Look Ma, No Panel!

It was a heartbreaking decision, but along with upgrading the engine, I decided to update the whole panel. So how did this start?

Like so many other aviation stories, this one started at Oshkosh. Electronic Instruments had a special offer of a $2000 rebate on the high-end MVP-50 engine monitor. As I started pricing out what it would cost to buy the additional gauges and an engine monitor, it started making economic sense.

When a friend offered to “loan” me his blank panel until Swift Nationals, I started thinking, now that I have a blank panel… Did I mention I just came back from Oshkosh?

After seeing all the avionics vendors, I found visions of Avidyne dancing in my head. And then the dreams got worse, ADS-B native transponders, Aspen glass, and audio panels sprinkled with Bluetooth. Do you see where this is going?

So here we are with a Swift without a panel.