Commentary

We are looking at having some military aircraft painted by a company out here in California. They have all the Mil Specs for the color we selected, however, I started receiving phone calls from the various paint manufacturers wanting us to select their brand of paint. As a military aviator, I never thought about who supplied the paint on the aircraft I fly, as long as it looked good and wasnt peeling and fading. Can Aviation Consumer provide me with some counsel on the pros and cons inherent in the different paint manufacturers, including PPG, Sherwin-Williams and Dupont? Do you guys have a preference?

After reading the fire extinguisher article in the June 2015 issue of Aviation Consumer, I have some confusion about extinguisher size, partially because one photo example was apparently omitted from the article. I assume that a fire extinguisher with a 2BC nomenclature in its model identification is two pounds of fire suppressant, and the 5 prefix indicates five pounds.

Overall, editor Larry Anglisano did a great job of explaining the Skyvision Salus-3 portable ADS-B Out/In solution and the Xtreme Vision software (June 2015 Aviation Consumer.) We were impressed with the articles accuracy and his ability to review it without personal bias. However, there are a few finer points related to certification.

I read the HID article in your May 2015 issue and thought your readers might be interested in my real-world experience with HID lamps. I wanted to purchase HID landing lights back in 2006 for my Mooney M20K, but there wasnt an available STC. The lights

I read Stephen Phoenixs letter in the April 2015 issue of Aviation Consumer, where he effectively states that the Piper J-3 Cubs fuel tank location is not an issue, and that your article is irresponsible because you said it is unsafe. His assertion is wholly unfounded. I was flying my fully restored and meticulously maintained 1937 J-3 Cub at Danbury Airport in Connecticut. While departing a short runway, the engine sputtered. I started a right turn to a long runway and as the nose lowered, the engine sprang back to life. Wishing not to make a forced landing, I made the mistake of turning back to the original heading. The engine quit. Facing a forest and a swamp, I committed the forbidden sin and did a 180-degree turn.

My airplane partner and I are upgrading the radios in our piston single to bring them into the present century and to comply with the ADS-B mandate. After much thought and discussion, we decided on Avidynes IFD540 box you reviewed in the March issue. Avidynes AeroPlan extended warranty plan offers a free warranty extension for three years. However, to get the extension, we have to sign a Waiver, Release and Indemnification document that could bankrupt us.

I always enjoy reading Aviation Consumer, and it was nice to see the article on survival kits in your February 2015 issue. I wont pick the article apart and go into what should have been included, but it would be nice to see future articles on survival kits for different geographical regions, such as the tropics, the desert and so forth because each area has its own challenges.

I read with interest your article on the FAA and the new Part 23 revision in the December 2014 issue of Aviation Consumer, and would like to share my experience of obtaining STC certification and PMA approval.

I am disappointed that so few people (and aviation magazines) are making a stink about the lack of anonymity and privacy associated with most ADS-B solutions. If there is anyone that believes that the FAA, Customs, Homeland Security and the media wont eventually be using that ADS-B Out data for fees, monitoring, enforcement and speculative reporting, then I have a bridge to sell you in New York City.

I just read with much interest your review of the Beech 35 series in the November 2014 issue of Aviation Consumer. My family and I owned an A35 for 10 years (thats it in the lower photo), having sold it for upgrade to an A36. I tend to agree with most of your points, with a few exceptions and critical points you left out.

For the better part of the last decade, the aviation industry has been talking about a revised version of FAR 23 that would streamline and simplify aircraft certification, theoretically slowing the sharp rise in the cost of new aircraft. Yet two years after the Congress passed legislation requiring the FAA to complete the Part 23 revision by 2015, the FAA says it wont meet the deadline. Even the Europeans are baffled by this delay; industry sources say Europe is far ahead of the U.S. in implementing these changes.

Since many aftermarket products are certified under AML STC (thats blanket approval for a large number of aircraft models), the demand for FAA field approvals has lessened over recent years, but the process is complex. Field approvals require sizable amounts of paperwork and coordination on the part of the installer, while the aircraft owner absorbs the cost and downtime. Shops we talked with are frustrated with the process.