.

glacier wrote: No vacuum system on mine........

Can you post a panel photo?

.

It's not just about saving weight-- also about simplicity. I figure sooner or later the gyros or vacuum pump will crap out too. I had a gyro crap out on each of my last two planes, and instead of spending good money for something I didn't use I just pulled them, the other gyro, and the vacuum system. Might launch a preemptive strike on my gyros & vacuum system now, remove them while they're still all working well and worthy of re-sale.

I saw a 54 C180 a while back with no gyros, talking to the owner it turned out that it had never had any.

I got a chance today to check out a Dynon D2 in person-- unfortunately not in an airplane, just standing around holding it in my hands. Gave the attitude indicator a workout, it performed great & kept up no problem, but I couldn't seem to center the ball in a turn. I kept mashing my foot down on an imaginary rudder pedal, but no joy. The display didn't want to come on inside, apparently it needs a good GPS signal even for the non-GPS-driven attitude display, but it locked right on once I went outside.

Pretty sweet little gizmo, but even so it's pretty spendy for something I probably don't need and (once the newness wears off) will probably only rarely use. A thousand bucks buys a lot of mogas. I might wait for the NW Aviation Conference in February & see if anyone offers a big show-special discount.

hotrod180 wrote:...I might wait for the NW Aviation Conference in February & see if anyone offers a big show-special discount.

I just got a postcard from Dynon offering a $100 rebate for any D2 purchased between Feb 15 & Feb 29, 2016. Per their rebate webpage, this is meant to be a "show special" tied in to the NW Aviation Conference this weekend at Puyallup WA.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10gS_Lk ... o/viewform

hotrod180 wrote:It's not just about saving weight-- also about simplicity. I figure sooner or later the gyros or vacuum pump will crap out too. I had a gyro crap out on each of my last two planes, and instead of spending good money for something I didn't use I just pulled them, the other gyro, and the vacuum system. Might launch a preemptive strike on my gyros & vacuum system now, remove them while they're still all working well and worthy of re-sale.

Yep, my vacuum pump just crapped out on a recent trip back from Texas, was flying along happily and noticed the DG making lazy circles round and round and the HI in a 40 degree bank.

Even though I'm not flying terrible weather or at night as much as I used to in Alaska, I am still very happy with the D2. It's been a rock solid performer for over 2 years now, way more reliable than the vacuum system. Still a worthwhile VFR reference with all the important data in one place, well worth the money.

slowhawk wrote:...the DG making lazy circles round and round and the HI in a 40 degree bank.

Man it must've been really broke if your heading indicator is showing a 40 degree bank!!!

slowhawk wrote: Yep, my vacuum pump just crapped out on a recent trip back from Texas, was flying along happily and noticed the DG making lazy circles round and round ....

Lazy circles is bad enough, when the DG in my first airplane quit it spun like a whirling dervish.

Stumbled upon this older thread while shopping for options. My 180 is a VFR only machine, and I have no plans or desire to pretend that it is anything but that. Having said that, I still like to have an AH functioning in front of me. Problem is, my vacuum driven instruments have lost my confidence. My DG is virtually useless without near constant resets, and I have recently lost my vacuum pump suddenly and without warning. Both are certified components. This is the second vacuum pump that I have had go U/S while in flight over the years and have seen A/H give up and topple as well. My point being, I have yet to replace the vacuum pump, and am considering stripping it, the A/H and the DG out and replacing with a Dynon D2, Garmin G5, or similar. As for the arguments regarding using a non TSO'd instrument in lieu of the certified vacuum gyros, I fail to see the difference. These modern instruments couldn't possibly be any less reliable than the old stuff, as, at least mine anyway, have lost all of my faith.

The way I see it, now's the time to swap them out. The lack of buying and having a vacuum pump installed will cover a good chunk of the new, modern toy. I don't legally require the A/H or DG, and the G5 or D2 will better display the same info.

Since I last posted on this thread, I've removed my vacuum pump & system, the DG, & the horizon, and installed a Garmin G5. This was done as a minor alteration with a logbook entry & W&B revision only, per FAA policy statement PS-ACE-23-08. My IA double-checked with his PMI and he concurred.

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guida ... -23-08.pdf

My G5 cost $1200, plus $50 for the install kit, and $150 for the backup battery (as per the policy statement requirements). Plus the cost of a circuit breaker a logbook entry- let's say $1450 total. This was just before Garmin came out with the STC'd version of the G5 at $2150, but IMHO (and that of my IA) the STC'd version isn't necessary as long as you comply with the policy statement.

I thought about getting a "portable" Dynon D2 which goes for about $1K, , but I decided the G5 was a nicer & cleaner installation and was worth spending the extra money. Here's the G5 in action.

Looks great. My Christmas wishlist has just expanded!

I see that yours does not provide an airspeed or altitude display. Is that due to only a single pitot/static system and utilizing the existing A/I and Altimeter?

upnorth180 wrote:Looks great. My Christmas wishlist has just expanded!

I see that yours does not provide an airspeed or altitude display. Is that due to only a single pitot/static system and utilizing the existing A/I and Altimeter?

Another vote for the G5.

I believe the Pitot/Static data can be removed from the display in the setup menu. I have that data displayed on mine even though I still have the steam gague Airspeed and Altimeter.

Saw this the other day
Pretty bacic
https://www.backcountrypilot.org/me/my-photos/302-shortfielder/photo?albumid=5333&photoid=40652

All,

Perfect timing to renew this thread. I received this picture Friday from Todd Friend at Teton Aviation in Driggs, Idaho. MY PANEL is done and will pick up tomorrow. He is only 40 miles away, is great to work with and does great work as you can see. I probably went a little over board for a VFR bird, getting rid of the old heavy gyros and vacuum is great. I figure two radios and two gps will get me every I want to go for many years. plus ADSB in and out.



https://www.backcountrypilot.org/me/my-photos/4654-180lamb/photo?albumid=3566&photoid=40653

Ya, I know....I need to get the pedals powder coated to match the panel!!!!!

180lamb wrote:

Wow, that turned out very nice! Looks exactly like what I picked out for my wagon.

Did you take advantage of the Garmin holiday rebate? You can probably get $1500 back on your current configuration!
http://garmin.blogs.com/promotions/Panel_Upgrade_Rebate.pdf


Ryan

Yup....

Wow. Awesome job! What year is the airplane?


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