Electronic vs Steam Gages

[RandyL]

It will take several hours to be truly comfortable with a new digital display. At that point you'll wonder why you even thought about keeping the old stuff. You WILL adapt to it though, no doubt about it.

Can't help you with the second part, ;-) If you truly like the aesthetic of the old style gauges then that is probably what you should get. We each build our planes to suit ourselves with our own inividual set of likes/dislikes. Don't ya love experimental aviation?

[jonbakerok]

"Just because I want it" is a plenty good enough reason!

But if your goal is to build a simple and inexpensive VFR weekend flier, steam guages are still cheaper for one reason -- you don't need gyros. As soon as you say you want the full six-pack, you might as well buy a Dynon or Enigma, because they'll both come out about the same price.

As near as I can tell, the absolute cheapest panel I could build would use a set of Vans engine intruments with Falcon flight instruments and no gyros. That came out to $1596 (including a turn coordinator, which I don't really need).

But for $200 more, I could can get a GRT EIS and full engine instrumentation and alarms, which seems like a no-brainer ($1813 for my Jabiru).

If you step up to glass, you get gyros plus a whole bunch of other goodies. If the Kitfox was my only plane, I'd probably spring for it, since then I'd wind up using it for traveling. The cheapest seems to be the Dynon 180, at $3521. $4230 gets you an MGL enigma which also includes a GPS.

Concerning avionics, my RV had a full Garmin 430 stack, and I loved it but hardly used it. This plane will probably have a Garmin 296 GPS, Garmin 320 transponder, a rebuilt Narco radio, and a PS Engineering intercom. The Garmin transponder is the only way to go. Anything else either wastes 5 pounds or $500, and you can find the 320 used. If I ran across a used SL40 COM, I'd be real tempted, but I happen to have an old Narco 810 that the factory will upgrade for $400.

[Mnflyer]

Hi I'm maybe old fashioned but I totally dislike the blinking / flashing electronic gizmos that drives your eyes wild when flying. At this stage of my life flying is for fun no more work so why not have nice analog gauges you can just glance at and know whats happening. If I had the panel space in the Kitfox that MLG contraption would go on e bay and I install a couple of nice gauges.
As for accuracy the MLG E1 is totally unreliable as a tach and worthless as an oil pressure gauge, the oil temp seems to work as do the EGTs I know that the CHT's read high. Watching that thing while flying, flashing back and forth trying to figure out witch cyl its reporting is not my idea of relaxing now a nice dual analog EGT or CHT with the needle just setting there telling where the temps are that's nice. Only way I have an accurate tach and oil pressue is to have an analog tach and oil pressur gauge.
Anyway that's my feelings and I like it that way

[mcguif0a]

Thank you all for your thoughts.
I plan on having my IFR certification soon and would like to have my KF to be IFR certified. I dream of using it for comuting to work some day.
Knowing this will using a FD 180 with a garmin experimental stack be able to be certifiec for IFRR flight. I will take a peak at the FARs to see what instrumentation is required today but will it matter weather the instruments are analog or electric?
Tyler

[RandyL]

I hear ya, but one of the things most of the new boxes have is audio warnings. My box has audible warnings for virtually everything. Imagine a soothing pleasant female voice in your headset... "check canopy" or "check fuel level", etc. when something isn't the way it's supposed to be. Helps you keep your eyes out of the cockpit yet always be aware of an out of parameter item. I think that's one of the differences between the brands, AFS has this while I don't believe Dynon does. It's a really useful feature to have in day-to-day flying -- you virtually can't overlook anything.

Of course we each have our own preference, don't ya LOVE experimentals!

[Mnflyer]

Hi Randy YES I DO just Love experimental
One can try something and if you don't like put on the shelf and try another, and I just love going to the Wal-Mart aircraft parts section of the store and getting parts and supplies.