I had the same concern about airworthiness cert and
auth to fly IFR...I will be going with the Blue
Mountain EFIS/One and some supplemental pitot static
gauges in case of full electric failure (everyone: feel
free to check out my web page and comment).
I have talked to the FSDO here in Sacramento (I have
gotten to know the Safety Operations Mgr) and he
suggested I might want to talk to his counterpart in
Airworthiness to make sure the equipment I was planning
for my panel will at least meet IFR minimum equipment
list.
Blue Mountain has a built in altitude encoder but is
not TSO'd so Greg (the designer) requests that all
builders use a TSO'd encoder for liability reasons.
You may want to consider points like this with the
uEncoder & uMonitor. Also, the human brain interprets
analog gauges (graphical representation) quicker which
is why most auto makers have gone back to analog
gauges.
By the comment "from sacred six to thrifty three" I
assume you are trying to remain cost conscious, but
considering the prices of both RMI machines (US$ 1900
in kit form, or nearly US$ 2500 ready-to-go form) you
can buy a lot of steam gauges...they just take more
space and require lighting. But remember, if you have
total electric failure, you will have no back-up... so
clear sky, day VFR is it (unless you have a mid to high
quality portable GPS that can give approx altitude for
emergency only altimeter use).
The benefit with working directly with the FSDO is that
the people ARE the FAA and you have already paid for
their services in tax dollars...a DAR can make
interpretive determinations and will have to be a
personal check.
I have heard tale of a DAR in the Sacramento valley
that charges $1500 for the final inspection...so I will
be scheduling directly with the FAA FSDO, even if I
have to do it with a long lead time.
But back to your question...should be legal for day
VFR, just add an alt encoder and encoding transponder
and 2 way radio and you can fly almost anywhere
(subject to sign off by FSDO or DAR - check with them
first, before finalizing decisions) As a further
consideration, you may want to check if you have any
certain insurance requirements.
If you are going to go minimal, you might consider a
vertical card mag compass (Precision is one
manufacturer). They have the same representation and
are almost as dampened as a DG, minimal UNOS / ANDS
readings...very nice.
Dean Wiegand
Sacramento CA USA
dwiegand@surewest.net
kit A259
www.dwiegand.dnsalias.com
-----Original Message-----
From: forum-owner@europaclub.org.uk
Steve & Eileen
Genotte
Subject: How Sacred Are the Sacred Six?
I'm planning my panel (the Domestic Treasury Dept. has
released the
funding). Looking over the various posts regarding
panel builds and
aluminum cut-outs, I see a lot of references to the
standard "six pack" of
gyros, etc., which are required for IFR flight. But!,
the flight
instruments required for day VFR flight by FAR 91.205
are an airspeed
indicator, an alitmeter, and a magnetic heading
indicator. Since I'm not
building an IFR aircraft, right there I've gone from
the Sacred Six to the
Thrifty Three.
Now to really make things interesting...
I've decided to get the microEncoder and microMonitor
---From RMI. Reading the
specs on the microEncoder, I see it can display
airspeed, altitude, and
magnetic heading. Huzzah!
So, as I read it, I don't need anything beyond the
microEncoder to satisfy
the reqs with regards to flight instruments, and the
microMonitor will cover
all of the engine system parameters the Feds deem
worthy of attention.
Am I right? Can I have a main panel consisting of a
microEncoder ...and
nothing else (I might get a Garmin GPSMAP 295 to help
provide aesthetic
balance)?
Mind you, I'm not asking if it's [stentorian tone] a
good idea
[/stentorian tone], just if it's legal.
TIA,
Steve "I'd rather empanel a jury than plan my panel" G.
_______________
The Europa Forum is supported by Aviators Network UK
<info@avnet.co.uk>
In the event of problems contact
<forum-owner@europaclub.org.uk>
The Europa Club website is at
<http://www.europaclub.org.uk>
|