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The D10A EFIS runs a different software version than I had on the D10 model. The new software had some changes in the serial data format, which meant I needed to modify my data recording script. It took some head scratching, but I upgraded the Perl script to work with the new format. I also cleaned up a few niggling missing features in the script for the EIS 4000 Engine Monitor. So now I have working scripts for the EFIS and Grand Rapids EIS 4000 Engine Monitor.

Why write my own data recording programs, when Grand Rapids provides one, and the EFIS data can simply be recorded with a terminal program? Well, the Grand Rapids program only works on Windows, the EFIS data comes out with the data fields all jammed together and neither program lets you select the data rate you want (the EIS records one record per second, and the EFIS spits out 64 records per second). And, the biggest stumbling block is that if you record data from two or more devices, you need some way to do a time synchronization on the data from the two devices. I.e., if you are looking at a data record on one device, how do you know which data record from another device comes from the same time? I ended up writing my own Perl scripts to address these issues.

My scripts take the data stream from the devices, grabs a record at the desired interval, decodes it, converts it to the desired units, adds the high resolution computer time to the record and writes it to disk. The resulting file can be opened in a spreadsheet program.

I'll release my scripts on this web site soon. I just need to clean up the documentation to reflect the changes I've made.

Mike K. had noted that I was working on data recording scripts, so he offered to help out. He eventually sent me a script that will record data from my EFIS and Engine Monitor. And Thursday he sent me a version that will record data from the Garmin GNS430. His script is much more polished than mine. it has a Graphical User Interface, puts the data from all devices in one file, and it uses a lot less CPU time. I'll use his scripts, assuming he gets the timing bug fixed. I updated Mike's script to work with the D10A data format, and yesterday I did a test recording data from the EFIS, Engine Monitor and GPS, all at the same time. It worked! Mike has some timing issues to sort out before I can use his script, but he'll get there.

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Before I went to Brazil, I had sent my Dynon D10 EFIS in for an upgrade to make it a D10A. The D10A has more memory and some fixes for in-service issues. The extra memory allowed Dynon to make some major software improvements. The unit arrived back safely early last week.

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I got back from Brazil on Saturday last week, after an all-night flight.

It was a very busy, but enjoyable trip. Embraer is very interesting and satisfying to work with. They have an extremely capable and professional flight test department, and the ERJ-190 is a wonderful aircraft to fly. They have a great product, and I believe the aircraft has a good future.

This week I did some fibreglas sanding, and spent way too much time sorting out some non-project related stuff. Monday night I went out for dinner with Chris Cox, an RV-7 builder from Vancouver, and Lars Eif, and local Steen Skybolt builder. Chris and I had communicated by e-mail a few times, so it was good to finally meet him. Especially since he bought the first round :)

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I realized that it has been over a year and a half since I last updated the project status. It is quite depressing to read the last version, and see how little I've accomplished since then. Too much time on the road, and not enough time in the garage when I'm at home.

Big Picture - The structure is essentially complete. Here you see the fuselage, with engine and prop attached. The wings and the rest of the tail surfaces are in the basement. The engine installation is mostly complete, but I still have to fabricate the top of the plenum chamber for the cooling system, and I have to finish off a few other small details.

The avionics and instrument panel installation is essentially complete. I still have to paint the instrument panel and permanently install the fixed, outer parts of the instrument panel. I have a few cockpit details to finish off. The wiring is still a mess, as I have barely started to tidy up the wire bundles. The cowling and the canopy are complete.

I have refused to predict when I will fly, as I would be setting myself up for failure and frustration if I had a schedule to meet. I am enjoying working on the project, and I try to do something everyday that I'm home. I'm trying to increase the pace of activity so that I can fly in 2006. See the more complete To Do List for a better idea on how much I have left to do.

You can see bigger versions of these photos by clicking on them (a new feature since the recent software update). You can see bigger versions of selected older photos in the Construction Photo Gallery.

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I didn't get that much done last week. I did some sanding and filling on the windscreen fairing, and that was it for actual progress. I did spend several hours looking for a single vendor that carried a list of miscellaneous hardware that I wanted to order. The only vendors that seemed to carry everything had minimum order sizes of 100 items of each part number. I eventually gave up and just ordered the stuff I need to keep moving, as Van's carried all those items.

I spent the rest of my spare time taking care of some non-RV stuff, and spending time with Terry, as I was getting ready to go on the road for two weeks. I flew down to Brazil over night last night, and am writing this from my hotel room. I'm pretty tired, so hopefully this isn't too incoherent.

I'm down here to do Embraer ERJ-190 flight testing. We'll spend most of the time at Embraer's main facility at Sao Jose dos Campos, but we will go to their Gaviao Peixoto flight test facility for several days. I'm looking forward to visiting Gaviao Peixoto, as it was built expressly for flight testing, with a runway 16,295 ft long. It is well away from populated areas, and in an area with very little air traffic, which will really help. Their main facility is right on a busy airway between Sao Paulo and Rio, which makes it hard to get big blocks of airspace for flight testing.

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The last few days I've trimmed the edges of the windscreen fairing and done several rounds of filling and sanding on it. The initial basic fit was good, but the external surface was wavy and rough. The basic external contour is much better now on most of the surface, but some areas still need a lot of work.

I've also done some pin hole filling and priming on the wheel pants, gear leg fairings and the spinner. Slow progress here.

I installed the flight instruments into the instrument panel, hopefully for the last time. I need to order two shorter instrument screws for the Narco 122D, but all the other instruments went in with the screws I had on hand. I've got washers under the heads of the two screws on the Narco 122D for now.