December 2004
Taylorcraft
Subscribers Only A classic taildragger straight from the 1930s, but with modern antecedents. Even later models are relatively inexpensive and the airplane remains in production as a light sport offering.
Door Steward
Subscribers Only A gas spring-operated door minder for Cessnas is owner-installable and a cut above the factory doorstops.
TKS Retrofit
Subscribers Only If you’re serious about ice protection, the TKS weeping wing design strikes us as the best choice. Here’s an owner report on a Cessna 206 retrofit.
Battle of the Batteries
Subscribers Only If you use GPS and portable radios constantly, Rayovac’s rechargeable IC3s are the best value. In throwaway cells, Duracell is tops.
ARM’s Aero-Lift
Subscribers Only If you can’t find hangar space, is going straight up an option? The economics pencil out favorably.
Alarus Trainer
Subscribers Only A re-do of the CH2000, this trainer is aimed at the IFR training market. It delivers on its design goal of being simple, cheap and easy to fly.
Mid-Price Upgrades
Subscribers Only The choices are staggering when re-doing the panel in a high-performance airplane. Advice: make a list of the must-haves then pare that down to suit the budget.
Letters: 12/04
Dakota Data Thank you for your review of the Piper Cherokee 235/236 line of airplanes. (See October, 2004 issue.) This line—until now—has been one of the best kept secret values in used aircraft. I found your review to be comprehensive, accurate and helpful to one who is looking for the best value in a heavy hauler. I would like to add one more group to your list of resources: The Cherokee 235/236 Owners Group has a Website dedicated to these airplanes and is a wealth of information specific to these models. There are no access fees or restrictions to the site and the Web-board forums are informative and allow owners of these models to share their experiences as well as c...
LSA: A Promising Start
Remember those dreadful “Baby on Board” placards plastered in the window of every other minivan a decade ago? Thankfully, they’ve faded from fashion but they were emblematic of a marketer’s dream: the minivan arrived just as baby boomers were having kids of their own. Detroit stroked the demographic bubble with perfect timing. An e-mail I got from reader Ron Gibson the other day makes me wonder if the emerging light sport industry may find a demographic sweet spot, too. In asking for editorial coverage of light sport airplanes, he wrote, “I intend to sell my Skylane within the next couple of years and purchase a new LSA. I’m sure there are many older pilots who are tired of sweating ou...