ELT Install

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...

February 2020 Progress Report

Total Hours Completed: 628 (45%) Hours to Go: 771 The end of this month will mark two years since I made the decision to purchase a Sling 4 kit plane.  I thought it would be a fitting time to start putting up a regular progress report, in additional to...

Center Console Audio Jack Modifications

After getting the main wiring harness squared away, I turned my attention to the audio wiring harness, which carries the headset audio out to the center console. I had a general idea in mind of how I wanted to wire the jacks, but since I’m trying to finish off...

Wires and Pneumatic Lines

I haven’t posted in a while, but it’s not for lack of progress. I’ve been slowly working my way with wiring – more specifically, routing and securing the wiring. It’s a major pain, with areas that are hard to reach or have limited clearance. I can’t imagine doing this...

Pitch Servo Right-Angle Backshell

I assembled the pitch servo using a 90 degree backshell as mentioned in my last post. I have a few pictures to show what it looks like. To secure the harness over to the servo, I used a cushion clamp attached to a rivnut that I put into the...

Pitch Servo Connector Issue

As I was laying out the wiring to the pitch servo, I realized there is a slight issue. Can you spot the problem in the next picture? As you can see in that picture, there’s not much room between the autopilot connector and the neighboring rib, meaning the wires...

Bundling Wires with Lacing Cord

It’s a minor detail that you don’t usually see, but I like the finished look of neatly-bundled wire harnesses. While zip ties are convenient, they can damage the wire over time – under vibration, the edge of the zip tie chafes the Tefzel jacket, and eventually can cause intermittent...

Redo of the Connector for Autopilot Servo

In my last post I detailed my first attempt to build up the d-sub connector for the Garmin autopilot; I was using their G3X video series on YouTube for instruction. Surprisingly, the official G3X install manual recommends a process for wiring the connectors that’s quite different, but it’s much...

Main Wiring Harness

I finished adding all the needed wires to the main electrical harness. Now, I can begin adding terminals to the wire ends, and for some of the connectors, putting the terminals into the connectors. I have to leave some connectors off until the harness is installed in the fuselage...

Autopilot Servos Install and Fuselage Wiring

One of my first new year’s resolutions is to complete the fuselage wiring so that I can start tacking on the fuselage skins. So, I spent most of New Year’s Day working on wiring and a few other small tasks. First, I finished off the install of the roll...