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If you fly with a Spot portable satellite messenger, use caution when placing the device around GPS receivers and antennas. In an Information for Operators publication (InFO 19006, May 6, 2019) the FAA advises that it has been notified of “several instances of intermittent loss of GPS position information” when Spot messengers are used in the cabin. It also noted that the signal problem could also affect ADS-B systems. In the FAA InFO letter, the agency reiterated that it was aircraft operators who confirmed the use of Spot PED as the cause of the GPS interference.

We asked Garmin about this requirement and it responded: “Yes, the STC’d G3X Touch does require standbys for an IFR installation like John describes (just like most EFIS/PFD installations). But the good news: A single G5 can take the place of the vacuum attitude, the mechanical airspeed and mechanical altimeter. The G5 attitude instrument is also highly integrated with the G3X Touch. We thought that was a great deal versus having to keep the old iron gyro equipment or install a more expensive electronic standby, like a Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics MD302, to name one.”

You can skirt the airspace, of course, but for many that won’t be practical. For these operators the FAA has a new “statement of policy for authorizations to operators of aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B Out equipment.” More on that in a minute. I can see the panic building, even with new products that make for easier compliance. As an example a reader recently asked for my advice for fitting avionics in his recently purchased Archer. Since the airplane needed an IFR GPS, a transponder and an ADS-B Out upgrade to satisfy the mandate (six months away, as I type), we concluded that Garmin’s new GTX375 is a logical choice. As we reported in the May 2019 issue of Aviation Consumer, this latest all-in-one navigator makes sense for federated panels because it works with a good variety of third-party accessories. In this Archer, the 375 can drive the existing King HSI, it can connect to the existing autopilot, plus it has a built-in 1090ES ADS-B transponder to replace the King KT76A, and most important-it satisfies the mandate. Although hardly a slap and go, the installation won’t require lots of radio stack rejiggering because it’s nearly the same height as the King KLN-series GPS that it will replace. Doing some back-of-the-napkin math, also figuring some other work that needed to be done, I sent him to a few well-respected avionics shops for proposals to compare with my notes. He came back with bad news: None of the shops could touch the installation for at least six months or more.

To understand the significance of the J-3 Cub look all the way back to Piper’s Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, heyday, where William T. Piper was rightly seen as a visionary. But no one could have imagined how enduring that vision would be, to the extent that over 80 years later, several companies are building brand-new Cub clones that clearly trade on the mystique of the old yellow classic. Two that are front and center in the market are Legend Aircraft and CubCrafters. We think both companies nail the quality and support.

We asked uAvionix about this and were told that it released a skyBeacon firmware field update in March 2019 and the company has been shipping new units with that updated firmware in place since the February 2019 timeframe. There isn’t firmware specific for 24-volt aircraft, but the updated firmware resolves a compatibility issue uAvionix observed when installed on 24-volt aircraft. The company also issued a service bulletin for the requirement and posted it on the company website.

In an effort to keep the right mix of content, I generally try not to run two major avionics reports in one issue. But this months Aviation Consumer perhaps breaks my cardinal rule twice with reports on not one, but two glass display systems: Garmins G3X Touch and Aspens new MAX display upgrade. Unavoidable, really. There’s a lot to cover. And in all the years covering avionics for the magazine Im not sure Ive seen this high level of competition. Thats not even thinking about ADS-B upgrades, which Im trying to forget with little success.

The six Skymasters I have owned include two 1968 models, a 1975 and 1973 model and currently a 1971 337F model. All were great-running normally-aspirated models, with the exception of the 1969 model, which was a hanger queen. I am a 6-foot-6-inch former NBA player and let me tell you, Cessna is to be commended for thinking of the tall pilots when they designed this tough airplane. I think its a dream to fly for the owner-pilot who doesnt fly every day for a living.

While the concept is nothing new, that’s what uAvionix is doing with its Qualified Installer Mobile Installation Network, inviting repair shops and mechanics with IA (Inspection Authorization) credentials to sign up for prioritized support, product training and discount pricing on the product. It’s similar to what Dynon is doing by adding an IA to the STC for its Certified-series Skyview integrated avionics. On the surface, it’s a logical approach to spreading the install demand. Like most major mods, ADS-B installations can be signed off by either A&P mechanics who hold a valid IA or certificated Part 145 FAA Repair Stations, which most avionics shops are.

You bought something and now it doesn’t work. What recourse do you have? Can you compel the seller to exchange the bad something for a new one? If you return it, are you entitled to a refund of the full purchase price? Will the seller pay the full cost of getting it fixed? What if the something is three months old? A year? Five years? How long is the seller obligated to repair a defective product, exchange it or take it back and refund your money?

As we’ve been reporting, prices for some retrofit primary EFIS systems have dropped to the sweet spot of around $5000 or less. This is thanks to a new regulatory certification process that sidesteps the pricey and time-consuming TSO process in favor of an STC. Aspen Avionics has populated the field with over 20,000 Evolution EFIS displays over a 10-year span and is the latest to offer a budget-based EFIS with the $4995 EFD1000 E5 Dual EFI.

The reaction was swift and not all positive. Later in the same week, EAA walked back the comment to clarify that Pelton should have said the FAA had agreed to consider an NPRM and actually the rule was at least two to three years away. The announcement of the process would occur in 2019. Details to follow. People who sell airplanes understand buyers are both fickle and fragile and the slightest whiff of uncertainty can tank a deal.

For our mutual amusement, my pal Brian and I make a particular country airstrip a motorcycling destination to check on a parked J-model Mooney. And it’s really parked. Neglected, actually, which is a real shame. It’s been sitting so long on its rims that the landing gear doors have actually pushed through the pavement in its tiedown, the aircraft seemingly trying to bury itself from the misery. I found one of the fuel caps loose during one visit and in the process of doing a good deed by securing them for whoever owns this thing, noticed ugly rust around the tank structure. A peek inside through the crazed windows reveals spiderwebs, decaying fabric and a Garmin GNS430 GPS in the panel. Somebody spent good money on that rig, and someone might consider spending a whole lot more to get this airplane airworthy. My friend Rob-an IA, a Mooney expert and a Mooney owner a couple times over-warned that this someone shouldn’t be me. And that got me to thinking, when is an airplane such a basket case that it’s better suited for a salvage yard than a maintenance shop?