The Phoenix cockpit

[For today's "faux flight", go to Flying home]

(click any picture to enlarge it)

The Phoenix seats two people side-by-side in the roomy, comfortable cockpit. "It's like a sports car!" says Jan, my wife, getting ready to take a ride with Ed Walker. The canopy hinges forward, making it fairly easy to walk up the wing from the rear, then lower yourself into the seat.

Ed Walker's Phoenix

The oxygen cylinder is mounted on the rear of the package shelf, where it's easily turned on by the pilot when it's needed (typically, above 10,000' altitude). The occupants use nasal cannulas, which are more comfortable and use less oxygen than a mask. The flow
is independently controlled for each person
 by the electronic regulator.

Our panel isn't fabricated yet, but will look almost like this one (click to enlarge)

On the left side panel...

• Far left: key switch and electrical master switch
• Big LCD panel: displays engine and flight parameters, and the GPS navigation map
• above the panel on the right: the variometer ("vario") - glider rate-of-instrument
• Underneath the panel
• The large red handle under the panel: deploys the aircraft rescue parachute in an emergency, bringing the aircraft and occupants to the ground at a safe descent rate
• Wooden knob thingie: the pilot's control stick with buttons to control the navigation map

On the middle panel...

• Big LCD panel : soaring optimized GPS navigation map
• On either side of the LCD panel: switches for the instruments, radio, intercom, fuel pump, etc
• along the bottom: aviation radio (left) and intercom (audio control for the aviation radio, pilot headsets, warnings from the instruments, and satellite radio)

On the right side panel...

• A column of circuit breakers for the power socket, landing and position lights, spare circuit
•  Backup flight instruments, should the main LCD monitor fail
• Round dial (left): mechanical airspeed indicator
• Round dial (right): mechanical altimeter
• Underneath the right side panel...
• "Glove box" for small storage
• Large red knob: Fuel tank selector (left wing tank, off, right wing tank)
• gray cylinder with switch on top: right seat control stick