Accessories

Your research into building a hangar should include getting answers to at least the following questions, many of which are outlined on Erect-A-Tubes website: 1. What are the Airport Minimum Standards regarding hangar construction? 2. What are the construction, permitting and inspection standards for all political entities with jurisdiction over the hangar? 3. Will the hangar impinge on runway protected airspace or ATC control tower sightlines? 4. What are the land lease terms? 5. Will hangar ownership revert at the…

My landings are a lot like my golf drives-inconsistent. Thats why I was anxious to check my cockpit seating position with the Eye Aligner, a portable leveling device developed by Florida-based FAA designated examiner Tripp Wacker. After 30 years of administering checkrides, Wacker recognized that landing and airwork performance were proportional to the correct view over the glareshield, but he didnt invent the aligner concept.

Just in time for the fresh flying season, David Clark throws another noise-cancelling headset into the competitive market, the One-X. At first blush, the new model looks a lot like the previously released Pro-X, but it has major design differences that contribute to better performance, while affecting comfort. It also has a higher price. Lets take a look.

FlyQ has been characterized by a design that maximizes screen space for maps, buttons that are large enough to hit on the first try, easily readable fonts, color-coding for alerts that minimize distractions and a touchscreen set up with turbulence in mind. The recently released Version 2.2 provides, among other new features, a three-times faster mapping engine, new base maps and over 4600 Seattle Avionics-devised airport diagrams for airports that do not currently have FAA diagrams.

Adevice called the Eustachi is being marketed to pilots as an alternative to the Valsalva maneuver theyve been using for years. You know the drill-pinch your nose and blow to unclog blocked ears during and after a descent. While that can generally do the trick, Minnesota-based Exercore says its Eustachi product is far more effective.

When we flew with the KSN770 in late 2013, we found a fully functional and capable navigator, seemingly catering to whats left of King Radio loyalists. It has robust controls, has a bright VGA display and it has a rich feature set thats compatible with a generous list of LRUs, including weather radar and TAWS-B terrain. Who knows why certification dragged on as long as it did?

Electronic pilot logbooks have become ubiquitous in the last few years. Weve been impressed that a lot of skull sweat has gone into making them easy to use as we’ll as a safe place to keep something very important to you-your history as a pilot. We looked at a representative sampling and liked what we saw.

Ive been a fan of Rosen visors, and for every aircraft Ive purchased, Ive changed out the factory visors for the Rosen products. Larry Anglisanos commentary on the ridiculous regulatory snag thats unraveling with the idea of using electronic attitude gyros for backup is spot on. Im looking to upgrade the software in my Zaon XRX portable traffic receiver. Is there anyone who can help?

If the FAA gives it the nod, autonomy could help sell some airplanes. More on that in a minute. As Cirrus and other manufacturers have proven, whole airplane parachutes are deal-closing accessories, especially for new pilots and skeptical passengers. This when-all-else-fails backstop has even trickled down to unsuspecting backwoods utility taildraggers, with Cubcrafters recently introducing a BRS (Ballistic Recovery System) option for its Carbon Cub and Sport Cub models. The BRS will add roughly 40 pounds to the airframe, while tacking on $14,000 to the price. Its also available for retrofit.

The 406 MHz ELT market never quite achieved liftoff, probably because the FAA hasnt mandated these beacons, even though it still requires an installed ELT of some kind. A lively market of capable, inexpensive personal locaters (PLBs) further muddies the buying decision. But there are good arguments for an installed 406 MHz beacon, not the least of which is that after a crash, you might not be in any condition to activate a PLB. In this report, we’ll examine GPS-enabled third-gen 406 MHz ELTs that substantially improve your odds of being located after a crash. Shops tell us installed costs may hover around $3000, but you can knock the sting off that number by having the work done when the airplanes pulled apart at annual.

The lowly aircraft sun visor isn’t really a safety accessory until you have to land on runway 27 an hour before sunset on a summer evening. The accident record is peppered with pilots who lost control because they lost sight of the runway at a critical moment due to sun glare. Into this narrow breach of need several companies have stepped up, offering improved visors and shades.

The FAA turned a lot of heads with its official policy statement, PS-ACE-23-08, authorizing the installation of electronic attitude instruments for one-and-only primary use. Using rare language thats sympathetic to owners burdened by the high cost of iron gyro upkeep, the agency offers leniency for shops to sign off the installation as a minor alteration, which also includes yanking out the vacuum system even if its required per the aircraft type certificate. According to the policy, no field approvals, no additional STCs, no backup gyro or time-consuming paperwork is required. Progress at last, or so it seemed.