GLIDER ADD-ON RATINGS I enjoyed Rick Durden’s article on earning the glider add-on rating in the May 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer. I finally earned my ticket to soar a couple of years ago, but not without some frustration. While it was we’ll worth the effort (I know I’m a better powered-aircraft pilot because of […]
MORE ON HEARING AIDS I am writing about your hearing aids for pilots article in the March 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer magazine. I have what I think is fairly typical age-related hearing loss, which kicks in at about 2 kHz, and is about 40 or more dB down by about 4 kHz. (You can […]
PORTABLE COMM SHOOTOUT I was interested in the long-term VHF comm radio shootout in the March 2021 issue of Aviation Consumer, and want to raise another point. We keep a handheld radio in the plane to pick up instrument clearances without having to start the engines. However, the transceiver can go weeks without use. […]
MORE ANGLE OF ATTACK Awhile back I put an Alpha Systems AoA in my Cessna 182. The instrument was difficult to calibrate, but Mark Korin—the owner of Alpha systems—got on the phone for a half-hour with me when I was calibrating my unit. Turns out I’m very happy with the panel-mounted display. I almost never […]
FILLING THE O2 TANK I read the portable oxygen system market scan article in the November 2020 issue of Aviation Consumer with interest. The problem with oxygen for the aircraft is it’s difficult to find a place to refill the tanks. The AFD shows oxygen available at many places where it actually is not available. […]
BENDIXKING EMERGENCY AD I wanted to write to let you know that the folks at BendixKing are doing their best to help customers trapped by the recent FAA’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive (2020-18-51) against the Sandia/BendixKing KI 300 retrofit EFIS. My experience with a KI 300 and the autopilot adapter (KI 310) installed in our Mooney […]
INSURANCE ROUNDTABLE I read the insurance roundtable article in the November 2020 Aviation Consumer and thought I would weigh in. It’s not all doom and gloom. We upgraded from an A36 Bonanza to a B58 Baron last year to accommodate a growing family. Due to a desire to maintain higher instrument proficiency, over the past […]
AIRBAG SEATBELT INSTALL REPORT I read the seatbelt airbag article in the August 2020 Aviation Consumer and promptly ordered an AmSafe SOARS kit for my Mooney. The installation was straightforward, and I’m hoping never to provide a user review. As a physician, I’ve seen the horrific damage to a face that’s taken a severe blow […]
Well, I figured I would confirm what Aviation Consumer has been telling all of us for a while. I recently renewed the insurance on my Beech V35B. I’m currently 77 years old and about to make 78. A week after I submitted my payment (which doubled from last year), I received a certified letter from […]
GEAR OF THE YEAR In your annual Gear of the Year article, which appeared in the July 2020 issue of Aviation Consumer, you gave an endorsement to the Sporty’s PJ2 as the Best Portable Radio. I purchased this radio in January, 2020, but found it unsatisfactory and returned it to Sporty’s. While it appeared to […]
COCKPIT TABLETS: GO BIG Good article on the tablet computer user survey in the July 2020 issue of Aviation Consumer. I bought my first iPad in the second year of its introduction (never buy the first version of anything) to run the ForeFlight app. I use full-size iPads in the cockpit and my current cockpit […]
MORE TECH THEORY ON USED COMPOSITES The April 2020 issue of Aviation Consumer had an excellent article about purchasing used composite aircraft. I believe that a better understanding between composite versus metal structures may improve the understanding of what is being inspected when purchasing these aircraft. The expert advice and recommendations from Diamond, Cirrus and […]
