Cessna 180 Dynon Install
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TMartinPNW
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Great looking install! Are you planning two 10-inch displays or a 7-inch on the right side? I'm looking to do the same in my 172M and haven't decided whether or not to do two displays or use the right for an iPad with Foreflight. Please post your progress, very interested!!
Corefile
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So what I did is had the panel cut to take 2 10” HDX panels - but I’m going to start out with just the left side Dynon and I had them make a cover plate ( out of the same panel material) for the Dynon cut out on the right side that I will mount my iPad. Everything behind the panel was built as if I was installing two HDX panels - so down the road if I want to install a second HDX - I just remove the plate and connect the existing wiring harness to the second HDX and I’m ready to go.
That was exactly what I was going to do with my setup
I even ordered just one HDX at first and planned to install the second one later.I ended up installing both at the same time, and I’m glad I did. Don’t even need to use an iPad anymore.
Flying with full-size PFD is very nice. I don’t even split it, I use MFD for everything else.
Another reason why I ended up with two HDX displays is redundancy. Since I ditched all my engine gauges, I wanted a backup screen if my PFD goes bad/freezes/crashes. Also it extends time on backup battery almost 2x as you can run one screen at a time in case of electrical failure.
TMartinPNW
New Member
That's my plan as well, I like the idea of redundancy but most of my flying will be VFR so not mission critical. Later I may want to add capability and having the panel built to accommodate that will make adding a 2nd HDX easier (and less expensive).
Corefile
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Interesting I never even considered the 2x backup battery time by using one HDX while the other is off and then switching when needed. And I also ditched all my other gauges and am using the engine monitoring. That one of the most compelling reason for the second HDX is for redundant engine gauges - I will probably go with the second one as well - but will need to find a good spot for my iPad w/ ForeFlight, it has so many features that I will still use that the Dynon do not have. Filing flight plans, my pilots log book, and a host of other features, one of which I’ve asked Dynon to consider adding the must have feature for me is Foreflights profile mode, it’s extremity useful for complicated airspace and now weather too. I will probably just find another spot to mount my iPad with FF, and add the 2nd HDX as soon as budget allows. Good thing is there is virtually no additional install charge, it’s already wired for a second HDX.
Do you really need those ForeFlight features when flying? For planning purposes - yes, but then you can just keep your iPad in the bag or on your lap. That’s what I do now. You definitely don’t need a logbook in flight.
Corefile
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Yeah I mean we all fly differently - I do want to use all of those features when flying. If you are using Firelight during your flight, it will do auto log book entries based on that flight, and then every couple weeks I just go in and approve the entries and my log book is current (do I need it, no - but do I want to lose that if I don't have to? Nope) - great time saving feature. Foreflight profile view is amazing - again depending on what type of flying you do - I do a lot of flights where I don't have a an exact flight path or I will deviate because I want to get a better view of something I see - I'll check the weather and TFR for an area - but once I'm in that area I just explore. Not everyone just follows the magenta line
The profile view for that is a great feature, the number one navigation feature if you like exploring.
Raymo
I love aviation!
Dual Skyview screens in my bird and I always have FF running on my iPhone. I always load the flight plan from FF, unless going direct. FF also tells you WHERE traffic is located (over Bluetooth) while the Skyview just says "Traffic."
Yeah I mean we all fly differently - I do want to use all of those features when flying. If you are using Firelight during your flight, it will do auto log book entries based on that flight, and then every couple weeks I just go in and approve the entries and my log book is current (do I need it, no - but do I want to lose that if I don't have to? Nope) - great time saving feature. Foreflight profile view is amazing - again depending on what type of flying you do - I do a lot of flights where I don't have a an exact flight path or I will deviate because I want to get a better view of something I see - I'll check the weather and TFR for an area - but once I'm in that area I just explore. Not everyone just follows the magenta line
A bit of a thread creep, but I’m curious how you are using profile view for this? Are you talking about the one in the flight plan feature?
If I’m just wandering around, a sectional and looking outside is all I use.... I do use the profile view when planning cross-country flights, but only at the planning stage, not in flight...
Yeah, this is something that I wish they implemented in Skyview itself. This, and ability to filter out irrelevant traffic. Traffic is one of the reasons I kept my Aera 660/GDL39 combo, relative trend vector is super useful.
Corefile
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When you turn in on in flight its dynamic from your current position and elevation direction to next point of the flight plan - basically where I want to be at the end of the flight. I get an updated cross sectional view. You can also get profile view of any part of the map by doing doing the thumb forefinger placement on the map, this will bring up the ruler - it also enables profile view of that section - so if I want to go a different direction - I just pinch in on the map and now I have the cross section of that, so I know exactly what I would be flying through. Sectional is great - but the profile gives you a much better view. When you are flying through an area that has multiple classes of airspace stacked on top of each other it gives you a very good view of the the layers of the cake and what those layers look like on your current heading. You also see a cross section of weather, ahead on you your path - or actually anywhere on the chart that you want to see. sectional does not do that. If you are over mountain ranges - you can see the height of each peak in front of you (not the the highest peak in that part of the sectional. Or you are flying along decide to change your destination, choose the airport on foreflight and select direct to and now you instantly have a cross section view of all the air space, obstacles, tfr, and weather between you and your destination. At a high level it takes your sectional and makes it a 3D view instead of a overhead 2d view, and then layers weather on top of that 3D sectional. You sound pretty skeptical so I'm not going to try and convince you of anything, I've been using it for years - its by far my favorite feature of ForeFlight and the only reason I pay for the upgraded subscription.
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I was not skeptical, really, I was genuinely curious. Always learning new things
Thanks for the detailed explanation, it does actually make sense.BTW, not mounting my iPad allowed me to switch to my 12-inch iPad Pro that I keep on my lap. Since I don’t use it for charts or approach plates, I don’t have to mount it. Before Dynon I was using my iPad mini mounted on the yoke bar in my Bonanza, but I never really liked that setup as it was always getting in the way.
Brent Dana
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Corefile
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little update on the progress on the panel - have been working on some other parts of the plane (Pponk, Sportsman STOL, etc) but making progress slowly but surely. Also I've decided to go ahead with Dual HDX 10" displays, appreciated the discussion above to help in my rethinking this plan.
Hi looks nice I have a 1953 180 I am looking at the Bushliner panel as well. How do you like the panel system? Would you do it again? Does it restrict your view forward any more or less than the larger 70s 80s style factory panels? How was the process of putting in the new top deck behind the windshield? My airplane was just painted and wondering when putting in the top deck can it all be done with out disturbing any thing forward of the windshield retainer strip? Any more pictures of your progress you could share? Where are you located. I am in Everett WA.Can't wait for my new panel on my Cessna 180 to be completed. @Dynon you can see I have a spot waiting for the Auto Pilot - Please, Please, Please
View attachment 4110
Thanks Monte
Corefile
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yeah mine had the older style and I wanted the ram control wheel, I got them from Skywagon City but they were in ruff shape. I sent them to SairCorp and they reconditioned them, its a pretty extensive process:
Our Process:
- Upon receiving, the yokes are visually inspected, photographed and the owner is notified of any unusual conditions.
- The yokes are disassembled, abrasive blasted and metal finished.
- Minor pitting is epoxy filled, cured and finish sanded.
- They are chemically cleaned and out-gassed in our ovens.
- The yokes are sprayed with 2 coats of TGIC Polyester powder and oven cured.
- Yokes are removed after oven curing and allowed to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled the yokes are hand sanded to remove any minor imperfections.
- They are then cleaned and placed back in the oven until cure temp is achieved.
- The yokes are removed, sprayed hot with 2 coats of TGIC Polyester powder and then placed back in the oven for final curing.
- Yokes are removed, allowed to cool, reassembled, inspected and released to shipping.
The plane is still in the shop up at Bushliner - I'm doing a very extensive rebuild - the panel is just a very small part of what I'm having done, so I can't give a PIREP on the view. However I will say I don't think it will be any problem - it looks more drastic then it actually is. We did an overlay of the Bushliner panel shape with the original, and only that corner is a bit higher then the rounded original panel - the height of the actual panel itself is exactly the same, so you really only have that corner that is higher - but only a little, and then it drops off faster then the original so you actually get a bit more side view. I really don't think it will come into play, if you are vertically challenged, it may come into play while taxing, but only at that corner.
As I mentioned I'm doing a pretty extensive rebuild - so for me - everything from the forward door post to the firewall (including the firewall) was replaced with new skins, yes all the fuselage skins forward of the door post) - so for me the top deck was just one of the skins that we replaced. So I can't really give much feedback on the process of replacing the top deck on a painted plane and what effect that would have.
I have a ton of pictures of the process - its been up there for 1.5 years now. But its a bit off topic for this forum as the Dynon portion is just a small part of the rebuild. As a side note - the pictures I posted of the panel to start this post, has already been scrapped. There was a v2 design that I got switched to, which I'm happy with as its a bit more flexible. Bushliner is doing the final fit and then off to powder coating. Once I have it installed I'll post another picture of the new panel design. I'm located in Ca, Bay Area.