THE AVGAS DEBACLE I, for one, can’t wait for unleaded avgas. But, let me say the unleaded fuel dilemma is a crisis of our own making. For the past 50 years, we’ve known the day would come when unleaded avgas would be mandated. Yet, it’s taken an existential threat to spur us into action. So, […]
HOME CO DETECTORS? I thoroughly enjoy each and every issue of Aviation Consumer. Recently, when working around the house, I came upon a wall-mounted CO detector. It is battery powered and fairly compact. I was wondering about using it in the plane as a viable CO detector. What are your thoughts on this? I know […]
LEAD AS A LUBRICANT? I have excitedly watched the developing story on the rollout of G100UL as a drop-in replacement for 100LL. It’s completely fungible with 100LL; no more lead in the exhaust, longer lasting engines/oil/spark plugs and reduced maintenance (never mind the one downside: price increase). Everything seems to indicate that the testing has […]
MORE ON HIDDEN DAMAGE I enjoyed your article “No Damage History: And Other Sales Lies” in the December 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer, although I didn’t feel real good about having a photo of my Cherokee 180 on the page right under that title. (Tongue in cheek.) We’ve owned the airplane for 30 years and […]
OVERHEATING iPAD I read the iPad cooling system article in the September 2022 issue of Aviation Consumer and wonder if you can tell me why my iPad (without a cooling case) has never thermally shut down in four years using the WingX Pro program. But, during the one year I tried the ForeFlight app it […]
WHEN DAMAGE HISTORY DOESN’T MATTER In response to the hidden damage article in the December 2022 Aviation Consumer, I can weigh in. I am not a broker, but I have been involved in many airplane purchases for friends (mostly Beechcrafts)—perhaps a dozen including three of my own. In those searches and purchases, several of the […]
PITOT-STATIC SYSTEMS There’s a lot of good information in your DIY pitot-static system troubleshooting article in the October 2022 Aviation Consumer. I’ve done leak tests myself and the setup can be very simple. Most folks can easily draw the required vacuum with their own lungs. My setup consists of a length of “firm” polyurethane […]
STANDBY ALTERNATORS I just finished reading the September 2022 issue of Aviation Consumer with the standby alternators article, and wanted your readers to know of another offering that wasn’t mentioned in the article. Kelly Aerospace has the STC for Cessna 182S, 182T and T182T aircraft that adds a secondary alternator via a bracket and pulley […]
GARMIN INREACH MINI 2 Thanks for the article on the Garmin inReach Mini 2 in the August 2022 Aviation Consumer. I have one and never leave home without it. I disagree with your decision to keep the PLB (personal locator beacon) as your primary form of emergency communication. Your concern about keeping the subscription up […]
BELLANCA VIKING I am a partner with Bellanca Aircraft, Inc. We—a group of three longtime Bellanca owners—acquired Alexandria Aircraft in 2021 with the intent of re-energizing support for the fleet of Bellanca Vikings and earlier models (the earliest Vikings are now 53 years old, with roots back to the Bellanca Cruisar). In response to your […]
LIGHT SPORT FOR SENIORS I very much enjoyed your article on Light Sport Aircraft for senior pilots in the July 2022 issue of Aviation Consumer. It is definitely my primary interest at 82 years old. But, I want to add my experience acquiring insurance. At 80 years old, I owned a Flight Design CTSW. I […]
ELECTRONIC IGNITION KITS I read with interest Rick Durden’s article in the June 2022 Aviation Consumer regarding the installation of one or two Electroair electronic ignition systems on certified aircraft. We recently replaced our failed right Bendix mag with a SureFly SIM on our Continental IO-520-equipped V35 Bonanza. So far great, even though ideally SureFly […]
