Another VOR Believer
I read Larry Anglisano’s commentary on GPS outages in the November 2024 Aviation Consumer and can weigh in. I have had GPS just go away on me while flying several times and even while flying IFR. Sometimes it is the military jamming GPS for testing. Other times there was no obvious explanation. I even had one GPS outage while IFR over the CONUS when the GPS signal went away (military jamming)—and the next VOR was out of service. At that point all you can do is say, “Hey center, I need a vector to my next fix.”
Regardless, the answer is that any aircraft that will be flying IFR in the system needs VOR and ILS. Best to make sure that the VOR/ILS receiver has ARINC 429 output to make it easy to integrate with modern EFIS displays. That narrows things down considerably when it comes to equipment.
As an aside, I was looking forward to maybe using the new Trig navcomm radio until I found out it doesn’t have ARINC 429 data output. That’s too bad because it seems to be a nice radio. I’m still waiting for the new BendixKing KX200 navcomm and I’m hoping it will have ARINC 429. If it doesn’t then maybe the only game in town will be Garmin. Their new GNC 215 looks like a really nice radio and it is available now and it has ARINC 429 output. Who’d have thought that Garmin might become the leader in integrating with other systems?
—Brian Lloyd, Spring Branch, Texas
We hear these stories more and more lately and agree that for flying in actual IMC, buyers should consider a backup ground-based nav system with ILS capability. That might include retaining an older navcomm system if the shop thinks it’s a keeper.
As for the Trig TX56/TX57 series digital navcomm, it’s surprising that it doesn’t have high-speed ARINC 429 output. We looked at the wiring schematics and found that its RS232 serial output is used for connecting to Garmin’s G3X EFIS. It does have a variety of analog outputs for connecting to third-party mechanical CDIs.
Still Landing Gear Up
I study aviation accidents on the Aviation Safety Network on a daily basis. I noticed six gear-up landings in the last 10 days alone, which works out to be an average of about 200 of these events in a year.
The last six were a Cessna 182RG, a C55 Baron, an A36TC Bonanza, a Mooney M20C, a Piper Arrow and yesterday an E35 V-tail Bonanza. Is this poor training or not following checklists and getting out of sequence? This might be something to add to your Used Aircraft Guide reports. Is this a trend? Is it an uptick or is it normal? Whatever it is, it appears unacceptable.
And yeah, I know, “It’s them that have and them that will.”
And I will admit, it almost happened to me once, making an opposite-runway straight-in approach to Runway 26 on a hot day at Hollywood Burbank Airport in my T210 about 40 years ago. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was lucky.
—Larry Weitzman, Hurricane, Utah
We can always count on the resourceful Larry Weitzman for keeping on top of trends, but these recent gear-up landing stats aren’t out of the ordinary. We do look at gear-up landings when we cover retracs in our Used Aircraft Guide reports and while it’s been a while since we covered the topic in a dedicated article, it’s probably time for another close look. Still, pilots are landing gear up for the same reasons they did 40 years ago.
Used Aircraft Guide
Can you guys do a market review of the Beech BE33 series in your monthly Used Aircraft Report? I looked back in the archives and it doesn’t look like it’s been covered in over a decade.
—Matthew Robertson, via email
It has been a while since we covered the Debonair in the UAG—it’s now on the list. And it’s worth mentioning that if readers have specific requests for models to cover, drop us a line and we’ll make it so. We try and freshen up our reports every three or four years for the popular models.
Speaking of UAG, in the Aerostar report in the November 2024 issue, we goofed on the aircraft’s length in the drawing. It’s just shy of 35 feet, not 25 feet.
