With all the hardware in hand, I went ahead and installed the ELT.
Important to-do: register the ELT and do a self-test. Since I don’t have a registration number yet, I don’t think I can register the ELT, but I need to research. Testing is also something I need to research, as setting off a 406MHz ELT is not the same as the old 121.5 style which you can test in the first 5 minutes of every hour.
Tonight I finished a few small tasks and powered up the panel for the first time. No smoke or popping sounds, and everything worked exactly as expected. This felt like a significant milestone in the airplane’s life.
The prep tasks included plugging in the few remaining items (CO detector, battery, OAT), and double-checking all the wiring. I had developed a checklist to follow to ensure I didn’t miss anything critical. Then it was time to power up the ground power module, and hit the Battery switch. Note, the panel doesn’t have a Master switch, as the alternator is switched independently. (Typically the Battery plus Alternator switches make up the Master switch.)
The “thunk” of the battery contactor closing, and subsequent coming-to-life of screens and switches was awesome. Plugging in my headset and hearing the crisp and clear audio intercom and radio transmissions of aircraft was exciting and rewarding. Mostly I felt relieved that everything worked as expected, so I can move forward with tidying up the wiring and checking the various subsystems (lighting, engine monitoring, autopilot etc).
Tonight I got started on the ELT mount. I’m going with the 406MHz unit from Artex, and mounting in the regular location. The unit ships with a mount plate that fits the hole pattern on the aft deck. The only thing I need to do is wire up the harness, mount the buzzer (an audio alarm that sounds when it activates), and it’s good to go.
I made a mount bracket for the buzzer, and ordered some #8 screws and associated washers and nuts to mount the ELT tray.
I also installed the panel ground pigtail using an AN5 bolt.
Tonight I made and installed a ground point for the instrument panel ground leads, and wired up the FlyLED “The Works” controller board.
The ground point is on the sub structure between the firewall and the instrument panel. Since the rib in that area is thin, I installed a plate on each side of the rib, secured with rivets in each corner. Before installing I removed the primer from both sides of the rib. Tomorrow I should be getting a bolt in the mail which will fit nicely here, securing the ground wires. This was the first time I needed to go on my back, up under the panel. It sucked. I removed the passenger side stick and used a cushion, but it was still very cramped and uncomfortable.
With that job done, I wired up the FlyLED controller board. I’ll need to mount this behind the panel somewhere, so I’ll be doing more crawling under the panel to install I’m sure.
Tonight I torqued up 4 bolts that had been installed as part of the quick build but not torqued. This had been on the to-do list for a while, but I decided to do it now so I could install the seat ramps.
Bigger picture, I’m gearing up for a first power-up of the instrument panel. For the next few tasks I’ll be in and out of the cockpit, so I want the seat ramps installed to reduce risk of bending or dinging any of the internal structure.
Once the bolts were torqued I installed the seat ramps. There’s a slight alignment issue with one of the screw holes near the seatbelt, so I’ll have to look at that at some point. These ramps will be coming out again at least a few more times, to install the seatbelts, to connect wing systems, and to troubleshoot problems.
