Joe Ruscito's Kitfox S7 Build

[efwd]

nearly 20 year old lightly used Craftsman oiless compressor. I believe mine is a 20gal maybe 25. No problem at all with it. If you have to do large swaths many times over as when you paint a wing, some might say you need a larger compressor.

[Meyer]

Following along as I just started two weeks ago. I am going with the G3X also. Where are your antennas going?

Thanks

Scott

[bbs428]

Dang Joe you really get with it when it comes to building! Love your thread.

I'm getting my paint booth together as well in a few months. I'll be using an auto
urethane with a flex agent. I have a friend who has a paint shop.
He keeps me squared away so I don't screw up to badly!
My harbor freight shooters have done a remarkable job on other projects but I
might have to upgrade to a better gun for the plane. Maybe this one -
a Devibiss Finishline 4 FLG-670. $205.00 on Amazon Any thoughts??

paint gun.jpg

I'm going with a G3X as well. Looking to buy the lions share at Oshkosh this year
and take advantage of any deals or discounts they have to offer.

All the best on your build!

[David47]

When I painted my Series 5 many years ago, I tried the recommended spray polytone over tacky primer on hard surfaces. two problems I encountered were the procedure is a pain...Bruce N199CL

Hmm, I'm gonna reconsider using the Polyfiber method for spraying metal and fibreglass. Too much effort goes into this without having to worry about durability all the time.

[JoeRuscito]

Following along as I just started two weeks ago. I am going with the G3X also. Where are your antennas going?

Thanks

Scott

Still figuring out my antennas and really my system as a whole so far here is what I have, if anyone seems something I'm missing or has any feedback as always its appreciated.

G3X 10.6 landscape GDU (screen)

GDU install kit (screen)

EIS interface box GEA24

GEA24 connector kit

Rotax sensor kit

Magneto/hall effect

Fuel flow ft60

GTX45R transponder in/out

GPS20A ads Waas (Ive gotten mixed info on if this is needed, Garmin said no but I talked with Nikk and he referred me to the manual which states you do to be legal when using the GTX45r)

GPS20a install kit

ga56 GPS ANT or Ga-35 gps antenna
CL105 transponder ant or TED XPDR transponder ant

GTR20 remote com radio

GMA-245R remote audio panel

Ra miller 10 com ant

GA-26c internal GPS

Vertical power sport

vertical power connector kit

ACK e-04 ELT

Then down the road I may add a G5 for redundancy and possibly autopilot and a second com!

[JoeRuscito]

Dang Joe you really get with it when it comes to building! Love your thread...

Thanks man! Trying to keep up the momentum! Thats exactly the gun I got. I also have a small gun Jim, my EAA tech, gifted to me for the small stuff. My "paint booth" arrives tomorrow. Im wondering how long it takes to build a car port?!

[aviator79]

One thing about transponder antennae that I learned the hard way: Don't locate it near an autopilot servo. At least with the Dynon servos, the transponder signal will kick the servo offline. Fortunately, it was easy enough to switch the antennae between the transponder and ADS-B receiver.

[efwd]

Hmm. That is interesting Brian. I suppose I won't figure that problem out until several flights in when I test the auto pilot.
Regarding the GTX45R, I haven't done the research but my GTX345 has a WAAS GPS and I thought the R version was the same radio without the control panel.
I could be wrong since the GTX345 is certified and the 45R I notice is designed for the experimental/LSA market. I would certainly get the answer before I spent the $.

[JoeRuscito]

I think you are correct that from a hardware standpoint they are identical (at least from what I’m told) however the firmware limits the use of the internal gps. Hence the massive price difference!

Interested as to why you went with the certified version?

[aviator79]

Hmm. That is interesting Brian. I suppose I won't figure that problem out until several flights in when I test the auto pilot.
Regarding the GTX45R, I haven't done the research but my GTX345 has a WAAS GPS...

In my case, my roll servo and my transponder antenna were both mounted to the left mounting plate on the belly, so the servo was only a couple inches from the antenna. I had tested the autopilot and everything worked fine. I was doing some additional testing later, and the roll servo kept going offline. It was because I had the avionics powered, and the transponder was active. Fortunately, a Dynon forum post clued me in to what was going on. I just swapped the XPDR/ADSB antenna cables behind the panel. It may not be an issue with Garmin servos, or if you have the servo more than a few inches from antenna.