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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.

Its economics, mainly. There’s no discernible push to eliminate lead from avgas and as long as money is being made, the alternatives are simply DOA.

Although Cub nostalgia keeps purchase prices high, the worlds premier utility aircraft is also a terrific fun flyer.

LYCOMING: YET ANOTHER CRANKSHAFT RECALL

The ink had hardly dried on our January report describing Lycoming’s quality control efforts when the company announced yet another crankshaft recall, the third in as many years. This time, the FAA issued an NPRM just after Christmas affecting nearly 400 crankshafts, mostly in engines built by Lycoming, but some done by field shops. Technically, this an expansion of the second recall, but that’s a distinction without a difference.

Within days of this announcement, reader Bob Anderson e-mailed this observation on our January interview of Lycoming’s new manager, Ian Walsh: “Unfortunately, it seems that the steely eyed fighter pilot has wooed…

Battery Charger Sources
I enjoyed the article about Smart Chargers. The article states that the chargers tested are available in both 12- and 24-volt versions. I visited the Deltran Web site and I cannot find a 24-volt version of the Battery Tender Plus. Any suggestions?

Jonathan Sisk
Lexington, Kentucky

Since 24-volt batteries were not mentioned, am I to assume that these cool chargers are not available for them? I have been using a Sears automotive 12/24-volt charger that has a number of options on it. I use the 2-amp charge when necessary along with a DS500 desulfator to tune-up the Concorde batteries on my Mooney Ovation.

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Am I hurti…

The G1000 is an engineering tour de force with tons of horsepower. But the Entegras simpler, more direct interface is easier to learn and use.

All of the aftermarket suppliers beat OEM prices, but Plane Plastics leads on value. On select parts, high-priced Heinol may be the best choice.

You can find a decent flashlight at the local hardware store but a little Web shopping will yield better quality and performance for the same prices.

For under $600, market choices are limited. But the Helios rides well, folds small and is nicely made.