Here’s a common scenario: You bring your airplane to the avionics shop for its 24-month IFR pitot and static system certification and the tech says you’ll be wheels up in a couple of hours. Thirty minutes later while you’re cooling your heels in the pilot lounge, the technician tracks you down with news you don’t want to hear: Your encoding altimeter flunked the test because it has too much friction.
With dollar signs dancing in your brain, the technician rattles off your options and none of them are easy or cheap. What’s an owner to do? Send the altimeter out for overhaul? Order an exchange replacement? Attempt a repair? You could of course do nothing and limit your flying to VFR, with an altimeter that can potentially kill you (we strongly suggest avoiding that option).