Far be it for us to become too bubbly about the ongoing recovery in general aviation. Yet even seen through the eyes of the professional skeptic, the current GA economy can genuinely be described as encouraging.
New aircraft sales are up; used airplane sales remain brisk, with some models in short supply and the parade of new products-especially avionics-grows ever more impressive.
Yup, there’s a lot of stuff out there being hawked to the pilot market, most of it good, some of it not. Since our bread and butter is product review, we set aside a few pages each year for a summary of the best products and services weve reviewed or encountered during the previous 12 months.
Not beholden to a single penny of advertising revenue, we like to think we can give you the straight scoop about the so-called latest and greatest in the world of light aircraft GA. When products don’t measure up, we say as much. When they do or deliver exceptional value and quality, ditto.
Here then is our annual Gear of the Year review of the best stuff out there.
Company and Product of the Year: Cirrus Design and the SR20
Taking a different tack, our top honors this year go to both a company and a product: Cirrus Design Corporation and the SR20.
Given the remarkable sales success of the SR20, this may seem like old news. After all, the aviation press has planted the equivalent of a wet kiss on the SR20. Even the august New York Times has taken note, publishing a breathless and seldom-seen profile of a small GA company that makes the Cirrus sound like the second coming.
It is not, of course. On paper, the SR20 isn’t much faster than current offerings, carries about the same payload and its engine burns regular avgas, not high-energy plasma. So why the big deal?
Because the SR20 subtly advances the state of general aviation technology across several fronts, with incremental improvements that have, thus far at least, proven practical and affordable. It looks different, too, sleek and sexy, not boxy and stodgy. In short, the SR20 shows whats possible, in the process demonstrating that the market can and will respond to airplane makers whose claims are realistic, not verging on a rewrite of the laws of aerodynamics.
So much for the airplane. The challenge before Cirrus Design as a company is to survive its own success. As the dotcom shakeout is brutally demonstrating, euphoria is not a sound business plan.
Cirrus has the contemporary equivalent of a flood of orders and now faces the daunting task of converting market interest into stable and predictable production. In other words, it needs to become a real company.
So far, so good. Production is slowly ramping up and thus far, the company seems to be delivering on its promises with no unpleasant surprises for buyers, other than a long wait if youre ordering an SR20 now.(True, there have been some minor problems with the SR20s Continental engine.)
Its too soon to say if Cirrus Design has invented the airplane company of the future but at this juncture, we think theyre on the right track. For that reason, weve picked Cirrus Design as the company of the year and SR20 as the general aviation product of they year.
Contact Cirrus at 218-727-2737 or www.cirrusdesign.com.
Best Value in Replacement Tachs: Horizon P-1000
In some airplanes, the lowly tachometer seems to be a trouble spot. Whether due to vibration, bad design or merely gremlins, the things fail with annoying regularity.
Rather than replace the standard mechanical design, there’s an electronic option in the form of the Horizon P-1000, which is STCd as a replacement tach for most airplanes.
Weve used these things extensively and are impressed with their ease of use, reliability and readability. The P-1000 has automatic magneto diagnosing features and programmable RPM limit ranges to suit your particular airplane.
At $500, its not cheap but it at least promises to address the chronic tach failure problem once and for all, while also offering some high-end features a mechanical tach cant touch.
Contact Horizon at 714-526-1919.
Best Value in Cylinders: Superiors Millenniums
The tired old clich about two kinds of pilots, those who have and those who will land gear up, applies to airplane owners in the form of buying cylinders.
For reasons unclear to us, its a crap shoot on whether an overhauled engine or a reman will make TBO without mid-run cylinder work. On large-displacement Continental engines, jug replacement or overhaul seems a certainty.
In the world of aftermarket parts, Superior Air Parts has distinguished itself as a supplier of quality parts and has single-handedly kept the field overhaul industry in business against tough competition from Lycoming and Continental.
By all accounts, Superiors Millennium cylinders have earned a reputation as the flagship product in the companys line. Although these cylinders sell for a slight premium over new jugs from the factories, our surveys indicate theyve delivered exceptionally good reliability.
Since the price Delta is modest, we think Millenniums represent the best value in new cylinders for Continental engines and arent a bad choice for Lycs, either.
You can contact Superior Air Parts at 800-487-4884 or on the Web at www.millenniumengines.com or through any field overhaul shop.
Best Oil Filter Cutter: Sky Ranch Filter Cutter
If you change your own oil, you should also cut the filter open to see if there’s any metallic junk inside the pleats. Anyone whos tried this will tell you that a hacksaw and hammer wont do the job.
The filter can is made of tough steel and hacking it open contaminates the element with metal flakes and white paint, complicating inspection by the inexperienced observer.
The best tool weve seen for this job comes from Sky Ranch, a California engine aftermarketer and parts house. The cutter consists of a heavy steel cylinder with a hex socket that grips the filter can.
A quick once around with the cutter and youre done. Very nice. Youll look forward to the job rather than dreading it, as we used to. You can buy the can holder ($25) and cutter ($65) separately, if you already have a cutter of some sort. Sky Ranch at 916-421-7672.
Best Hangar Tug: Nose-Dragger Dragger
Hangar tugs are hardly the stuff of wet dreams but when you reach a certain age, you have to face facts: You gotta have a tug.
In our September 1999 issue, we examined and/or tried all of the major hangar tug offerings on the market. The best?
The Nose-Dragger Dragger from Skyline Aviation.Over the years, weve found that some of the best products-and customer service to match-come from small companies.
This hangar tug is an example of that. When we had a problem with the tugs front wheels being too small for an uneven ramp surface, Skyline shipped us a pair of larger wheels at no charge.
The tug has proved robust and powerful and makes getting the airplane in and out of the hangar-but especially in, since there’s a slight incline to deal with-a snap. We have no reservations whatsoever in recommending this tug and this company.
The Nose-Dragger Dragger retails for $755 in the electric model and $785 in the gas model. Contact Skyline at 800-535-8640 or www.dragger.com
Best Folding Bike: Dahon
For pilots and their families needing transportation at a remote destination airport, folding bikes have always been the great unfulfilled promise.