Avionics: New GRT and Garmin flight data logging analysis tool.

This page is deprecated.  Go here for the latest version:   

 

The most up-to-date version will always be found here

 

Do you have a GRT or Garmin EFIS?  I have a GRT and friends with Garmin.  These EFISs record a lot of data but we don't have good tools available to view those data, especially for GRT.  To that end, I have created a comprehensive and very simple to use Microsoft Excel-based flight data log display tool.  The most up-to-date version will always be found here (use the download icon in the upper right after clicking on the link).

• Version 3.1 released 3-May-20.
• Version 3.0 released 2-May-20.
• Version 2.1 released 3-Jan-20
• Fixed incorrect array index causing inflight and ground distance calculation errors. 
• Version 2.0 released 17-Dec-19.
• GRT "standard inputs" defined dynamically and identified on "Options" sheet. 
• Faster code.
• Added support for Garmin data logging.
• Automatically selects/deselects data for for GRT/Garmin.
• Added stack of GRT Aux and analog graphs to "Graphs" sheet.
• Version 1.1, released 17-Sep-19.
• Added option to extrude flight path to ground for better visibility. 
• Added option for to display full path to KMZ file after generation.
• Added EFIS bus voltage displays to Route data in KMZ file.
• Generalized CSV parsing to support future changes in GRT file format.
•  Version 1.0, released 15-Sep-19.

Please contact me if you find mistakes or if you have suggestions.

• More than 30 engine and flight parameters plotted.
• Each graph is one-click zoomable with user-defined zoom scales.
• Extrema of all parameters shown.
• Times on ground and in air calculated.
• Integrated UTC offset to set displayed times to local.
• Nearly all parameters have user-defined names and units.
• Complete instructions provided on spreadsheet, including how to setup your GRT EFIS to record flight data. 
• Plots all data or, to focus on a particular portion of a flight, only a specific time period.

• KMZ file, for integration into Google Earth, automatically generated.
• 53 selectable engine parameters and flight data shown at each point on the 3D map, including distance and time to next plotted point.
• All points can be plotted or
• Four optional user-selectable thresholds to control which points to plot.
• Plotting at user-defined epochs (e.g., every 30 seconds)
• Lines colored according to user-defined flight status parameters (ground, climb or descend)
• Aircraft registration, flight time and date integrated into route names to manage multiple saved flights in Google Earth.
• Airplane icon points in direction of magnetic heading.
• Click on any location to get selected flight and engine data.
• Each point labeled with the time using user's UTC offset.
• Google Earth lets you:
• Plot multiple flights.
• Animate your flight path.
• View flight paths in 3 dimensions from any angle.
• View engine and flight data specific to aircraft position. 
• Have far greater positional resolution than FR24 and FlightAware KML files, and includes flight and engine data.
• Plot against geo-referenced charts such as sectionals and TACs.
• These may not have current charts (original files from Chartgeek):
• Sectional kml file downloadable here (deprecated, see newest version).
• TAC kml file downloadable here (deprecated, see newest version).
• Instructions for manually importing charts into Google Earth are here (deprecated, see newest version).

Here is an example of overflying the field and executing a right 270 to join the downwind.  This is from an oblique angle.  In this plot, the user specified that the flight path should be marked red when the VSI is less than or equal to -500 ft/min.  White indicates ground operations.

This is an example of a flight where the user chose to have points plotted only when certain flight data have exceeded specified thresholds.  Furthermore, each point can be clicked on to show user-specified flight data.  Airplane icons point in the direction of magnetic heading.

This is an example of an entire flight with the icons turned off.  Green indicates the portions of the flight path where the VSI was specified by the user to be 500 ft/min or greater.   Red was specified by the user to be -500 ft/min or less.  White tracks indicate ground operations.

You can even plot your flight path and data against FAA charts in Google Earth.  See above to learn how to do this.

An example of a zoomed-in CHT graph.

The tool is completely automated:  One button to import data, one button to create a Google Earth KMZ map file.  It's generally fast to import (about 5 seconds on a modern computer) and speedy to create the KMZ file (2 seconds), though older computers will need more time.

It has been tested on a PC with Windows 7 and 10 with Excel 2007, 2010 and 365.  It assumes your EFIS provides GRT's version 2 flight data logging.  It also assumes you have a single engine.

Fun Stuff: First "flight of two" air-to-air pics.

I finally had the pleasure of sharing the skies on a 4-hour cross-country with my good friend who built an RV-9A and also donated 469 hours of his time to help build my plane over the 4 years and 8 months it took to arrive at first flight.  I gave his passenger a GoPro HERO6 Black so he could grab some videos of my bird in flight.

I'll worry about cleaning the belly when it's time for paint.  This is with about 125 hours on the airframe.

Here's his plane, taken with my GoPro HERO5 Session by my passenger whilst I help ensure our planes don't get too close.

Since my plane isn't painted yet, it's a bit shiny.  My friend was flying a few miles to my right and was constantly getting flashed by my plane in the sun.  He said I was a disco ball.

Fun Stuff: First night flight.

Here are the posts pertaining to my AveoMaxx Hercules 30 landing lights lights.

• 12-Aug-13, initial thoughts
• 17-Aug-13, lenses cut 
• 9-Sep-13, lights ordered
• 7-Jan-14, wiring completed
• 2-Nov-16, panel control circuit
• 30-Apr-17, mounts fabricated 

The Hercules 30 lights in my aircraft.

 

The bird's first night flight was today.  It was an experience to mind that I had only one engine, one battery, one alternator and the vast dark expanse of the Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming plains below me.

I have a set of indicator lights on my panel.  The blue light indicates when pitot heat is off.  It is crazy bright in the day, but not distracting.  At night it's ridiculous.  I had to cover it with a cloth (I later bought some light dimming covers to reduce the intensity).  Below you can see how overly bright it is in flight at night.

I could finally check how luminous my pair of AveoMaxx Hercules 30 landing lights were.  Here I am at KIBM just beginning my takeoff roll.  Views are from the cameras in the canopy and tail.  When I returned to my home drome, there were 3 other folks in the pattern.  They all remarked on how bright the lights were, unprompted.  One guy said he'd need to carry a generator to run them!  So my objectives of 1) being able to see and 2) being seen were met with these lights.  Below are the Amperage draws for the pair of lights.

High Low Taxi 5.1 2.3 Taxi+Landing 15.5 7.2

Here are my posts relating to those lights.

• Specs.
• Wiring.
• Mount fabrication.
• Panel control circuit.

Here's a video from the tail cam on takeoff from KIBM.

Here's a funny picture when testing the lights at 1 AM in my garage back in late 2016.

Fun video that same night showing the lights in wig-wag mode (taxi lights on, landing lights off) and with the nav/strobes on.  The lights were all resting on the bulkheads (wing roots).

 Here they are during the day (off).

Fun Stuff: Quick performance numbers.

I'm still determining the performance of the aircraft I built.  Below are a couple of screenshots from the EFISs in flight showing the instruments.  

At this point, I have the wheel and leg fairings attached.  I picked up 18 KIAS with those fairings (a welcome surprise).  When flying without those fairings, I did not require rudder input during cruise.  However, as can seen below, with the fairings I now need left rudder to maintain coordination.  I will need to pull each wheel/leg fairing off in succession to find out which is/are pulling me to the side and investigate reorienting the offenders.  Maybe I'll pick up a knot or two if I fix it.

• 158 KIAS, 177 TAS
• At 58°F OAT, 24.1" MAP, 2500 RPM, 11.7 GPH (around 50° ROP EGT), density altitude 7,752', solo (I'm 165 lbs) with 34 gallons avgas on board and about 5 pounds of tools in the baggage area.  My airplane is fat, with a BEW of 1,312 lbs.
• I don't know if I built a fast or slow plane or how it compares to other builders.  It would be interesting to see other numbers and consider reasons for variations.
• Without fail, at cruise I see a 60°F spread between cylinders 2 and 3.  Cylinders 1 and 2 (the front pair), are always hotter than 3 and 4 (the back pair).  I think this is because the rear cylinders get airflow over their tops and rear.
• I've tried several and, in my opinion, hot starts are easily managed using this technique:  Throttle cracked, mixture full lean, don't hit the pump, crank starter and slowly richen the mixture until the engine catches (reach full rich within 10 seconds, which is the max rated on time for the starter), then move slightly more rich, then pull back throttle to where you want to idle.  Every time I've done this, the engine starts on the first try.

I will post more performance data as I accumulate them and have confidence in their validity.

My first landing.

First flight was on 10-Dec-17 after obtaining my airworthiness certificate on 9-Nov-17.

Here is my first landing from 24-Dec-17.  I think I got really lucky.

Life in the sky is fun.  Engine break-in and Phase I flight testing slowly continue amidst work and other life needs.

The aircraft continues to function well.

Many followers of the blog have been asking for performance numbers, oil consumption, flight reports, squawks and maintenance descriptions.  That information will be forthcoming in the blog once I get out of Phase I flying.  I anticipate another couple of months until I reach Phase II.

Fun Stuff: Progress pictures.

Normally, my blog posts chronicle the build from a specific part of the plans.  The title of each blog post delineates which kit, section and task, in that order (e.g., "Finish: Cowling. Upper cowl mounting completed.").  However, occasionally I deviate from posting plans-specific information and include such posts in the sparsely populated "Fun Stuff" category.   And that's where this post fits.  It is merely to share some images.  I wanted to post them to mark a great epoch in the build:  The thing looks like an airplane!

This is after the cowling is nearly complete, the engine and prop are mounted, the rear window is installed and the canopy is placed  (I neglected to place the spinner for the photos).  Though each of those items is still not completed, the images are quite indicative of the airframe's final form.

Fun Stuff: Number of rivets in all kits.

I counted the rivets called out for in the FWF plans and updated the chart on the lower right of the blog's main page.  Here is just the final RV-14A rivet count.

Empennage	4,446
Wings	8,276
Fuselage	6,250
Finish	1,265
FWF	234
Options	20

Total: 20,499

The tail dragger would be very, very close to this number (in fact, same for wings).

Want to wrap your brain around the mindlessness of the tasks involved in building a kit plane?  Consider that each of those rivets represents at least one hole (sometimes many more when parts are stacked) and each of those holes gets at least two deburring tasks and sometimes match/final drilling and/or countersinking/dimpling and/or sealant application too.  You can then calculate an upper-bound on the number of tasks per hole using some worst-case assumptions:  Just 6x the number of rivets to get a grasp on the number of tasks involved with the holes.

Fun Stuff: Number of rivets in wing, empennage, fuselage and finish plans.

I counted the rivets called out for in the finish plans and updated the chart on the lower right of the blog's main page.  Here is just the finish rivet count.  The break in the consecutive section numbering is probably due to the associated sections belonging to the FWF kit.

Number of Rivets in an RV-14A 

Finish kit only (see complete chart here)

38. Canopy and Window	650
39. Seatbacks	162
40. Tricycle Landing Gear and Engine Mnt	0
41. Wing Attachment	88
42. Miscellenea	60
45. Cowling	166
46A. Tricycle Gear Leg and Wheel Fairings	139

Empennage	4,446
Wings	8,276
Fuselage	6,250
Finish	1,265

Total: 20,237
The tail dragger would be very, very close to this number (in fact, same for wings).

I will update this list as my build progresses.  As always, it will live on the blog in the right column at the very bottom underneath the parts origin and skin thickness lists.  Direct link will be http://rv-14a.blogspot.com/#rivet_number

Want to wrap your brain around the mindlessness of the tasks involved in building a kit plane?  Consider that each of those rivets represents at least one hole (sometimes many more when parts are stacked) and each of those holes gets at least two deburring tasks and sometimes match/final drilling and/or countersinking/dimpling and/or sealant application too.  You can then calculate an upper-bound on the number of tasks per hole using some worst-case assumptions:  Just 6x the number of rivets to get a grasp on the number of tasks involved with the holes.

Bought my airplane a new house.

Having outgrown my current "hangar" I had to buy my airplane a new house.  A couple of shots from moving day.

Here I am with the aft empennage, ready for transport.

Parts placed in the new garage.

Part accumulation continues.

My friend (who has a horse trailer) after we removed the wings from the cradle in the old house.

Me with my wings and refrigerator in my friend's horse trailer, ready for transport.  Can I get a feedbag of oats please?

Even more stuff.

Somehow I didn't manage to grab pictures of moving the EAA tables and other parts on another friend's flatbed trailer.

Fun Stuff: Number of rivets in wing, empennage and fuselage plans.

I counted the rivets called out for in the fuselage plans and updated the chart on the lower right of the blog's main page.  Here is just the fuselage rivet count.

Number of Rivets in an RV-14A 

Fuselage only (see complete chart here)

25. Fwd Mid Fuselage Bulkheads	284
26. Mid Fuselage Lower Structure	1,308
27. Firewall	439
28. Fwd Fuselage Lower Structure	541
29. Fwd-Mid Fuselage Side Structure	1,396
30. Aft Fuselage Attachment	465
31. Fuel System	30
32. Baggage Area	644
33. Rudder & Brake Systems	108
34. Flap Actuation System	0
35. Upper Fwd Fuselage	602
36. Aileron & Elevator Systems	51
37. Roll Over Structure	382

Empennage	4,446
Wings	8,276
Fuselage	6,250
FWF

Total: 18,972
The tail dragger would be very, very close to this number (in fact, same for wings).

I will update this list as my build progresses.  As always, it will live on the blog in the right column at the very bottom underneath the parts origin and skin thickness lists.  Direct link will be http://rv-14a.blogspot.com/#rivet_number

Want to wrap your brain around the mindlessness of the tasks involved in building a kit plane?  Consider that each of those rivets represents at least one hole (sometimes many more when parts are stacked) and each of those holes gets at least two deburring tasks and sometimes match/final drilling and/or countersinking/dimpling and/or sealant application too.  You can then calculate an upper-bound on the number of tasks per hole using some worst-case assumptions:  Just 6x the number of rivets to get a grasp on the number of tasks involved with the holes.

Fun Stuff: I made it to the mother ship! Lots of photos!

A lengthy post which departs from the build anthology...

I happened to be in Portland Thursday with a few hours free, so why not go to Aurora, OR, KUAO?  I got a nice tour from Ken S. and enjoyed spending time with the venerated N214VA.  It was my first time seeing and sitting in the airplane I'm building.  Also got to chat briefly with Scott R. and meet Fedosia.  Very nice people.

(Please forgive my inarticulate descriptions - I'm not a machinist so this was an education for me.)  We got to see the huge hangar and all of the stock.  Being so far into the build, it seemed as though I could recognize nearly every part on the shelves.  Ken said they have 1.5 completions per day now, with more than 8000+ flying kits.  We got to see a -12 fuse kit being crated.  There was a stack of QB fuselages (many 7s, a few 8s and a couple of 10s).  A huge rack of shelves with many QB wings.  Another massive shelf with several Lycomings.  Then we went into the production area.  I did see several -14 fuse parts (no pics, sorry).  We saw several wing spars in process (they were just the web and flanges, with nothing riveted yet), including the WWII era machine that rivets them.  We saw the bending machines and the stacks of raw sheet stock.  We got to see the CNC turret punch in action as it churned out some fuselage bulkheads.  Then we headed to the airplane hangar.

It looked like the whole fleet was there recovering from AirVenture:  The -14A, -12, -10, -9A, -8, -7A, -6A.  This was the first time I'd ever seen in-person the airplane I'm building!  Ken let me have endless alone-time with the -14.  In fact, I spent nearly all my time going over every inch of it.  I did not see the TG version they're working on.  It's probably behind the door in the hangar that says "Absolutely no admittance".

I sat in the -14A, and compared to my friend's -9A, the plane is cavernous.  Wow!  Lots of space!  After an hour and fifteen minutes, I had to go so we could get to the next customer meeting that evening. 

On to the pics!  I asked for and obtained permission to take all of the pictures.  Sorry for the occasional blurry image.  I hadn't anticipated getting this opportunity so my image acquisition device was less than ideal.

Production Tour Photos

Click on the first image to see them in a larger size.  Then click through them.  Short descriptions are included on this page only if you hover your mouse over the thumbnails (the descriptions do not show in the larger image viewer).

N214VA Photos 

Click on the first image to see them in a larger size.  Then click through them.  Short descriptions are included on this page only if you hover your mouse over the thumbnails (the descriptions do not show in the larger image viewer).