VELOCITY XL FG
N478B
ELECTRICAL / INSTRUMENTS
The NAV/COM antennas come already
installed in the Fast Build wings and winglets.
FAST LINKS TO:
LIGHTS ANTENNAS PITOT / STATIC SYSTEM INSTRUMENTS
1. Taxi Light
(Custom) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
(7) (8) 
I opted to separate the taxi and the landing lights. I made a custom installation in the nose of
an off-the-shelf car halogen light for the taxi light. It points down at about a 50 to 60° angle from the horizontal. I believe this will be enough to illuminate
the taxiway in front without blinding other pilots on the ground. I made a shape with foam for the hood and
formed the part with 2 BID. Also, I made
and glassed a base for the light inside the nose with TRIAX and BID. I then installed the hood in place. I cut the acrylic cover that came with the
kit to the shape I wanted, using the method explained in (# 16 on Related
Projects / Ideas) installing
it in place with two nutplates and countersunk screws over Tinnerman
washers. I still do not know whether I
will keep it removable or glass it permanently in place. I like the idea of being able to remove it if
necessary. I plan to install wig-wag /
steady landing lights somewhere in the wings.
2. Nav / Strobe Lights (1) (2) (3) (4)
I installed the GS-Air LED-based nav/strobe lights system. It is a system that looks many times better
than the Wheelen type of systems, the strobe flasher is fully programmable,
comes with all the necessary components for installation, including 40 feet of shielded
cable, for aqbout half the price. I made
a small template of the wingtip module and decided on the definitive
position. I drew a reference line (0° incidence) on the wingtip. I transferred the size and location of the
wire holes in the back of the unit to the wingtip and opened them with a
grinding bit and a sanding drum on a Dremel tool. I sawed between both wire holes with a
handsaw and widened the line with the help of a grinding bit on the Dremel and
a flat file. I then positioned the module
in place and marked the holes for the screws on the reference line by slightly
rotating the unit and scratching the surface with the unit’s screws
themselves. I opened the holes and
riveted miniature anchor nuts in place. Finally, I sanded all the edges
smooth.
I made the ELT antenna out of copper tape and toroids
provided in the RST Engineering Antenna Kit and installed it on the inside of
the main center spar. Once the cable
was soldered, I fixed the parts in place with hot glue, protected the setup
with a foam piece and glassed over it for permanency.
PITOT
/ STATIC SYSTEM
I screwed a Gretz Heated Pitot Tube to a piece of 4130
streamline steel tubing and opened the hole on the passenger side of the nose
compartment. I will not glass it in
place until I sand and finish the fuselage surface further.
2. Static Pressure System (1) (2) (3)
I potted polypropylene barbed fittings against the outer skin on both sides of the cabin and opened them to the outside through a 1/16” hole. I used a T on the pilot’s side. The lower end will be used for drainage of the system and the upper will connect to a Y. One of the top ends of the Y will connect to the instruments and the other to a valve in a niche underneath and behind the instrument panel on the pilot’s side. This valve will normally be closed to keep the system opened to the outside and serve as the alternate cabin static system when opened.
1. Instrument Panel Plan
I plan to install the following components on my instrument panel:
■ Dynon FlightDek 180 and Dynon EFIS 100 (redundant ADAHRS and
■ AvMap EKP IV permanently installed in the
panel
■ PS Engineering PM1000 II
intercom
■ Dynon Autopilot with AP74 Autopilot Interface Module
2. Dynon EFIS and
I received the two large, seven-inch diagonal screen
display units from Dynon; a FlightDEK D180 and an EFIS D100. The FlightDEK
provides both electronic flight information (EFIS) and graphical, engine
monitoring information (
Upon receiving the above components, I drew the
panel to shape in MS Word, downloaded images of the screens and instruments I
plan on installing and scaled them down so that I could move them around for panel
planning. My panel set up would be
considered unconventional but then again, the center control stick in a
Velocity (right hand) is also unconventional and I go for functionality. That means I prefer locating as many
components as I can on the left side, including the radios, avoiding having to
switch hands in flight to operate them.
LINK TO
CONSTRUCTION IMAGES ON THE OFFICIAL VELOCITY WEBSITE
THIS SECTION
IS UPDATED REGULARLY.
PLEASE
REPORT ANY MALFUNCTION OR BROKEN LINKS TO:
Jorge A. Bujanda / 2004