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Panel Advice Requested


jma201

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As often happens with our beloved birds, the failure of an item in my panel has prompted a reach into the wallet.  I have an S-Tec 50 w/alt hold, electric trim, and GPSS.  The autopilot will no longer fly the heading bug and the DG is worn out.  The GPSS still works great.  In lieu of rebuilding the DG, I have scheduled to replace with the new Aspen E5.  I went this route in anticipation of an eventual upgrade to the S-Tec 3100.  My question is how much of the vacuum system should I remove or keep?  My inclination is to keep the Altimeter and VSI for backup.  What say you?  Also in the mix is a IFD440 swap if the budget allows.  Thanks!

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Your vacuum system powers the DG and AI. I would remove the entire system including those two indicators. The remaining six pack must be retained with the E5.

The 901 gpss unit can also be removed as the Aspen will provide that info. 

Another thing to keep in mind. The E5 does not include the ACU that will be needed to drive the stec 50. It’s also necessary to interface with the 155 but that’s optional imo. If I was installing an E5 / 3100 right now I’d skip the ACU and keep the 155/209 separate. 

Edited by MIm20c
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An Aspen would make a lot of sense with the STEC autopilots. It would replace the VSI and the stand alone GPSS.

(I have the STEC 50, working fine but I just send Aspen a check for their Max upgrade and I'm scheduled to install the STEC 3100 in Oct/Nov. My BU AI is the only vacuum instrument but I need vacuum for the retractable step in my old E.)

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does the KX155 have a glideslope? Move the Garmin CDI to the right and sell the other one 

or

keep the No. 2 radio setup as is and sell the Garmin CDI 

Aspen is a good choice. With the built in Aspen GPSS you could also sell the S-tec GPSS module.

Dump the vacuum system completely.

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8 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I just sent Aspen a check as well... the MAX upgrade for my existing PFD, a refurbished MFD and the MAX upgrade for it as well. We'll get busy on it right after Oshkosh.

Paul, what kind of deal did they give you on the refurb mfd?  Did they allow you to buy the one with the external battery?  In the past they haven’t.  Thinking about a mfd for mine, PM me if you don’t want to post. 

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14 minutes ago, Cruiser said:

does the KX155 have a glideslope? Move the Garmin CDI to the right and sell the other one 

or

keep the No. 2 radio setup as is and sell the Garmin CDI 

Aspen is a good choice. With the built in Aspen GPSS you could also sell the S-tec GPSS module.

Dump the vacuum system completely.

The KX155 does not have glideslope.  Is it possible to make the Garmin CDI secondary to the E5?  My thinking is using it as a backup if the E5 fails.

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4.4.5 Back Up Nav Indicator For certification reasons a backup navigation indicator is required for at least one type of operation for which the aircraft is certificated.  This means that in any installation in an aircraft certified for IFR where the EFD1000 E5 is the only display of navigation information in the cockpit, a backup navigation indicator is required.  This will ensure that a failure of the EFD1000 E5 system does not result in a complete loss of all navigation data to the flight crew.   Thus, for example, an installation that includes a panel mount GPS with an integral LCD display that includes a CDI indicator approved for navigation would not require a backup NAV indicator.  However, a GPS with legacy VLOC radio that does not include an integral display with CDI indications approved for navigation will require a backup NAV indicator. If there is already a dedicated indicator wired to an existing NAV Receiver or GPS then it can be paralleled to the ACU as shown in Section 9. 

 

I hope this answers your question.

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1 hour ago, Cruiser said:

4.4.5 Back Up Nav Indicator For certification reasons a backup navigation indicator is required for at least one type of operation for which the aircraft is certificated.  This means that in any installation in an aircraft certified for IFR where the EFD1000 E5 is the only display of navigation information in the cockpit, a backup navigation indicator is required.  This will ensure that a failure of the EFD1000 E5 system does not result in a complete loss of all navigation data to the flight crew.   Thus, for example, an installation that includes a panel mount GPS with an integral LCD display that includes a CDI indicator approved for navigation would not require a backup NAV indicator.  However, a GPS with legacy VLOC radio that does not include an integral display with CDI indications approved for navigation will require a backup NAV indicator. If there is already a dedicated indicator wired to an existing NAV Receiver or GPS then it can be paralleled to the ACU as shown in Section 9. 

 

I hope this answers your question.

Thank you.  

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22 hours ago, MIm20c said:

...The remaining six pack must be retained with the E5.

This December 2018 AvWeb article infers that the VSI can be pulled:

"The E5's STC doesn't, however, allow for removing the airspeed, altimeter and turn coordinator instruments."

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39 minutes ago, tigers2007 said:

This December 2018 AvWeb article infers that the VSI can be pulled:

"The E5's STC doesn't, however, allow for removing the airspeed, altimeter and turn coordinator instruments."

This goes against what I was told at osh last year but the article is more recent. This is a big deal because the TC is normally replaceable via a backup AI. Which means only the AI, ASI, and altimeter need to remain. Which of course can be replaced by a L3 500 or a Sandia 340. So it might have the same install flexibility as the pro. Another bonus is the backup AI could be a cheap electrically driven unit with no battery backup (300-600 used). 

 

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On 2/21/2019 at 9:27 AM, gsxrpilot said:

I just sent Aspen a check as well... the MAX upgrade for my existing PFD, a refurbished MFD and the MAX upgrade for it as well. We'll get busy on it right after Oshkosh.

When you add your MFD one feature I really like is adding a switch to allow the autopilot to fly either the PFD or MFD (in reversionary mode) as its source,.

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