What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Backup steam gauges or G5?

jerpo1

Member
I am upgrading my RV6 panel and would appreciate opinions and suggestions. I am installing a 10 inch Skyview classic along with the AP,knob panel,Dynon radio, remote transponder, and antenna to make it adsb compliant. I have an airspeed and altimeter left over from the old panel that I am considering using as backup but it was suggested that I use those as paperweights and install a g5 instead. Is it worth it to invest the extra $1300 and have all glass? Would anyone actually prefer the analog gauges?
 
I chose to keep the analog ASI and Altimeter. Added a TruTrack Gemini ADI.

It might be overly redundant, but I think that's good good.
 
I have a 10" GRT screen with a G5 as a backup. The G5 Couldn't be simpler to install, and very happy with its performance.

Caleb
 
Don't forget the GRT Mini-X... A very capable little EFIS. Likely more features/functionality per dollar than the G5.
 
G5

I love my G5 with backup battery and magnatometer. It allowed me to finally get rid of the whiskey compass. I've never had a minute's trouble from it. I've looped and rolled with it and it has never tumbled. It was easy to install, and, most important for a backup instrument, I trust it. John
 
If flying IFR get a second SkyView display and the second ADHARS module. Stay with the integrated Dynon autopilot and such. The system works amazingly well. Don?t forget to install the SkyView ADS-B receiver. I?ve been flying with this for years and hate it when I fly a plane that does not have it. Once you know what it does, you will not want to fly without it.

I did dual 10? SkyViewS in the RV-10 and added both an airspeed and altimeter. I always used the airspeed for takeoff and landing, but no much else. I found I never used the altimeter so for the new RV-8 project it is getting one large and one small SkyView display, and the airspeed instrument as the only steam gauge.

If you must add a backup EFIS, I would go with the D10A. This is an amazingly flexible and reliable unit.

Carl
 
I?m glad to read that most have found exactly what I have. The Dynon stuff is great. It is simple and it works. As a single unit or as a system. I like it.
 
Backup

I have and love the G5. Here are some things to think about:
1) The D10 is much bigger and heavier than the G5, and dimmer display
2) The G5 has entirely different software from the Dynon, so no chance for a shared software fault
3) Unbeknownst to many, the experimental G5 is exactly the same TSO'd hardware and core SW as the certified version, so reliability is likely very good.
4) G5 is extremely easy to install. Too bad you don't have Garmin for the rest of the system - the integration and ease of interconnection are superb, and the G5 can run the AP stand alone.

Reinhard
 
Take a close look at the Dynon PocketPanel.

It only needs power to keep its battery charged, no tie into your pitot or static system.
 
G5

After experiencing two Dynon Pocket (D2 version) panel total failures in three months I sold my last rebuilt unit and bought the G5.

Constantly charging the Dynon battery was a pain and it went tango uniform on me at a very inopportune time from a dead battery.

Also, I was never very happy with the screen readability. Yes, you can read in in bright sunlight, but I was never really happy with that aspect of it. It jsut wasn't bright enough for my liking.

The G5 is much brighter and I never have to worry about the **** battery because it's hard-wired.

I also agree it was stupid simple to install. In fact I wound myself thinking I needed to set aside the weekend to install the G5. I wanted to hook it up to my pitot/static system as well.

So I'm geared up and ready for the certain aggravations, frustrations and swearing that I know are about to commence... and just about one hour later it seems I was done with the install.

"That can't be right," I'm thinking. Go back, re-read the instructions and decide, screw it - just try turning it on. Worked perfectly!

Honestly, even if you don't use all the fancy functions available on it, it's a great unit. And this coming from a guy who swore he would never buy anything Garmin...
 
I love my G5 with backup battery and magnatometer. It allowed me to finally get rid of the whiskey compass. I've never had a minute's trouble from it. I've looped and rolled with it and it has never tumbled. It was easy to install, and, most important for a backup instrument, I trust it. John


Hmm ok but here you have to say that the Magnetometer is not powered by the backup battery of the G5. I do also have a G5 as a backup but as my local authorities want to have at least 30min backup of HDG I was forced to install a second Magnetometer in my system and ad a backup power unit only to power the 0.1A of the GMU-11 Magnetometer :( The G5 has a internal GPS and thus only shows track with the internal backup battery.



Otherwise I am as well very happy with the G5 but I am not yet flying.
 
I do also have a G5 as a backup but as my local authorities want to have at least 30min backup of HDG

Rant: that is so ridiculous. In flight, the whole purpose of heading is to give you the course you want. GPS gives you that directly, and the GPS filters are fast enough that you can use raw GPS without external aiding.

The only times you really care about heading are takeoff and landing, and then you get your heading information visually. If ATC assigned course rather than heading, that would make it simpler for them, too!

In my old AirCam, the heading bounced around so much that I always flew course, and ATC never complained. If they knew.

If you've got a magnetic compass, surely that would be an adequate backup...

Let's see... use G5 heading to iterate to figure out the correct heading correction to give you the desired course which you can read directly from GPS... you've got to be kidding.

Your authorities seem to know lots more about rule books than about airplanes.

End Rant.
 
Rant: that is so ridiculous. In flight, the whole purpose of heading is to give you the course you want. GPS gives you that directly, and the GPS filters are fast enough that you can use raw GPS without external aiding.

The only times you really care about heading are takeoff and landing, and then you get your heading information visually. If ATC assigned course rather than heading, that would make it simpler for them, too!

In my old AirCam, the heading bounced around so much that I always flew course, and ATC never complained. If they knew.

If you've got a magnetic compass, surely that would be an adequate backup...

Let's see... use G5 heading to iterate to figure out the correct heading correction to give you the desired course which you can read directly from GPS... you've got to be kidding.

Your authorities seem to know lots more about rule books than about airplanes.

End Rant.

Absolutely… The answer was it is HDG and not track because ATC gives you HDGs... But in the case I need my G5 my electrical system is anyway gone and I do not have a radio anymore.. But those are the rules and I have to stick to it.. as stupid as it is. And as there are no backup batteries with 50mAh (as I need only 30mins of backup) I installed the smallest IBBS from TWC. But this means I have now a 3Ah backup. As it absolutely makes no sense to only power a backup Magnetometer from it (for 30hours) I used it to also have a backup for my PFD. So in case of a Alternator failure I have 1h essential bus on my EarthX 900. Then I have 1h on my IBBS for PFD, G5 and backup Magnetometer and then 3hrs or so with the internal battery of the G5 but then only track. This for a VFR day only airplane! I can`t even fly at night as we need to have certified engines and props to do so (and my superior engine and Catto prop are of course not certified) ... But this is another story… Trying to fly IFR is even worse.. no certified avionic is allowed to be interconnected to a uncertified one… means no Connection between a G3X and a GTN => no Autopilot controlled approaches possible :) Guys you may think FAA makes things hard but come to another country :)
 
Last edited:
Many European GA problems would be solved if European regulators came and flew for a week in the states, VFR, no radio.
 
To the OPs question of backup analog vs glass, I would say go glass. There is something somewhat aestically pleasing with having a few analog gauges a s I seriously considered that. However panel real estate and a few options I wanted me drove me to glass.

Now G5 vs D10 vs whatever, that?s a different topic. I went all garmin to include the G5. I like the compatibility, backup battery and function as a second adahrs of the G5. Im a bit of a Garmin fanboy so if you?re like my buddy who is anti-garmin you?ll go with something different and get the same result.
 
SNIP... Im a bit of a Garmin fanboy so if you?re like my buddy who is anti-garmin you?ll go with something different and get the same result.

Yep - I?m one of those anti-Garmin guys as well. Three times burned by the big G monopoly is more than anyone should suffer.

Sorry for the rant.
Carl
 
You're going to find fewer and fewer people who can work on pitot-static instruments going forward. If for whatever reason you needed assistance with the ASI or ALT, it's much easier and probably less expensive these days to be working with a digital based data system than the tried and true pressure wafer driven altimeter or airspeed indicators.

Besides that point, the data that you get with something like a G5 is ten fold what you are getting with an airspeed indicator and altimeter for not much additional cost.

We put the certified versions in our club 172, two of them to the tune of about 10K and despite the cost, absolutely love them.
 
Last edited:
Take a look at the GRT Mini-X. Just as easy to install as the G5 - power, ground to the unit, power, ground and an RS232 wire to the magnetometer, GPS micro coax push-on connector to the puck-style antenna. That's it, you're done. And it's available with an internal battery that I've tested to well past 2 hours of endurance. Plus it can have an internal moving map, synthetic vision, you can do GPS-based flight planning on it.

The only down-side to the GRT Mini is that it doesn't fit into a pre-existing round hole so you'll need to do a little metal cutting. No big deal if you've already built an airplane.

Why am I a fan of GRT's Mini-X? Yes, because I was an early adopter. Yes, because I'm not a fan of Garmin's "big dog on the porch" approach in treating their customers. And yes, because the G5 is a good box, but to do anything else with it you have to buy a whole bunch more Garmin stuff. Not so with the much more open-standard approach taken by GRT.

Everybody has their favourites. Here you've seen that very few people list steam gauges as their fav's. My little airplane has steam ASI, VSI, ALT and T&B surrounding a Dynon D100. The D100 has been like a rock for the 11 years it's been installed. I've replaced two T&Bs and now my steam altimeter looks like it's bought the farm, too. No steam for this kid - it's just too unreliable! This is coming from a grey-haired avionics guy who helped modern digital avionics come of age... I never thought I'd say steam gauges were less reliable than glass, but the very limited test case of my own aircraft has shown this unlikely conclusion to be true.
 
Back
Top