Sooner or later your used aircraft search will find an airplane thats suffered a so-called hard landing. While thats the sugarcoated word for damage history, in some circumstances this is hardly a deal breaker. Other times, its best to walk away, especially if the damage has gone unnoticed or left unrepaired.
Wouldnt it be so much easier to fetch Jeppesen databases on the fly with a tablet or smartphone? Instead, you log into your Jeppesen account on a desktop or laptop computer (what was the #%$! password?), transfer the data to the datacard and then bring the card back to the airplane. While this sounds like it should be easier than it is, some pilots dread the monthly data update chore like a trip to the dentist.
The final stages of an avionics installation can be the most critical because thats when the configuration and final testing occur. Unfortunately, its when a shop can be rushed to the point where you-the aircraft owner-are left holding the bag to test newly installed gear, which includes critical ADS-B equipment. The good news: Shops that do the most ADS-B retrofits will own the specialized test gear to make sure the system is programmed and properly tested before you fly the aircraft away. The better shops will fly it with you for a final check. But for shops that are less equipped, you’ll have to fly it off yourself and eyeball the data on the Public ADS-B Performance Report, or PAPR. Link to this automated tool at https://tinyurl.com/y9hrtsyw. It can tell a shop a lot about the systems performance should they have to troubleshoot it. When the government was paying out rebate checks for ADS-B upgrades, it required specific flight testing and a validation report for conformity. Thats no longer the case, but you might follow similar guidance when validating a new install. The FAAs advisory circular 20-165B provides guidance for ADS-B Out system installations and airworthiness approvals. In it you’ll find the recommended flight profiles and maneuvers to perform on the flight test. Worth mentioning is that a typical FAR 91.413 transponder test wont check a 1090ES transponders ADS-B data output.
You don’t have to look far into any aviation retailers catalogue to find sunglasses that cater to pilots. Yes, we know there are plenty of cheaper brands you can find at Sunglass Hut and other non-aviation retailers, and we also know that selecting glasses is as personal as selecting clothing. A cheap pair of drugstore shades may suit you just fine.
Every few years we take a close look at the U.S. general aviation insurance market. During the research we speak with underwriters and brokers to get a feeling for what changes they see, what problems they are having and what they anticipate coming down the track for those of us who write premium checks. …
The Cessna 206 Stationair is one of those airplanes that you can dress up with a classy paint scheme and a stylish leather interior to fly business associates in style. Or, put one on floats and jump in with a wet swimsuit. Got stuff to haul? Load as much as you can fit through the big cargo door. Indeed, any vintage of the Stationair can wear a lot of hats.
I read Larry Anglisanos editorial on FBO price gouging in the March 2018 Aviation Consumer and have some thoughts. Like Larry, I don’t mind paying for good FBO service when I avail myself of it, but these days with venture capital firms consolidating ever-larger chains of glitzy and highly profitable FBOs even at relatively small airports around the USA, it is getting increasingly difficult to avoid both sky-high fuel fees and onerous ramp charges.
Aviation writers love to heap undiluted praise on the sheer fun of flying seaplanes. OK, I get it already. Float and boat flying is a ton of fun and you havent lived until youve done it. The question is, how to do it without spending a fortune and what to do with it after youve got it.
If you own one of the roughly 14,500 Ameri-King ELTs hit by an FAA AD (AD 2017-16-01) because the now-defunct company falsified that the system was FAA approved, ELT manufacturer McMurdo now has a relatively easy replacement option with its Kannad Ameri-Fit system.
I read the Cessna 414 report in the February 2018 Aviation Consumer Used Aircraft Guide section with interest. My aircraft partner and I have owned three airplanes, including our current 1977 Cessna 414, through our nonprofit S Corporation. It is set up as a flying club, allowing for as many as five members, although weve never had more than three. There are three primary elements that affect our shared ownership arrangement.
There’s nothing quite like fetching your bird from the shop after a high-quality engine overhaul. Done right, it should perform like it did when the aircraft came off the factory floor. In the world of aircraft ownership, thats a beautiful thing. But done wrong, you could be in for the time-consuming hassles of dealing with warranty work-or worse should the engine fail, despite it running great before handing it over to an overhaul shop. After all, engine overhauls are supposed to increase your confidence, not kill it or you in the process.
Buying a new airplane is both an act of passion and an act of faith. The very idea of sinking so much wealth into an asset used but 100 hours a year has to be driven by blind love for flight. The faith part has to do with the company remaining solvent to support such an investment.
