Last updated on September 10, 2011

John Crate's  RV - 6A


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The plane has electric flaps and elevator trim.

 As for avionics, the plane is equipped with a Garmin GNC250XL GPS/Comm which is interfaced with a Garmin 496 GPS, autopilot, Dynon D10A EFIS and PS Engineering PCD7100 intercom. The intercom was modified to accept an audio output from the panel mounted Garmin 496 GPS and an external MP3 player. 

 John's Description:

It's a RV-6A slider is based in Edenvale. Power is supplied by a Lycoming 0-320 B2C (160 HP) turning a fixed pitch Sensenich propeller. It is currently equipped for day/night VFR. Performance is close to Van's published numbers

The plane is wired for both BOSE ANR and conventional headsets. The transponder is a Garmin GTX327 which is extremely pilot friendly and has some very nice features such as the numeric keypad. The best bang for the buck in the plane is the GRT EIS 4000 engine monitor. 

The plane is also equipped with a two axis autopilot that allows both heading /GPS tracking and altitude hold plus; it automatically adjusts the electric elevator trim to keep control forces to a minimum. The autopilot has some additional features that help ease the workload, especially when operating in high density airspace. These additional features include control wheel steering and altitude pre-select (allows climb/descent using either VSI or A/S to the preselected altitude).

 I was unsure of which autopilot to buy when I was installing same, so in the spirit of experimentation, I incorporated two different manufacturer's products into my autopilot system. The autopilot used for heading is from Trutrac and the auto pilot used for altitude hold is from Trio Avionics. Both companies employ different technology to accomplish the same goal. I am very happy with my autopilot system, as it has proven to be incredibly accurate and reliable. 

Lastly, the lights installed on each wing tip can be operated independently as a taxi light or both together as landing lights.  The lights can also be made to wigwag for enhanced visibility/safety.

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