S.N.A.F.U.

Regarding the trim switch, you could have the wire chafing where it
comes out of the yoke tube behind the panel. The wire comes out a few
inches from the end of the tube through a drilled hole. For some
reason, there is no grommet on the hole, and it is just a matter of time
before the wires chafe.

Thanks, Ray -- I'll check that out.

For the temperature probe installation, you might want to plug it into
your EDM and test it before you button everything back up.

Great idea. JPI says they have a quick turn-around, but we'll see.
By the time everything is shipped back and forth, I'm betting on it
taking a couple of weeks to get this thing back in the panel.

For the side panels, there is a trick to getting the screws in. Use an
awl through the screw hole in the side panel to find the matching screw
hole in the aluminum, then push the side panel firmly against the
aluminum, get your screw ready, and then take the awl out and replace it
with the screw being careful to not move the side panel in the process.

I did exactly that. The toughest thing I had to do was reinstall the
seat belt, as the mounting bracket comes through a slit in my left
side panel, which is made out of a very stiff fabric-covered
plastic.

Getting that mount to come through the panel, and then inserting the
belt (with its little spacer), and then finding the hole with the bolt
(whilst going through the spacer and the bracket) required more than
two hands.

My A&P just laughed, saying "Now you know why I love owner-assisted
annuals..."

:-)

I used the L-R split switch that came with the skycraft
lights to replace my original landing light switch. The L side of the
switch is connected to the nose light circuit and relays. The R side of
the switch is connected to the recognition flasher circuit, which
connects to the wing tip lights on the lamp sides of the respective
relays.

I've got the Skycraft split switch, too -- but the AvTek flasher comes
with it's own switch, which activates the flashing/wig-wag process.
It's also got a speed control. It appears to simply wire in-line
with the landing light(s) circuit(s), although I didn't look at the
instructions to see precisely where before realizing that it was the
wrong model. I'm guessing it wires into the backside of the landing
switch, but that's gonna be a real SOB (why in hell Piper made getting
at those switches so hard is beyond me) -- so hopefully we can tap in
at the circuit breakers.

I still haven't gotten around to cleaning my airplane since getting back
from OSH.

Yeah, it's sad, but I was vacuuming up blades of Oshkosh grass. We've
been so danged busy at the inn that we've spent very few hours at our
hangar this summer -- far less than past years. Atlas is definitely
begging to be cleaned, inside and out.

I also still have to install the air gizmo for that 496 I
bought, which looks like it is going to involve removing the LORAN to
make it fit.

You'll love it, if you can find a shop to do it without involving your
FSDO. The Air Gizmo installation is one of the best things we've
done to our plane.

I did finally get the fuel flow upgrade for my JPI
installed, and just need to get the OAT probe working again.

I have the separate FS-450 fuel flow gauge in the panel, which
normally has been one of those "Boy, I wish I could add that function
to the EDM-700" kind of things (the 450 was in the panel when I bought
the plane, and I added the EDM-700 later). Usually I'd rather have
the extra panel space.

Now, of course, with the EDM-700 in a box, on its way to California,
I'm really glad to have the stand-alone gauge...

This whole thing is so danged predictable. What sounds so simple in
conversation ALWAYS seems to end up taking twice as long as
anticipated, due to one thing or another.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"