Your First Word regarding survival instincts and pilot DNA was thought provoking. Looking over the 40 years since my first flight lesson, I can see how my own instincts were honed, beginning in very tired trainers with war surplus gyros, one scratchy radio, one whistle-stop nav, useless fuel gauges and a pervading aroma of charred insulation.
If avionics manufacturers really listen to their customers and we have no reason to believe they don’t theyve been hearing a not-so-subtle thrumming sound of impatient fingers tapping glareshields, anxiously awaiting the arrival of real glass for aftermarket installations.
It may not be fast, or carry a lot and although it hasnt been a stellar seller in the U.S., say this about the SOCATA TB-10 Tobago: Its a good looking airplane, perhaps one of the best looking ever built.
It started life as a trainer and lives on as a budget cross-country flier for one or two people; mods can even make the 140 modestly peppy.
LightSPEEDs new Mach 1 is the overall best performer but Clarity and Quiet also earn high marks. Panthers Bluetooth worked surprisingly well.
In our annual tour of the best products and services weve seen this year, Garmins GPSmap 396 is the walkaway winner.
The FAA has improved its special issuance medical service, but for a fee, several companies pledge to hand-carry your paperwork through the process. Is it worth it?
A pulsing landing light is definitely an eye catcher for collision avoidance. A side benefit is that pulsed bulbs seem to last longer.
ROLEX VS. TIMEX
In the letters section of this issue, Mid-Continent Instruments and Sportys Pilot Shop duke it out over how much a back-up attitude gyro should cost. Its the classic Rolex vs. Timex argument, at least with regard to price. It also illuminates a trend I see fairly often in aviation, which is price set not by the cost of manufacture with a reasonable margin tacked on but by so-called psychological pricing.
Embodied in this is the notion that if two products do the same thing, the one that costs more is probably better. We are all susceptible to this ruse and in aviation, we are especially susceptible because perceived quality is directly associated with pe…
Remember when audio panels were just fancy switches? Not anymore. The features are there, but it takes some work to get at them.
