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While transponder replacement ranks near the bottom of most owners upgrade list, eventually-and often unexpectedly-you’ll be writing a check for a few grand on a transponder upgrade. you’ll likely rely on your shops recommendation for replacement options but there are several issues and a handful of models to consider. A proactive replacement may even be warranted given the modern technology found in many new models. Heres a review of the current market offerings in ATC transponder gear and a review of the important accessories that should be addressed during installation. Ease of installation shouldnt be the primary consideration when selecting a replacement transponder. You could shop the market for a used, exact-replacement for that ancient Cessna model only to face another failure next month. When an old model fails, our advice is to bite the bullet and replace it with a new unit. This usually includes replacing the interface wiring (also 20-plus years old) and antenna system thats integral to the transponders performance.

Vern Rayburn announced at Oshkosh in 1998 that a new little airplane would change all the rules about flying and, especially, about building airplanes. The Eclipse 500 was to define a new class called the VLJ or very light jet. It was to be fuel efficient, fast and would embrace the latest technologies so it could be built inexpensively. It would also be easier and cheaper to fly than a light twin. A full decade and a billion-plus in developmental dollars later, the Eclipse 500 is trickling if not pouring off the production line in Albuquerque; about 200 have been built. The overarching question is: Does the Eclipse really change the rules? And if it doesnt, why not? Further, whats the thing like to fly? Is the cutting-edge glass cockpit really as advanced as Eclipse said it would be? Answering these questions isn’t easy. Eclipse has steadfastly refused to offer press demonstrations of the airplane and some owners just wont talk about their impressions of the airplane, giving the inquisitive person the notion that somethings not quite right here. For this report, a cooperative owner allowed us a brief turn at the controls of an Eclipse 500 so we could find out for ourselves.

Further straining any attempt to nail down an evaluation of the Eclipse is the companys rubbery delivery promises. It has slipped schedules so many times, made volume predictions that havent materialized and, in our view, delivered an airplane short enough of its original promise that its tempting to focus solely on these shortcomings rather than the airplane itself. Eclipse has been masterful in promoting itself but, in our opinion, reluctant to let the aviation press see what the airplane will really do. Curiously, some owners are nearly as secretive. With Eclipse refusing press demos, we asked several owners for test rides. Only one agreed, because he loves the airplane and wanted to show that it could strut its stuff. Other owners agreed to speak to us but only if we promised not to use their names. Why such worries? One owner said he was worried that Eclipse wouldnt deliver on promised upgrades if he beefed about the airplane in public; another said he just didnt want the hassle, but would answer all of our questions. One fleet operator did speak to us on the record.

If investment boldness were measured on a scale of one to 10, the Cirrus line would rate about a seven while Diamonds foray into the diesel market with the Thielert-powered Twin Star would inch out there toward the ledge at a solid 11. You have only to look at the particulars to understand why this is so. When Diamond announced the Twin Star at the Berlin Airshow in 2002, it was proposing not only a new airframe, but one powered by a new technology engine adapted from an automotive design, a strategy that hasnt succeeded in the world of certified airplanes, although the idea has made inroads in the homebuilt segment.

In your tire test article in the April 2008 issue, you say “Were going to stick with comparing tread depth, wear rates and price to determine the best value.” That sounds fine, but when I look at your overall value ranking, your conclusions do not seem to agree with your data. Based on your stated criteria for measuring value, the Condor is the most cost effective or best and the Flight Custom III is the least. I fly a Mooney M20J and make about 100 landings per year. My tires (Condor or Michelin Aviator) usually last about four or five years. So, it seems like the max landings are overstated by a factor of 10.

The aftermarket has waited for what seems an eternity for a reasonably priced glass alternative to primary steam-gauge flight instruments. With much fanfare and no small risk, Albuquerque-based Aspen Avionics fills the void with their EFD1000 series PFD at a cost thats easy on the budget. Its not a big-screen PFD and its still too early to call the product a universal slam-dunk winner, but in our view Aspen is off to a great start. Enjoying some sales success with the AT300 terrain awareness/mini MFD combo, Aspen brings its second product to the market in an impressively short time frame-less than a year since its introduction at EAA AirVenture 2007. Moreover, the new Aspen Evolution hardware design mimics no other existing product. This is refreshing from a young company living in an environment where successful products from Garmin and Avidyne have set a lofty standard.

These days, a cursory glance around the mall parking lot reveals many customers prefer a vehicle pregnant with flexibility, the sport-utility vehicle (SUV). Extremely popular with growing families, soccer moms and businesspeople spending lots of time on the road, SUVs have all but eliminated the station wagon from the automobile marketplace simply by expanding a theme. That need for flexibility is also present when considering a personal airplane. Some airplanes are optimized for speed, with little flexibility in loading. Some arent, their designers preferring to carry people and things reliably over long distances or into small areas. Compromises can be made, but the results sometimes please few customers. Perhaps the poster-child exception is an airplane like the Cessna 206 Stationair, which carries the station-wagon theme to one of several conclusions. Its not fast, nor is it that slow, but it is stable, rugged, reliable, has six real seats and is remarkable for being able to carry a half-ton or so after the tanks are filled. You can put it on floats, turbocharge it, dump skydivers from it, and carry small packages or just your family. As one owner wrote us, “Cessna tried to market this airplane as an executive airplane. This is ridiculous. Everyone I know flies it as a utility airplane.”

A hidden pitfall in buying a used airplane is underestimating the replacement cost of its autopilot. Worse yet, owners may pay little attention to the health of the existing system during the demo ride. Dont be fooled by the sales ad saying the autopilot was a flagship model with huge capabilities. It could be as old as the airplane and ready to tank. (A 30-year-old piece of equipment is ancient in the electronics world.) Autopilots are major systems and replacement cost can double that of a new engine. You can eliminate this high-stakes gotcha during the pre-buy inspection, or better yet, during the aircraft search. At the least, autopilots can be helpful bargaining tools when closing the deal. Some systems you’ll want to think twice about getting involved with. Others are keepers. No matter what you choose, there are a couple of sound strategies for upgrading older systems.

What do you get when you take Paul Bunyan out of the nort woods, force him to part with Babe the blue ox, exchange his wool shirt, boots and blue jeans for an Armani suit and bring him to a trendy cocktail party? A great-looking guy with muscles that fill the sleeves of his suit, who curses, spits on the floor, drains the entire punch bowl and, after offending everyone, staggers out with as much of the buffet as he can carry. Fortunately for Cessna, airplanes don’t behave like humans, so when it decided to dress up one of the most successful back country, dirt strip, beat-it-up-and-haul-anything airplanes in history, the result turned out to be refined, classy and welcome anywhere. Plus, its easy to fly and has a potty.

Twice a week. On average, thats how often GA pilots run out of gas. One reason for this-we surmise-is that pilots either don’t know how to manage fuel or they just do it poorly. The iffy gas gauges found in typical legacy airplanes aggravate the problem. Although the real reason for fuel exhaustion lies between the pilots ears, there’s a not-too-expensive upgrade that can help: a fuel totalizer. It will provide instantaneous fuel consumption data along with fuel remaining, endurance and, perhaps most important, a reliable indication of lean state. With gas at $6 a gallon, you need all the help you can get. When connected to a loran or GPS, a totalizer can supply distance-to-empty and reserve-at-destination information, along with your real-time mileage. Most fuel totalizers are stand-alone products; others require either a compatible GPS or an installed engine monitor to do their thing. Either way, none will guarantee you wont run out of fuel, but you’ll have to work at it.

At the dawn of the last century, it didnt take the Wright brothers long to figure out that wings stall at a measurable angle of attack. Student pilots are taught this concept, then promptly trained to forget about it and use airspeed to detect an impending stall. Thats because light aircraft have airspeed indicators, but they don’t have angle of attack indicators. Yet there’s no reason they shouldnt have these gadgets and, in fact, there are four companies hawking such prod- ucts. The argument for AoA indicators is convincing. By learning to fly angle of attack rather than airspeed, an airplane can be flown more precisely at slow airspeeds, improving short field performance and reducing stall/spin surprises.

General aviation seems to be always girding for the next big fight for its survival. If its not user fees, security restrictions or fuel prices, its the constant rear-guard action against local airport closures. For 2008 and beyond, the epic battle may be over the continued availability of 100LL avgas. Environmental groups have revived the effort to have the Environmental Protection Agency regulate 100LL out of existence. At the risk of being labeled a tree-hugging heretic, I wont mind a bit if EPA finally agrees that leaded avgas has to go. Lets look at this rationally. First, although no one could argue that leaded fuels are remotely green, its also true that avgas represents such a tiny slice of the worlds refined fuel supplies that the volume of lead is miniscule.