soyAnarchisto wrote:I know it's too late for this comment - but in this day and age you can do remote mount coms and xponders. It looks like you are mounting some of that in the back. Was the control column mod really necessary? You could sell that 530 and get a lot of money back for it - and do smaller avionics with a G3x based system - with a GTN650, or 375, or even the tiny 2" 175 and remote mount all the nav/com/xponder stuff.
Regardless - nice work on this project. Are you going to rip out all that firewall insulation? What are the cool kids using to replace that stuff these days? Is there an aviation equivalent to dynamat?
Also, is there a solution to internally routing the PTT cables without drilling in the yoke push rod? I'm thinking about drilling in the center and covering my yokes with leather.
Please keep posting pics!
The control column mod was a part of the STC associated with the Avion panel, so in a sense, I got it by default. Total cost on the STC'd panel and column mod was pretty reasonable for what you get so I personally didn't have any qualms with spending money in arena. From there, the actual avionics I chose to utilize came down to economics. I got the 530W for half the price of a used 650 from a friend who was upgrading. I already had ADS-B out with a tailbeacon and ADS-B in with a GDL-82. I picked up a used Garmin GTX 330 for $600. The PS Engineering audio/panel comm radio was just a feature rich 2n1 space saver in my eyes.
If I had gone with a 650/750, ADS-B transponder, remote mount audio panel, etc, it would have likely added $15-20K to the bill, $30k if I went with a G3X in lieu of or in addition to a standard 6-pack. I just don't have that much coin to drop into this bird.
Past all that, I probably fall in the middle between being a traditionalist, standard 6-pack guy and someone who gets their rocks off running a full glass cockpit with remote mount everything. My goal for this panel was a modern six pack with modern GPS/radios and room in the center stack for a Garmin autopilot (which just got approved for the early 182s). I just didn't want all glass honestly, even if I had wanted to pay for it.
As to the insulation, its more than likely coming out. I was noticing it earlier this week and thought to myself that looks like crap. I should talk to the cool kids and find out what to replace that with. Thanks for the idea Coreflite! Hahaha.
As to your yoke question, I don't know. I'm hardly the guy to ask. We are using the standard coiled wire from the PTT back to the panel front. It would be nice if you could route all that stuff internally, esp if you had autopilot stuff to deal with as well.
More pics to follow.....hopefully of my tires back in the dirt again soon. Going through serious withdrawal.
