Instrument installation... wat is the secret?

I am installing a back up suite of four steam gauges.

An independent T/B, Airspeed, Altimeter, and cable driven Tach. Yes i should be ok at night with a full on power failure or so i Hope!

No matter how hard i try and diligent I am in reading everything i can my Instrument screw holes never line up! Arggggg.

How do you guys out there (those that still do steam gauges) manage to get these mounting holes in the right place.

Dave

dave4754 said:

I am installing a back up suite of four steam gauges.

An independent T/B, Airspeed, Altimeter, and cable driven Tach. Yes i should be ok at night with a full on power failure or so i Hope!

No matter how hard i try and diligent I am in reading everything i can my Instrument screw holes never line up! Arggggg.

How do you guys out there (those that still do steam gauges) manage to get these mounting holes in the right place.

Dave

Click to expand...

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/instrumentmounting.php

...?

Same as above and you could buy
Vans pre punched panel. Best option.

compass vs. tach

I would argue that a gyro compass is much more important than the tach in a backup system.

+ 1 for the template.

Yep the templates are the way to go. You can lay it out by hand and get it done, but the template makes it so much better. If you only have one or two hole it may not be worth it to buy one, but it is nice to have it in the tool kit.
Yours R.E.A. III #80888

Thanks guys

I didnt know they made a template. Nuts!

AS for the gyro compass, I will have a magnetic one on the glareshield and perhaps the Tach will give way to a gyro compass one day.

The way the panel is when power is out I should know which way is up, which way is down and that the engine is running with wings level.

Without power.

Dave

Just put one Dynon d2 PocketPanel and call it a day.

As long as that big hunk of aluminum and steel continues to make noise, I'm pretty sure you can get home without a tach.

The other backup instrument I recommend is to mount a handheld GPS in your panel. Between that and the PockPanel you will be able to keep the plane upright and navigate with an electrical failure.

All the instruments you want to put in your panel just add weight and reduce reliability. (I've had a tach cable fail on my old plane and was able to land the plane just fine.)

What usually fails in our airplanes?

I agree with Bill in theory, then comes the question, "what do I need?". Need is subjective in most cases, but does not need come down to what will help each individual from becoming a casualty when things fail? After training and practice, having the absolute minimum needed to land safely would seem to make sense from a complexity standpoint, from an emergency distraction standpoint and from a maintenance standpoint. For me, a backup handheld com connected to an antenna splitter and a Garmin 296 with a good, preflight check would suffice. In my last RV, I also installed 2.25" VSI, ASI and altimeter, all stacked vertically on the far left side of my panel.

While never really needed, these instruments coupled with handhelds afforded me a practiced safety factor in the case of a total electrical failure.

My backup six-pack is an Airspeed indicator, a TruTrak ADI w/backup battery, and an Altimeter.

If the D-100 fails the three round instruments below it will tell me what I need to know.

Use an old instrument face

I used the face off an old instrument
for a template.

A couple of comments.
I bought a template that had the holes crooked so check that before you mark and drill. I bought different brand and it was fine. I still have the bad one on my bench to remind me to double check everything.
I used some 1 1/4 inch instruments that I could not find a template for. I made my own template and marked the holes with a transfer punch, this worked after trying about a dozen other things .

Charles in SC said:

A couple of comments.
I bought a template that had the holes crooked so check that before you mark and drill. I bought different brand and it was fine. I still have the bad one on my bench to remind me to double check everything.
I used some 1 1/4 inch instruments that I could not find a template for. I made my own template and marked the holes with a transfer punch, this worked after trying about a dozen other things .

Click to expand...

That must be the same one I was given.

I will have a slip ball and an oil pressure light if my EFIS goes up in smoke. I can land with that in day/vfr just fine. If I start flying at night or messing with poor weather I will have to consider adding something with a horizon.