ALWAYS JUST A SIMULATOR I thought I would weigh in on my home flight simulator experience. I purchased a Redbird Jay some eight months ago, including chair, stand, rudder pedals and optional three-control pedestal. I bought this rather than the certificated Cessna 172 sim as I no longer need to log time, and the Jay […]
MORE ON SMART GLIDE I’m a big fan of Garmin avionics and wonder if Garmin’s Smart Glide engine-out utility has access to oil pressure data, which is critical to determining the glide ratio in aircraft with a controllable pitch propeller. In my Bonanza, glide ratio with a catastrophic engine failure changes from 10:1 to 6.5:1 […]
USED AVIONICS SNAG I read with interest Larry Anglisano’s thorough article on buying used avionics in the March 2022 Aviation Consumer. This is a topic that isn’t covered in any other aviation magazine that I’ve seen, but for the reasons Larry points out, it should. I tried to source a full used avionics suite for […]
REDBIRD SIM FIELD REPORT I thought you would like a field report on my recent purchase of a Redbird TD2 flight simulator. I fly a G36 Bonanza with Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics. The total cost of the setup delivered to me in Orientat, North Carolina, was $15,635. I bought the expanded screens, table and […]
GARMIN RADAR INSTALLS Regarding the article authored by Larry Anglisano in the August 2021 Aviation Consumer, WX Radar Upgrades: Garmin’s GWX 75 Is Top, the article mentions the Cessna 210 and also includes a photo of a Cessna T210 with a 10-inch radar pod. The article never explicitly states that Garmin’s GWX 75 will play […]
GOOD INSURANCE NEWS After seeing numerous articles in Aviation Consumer about the insurance debacle, I thought I’d share my experience. Seems I’m in the minority here in that my rates have actually gone down over the two years I’ve had my Beech Baron twin. I’m in the mid-50s age group. Last year, my rate […]
MORE NTSB GRIPES I read Rick Durden’s commentary in the October 2021 Aviation Consumer on the NTSB reports with interest. Durden’s complaints about the CAROL system—and the NTSB’s responsiveness to questions about it—are exact mirrors of my own experience. I used to use the NTSB aviation accident database on an almost daily basis in my […]
WHO WANTS MY BUSINESS? I found Larry Anglisano’s commentary, “Avionics: Just Give Buyers What they Want,” in the September 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer right on the mark. Avionics manufacturers do need to give buyers the products they want and support they expect. But then again, so do the distributors that sell the equipment. Although […]
WHAT’S IT WORTH? I have an aircraft resale question. I’ve had a Piper PA-22 refurb project going for about 10 years, and recently finally finished and flew it. I converted it to a tailwheel 22/20 using the Univair STC, and updated the electrics and panel. I’ve installed new fabric, a lightweight starter, rebuilt mags, Cleveland […]
MORE SUPPLY WOES Larry Anglisano’s First Word commentary in the August 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer hits very close to home. I’m a 2004 Cirrus SR22 owner who has spent about half of the last 12 months AOG due to parts availability problems. I had tried the SureFly magneto replacement at the last annual inspection, […]
RETREADS GONE BAD I’m an avid reader of Aviation Consumer (and miss reading Light Plane Maintenance). In your May 2019 issue you published a report on retreaded tires, and your recommendation of Desser Aerospace led me to buy five retreads to fit my Beech Bonanza, using my existing cores. These tires were then installed and […]
MORE ON TRANSPONDERS In the Mode C transponder upgrade article in the June 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer, Larry Anglisano mentions Mode C units for “aircraft [that] just don’t need ADS-B.” Sorry, Larry, but the ones that don’t need ADS-B are the ones that never leave the ground. See and avoid is a nice concept […]
