Industry News

A recent call to Garmin’s technical support center for help with my Edge cycling computer got me thinking about the overall quality of customer service in our industry, how it defines a company and what consumers should reasonably expect when buying a service or product. Here at the magazine, we define customer service on the shop level as a company doing what it said it would on the schedule it promised, meeting its price estimate and promptly returning calls and queries. That’s why it was no surprise the shops that scored we’ll in our recent paint shop survey consistently excelled at customer service. Comments like “easy to work with, regularly sent photos and reported on progress, and brought the project in on time and on budget,” define a shop that has it going on. You can read about the results of the survey and tips for selecting a paint shop starting on page 8 of this issue.

That’s precisely what I was looking for as I walked the static displays at the 2014 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida. The January event is a growing venue that unofficially kicks off a fresh flying season. I look forward to the show because I use it to gauge the health of the LSA market and to sample the mood of buyers in the lower end of the market. The Sun ‘n Fun international fly-in, which follows in early April, is more revealing.

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.

According to GAMA statistics, there are 611,000 active pilots in the United States and only 223,000 registered general aviation aircraft. Even allowing for air taxi airplanes, clubs and partnerships, this means that lots of us are flying airplanes that we don’t own. Some of us rent from local flight schools, some borrow from friends.

According to GAMA statistics, there are 611,000 active pilots in the United States and only 223,000 registered general aviation aircraft. Even allowing for air taxi airplanes, clubs and partnerships, this means that lots of us are flying airplanes that we don’t own. Some of us rent from local flight schools, some borrow from friends.

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.

That’s one of the many things I learned over the 25 years working at several aircraft maintenance shops. As explained in the article on page 12, money matters can turn a healthy working relationship into a hostile separation. When this happens, the customer and the shop will lose. That’s why it’s the responsibility of the owner and the shop to keep this uncomfortable part of the work on the rails. With some rare exceptions, it’s also a reason why an owner shouldn’t take the aircraft without paying the invoice.

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.

If ever we needed more proof that yesterday’s conventional wisdom is today’s grim reality, the Cessna Skycatcher may be Exhibit A. Five years ago, it was destined to sweep its way to the top of the light sport aircraft market, mowing down most of the competition in a relentless drive to market dominance. Today, the Skycatcher is just another dead-end GA product, leaving owners, if not stranded, definitely baffled.

Many of us have gone through the drill: the life insurancesales person extols the benefits of a policy and the attractive price. We consider it and recognize that the coverage is appropriate for us, so we say we’ll buy. Then comes the application, which asks if we engage in any “hazardous” activity. “No,” we think, “we declined the course in sword swallowing in college and quit juggling chain saws once we got out of our teens.”

If ever we needed more proof that yesterday’s conventional wisdom is today’s grim reality, the Cessna Skycatcher may be Exhibit A. Five years ago, it was destined to sweep its way to the top of the light sport aircraft market, mowing down most of the competition in a relentless drive to market dominance. Today, the Skycatcher is just another dead-end GA product, leaving owners, if not stranded, definitely baffled.

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.