Panel Planner 101: Beech Engine Display

A reliable engine and fuel monitoring system is a smart priority when upgrading an old panel.

This month’s panel for planning comes from Nelson Pereira, who couldn’t be happier with his 1972 Beech B19 Sport, especially after prioritizing planned incremental avionics upgrades and pulling the trigger on an Electronics International CGR30-P engine monitoring system.

Pereira chose the CGR30-P to replace the OEM engine gauges, plus the existing Electronics International EGT/CHT instrument. The old system was limited because it only monitored cylinder number four (the hottest, technically), and since the 150-HP Lycoming O-320 on the airplane was past TBO, Pereira wanted to closely monitor all four cylinders individually. The added features, including fuel flow computer, tachometer and electrical system monitoring, step up the interface.

EI’s CGR stands for cluster gauge replacement because the unit can replace multiple primary instruments under its TSO approval. This includes the tachometer, manifold pressure, fuel flow, fuel quantity and a host of other primary functions. For aircraft with a round engine cluster gauge, the CGR seems the perfect form factor for replacing it. In the Beech Sport, the unit fit into the existing 3-inch instrument cutout in the pilot’s lower instrument panel, as shown in the lower right photo. As you can see, the CGR sits flush (mounted from behind the instrument panel), so it doesn’t overhang into existing instruments. To contrast, the comparable JP Instruments models have bezels, which might make for a more complicated physical install in some panels.

DATA-RICH, SHALLOW MENU STRUCTURE

That’s a good thing when it comes to displaying engine and fuel data. Plus, the CGR utilizes only three user controls for even more simplicity. EI calls the CGR a “chameleon instrument” because the user can customize the data on the screens to show a variety of engine functions. Unlike other systems that display all parameters on a single screen, the CGR uses a total of four screens­—much like a multifunction display. 

The unit replaces up to seven primary engine gauges and up to five secondary or non-limited gauges, including all EGTs and CHTs. RPM, EGT and CHT are all default functions, and the user can pick and choose other primary and secondary gauges they wish to add to the product before it ships from the factory.

There’s a normalized mode for general health monitoring, a lean mode for operating rich or lean of peak, plus an EGT and CHT graphical display. This is a bird’s-eye digital pictorial of the engine with proper orientation of each EGT and CHT channel and includes the temperature of each. We think it’s intuitive.

While the Beech Sport doesn’t have a complicated fuel control system, we think the CGR30-P excels at fuel computing and allows for customization depending on the application. It’s certified for displaying fuel flow, plus primary fuel monitoring, and it can interface with panel GPS units for endurance calculations. It can be ordered in a configuration to monitor up to four fuel tanks, including auxiliary tanks.

The unit is even smart enough to know which fuel tank you are drawing from and can estimate how much fuel is remaining in each. We especially like the onscreen fuel graphic that depicts—at a glance—the total fuel remaining in all tanks. 

BIG INVESTMENTS

Pereira said the CGR30-P was roughly a $12,000 investment, including installation. His investments are far from over. The second phase of planned panel upgrades will include a pair of
uAvionix AV-30 instruments to replace the round-gauge AI and DG, while the third phase will include a Garmin panel navigator. But these are highly dependent on the longevity of the engine, and Pereira has good advice for others without unlimited budgets.

“These phased upgrades will only happen up until the engine starts to show signs of deterioration. At that point, an engine swap will trump all panel upgrades,” he told us. 

Larry Anglisano
Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.