Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2014-2015 - 47

bought his first airplane, a Piper Archer . He traded up to
a Rockwell Commander 114B 18 months later and flew
it for five years and 750 hours . "I loved the 114's comfort
and routinely flew it to Florida and California," but it had
steam gauges, a portable GPS and no moving map .
Rather than put new avionics in an old airframe, he
built a new airplane, the Lancair Super ES . A former R/C
modeler, his first full-scale project did not intimidate him .
After visiting Lancair's Oregon factory, he ordered the kit .
"I took delivery in November 2001, just after 9/11,"
he said . Living just outside of Washington, D .C ., he
said "flying in our area is cumbersome," but operating a
homebuilt in the special flight rules area is not a problem .
Powered by an IO-550-N, the Lancair has 10-hour
legs at 170 knots true airspeed . It first flew in 2008 .
Since then, he's visited every state except Hawaii and
Louisiana, and he replaced his first-generation glass
with a two-screen Garmin G3X, GTN 750 touchscreen
GPS/WAAS, GMA 35 remote audio panel, GTX 330ES
transponder, GDL 39 ADS-B receiver, an SL 40 nav/
comm, and a TruTrak GX autopilot .
Avionics Systems of Leesburg, Va ., built both panels
because "electronics overwhelm me," Mortensen said .
The shop is nearby, so he could discuss things face-toface with owner David Buckwalter . The current panel
was created in two steps . In 2012, it had a GTN 650
and no ADS-B . After flying it for a year, Mortensen
realized he used his iPad more than the 650's moving
map feature . Then Buckwalter started talking about the
traffic and weather benefits of ADS-B In and Out . So in

April 2013, he took
the second step . He's
since canceled his XM
weather subscription .
With the 750's larger screen, Mortensen essentially
has a three-screen cockpit, four counting the iPad with
its Bluetooth connection to the GDL 39 hardwired behind
the panel . He's still optimizing which screen displays
what information, but right now he's feeding weather and
traffic to the iPad, which has a hands-free mount and
aircraft power . It also holds all of his airport information
and approach charts with geosynchronous display .
Mortensen has logged 400 hours in the ES since its
first flight, but he still needs to install a headliner and
decide on a paint scheme . But he's fine with that, he
said . "I put my time and money in the panel because it
gives the best return ."
Doug MacArthur - Van's RV-9A
Price point was and is pertinent for Doug MacArthur,
who dedicated years to shopping for his first airplane
at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin . A pilot since
1971, he logged about 400 hours before an 18-year
sabbatical that coincided with the arrival of three kids .
Now empty nesters, he and his wife, Geri, wanted an
affordable, efficient two-seat traveling machine . A kit was
the only affordable option, and one with a dependable
track record from a reliable company narrowed the field
Continued on following page...

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Photos by Scott M. Spangler

The avionics suite in DOUG MACARTHUR's RV-9 is built around two GRT EFIS screens. The sticks holding
the rudder pedals are gust locks.

Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2014-2015

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