Avionics News March 2013 - 50

MINIMAL PANELS

Continued from page 49

the Taylorcraft BC 12-D and even the venerable Piper J-3
Cub, among other types.
The antenna side of the equation likely is easiest to accommodate. As we’ve touched on, mounting an external
comm antenna maximizes a relatively low-powered handheld radio’s utility and capability. And if a transponder is
required – as can be the case with many high-performance
sailplanes – another antenna will be mounted. For many
aircraft where minimal panels are desired, skill with
installing antennas on fabric-covered or composite airframes will come in handy.
Choosing the correct product is another area where
an avionics shop’s advice to a customer can be invaluable, especially when going with one or more batteries
as the only power supply. Sandia Aerospace is a good
place to start when looking for a suitable transponder; the
company’s TSO’d STX 165 transponder line has proven
popular with glider operators, thanks to its low power
consumption. It’s designed with a ½ 3ATI form factor,
however, which may or may not be suitable for the candidate aircraft’s panel. If not, Becker Avionics’ BXP line of
transponders has proven itself in Europe and other regions
where very light – lighter than LSA – aircraft are popular.
It can be mounted in a standard 2 ⅛ -inch opening.
Filling that same 2 ⅛ -inch mounting location with
a communications transceiver, meanwhile, sees more
competition. Becker, again, offers products in this form
factor (the TSO’d AR 4201 and 6201 transceivers), as do
companies like MGL (the non-TSO’d V6 and V10 transceivers). Advanced Flight Systems, meanwhile, offers its
ATS HRT2 transceiver, a TSO’d unit operable on power
supplies ranging from nine to 36 volts DC. Also, Microair
Avionics’ M760 transceiver is popular aboard many new
S-LSAs. It has received Australian parts manufacturer
approval. And FlightLine’s FL-760 bills itself as “one of
the smallest and lightest VHF avband transceivers in the
industry.”

Certified Aircraft
Along with these practical considerations and product
choices also come regulatory issues. Frustrating though
they sometimes can be, government-mandated hurdles
often help decide what can and cannot be done in building
your customer’s ideal minimal panel. Significant regula50

avionics news

•

march

2013

Putting a minimal panel in a typecertificated aircraft already
sporting an electrical system is one
of the least-complicated tasks an
avionics shop can tackle. Helping the
owner choose the right equipment,
however, may be a bit daunting.
tory issues quickly can become economic ones, further
simplifying installation choices by eliminating them altogether if a Federal Aviation Administration inspector
refuses to approve a one-off project.
Putting a minimal panel in a type-certificated aircraft
already sporting an electrical system is one of the leastcomplicated tasks an avionics shop can tackle. Helping
the owner choose the right equipment, however, may be a
bit daunting. For one thing, there is a wide variety of candidates available, including used units. For another, even
a relatively simple, new-manufacture nav/comm can offer
multiple configuration options. By the time all the “mightas-well” choices are made, the VFR-only panel a customer
originally wanted might be just an annunciator away from
minimal IFR. That can be a good thing for the avionics
shop but might not be what the customer wanted.
“I deal a lot with the weekend flyers who don’t want
to put a bundle into their panel,” said Tracey Potter,
owner and president of Hagerstown Aircraft Services Inc.
“Probably the most popular nav/comm we sell is the Garmin SL30. Cheap, compact and the quality/durability is
reminiscent of the late, great Bendix/King KX-155. I get
several requests for yellow-tagged GNS430s, as everyone
thinks they should be dirt-cheap. I try to steer them clear
of those, because a yellow-tagged unit is going for nearly
my cost for a new unit from Garmin.”

LSAs And Experimentals
The good news about installing a minimal panel consisting of one or two pieces of TSO’d equipment in a

Avionics News March 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News March 2013