Paul's RV-9A Special Features
Huge as it is, this airplane is still just a kit. It would be a shame to
build it and not make it "different" (and better, of course) somehow.
Some less ambitious ideas:
- Polished tie down rings
- No vacuum system -- the Dynon EFIS makes this a no-brainer
-
LED position lights. Cheaper, less current draw, and never a bulb to change.
-
Creativair has some made from traditional-style LEDs. They have an integrated strobe/landing light solution too.
- What about a few luxeons tucked in the wing tip?
- The hard-to-find FAA lighting standard, AC 20-74
- While I'm at it, LED cockpit environment lights would be cool too. It will probably take a bit of experimentation to get the right positioning and brightness -- all I can say is that using a flashlight while flying sucks.
- Single-luxeon LED underwing lights?
Some more ambitious ideas:
- Docking station for ipod built into panel somehow
- XM radio? I'm not a huge fan of this technology but it has a certain
appeal in an airplane where you're only in range of a particular station
for a few minutes.
The antenna will be an issue -- I'd rather not have anything else hanging out
there in the breeze. I don't know if you can do an internal antenna...
Other big deciscions:
- I have decided to buy an O-320, 160-hp engine from AeroSport.
- I'm pretty sure I will not be installing an autopilot. While it would
be cool (especially with GPS steering and all that), they are expensive and will add many hours to the project in exchange for little practical value, at least with the kind of flying I do these days. Maybe it can be an add-on project after the thing is flying.
- I am planning on flying the airplane unpainted, at least through the test phase.