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Avionics for Your LSA

Things to consider when you upgrade your panel.

[Credit: Dynon Avionics]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Upgrading instrument panels in Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs), particularly SLSAs, is complex, requiring manufacturer approval or reclassification to an experimental category (ELSA), which restricts commercial use.
  • Dynon Avionics offers advanced Electronic Flight Information Systems (EFIS) like SkyView, designed for minimal panel footprint and intuitive operation, featuring synthetic vision and color-coded alerts to enhance safety and reduce pilot workload.
  • Owners choosing avionics must consider their aircraft's mission (e.g., IFR needs redundancy), budget, and panel space, with Dynon providing authorized installers and pre-wired kits to simplify the installation process.
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There comes a time in every aircraft owner’s life when they decide it is time to upgrade the instrument panel. This process is neither quick nor inexpensive, and there are pitfalls along the way—especially if you own a light sport aircraft. Among the common traps are finding enough panel space to create your dreamscreen—and getting the required approvals for the changes.

Michael Schofield, director of marketing for Dynon Avionics, says that they often get telephone calls from owners of SLSAs (built to a conforming model by an OEM) who want to change the avionics and are surprised to learn that only the manufacturer of the LSA can approve the change, unlike the normal supplemental type certificate process.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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