June 2005
Grumman Tiger
Subscribers Only Sprightly speed, sporty handling and a canopy you can open in flight has generated fanatical loyalty.
JPI’s Data Imbroglio
Subscribers Only Some customers are steamed by JPI’s move to code the digital output of its engine monitors. If data analysis is a priority, buyers should consider EI.
The Mentor’s Lesson
Subscribers Only The up again, down again saga of T-34 spar cracks has given owners fits. But the long term payoff may one day save the Bonanza fleet.
Hangar Tugs
Subscribers Only To save your back, you probably need one for even a light single. Top picks are the Dragger series and Northwest’s venerable Powertow.
Portable GPS Flyoff
Subscribers Only The best of the best is Garmin’s GPSMAP 296 but Lowrance’s 1000 and 2000C are the hands-down top value portables.
The Diesel Dilemma
Subscribers Only Jet-A engines are hot in Europe so why aren’t they here yet? You won’t like the answer: Gas is still too cheap and service is non-existent.
Letters: 06/05
EHSIs Just read the April issue. Most flying magazines could take a lesson in how to fill 32 pages with useful information. I enjoyed the commentary/suggestion regarding a device in between a full-up glass cockpit and an EHSI. Larry Anglisano’s article on the EHSIs was excellent and reading between the lines, seemed to be looking for the same thing. A few years ago I read that Dynon had designed an all-electronic EFIS system that was relatively low cost for the homebuilt market ( www.dynonavionics.com ) . Why not the Dynon HSI to fill the obvious void? If there is a market and will someone step in to take the system throu...
First Word: 06/05
Diamond’s Delayed Diesels I don’t know if 2005 will become a watershed year in the world of general aviation but my instinct tells me a sea change—a big one—is afoot. A couple of weeks ago, I got an alarmed e-mail from a Cessna 210 owner who was shocked at having paid $5 a gallon for avgas in Teterboro, New Jersey. While that price is an anomaly in a world of $3 avgas, it portends a trend we had all better get used to. Escalating avgas prices were much on the mind of vendors at Sun ‘n Fun in April and the fact that the show was lightly attended and we saw little in the way of new products this year suggests a certain lack of confidence. High fuel prices might not threaten th...