Category: Electrical

The avionics are one of the more costly parts of a kit airplane build. It is easy to spec out an equipment list that totals more than the cost of the airplane itself. One costly option I discovered is deciding to equip your plane for IFR flight. For a...

Over the weekend I started preparing the port-side outer fuselage skin for installation. There are a few steps to do before installing it: Lightly abrade the skin near rivet locations (for better paint adhesion under the countersunk rivet head) Dimple the forward rivet locations Attach NACA duct Roll edges...

I purchased a few G3X components from Sling-focused supplier Midwest Panel Builders. Garmin ran a rebate promotion through the summer that I decided to take advantage of. I purchased two screens, a 10.6” GDU 460 and a 7” GDU 470, as well as a GEA 24 engine analyzer. These...

I’ve been working on a 3D model of my instrument panel. Although I’m still several months away from needing to buy avionics, there are some good rebates right now from Garmin, so I think I’m going to start buying some components, even if it means it will sit on...

Per a comment on my previous post from Peter, here’s a few pictures showing what the antenna will look like on top of the rear fuselage....

I’ve continued with upholstering the luggage area, it’s getting close to done. I worked on the ceiling pieces as well as the door. I’m not too sure what is the “correct” way to upholster the door, so I’m sharing a few pics of how I decided to do it....

For the past week I’ve been preparing to install the upper skins of the rear fuselage, which will close out most access to this section. Although there is an inspection panel mid-belly, I decided it would be easier to install the GMU 11 magnetometer before closing out, so earlier...

Build Manual Reference: TSi Fuselage KAI Page D3, D4, D6.5, D11 I’m doing things a little bit out of order compared to the fuselage KAI as far as the center and rear fuselages go. There are two factors that drove this: (1) all of the wiring & plumbing work...

I received quite a few parts recently – the big ones being the interior upholstery kit and the undercarriage kit. I ordered the upholstery kit mid-September 2019 and it arrived March 2020, so for anyone else planning to buy one, plan for 6 months lead time. It’s made to...

I ordered an Artex 345 ELT in December and received it in January, so I figured it was time to install it. It’s a pretty straightforward install, attached with just 4 bolts to a floor rib. For the electrical, I ran a shielded 3-conductor wire out to the ELT...