Commentary

I have a single-screen Aspen Avionics EFD1000Pro installed in my Piper Arrow since July of 2012 and it is amazing. Unfortunately, I learned that if the system loses pitot input (if it’s clogged, for example), you completely lose most all critical data, even non-pitot-sourced data. This results in a black screen with two red Xs covering the upper and lower halves. This means no attitude, airspeed, altitude, heading, HSI or GPS overlay from an external navigator, like a Garmin GNS530 or 430.

Thanks for your coverage of angle of attack systems for general aviation aircraft in the September 2014 issue of Aviation Consumer. The MMOPA (Malibu-Mirage Owners and Pilots Association) has taken the position that this technology is an important enhancement to safety and we applaud the FAA for working to streamline the installation approval process as a minor alteration in many aircraft.

I read the LED lighting upgrade article in your July 2014 issue and thought the following would be of interest. LED lighting is superb. Once you have LED landing lights, you will never be satisfied with incandescent bulbs. Conspicuousness is improved. You need not turn any lights off due to much lower current drain, and LEDs will likely last longer than you can ever fly your airplane.

In 2010 we had our Cessna twin painted. I started with the Aviation Consumer paint shop survey from November 2006. Then I followed up with other magazine articles and looked at airplanes on airport ramps over several years. I thought that I did everything right.

In the March 2014 issue of Aviation Consumer, you covered the latest version of Garmin’s Pilot tablet app along with the new GDL39 3D attitude indicator display. While the article reported on the more modern appearance and other new features within the app, you didn’t note that the colors on the trip planning and flight planning screens changed to a much darker gray from the previous lighter color. The text labels for each field are nearly impossible to read when set against the new darker screen, especially when viewed in a bright cockpit.

Pilots have been looking for ways to make their airplanes faster and more efficient since there has been airplane ownership. One of the long-targeted spots for aerodynamic clean up has been the gap between the trailing edge of the wing and the ailerons and flaps.

Regarding the life insurance for pilots article (January 2014 Aviation Consumer), I think you should know that The Pilot Insurance Center (PIC) is not all rosy. I was coming up on retirement and wanted to use life insurance as a financial tool. My bankrupt airline no longer allowed me to take a lump sum, and the annuity that I was given was taken at 100 percent, leaving my wife with nothing if I died. The insurance would fill in the gap.

As an owner of a Zaon XRX, I am saddened to see the company go (December 2013 Aviation Consumer), but I’m not surprised. It is another casualty of the iPad Effect.

After reading Larry Anglisano’s article in the November issue about the conundrum in which avionics manufacturers find themselves, I couldn’t agree more with your conclusions. As an aircraft owner with a mix of newer and older avionics, I am one of those potential customers who are sitting on the fence, trying to decide how best to stretch my aircraft dollars. The debacle called ADS-B isn’t helping the situation, either.

I received your 2013 Aviation Consumer Buyer’s Guide and was very interested in your article covering engine overhauls. One important fact I did not see is: Customers who are thinking about ordering a Lycoming factory overhauled engine need to know about Lycoming’s 36-year policy. If the customer’s engine left the Lycoming factory more than 36 years before the order date, Lycoming will not accept that engine for a factory overhaul.

I own a Peterson Katmai conversion of a Cessna 182P. While this letter references your recent (September 2013 issue) article about BRS retrofits for Cessna 172s, 182s and LSAs, I would like to compliment your staff on the comprehensive and accurate article about the Katmai/King Katmai in the January 2013 issue.

Thank you for the in-depth article on the Piper Warrior (August 2013 Aviation Consumer). I’ve owned mine for nearly 20 years and have long felt like it was the Rodney Dangerfield of airplanes. Your article did a great job of publicly destroying that image by bringing out the capabilities and flexibility of the Warrior. I’ve flown mine all over the country, on and off of all types of airports and runway surfaces—paved, grass and dirt, and while I’m cautious about density altitude and recognize that the bird isn’t going to set any speed records, it’s reliable and I know I’ll get where I’m going.