New Panel - close to complete

[Kelly]

After a month in the avionics shop, my Comanche's panel is almost finished. They still need to add placards and a few cosmetic plates, but hopefully next week I get it back. I spent a long time trying to decide how much to do, and what to put in it. When the new Garmin 396 with xm weather came out, I decided buying it would give me safe emergency nav backup and that I could do without a stormscope. The shop has done a good job taking my plan and improving on it.... Now if I could only get it back and fly!

 

[Bill]

Wow, what a huge improvement, so much less cluttered. Looks great. I wonder why most of the old aircraft had black panels, the gauges just blend right in with the panel. I like the contrast.

 

[Henning]

After a month in the avionics shop, my Comanche's panel is almost finished. They still need to add placards and a few cosmetic plates, but hopefully next week I get it back. I spent a long time trying to decide how much to do, and what to put in it. When the new Garmin 396 with xm weather came out, I decided buying it would give me safe emergency nav backup and that I could do without a stormscope. The shop has done a good job taking my plan and improving on it.... Now if I could only get it back and fly!

Not to knock your panel, but... they took a month to do that? Looks like 50-60 man hrs and thats if they made new harnesses and looms.

 

[AirBaker]

Not to knock your panel, but... they took a month to do that? Looks like 50-60 man hrs and thats if they made new harnesses and looms.

I've got to find out where you're getting your avionics done! Our avionics upgrade consisted of a 430, 340 Audio Panel, A MAC nav/com, GPSS, and engine analyzer upgrade. Took them almost 2 months.

Dad's 206 had a MX20, Garmin 480, Stec 55x, PS audio panel, HSI and JPI-800 installed. That took over 3 months.

I'd love go get things done in a month here!!

 

[drhunt]

Wow...looks great!

I just noticed that Airgizmos has a panel mount for your 396 that looks interesting.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/airgizmos.php

 

[Kelly]

I checked around and asked others who had similar work done... I expected after that for it to be 4 to 7 weeks. It's hard to describe how much had to come out before they even started - adf antennas, power packs, old autopilot wiring... and some "small items" (like stereo headphone jacks in 4 locations) take a lot of time. So, all in all, I'm not disappointed with the time - I used Penn Avionics and recommend them highly... I really like that 396 panel mount chassis too... but I had to stop the list somewhere, so it will be yoke mounted like my 196 was....

 

[mpartovi]

mighty impressive panel you gots there!!!

 

[gismo]

Not to knock your panel, but... they took a month to do that? Looks like 50-60 man hrs and thats if they made new harnesses and looms.

Are you including the replacement of the panel itself in addition to the avionics work? I'm assuming that the sheet metal is all new and that it's installation isn't simple.

 

[Kelly]

you're right - I had to replace the entire metal panel. While they were at it I had a new cigarette power source and music input installed to the left of the pilot's yoke to make the 396 a little less cumbersome. Shown are the telephone and music inputs... a switch to another music input from the rear passenger seat, avionics dimmer switch, the cig. lighter and necessary fuses. No placards yet. Below is an avionics master and a relocated strobe switch. Even though I thought I was ready to do this, the detail list of "minor" things to consider was much longer than I expected.

 

[Iceman]

If your going to be flying with the 396 all the time you should hard wire it in w/ the 530. This would download your flightplan from the 530 to the 396 and provide power to the unit as well. The wire is very cheap and I don't think it would take them long to splice it into the back of the unit.

Good luck!
Great looking panel!