At 09:21 AM 11/13/2008, you wrote: >I am in the process of laying out my instrument panel and am wondering >if there is an advantage or disadvantage of having a separate avionics >master switch? >Stephen Teate ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My advise is to install a separate avionics switch. If you're worried about the switch failing, install a double throw switch , "up-on"-"center off"- "down on" and power the avionics with either up or down. Redundancy in a single switch. Make it the last switch you turn on at start up and the first switch you turn off at shut down. I was on climb out one day and thought my electronic tach had locked up. I turned the master switch on and off several times to see what would happen. What happened was I smoked my hand held radio. Fortunately I had the phone number for the tower at my home base in my cell phone and just called for clearance ten miles out. How's that for redundancy? If you're one of those fliers that does considerable preflight planning for a cross country it might not hurt to jot down the phone numbers of the towers and FBO's along the way. Larry Flesner
