Instrument panel

General

The instrument panel seems to be one of the hottest topics for most homebuilders. Wherever you look on the Internet you find draft layouts of instrument panels. Often sketches of the "dream panel" exist even before a plane kit has been selected. This is of course understandable, as the instrument panel is the user interface of an airplane. It is as well the place where builders can best add an individual touch to their plane.

Additionally, a significant part of the budget for a plane goes into the panel, often as much or more than into the basic structure of the plane or into the engine (or sometimes both together!).

The following questions are currently keeping me busy regarding the panel (details on the left):

Analogue vs. Glass Panel, Updated January 2009

I have initially tended towards installation of an analogue panel with gyros. I remember however the remark from Chip during our test flight in a SportCruiser that "analogue panels are for those who live in the past". I strongly believe that the instantaneous recognition of a situation, including trends, is a very important aspect of panel design. Normally this is easier with analogue instruments than with screens. That is probably one of the reasons why, apart of nostalgia, analogue watches still have not been replaced by digital watches...

Today's glass panels have however made huge progress over the years. They are similarly priced than gyros, but offer much more functionality. With today's very bright screens they offer good readability even in bright sunlight. They are also easier to install, as they typically contain up to 10 instruments in one box.

VFR or IFR or Night VFR

I currently only have a day VFR licence. I would be interested however to get night VFR and IFR licences as well. A fully IFR equipped panel is currently beyond financial limits, as Swiss regulations require for example two DME's. US requirements are much less stringent, but unfortunately the Swiss ones count... I finally decided that Night VFR is probably the only thing that is practically achievable, so I am trying to design the panel for that.

Autopilot

Some of the planes I fly regularly are equipped with basic autopilots. Most are only holding course, some can be coupled to the gyro and some are holding altitude as well. Especially on longer flights this has proven to be quite convenient, as you can do your navigation paperwork even during some turbulence without deviating from your course. As the plane we are building is mostly meant to be a travelling machine we have therefore decided to install a simple autopilot.