialty Products Inc. J.L. Osborne Inc. S-Tec Corporation 123 East 4th 18173 Osborne Road One S-Tec Way Newton, Kansas 67114 Victorville, California 92392 Municipal Airport 316/283-8000 800/963-8477 or 760/245-8477 Mineral Wells, Texas 76067 www.bandcspecialty.com Fax 760/245 5735 940/325-9406 www.jlosborne.com Fax 940/325-3904 Beryl D’Shannon Aviation Specialties Inc. www.s-tec.com Post Office Box 27966 J.P. Instruments Inc. Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427 3185-B Airway Avenue Whelen Engineering Co. 800/328-4629 or 763/535-0505 Costa Mesa, California 92626 Route 145 Fax 763/535-3759 800/345-4574 or 714/557-3805 Winthrop Road www.beryldshannon.com Fax 714/557-9840 Chester, Connecticut 06412-0684 www.jpinstruments.com 860/526-9504 Garmin International Fax 860/526-4078 1200 East 151st Street Meggitt Avionics Inc. www.whelen.com the puzzle instantly appear, and are and the new McCauley propeller, will AOPABONANZASWEEPS quickly installed. The last two weeks of provide the pilot with a smooth, powerful the installation will tell whether the plan- powerplant that promises weather-top- where Mike Keirnan, Meggitt/S-Tec’s ning and preinstallation steps have been ping capabilities in all but the worst con- manager of certification and installations, well executed. ditions, and the new panel will provide came in. Keirnan will be in charge of pre- J.A. Air Center has an experienced the pilot with unparalleled avionics senting the installation of the Meggitt and talented avionics and maintenance performance. EFIS to the FAA for certification so his facility. While one crew has concentrat- In May, the sweepstakes Bonanza was input was followed closely. ed on the avionics, the maintenance in Mineral Wells, Texas, where the Meg- Since this avionics package has been crew has installed the J.L. Osborne gitt/S-Tec crew checked it out for about a operating smoothly as the preferred wingtip fuel system, a set of new fuel week. Then it flew to Salina, Kansas, avionics suite in every New Piper Meridi- bladders from Aero Tech Services, a where a TKS weeping-wing ice protection an, we’re excited about putting the same Whelen Comet Flash strobe light sys- system was installed. equipment in the sweepstakes Bonanza. tem, and a Beryl D’Shannon Speed AOPA members will be able to Sloped windshield. The resident get their first look at the partially Prewiring Bonanza expert has given the airframe completed airplane at the AOPA Fly-In This installation required a lot of plan- a thorough once-over, tweaked a few and Open House on June 2 in Frederick, ning, since J.A. Air Center is installing a items, and pronounced it sound. Maryland. Still to come, after windows, fully integrated system, with antennas, and flap and aile- Links to addi- remote sensors, servos, circuit breakers, Future flight i tional informa- ron gap seals by and peripheral equipment—such as the This year’s airplane will be a quantum tion about the Beryl D’Shan- cabin entertainment center—that must leap ahead of any previous AOPA Sweep- Sweepstakes non, is paint by be woven into the mix. By the time the stakes airplane. Imagine the capabili- Bonanza may be Murmer Aircraft panel was cut in late April, three-quarters ties—a comfortable four-place airplane found on AOPA Service, and a cus- of the nine-week-long work and planning that has a useful load of more than 700 Online (www. tom interior by Air process had already been completed. pounds after filling the four fuel tanks. aopa.org/pilot/ Mod. We’ll have Like all avionics installations, there were The full-fuel capacity (114 gallons) is suf- links.shtml). another report next weeks in the middle of the process when ficient to fly still-air legs of more than month. Check it appeared as if someone had taken the 1,200 miles at more than 200 knots. The AOPA Online weekly for updates. money and gone south for the rest of the Superior engine, bolstered by the Torna- winter. Then, all of sudden, large pieces of do Alley Turbo turbonormalizing system E-mail the author at [email protected]