My panel - Echo P92JS

[eloigorri]

Hello Fellow Tecnam owners,

 

I thought you might be interested to see the panel from my P92JS. I recently added a TruTrak auto pilot to the panel. (Instrument next to the VSI)

 

(Apologies for the poor quality of the photo, taken on my phone late at night).

 

Other items of interest; on top of the auto pilot is a Strikefinder lightning detector, and on top of that is a JPI 450 fuel totaliser.

 

Those three items were my additions, and apart from the PMA audio panel which I fitted to improve the intercom, all the other items on the panel are factory options selected by the previous owner.

 

Of my additions, the one item I would not be without is the fuel totaliser. It is very accurate and lets you choose optimum throttle settings for long distance cruising.

 

My flight profiles are solo long cross country legs around Thailand. The aircraft flies very balanced when trimmed, so the need for an AP is negligible in reality, however on those long legs it is nice to take a break when the call of nature takes over, or simply to refer to maps etc.

 

My total hours in my Tecnam are around 400 hours so I know her very well, but I have only flown the aircraft since fitting the AP a few hours. It is a two axis version coupled to the GPS. The servo’s were installed under the pilots seat. So far the AP performance has been exceptional, following headings +/- 1o and maintaining level flight +/- 10 ft in mild turbulence.

 

The lightning detector is also very accurate, although on the extreme 200Nm range it is picking up interference from the Ducati coils. The manufacturer has suggested solutions for it involving major rewiring, and considering that by the time I actually arrive at a storm 200Nm away, it will probably have dispersed! I am happy to be restricted to a 100Nm or less range instead which do not suffer from any interference.

 

If anyone is interested in more detailed information of any of the instruments in my panel, feel free to contact me.

 

Cheers -Eduardo