July 2010 Volume XL Number 7

The consumer resource for pilots and aircraft owners

LSAs for Training Why is this wheel in the middle of a runway? Hint: It relates to student pilots and LSAs … page 14.

Engines of change … page 4 Still a useful tool … page 22 iPad flight trial … page 8

4 FUEL CRISIS 11 GEAR OF THE YEAR 22 HANDHELD RADIOS We’re there already, say Aspen takes this year’s top We like Sporty’s new Nav/Com Continental and Lycoming award that can even fly an ILS

8 iPAD FOR AVIATION 18 CIRRUS’S NEW TURBO 26 AERONCA CHAMP Definitely some cool apps, but It’s offering both normalized Not fast or flashy, but it gives mostly hype and groundboosted options Cub-like fun for less cash FIRST WORD EDITOR Paul Bertorelli Are We At the 100LL Tipping Point? MANAGING EDITOR It sure seems like it to me. Just in the past couple of months, I ‘m seeing a scram- Jeff Van West ble of activity, including major initiatives from both Continental and Lycoming, a new engine idea from South Africa, a new model from Cirrus pitched to burn CONTRIBUTING EDITORS low-octane fuel and a rising fish-or-cut-bait sense from aircraft owners and pilots. Jeb Burnside At Continental, Johnny Doo, the new VP for engineering, told the visiting press Jonathan Doolittle last month that the EPA’s initiatives to remove lead from aviation gasoline may Rick Durden seem like a long way off—2015 to 2017—but as the fuel research effort continues Larry Anglisano to drift, time is shorter than anyone thinks. The manufacturers are trying SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT to rapidly line up their options to P.O. Box 420235 deal with a future fuel situation that Palm Coast, FL 34142-0235 they simply can’t predict. 800-829-9081 Every time I visit Continental www.aviationconsumer.com/cs or Lycoming—and I did both last month—I’m struck by one thing: FOR CANADA Subscription Services These are tiny businesses. They’re Box 7820 STN Main not Mom and Pop groceries, to be London, ON 5W1 sure, but they’re hardly Intel or Ford Canada or even Sam Adams brewery, whose annual revenues outstrip Continen- Back Issues, Used Aircraft Guides tal threefold. So despite being part of larger conglomerates, they aren’t swimming 203-857-3100 in capital, which explains why major developmental projects are rare and why they tend to telescope over long periods, running on a cheaper low boil rather REPRINTS: Aviation Consumer can than the high-budget speed of heat. provide you or your organization with reprints. Minimum order is 1000 I am not encouraged. Increasingly, I think the future fuel challenge defies copies. Contact Jennifer Jimolka, solution not for technical reasons, but for political and internecine, interorgani- 203-857-3144 zational squabbling. It’s almost as if the quest has become an end in itself and the solution has become untouchable because it will leave a big vacuum with AVIATION CONSUMER nothing to do. (ISSN #0147-9911) is pub- Against this backdrop, both Lycoming and Continental are moving forward lished monthly by Belvoir with (relatively) big dollar developmental work—Lycoming with its IE2 engine Aviation Group LLC, an and Continental with a diesel project—intended to ready them for whatever fuel affiliate of Belvoir Media emerges as The One. Although the timing for both looks good, they are risky Group, 800 Connecti- projects because no one knows if customers will resonate with these ideas. And cut Avenue, Norwalk, CT therein lies the core of the problem. Pilots love to bash “Lycosaurus” for their lack 06854-1631. Robert Englander, Chairman of innovation but the record suggests otherwise. and CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice More than 20 years ago, Lycoming flirted with John Deere to develop a heavy President, Editorial Director; Philip L. fuel rotary and it did again with Detroit Diesel more recently. Both projects were Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg King, dropped. Continental is no stranger to technological risk. Remember the Voyager Executive Vice President, Marketing Direc- engine? If you think the Voyager wasn’t innovative, consider this: It was water- tor; Ron Goldberg, Chief Financial Officer; cooled, had high turbulence combustion chambers and a compression ratio of Tom Canfield, Vice President, Circulation. 11.4 to 1. In the 300-cubic-inch version, it demonstrated a BSFC of .345, which is better than the diesel technology Continental has acquired from SMA. Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CT, There are other cratered engine projects, not the least of which is the Thielert and at additional mailing offices. Rev- diesel. A good idea badly managed, maybe, but it basically tanked anyway. Let’s enue Canada GST Account #128044658. not forget Rotax’s aborted project on V-6 engines that weren’t lighter than the Subscriptions: $84 annually; single cop- existing competition, didn’t produce more power and were complex. Other than ies, $10.00. Bulk rate subscriptions for the fact that nobody wanted these engines, they were smash hits. organizations are available. Copyright © Mature aircraft engines are in the sweet spot of cost, efficiency and power den- 2010 Belvoir Aviation Group LLC. All rights sity. It’s unfair and inaccurate to say neither Continental nor Lycoming haven’t tried to better these designs. They have. You could argue that the companies reserved. Reproduction in whole or in haven’t done the right kind of innovation, but if that’s true, where’s the competi- part is prohibited. Printed in the USA. tion that has? (See above, Rotax, Thielert. See the report on page 4…) Customers—mainly end users, but also OEMs—have decried the lack of in- Postmaster: Send address corrections to novative products. Yet when the engine makers have pitched new stuff, the very AVIATION CONSUMER, Box 420234, Palm same customers have demurred, preferring to stick with the proven, the familiar, Coast, Fl 32142. In Canada, P.O. Box 39 the reliable. Whether we’re in for a sea change due to threatened fuel supplies is Norwich, ON NOJ1PO, Canada. Publishing unknown at this point. But it sure looks real to me. –Paul Bertorelli Agreement Number #40016479

2 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com2 • www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 LETTERS

Who Made Them King? avionics in LSAs?” I don’t think a it’s not meeting any of the criteria of When the specifications for LSAs weight limit is going to keep them what we want—save one, it’s a diesel. were first announced, I was disap- from getting too complicated. Is it possible that SMA could not pointed that there was a maximum Until we see a truly inexpensive sell their engine to anyone who still gross weight limit. This limit is so way to learn to fly, there won’t be the has a choice, just because of its basic restrictive that few LSAs have reason- numbers of new pilots necessary to design? And is it possible that TCM able useful loads. To be functional, turn the tide on the dwindling pilot just made a big mistake? I think a two-seat airplane should population. Those of us with a basic mechani- have enough carrying capacity to put cal knowledge agree that we will not two adult males and enough fuel for Ed Fogle be readily accepting of the SMA type three or four hours flying in them. Claremore, Oklahoma engine, especially when there are a More important, for the growth of couple of alternatives available that the pilot population, the weight limit Avidyne Replies do not have a valve train to wear eliminated two of the most popular We thought the review of the Avi- out, nor require a massive unappeal- aircraft that should be in the catego- dyne EX600 was a fair and accurate ing front cowling with all of its air ry, the Cessna 150 and Citabria. assessment and you clearly conveyed scoops, plus it has hardware hang- Until I read your article in the May all the features and benefits that ing underneath that blocks nosegear 2010 issue make this a great from retracting. If TCM proceeds of Aviation product. with a 350-HP version, it doesn’t Consumer, I We think a appear to me that it will work in my didn’t know couple of items Malibu, unless the hardware un- the reason for are worthy of derneath is relocated.We all did the this limit. comment. Re- math and converting to any diesel Well, my garding the issue does save money to pay for all of the disappoint- you mentioned extra costs for a retrofit, including ment turned about “repeat- the cost of the engine, all within one to anger edly pounding TBO or TBR, and then after that, it when I read the left pan really starts paying for itself many the quote of button” and it times over. But wouldn’t it be better Earl Lawrence panning slower to wait for the DeltaHawk or at least of the EAA, than expected, something like it? “We specifi- the panning cally excluded some of the heavier works best if you just push and hold. Name withheld legacy airplanes because we wanted You will get a smooth pan that stops to encourage the development of immediately when you let up, as I was very glad to see the detailed new airplanes and new products.” described in the Pilot’s Guide. As you article in the May issue about getting So, who is this “we” and who died saw, it doesn’t work as well when you and made them king? To take this repeatedly push the pan button. continued on page 32 position and leave huge numbers The EX600 has integrated cool- of potentially inexpensive LSAs out ing fans and doesn’t require external CONTACT US of the lineup is outrageous. Sounds cooling. You and I both know that like the group did the bidding of the you can never have enough cool- Editorial Office manufacturers to the detriment of ing fans, but the comments in your 941-929-1693 the potential pilot population. cutline suggest external cooling is E-mail: [email protected] A couple of years ago, some of the required with the EX600 and it is Subscription Department alphabet groups announced they not, nor is heat a particular issue P.O. Box 420235 were going to attempt to get the FAA with this box. Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 to increase this gross weight limit. I 800-829-9081 believe EAA and AOPA were among Tom Harper the participants in this drive. Since Director, Marketing Online Customer Service: the initial announcement, I haven’t Avidyne Corporation www.aviationconsumer.com/cs heard anything more. Do you know Lincoln, Massachusetts anything more about this and its Back Issues, status? TCM’s Diesel Used Aircraft Guides: Actually, I once got an answer to We think TCM is making a mistake 203-857-3100 E-mail: customer_service@bel- my query of why there was a weight by not developing a two-stroke voir.com limit. A person associated with liquid-cooled diesel of their own. I LAMA told me it was to keep the don’t know of any of my fly buddies For weekly aviation news planes from getting too complex. I who are interested in the current updates, see www.avweb.com would ask him, “Have you seen the TCM design copy of SMA because

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 3 Heavy fuel engines will play a role in Continental’s future, left. In May, it announced a new diesel development project based on SMA’s four-cycle technology. It’s aggres- sively pursuing 94UL as a 100LL replacement.

snooze, Lycoming and Continental are sensing they’re running late to the office. Because neither company knows what will replace leaded avgas, designing for the future requires a lot of what-if develop- ment that may become tomor- row’s never-was FUTURE POWER skunk works cu- riosities. Who’s got the money for that? Engines of Change: Lycoming and Continental have divergent approaches to this conun- drum. Continental is pushing for a quick-start 94-octane unleaded Fuel’s Driving (Or Not) solution and just announced a diesel development project. Lycoming is agnostic on the diesel idea, is moving Lycoming and Continental have very different visions aggressively forward with a state-of- of what should replace 100LL. But both agree on one the-art electronic engine but is ada- mant about one thing: Any replace- thing: Persistent delay threatens the industry. ment of 100LL avgas needs to have a minimum of 100 octane. It thinks by Paul Bertorelli the industry should get serious about considering 100-octane solutions. o visit Lycoming and Continen- bets may see the elimination of Both companies agree on two tal, as we did last month, is to 100LL as being at least five to seven things: We need a decision sooner Tstep into a disconnected world years distant and can thus pencil the rather than later and the more we de- that almost quali- problem into lay and dither, the longer it will take fies as an alternate tomorrow’s Lycoming and Continental to gener- reality. And no, to-do list. ate the engines buyers will expect. we’re not resurrect- But the Lycoming especially sees delay itself ing the hackneyed While GA dithers, Lycoming engine makers as an existential threat. complaint that the and Continental are sensing will shoulder engine companies the techni- TCM: EARLY START are out of touch they’re late for the office. cal burden The notion that 100LL would van- with the wants of building ish has a long tail, extending back to and needs of their engines to run at least the mid-1980s. But the idea customers. It’s the other way around. on unleaded fuel. They live in a world was all tail and no teeth because the While the world of piston GA drifts of lukewarm, sometimes vaporous aviation industry has been granted along in business-as-usual mode, the demand, of a legacy fleet that’s all recurring exception to the clean air engine makers see a looming cliff de- but inextricably wrapped around a legislation that indirectly began the fined by the extinction of 100LL and 100-octane fuel requirement and of phase out of leaded mogas. no one is tapping the brakes. Panic certification projects that consume Continental was an early swimmer may be too strong, but if no universal months and years and that require against the do-nothing tide. In 1998, fuel replacement emerges two years limited capital to be doled out in it bought a small start-up company from now, it may be too mild. squirts, not torrents. High-dollar crash called Aerosance (originally Aerotron- We’ll frame it this way: Buyers, projects aren’t on the agenda. That ics) which had developed full author- owners, user groups and the alpha- means while the world continues to ity digital engine controls built around

4 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 TCM test beds but appli- cable to any aircraft engine. One driver of that work—if not the main driver—was automotive-style variable tim- ing and pulsed fuel injection that allows high horsepower engines to burn lower octane fuel. TCM invested enough to certify the system for a number of engine/aircraft combinations but found disinterest in the market. Only one OEM—tiny Lycoming’s Mike Liberty Aircraft—offers what has Kraft, right, believes become the TCM PowerLink on new the 100LL replace- aircraft. There have been a handful of ment challenge is conversions and experimental instal- inextricably linked lations, but fewer than 100 are flying. to engines designed Nonetheless, TCM says six OEMs have PowerLink launch programs and nine to run only on 100 engine families are certified with it. ocatane fuels. Even new-tech projects like Lycoming’s IE2 won’t change that. The market may be swinging in TCM’s “You can work the margins of the problem, but a control system around direction. existing engines is not a panacea for a six- to nine-octane drop.” Bullish as it was on early develop- ment of alternate fuels, in 1997 TCM also took a NASA grant under the technology bought from France’s engineer by training, Kraft General Aviation Propulsion project SMA. distills the avgas chal- to develop a proof-of-concept die- In the test cell and on a Cessna lenge as a force vector sel. The result was a compact four- 182, they showed us test articles problem bounded by cylinder, two-cycle design that ran in clearly based on the SR305, a four- fragile economics the test cell and flew on a Cessna 337 cylinder, four-cycle 230-HP engine with the potential in 2000. But TCM saw that market as that’s been flying since 1998 but, like for a sharp down- soft, too, and declined to move the Continental’s homegrown FADEC, ward market spi- engine into production. It still has the hasn’t gained much OEM traction. ral if the wrong engine in its research shop. (See the February 2010 issue of Avia- Fast forward to 2010 and TCM is tion Consumer for a full report.) moving on several fronts. It has a new The engine’s numbers—fuel spe- management team led by Rhett Ross cifics, power density, cost—make and a new engineering and manu- it an in-range drop-in for some 25% facturing staff. It’s pushing hard on of TCM’s gasoline engines, 40% 60% the idea that 94UL—a fuel somewhat but its long-term durability and similar to 100LL without the lead— economics are still unknown. In 75% can serve as a drop-in avgas replace- other words, TCM is taking sub- ment. stantial risk. There’s no license deal TCM is focusing research on prov- with SMA, but rather an intellectual ing that all of its engines can run on property purchase, meaning TCM can 94UL, either with no modifications, move forward as it sees fit and will do AIRCRAFT FUEL USED through the installation of lower com- so, planning to develop the high-pow- pression pistons, power output limita- er six-cylinder powerplants that are Although estimates vary, this tions, variable timed magnetos or the the core of the profitable GA market. graphic depicts aircraft ready-to-go PowerLink FADEC. TCM That TCM sees urgency in this has continued to invest in expanding project was implicit when we asked requiring 100-octane on the the list of its engines that have a Pow- engineering VP Johnny Doo why the left (25%). On the right, those erLink version available. When OEMs company bought the technology rath- same aircraft burn at least come asking, TCM wants to be ready. er than developing it: time to market. Continental thinks demand for heavy 60% of all aviation gasoline. HEAVY FUEL fuel piston engines could outstrip its They are largely composed of TCM sees the same energy trends ability to develop them and, as with commercial, for-hire and everyone else does and knows that avgas solutions, it wants to be ready. overall gasoline demand is flat, 100LL eet operators, but also a demand is declining and Jet A looks LYCOMING: A large number of private like the global fuel of the future. Still, DIFFERENT VIEW owners. they surprised us in May by announc- Lycoming’s new CEO, Mike Kraft, ing a new diesel project based on couldn’t see things any differently. An

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 5 Lycoming, left, smart solution is an unleaded replace- and Continental, ment that has 100 octane or bet- lower photo, rely ter. Ideally, this would be a drop-in on business gener- requiring no aircraft or engine mods, ated by the legacy something that Lycoming sees as all but a non-starter as a primary solution fleet. Both factories to 100LL’s demise. Interestingly, says invest what they can Kraft, even Lycoming’s new-tech IE2 afford in modern- engine is not being billed as panacea ization. for a low-octane fuel. “When Lycoming looks at this, it’s not about the new engine and what we can do, but about the existing market and what the expectations are to make the bet that owners of getting value out of their assets. You whose engines won’t operate on have to be honest. You can’t change 94UL will either accept reduced the laws of physics. You can work the performance or modify them margins of the problem, but a control to burn lower octane fuel, Kraft system around an existing engines is doesn’t buy this. While it’s gener- not a panacea for a six to nine octane ally accepted that a small portion drop. You can do so much, then you’re of the total fleet—Kraft uses 25 going to have to de-rate,” Kraft says. percent—burns most of the avgas Lycoming believes at least four (60 percent), what’s most impor- entities have demonstrated 100-octane tant is who those owners are. fuel, including Swift Fuel and GAMI’s They’re freight haulers, charter G100. To Lycoming, it’s not whether operators, small corporate flight unleaded 100 octane is possible or ops and the like whose margins whether it’s a biofuel or a petroleum- are already stretched. If they’re based fuel, but rather getting sufficient asked to invest in engine modifi- market attention from end users to cations and/or sign on to reduced first understand the significant impact performance just to burn 94UL or lower-octane fuels will have and then something less that 100 octane, to stimulate the demand necessary fuel is chosen. He is plain about one Kraft argues that many will simply to attract the investment required to thing: without a unified voice, the bolt from aviation. develop a 100-octane solution. industry could default to the wrong Some twins, for example, wouldn’t choice with an impact in the billions. meet their original single-engine DIESEL? NOT YET Although Continental is willing climb requirements with octane- During our discussions with Kraft, he reduced power limits and would flashed a slide comparing diesel or TV effectively become scrap. It may be a heavy fuel engines to gasoline en- SEE AND HEAR MORE leap of faith to assume these operators gines. The analysis yielded the same will pay anything just to stay in the conclusion we’ve come to on our game. After all, TCM got an unmistak- own: diesels have lower power density able early market thumbs down on than gasoline engines and they’re PowerLink. more expensive to produce. Although The larger worry, says Kraft, is the they’re more economical than gaso- unknown effect this might have on line engines, the large unknown is ser- the macro economics of aviation fuel, vice history and long-term durability. whose volume has already declined to Lycoming has pursued heavy fuel the point that the oil industry ranks engines at least three times in its his- For a complete video and audio it as a specialty chemical rather than tory: a rotary design with John Deere series on related topics­­—includ- a fuel. If a significant exodus ignites a (dropped), a piston effort with Detroit ing a podcast interviews with sharp decline, refiners may decide it’s Diesel (dropped) and a third in-house Michael Kraft and TCM’s Bill not worth the bother and fewer refin- project, also dropped. The harsh real- Brogdan on the fuel issue, a look ers will mean less competition. ity is that no aircraft diesel has ever at at the IE2 engine and a de- The effect on prices will be obvious proven an unqualified market success, and could lead to a closed feedback not the German Jumo, not the Pack- tailed report on the TCM diesel loop of more owner dropouts and yet ard radial, not the SMA and certainly project­—log onto www.avweb. higher fuel prices, ultimately reducing not the Thielert line. com and click the audio or video GA to a high-dollar recreational mar- Those engines had technical issues buttons in the upper right of the ket for the very rich, with no mean- and the company went bankrupt, home page. ingful commercial component. morphing into Centurion. It’s un- Lycoming’s view is that the only known if improvements will turn

6 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 them around. RETURN OF THE V Further, Lycoming sees trouble in Just as Continental was surprising emerging specs for biodiesel that may us with its diesel announcement reduce cetane values for Jet A. (Cetane in May, a South African company content describes the ignition reaction called Adept Airmotive was speed of heavy fuels. ) There currently preparing a surprise of its own: are no cetane requirements for Jet A— the rollout of a new V-6 multi-fuel it’s present as a happy accident—and­ if biofuel becomes a player, cetane engine for the GA market. could drop lower than it already is. Jet Even casual readers will recall A typically has 40 to 50 cetane, while that Rotax/Bombardier tried the road diesel is higher. If reformulated same thing in 2003 that was long synthetic Jet A has less cetane—some on PR and short on market perfor- sources quote figures in the 20s—Ly- mance. Curiously, the two engines gear reduction unit protected by an coming sees the piston industry as the are related. Adept principle Rich- anti-backlash coupling. ant and Jet A users as the elephant. ard Schulz was involved with a As you’d expect, the engine is Piston GA would have little voice in company developing a V-6, tech- managed by dual-channel FADEC and the fuel spec and because Lycoming nology it sold to outboard motor has direct-fire coils similar to modern doesn’t like those odds, it’s demurring manufacturer OMC. That company motorcycles. Cooling is via water and on a heavy fuel engine for now. was bought by Bombardier and— oil and Schulz told us the engine can CONCLUSION surprise—the V-6 appeared as a run for long periods even with loss Both Lycoming and Continental agree proposed aircraft engine. It went of coolant, relying only on secondary that the demise of 100LL is a more nowhere, largely, we believe, due to cooling from oil. immediate existential threat than air- lack of OEM interest. One persistent problem with V craft owners and especially groups like Adept’s retooling of the V-6 is a designs is overall weight and power AOPA and EAA seem to accept. That’s 320-HP turbocharged design that density. Adept concedes the theory, because those entities don’t have will run on a range of fuels from but not the practice. The 320-HP to build and sell products sharply high-octane mogas to biofuels, model weighs 321 pounds, for an constrained by market expectations although no details were given on even 1.0 pound per horsepower, com- on one hand and the laws of physics what exactly biofuels means. We pared to 470 pounds (1.3 LB/HP) for on the other. And they have to do this in an aviation economy battered to a doubt it means heavy fuels. a TSIO-550-K. (We reserve judgment virtual pulp. At least three models are on this until we’ve seen real-world in- But both companies are placing planned: a turbocharged 320-HP stalled weights for the Adept engine.) very different bets on the future. Con- version and normally aspirated How about fuel specifics? Schulz tinental believes that it can develop 260 to 300 HP versions. The engine reports initial test reveals of .4, which a range of technical solutions so has a 120-degree V—giving it an is comparable with Continental’s best. engines can operate on 94UL and that unusually low profile­—and the dual But he also claims testing shows that customers will either buy these solu- overhead camshafts that are com- .37 is in range. That would be a sig- tions or accept reduced performance. mon in automotive designs. Like nificant development for a gasoline Or both. It further believes that heavy modern motorcycles, it has bucket- engine. The engine hadn’t flown as of fuel is an inevitable future player and type valve adjustors. late May, but was about to in an ex- is investing accordingly. While TCM is willing to sacrifice six Because it generates its best perimental Ravin. For a full interview octane points for a rapid, agreed-upon torque output at about 5000 RPM, with Schulz, see http://snipurl.com/ solution, Lycoming believes a rush to the engine has a front-mounted x5lb1 and adeptairmotive.com. accept 94UL will be a billion-dollar mistake. While it agrees that high horsepower engines might operate on vinced that 94UL is really up to the cases as you’re likely to see. We see 94UL, it also insists that end users— job for a large enough segment of the Continental’s diesel play as sensible the ones who will feel the impact— GA fleet to be a practical choice. In and rational, albeit risky. Lycoming’s don’t yet understand how seriously our surveys, an alarming number of decision to sit diesel out for now has performance will be degraded by owners are telling us they’ll get out risk, too, but the far larger one is fail- anything less than 100 octane. Lycom- of aviation rather than modify their ing to develop an aviation gasoline ing likes GAMA’s idea of transitioning engines to run lower octane fuel and that’s not a drop-in replacement for to 100 ultra low lead first, then a lead- it won’t take many of them to actually 100LL. Lycoming’s clear focus is to free fuel after that. do that to put avgas demand into a make the world of GA understand Who’s right? Based on our surveys, worrisome spiral. that without the distraction of adding we think Lycoming may have the As for diesel, both companies are Jet A to the list. more compelling argument. We’ve looking at the same numbers and seen detonation profiles on even interpreting them differently. It’s as 98-octane fuel that leaves us uncon- clear an example of different business

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 7 COCKPIT ACCESSORIES Aviation Apps for iPad: A Cut Above Phones

We’re not wetting our pants with excitement, but the iPad definitely has EFB aspirations, with dozens of useful apps. But GPS navigation isn’t one of them.

by Paul Bertorelli

ust for fun, I’m writing this article on the virtual keyboard of JApple’s vauned iPad and, as you can see, it,s not going that we;; Switching back to a real key- board, I can now explain that de- spite the hype, the iPad for general use and for aviation use will do a lot of things adequately, but only a handful of things well. Composing text isn’t one of them. By early June 2010, there were more than 300 aviation apps for the iPad, but the number is techni- cally less because some of those are iPhone apps that will run on the larger device and some are just variations on the same program, such as multiple checklists or POHs. The iPad may be many things to many people, but there are several things it is not: a mov- ing map, a good navigator or a datalink weather display. I doubt if Garmin will even feel a minor nick in sales from iPad com- petition. The iPad is, however,

iPad in actual size. Clip here and tape to panel. (If you can find room.)

8 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 an excellent plate reader. There are several ways to obtain and manage plates and I’m sure this function will improve as the market matures. It can also do enroute charts and sectionals reasonably well and it flat aces things like weight and balance and E6B calcs. HARDWARE Although some buyers are salivating at the idea of the iPad becoming the mother of all EFBs, don’t hold your breath. It has some issues. First is size. At 9.5 by 7.5 inches, the thing is huge and it tends to consume the cockpit. That leaves a lap or kneemount as the best option. (See the photos on page 10.) In my view, this is acceptable if you don’t mind having a largish thing in your lap all the time. If you do, don’t buy it for the cockpit. The tradeoff is a fabulously sharp through this, so it’s not much of a and colorful screen whose touch problem unless you’re trying to pho- interface is close to flawless. Screen tograph it. Direct sunlight readability navigation is logical and easy to mas- is adequate, but sunlight illuminates ter in minutes. Like the iPhone, the every smudge on the screen and there iPad has a built-in accelerometer that are a lot of them. The screen starts to senses position and automatically ro- look like a pigsty after a day of use. tates the screen. This gimmick is fine (You get used to it…) when you want it, a nuisance when The 3G-equipped version of the you don’t, but there’s a hardware lock iPad is GPS-enabled, but this is not out switch to keep the screen from the same class of GPS that Garmin of- freely spinning when you’d rather it fers. There’s no external antenna and didn’t. It doesn’t work with all apps although the receiver seems adequate, anyway. it loses lock and is slow to update Screen glare is always an issue with position. If Garmin, Control Vision Want a yoke mount for the iPad? cockpit displays and it certainly is and others weren’t out there with Good luck with that; the thing is with the iPad, too. Fortunately, the better GPS receivers, the iPad’s would huge. Screen glare, lower photo, is device is bright enough to power be a killer. But they are. So it isn’t. In an annoyance, but tolerable. any case, moving map apps—such CHECKLIST as Wing X’s—are rudimentary when compared to the capability of typical specs say the iPad’s operational alti- aviation portables. This may improve tude limit is 10,000 feet, but I tried it Overall, the iPad is going forward. WingX’s latest app, re- briefly above that altitude with no ill cleverly designed, well leased at press time, looks promising. effects. It uses solid-state flash, so a made and easy to use. If you’re thinking the iPad would floating drive head isn’t a worry. be great for displaying NEXRAD Display screen is sharp, weather it is, but not in the cockpit. LOTS OF APPS readable and refreshes Yet. The hardware is Bluetooth ca- Apple’s App Store is loaded with quickly. A great plate pable, but there’s presently no XM da- applications for aviation, but only reader. talink receiver to fetch the datastream a small fraction are what we would and I’m not sure there ever will be. consider must-have. Strengths: plate Size is a problem. Yoke The 3G-enabled iPad seems to engage reading, flight planning apps, POHs, mount is out and panel AT&T’s 3G cellular network at low E6B-type calculators and reference mount proabably is, too. altitudes, but it’s neither reliable resources like FAR/AIM documents Kneeboard anyone? enough nor fast enough for count-on- and textual weather. Okay but not it weather gathering. Further, its geo- so hot: weather imagery and moving Worth having in the referencing is somewhat limited. It map navigation. cockpit? Maybe, but geo-references on en route charts and Any app that will run on an iPhone thus far iPad hype sectionals, but not on approach plates will run on the iPad, but in reduced outstrips its true value. or weather displays. That may change size. There’s a zoom button to enlarge in the future, but not for now. Apple’s the display to suit the iPad. This

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 9 load the entire U.S. pro- cedures library. ForeFlight charges $74.99 a year or $24.99 per quarter. To fetch a plate in ForeFlight, you tap an airport tab, type in the ID and get a list of all the procedures. Tap the one you want and the plate appears in full scale. You can pinch scale it or finger pan to suit. The plates are readable in sunlight (just) and at night, you can ramp the brightness to the minimum setting. It’s still a little too bright, but it’s tolerable. WingX’s retrieval has a nice browser function that allows finger panning through a series iPhone/iPad apps abound; perhaps 20 of them are actually useful. Two of the top of plates for a particular contenders are ForeFlight, left, and WingX, right. Both are good weather getters and airport. Both of these apps flight plan filers and with 3G, you can do all that from almost anywhere. are works in progress, but from what I’ve seen so far, the iPad is as good a plate knocks back the resolution a little, but the iPad is an excellent plate reader- reader as anything out there—better it’s not objectionable. As of early June, -FAA’s AeroNav charts only for the than a KindleDX and more readable about a dozen apps had been opti- moment. There are several ways to get than the SOLID FX8, not to mention mized for the iPad and the list grows the plates, including ForeFlight and being cheaper. daily. Thankfully, if you bought the WingX’s regional purchasing plans With ForeFlight, the iPad does both app for an iPhone, can you download or free/donation-based services such sectionals and IFR enroute charts. It it again for the iPad at no charge. as NACOmatic or pdfplates. Both of scales these adequately—albeit slowly If you don’t mind its inflated size, the latter will require a dedicated PDF at times—and you can finger pan reader, such as Goodreader. across the charts and even search The acid test for plate reading is them for fixes or airports. Could these downloading, retrieval and display. replace paper charts? Given personal The apps do all of this reasonably preferences, I’d say the answer for well. ForeFlight and WingX, for some users will be yes. instance, allow state or regional downloading of plates. ForeFlight’s WEATHER, PLANNING procedures for southern Florida, for Through apps like ForeFlight or example, required 33MB and took WingX, the iPad can fetch weather under a minute to retrieve. If you briefings with various degrees of ease have a fast connection, you can and thoroughness, including route briefings. ForeFlight and WingX also allow flight plan filing, which you can How to mount the do from anywhere where wireless or bloody thing? RAM 3G is available and for that reason, I is about to release think buying the 3G version is worth a dashboard/panel the extra cost of the hardware and bracket, left, but it the AT&T data plan at $30 a month. If you travel often and don’t want to be may not be a player limited by lack of wireless access, it’ll for the cockpit. be worth it. www.forpilotsonly. But…thus far, the iPad apps aren’t com has a nice that impressive at the granular brief- metal combination ings some pilots like, with multiple NEXRAD views and the data crunch- kneeboard custom- ing capability of a full-blown flight ized for the iPad. It planner like Voyager4. On the other sells for $149.95. hand, try running Voyager on a lap-

10 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 top perched on the wing while you’re waiting for the fuel truck to show. So what the iPad gives up in capabil- ity, it returns in anywhere access and convenience. Apps also excel at things like performance planning, weight and balance and E6B functions. For in- stance, Punkstar Studios has a series of POHs that do all of the principle calculations such as takeoff and climb performance, weight and balance and so on. For $9.99, these are a fair value. Other apps do more detailed CG calcs, power calculations, wind func- tions and so forth. If it can be calcu- lated, there’s probably an app for it. BUY IT? Does any of this make the iPad a clean sweep of the EFB market? Well, not quite. The aforementioned lack of cockpit weather and moving map Gear of the Year: capability stunt it, in my view. My guess is this capability won’t improve enough to make the iPad an aera Aspen is Our Top Pick killer. On the other hand, it’s a good plate reader and I doubt if anyone who buys it just for that purpose will Aspen said it would deliver affordable EFIS and it be disappointed. It’s still cheaper than the FX8 we reviewed in the has, so it gets the top nod this year. Herewith are a June 2010 issue. And everyone will dozen other products that excelled. find useful favorites in the long list of apps. The iPad’s real strength is its ou can’t imagine how difficult flexible and reliable glass systems general functions—the daily grind of it is for us to keep a straight that many owners can afford. Web browsing, dips in the e-mail river Yface when we ask a company Moreover, they have supported the and specialty apps, not the least of for an estimated delivery date of installation of these products with which is Dogs Playing Poker. I haven’t some new airplane or widget. We good customer and technical sup- decided if I’ll buy one yet and given dutifully report what these compa- port. We don’t hear complaints about that ambivalence, I think I’ll wait Aspen and believe us, we go looking. for the inevitable price break, maybe So Aspen gets Aviation Consumer’s around Christmas. 2010 nod for the top company and top product of the year. For more, see aspenavionics.com AC TV BEST LSA: nies tell us and when they’re out of LEGEND CUB earshot, we allow the sniggering and eye rolling to begin unabated. Damn it to hell, we like these But there are exceptions. Some airplanes. The problem with many companies do what they say they’re LSAs is that they feel…cheesy. In going to more or less when they said order to meet the weight restrictions, they would. One of these is Aspen structure is reduced to the minimum Avionics, which we are select- and there’s weight reduction at every ing as our company of the year. turn. For a video report on the iPad, log It’s not that Aspen on to our sister publication, www. has never let a avweb.com, and click the video in- schedule slip, but that dex on upper right of the homep- in its competently designed age. Or use this direct link: http:// aftermarket EFIS systems, As- snipurl.com/x6jcf pen has done just what it said it would: delivered high-quality, Legend Cub July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 11 first stab (a little inside GPS and a bright PS Engineering PMA 8000B article humor there) at an display run- Next Dimension SR22 mod aviation touchscreen. ning on a solid CTL 2Go NL1 tablet What impressed us most PC made this product rise to the top. about this product intro is FlightPrep offers a range of related that Garmin resisted the products. inevitable urge to trash the thing up with a lot of TOP AUDIO PANEL: menus and capability that PS 8000 the processor and memory could probably support but Even if you have a recent audio panel that users don’t need. It’s in your airplane, you probably need kept to a simple, easy-to- a new one. That’s because you’re use operating structure carting around an MP3 player or a that anyone can learn. See portable DVD and you need to play the December 2009 issue good quality stereo music. An old or garmin.com for more. KMA24 won’t do that. But the Legend Cubs Voyager 4 But PS Engineering’s slick feel more like genu- MOD OF THE YEAR: PMA8000 series will do the job ine Piper Cubs because, well, they NEXT DIMENSION SR22 nicely and one version even includes sort of are. But they have improved a Sirius Satellite Radio receiver construction methods, two engine There’s a reason the Cirrus SR22 is a complete with remote control. In a choices and the build quality is top seller. It’s fast, fun to fly and nice market dominated by Garmin, PS simply second to none, in our esti- looking. Cirrus got the airplane so Engineering continues to innovate mation. When we go to shows, we right from the start that it hasn’t seen and keep its competitive edge. So always sign up to fly them for “edito- a big mod market. we’re happy to tip the hat in their rial review.” But really, it’s just for the But the one mod that caught our direction. For more, see ps-engineer- fun of it. See more in the April 2010 eye is Next Dimension’s major redo ing.com or our review in the August issue or at legend.aero. of the SR22. In case you haven’t 2009 issue. noticed, the market is flooded with BEST PORTABLE GPS recent model SR22s at good prices. LARGE COJONES AWARD: GARMIN AERA ND’s mod fits them with a Tornado AUSTRO ENGINE Alley Turbo normalizer system plus You’re surprised? Like clockwork, Avidyne’s Release 9, which we picked And it may be Austro’s name on the Garmin seems to roll these things as our top EFIS last year. An upgrad- door, but Diamond principle Chris- out at least once a year and we seem ed interior and paint comes with the tian Dries is the man responsible for to beat the hell out of them and find package. pistol whipping a new diesel engine that they work just fine. The aera line Bottom line: A helluva airplane for through certification in under 24 is unique because it is a line—four well under the cost of a new one. We months. Diamond stubbed its toe models are available—but it’s haven’t flight tested one yet, but we’re badly with the Thielert (now Centu- also Garmin’s on the list. For more, see the January rion) engines in the popular DA42 2010 issue or ndaircraft.com. twin. But rather than BEST EFB: retreat and FLIGHTPREP CHARTBOOK regroup, Dries dou- Electronic Flight Bags are a bit of a bled down, misnomer, since they don’t actually finding $61 displace a real flightbag. But they do million to carry plate readers, chart libraries, invest in a new flight planners, utility programs and diesel develop- weather access, so they earn their mental project, keep. (No fuel strainer, sorry.) plus the factory to Our top pick in our April 2010 re- build it. It’s too view was Chartbook from flightprep. soon to com. Ease of use, range of features judge Austro AE300

12 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 the engine—although we reviewed and our January 2010 issue for the them. It’s that simple. See our March it in the July 2009 issue—but we review. 2010 issue for the full survey and think Dries deserves recognition for more contact information. absolute Cargnegiean confidence and BEST VALUE IN 406 ELTS bravado. You just don’t see that much ACK E04 BEST PAPER CHART CHOICE: anymore. Try diamondair.com for AIR CHARTS more. Unless you’re in a hurry, in which case the KANNAD Compact is the With EFBs and iPads, who the hell BELLY DEGREASER: second choice, the ACK E04 is a best uses paper charts anymore? Not ARROW, SIMPLE GREEN value. It has been delayed to market, everybody, but most of us. But but its strong featureset and favorable given how much we spend on data We have seen ugly and it is the un- price make it our top choice. for boxes and navigators, there’s a derside of a Cessna 182 that hasn’t The reality is buyers are dragging budget limit and one way to stay been washed in a year. There are their feet on 406 MHz purchases, under it is to use dozens of cleaners to blast the grime so we have no compunctions about Air Charts. loose and we tried most of them. recommending a product that’s just This system All of them work, but some work coming to market as we go to press. repackages a little better and they would be The hidden side of 406 technology Arrow-Magnolia’s Fleet Wash and is that it can be expensive to install. Simple Green’s much touted Extreme The ACK E04 is a reasonable all Aircraft Cleaner. Both of these met arounder. See the June 2010 issue or our requirements for knocking the ackavionics.com. grease off without requiring crawling under the belly and scrubbing. Some BEST JEPP READER things just aren’t done, after all. Find SOLIDFX8 out more in the May 2010 review and source from aircraftspruce.com. As noted in this issue’s review of the BEST PLANNER: Apple iPad, getting a plate reader VOYAGER 4 right is no easy task. That’s because paper approach plates and electronic We’ll concede that it’s a good thing displays just aren’t meant for each that pilots actually tend to plan other. their flights rather than just kick- SolidFX’s first try, the FX10, was a ing the tires and launching. And noble effort, but too big, in our esti- mation. The company’s follow- on product, the FX8, gets it just right, albeit at a pricey $1195, ACK E04 the plus the subscription costs. public domain FAA AeroNav services But if you want a reader to in a compact set of atlases. The ap- do Jepp plates, this is the only proach plate booklets are updated via game for now. As the iPad App a periodic sheet rather than having Store rips into overdrive, we to deal with all that paper every 28 may see a Jepp app for that days. It just makes more sense and device. Until then, see solidfx. it’s cheaper. See our review in the com. May 2010 issue or airchart.com. Air Chart Systems TOP ENGINE SHOP ZEPHYR ENGINE When an engine comes due, the first question is where to get it overhauled. There are doz- ens of choices, but our surveys have consistently put one shop SolidFX8 at the top: Zephyr Engines in Zephyrhills, Florida. But Penn for that task, many pilots want a Yan Aero and Poplar Grove are right computer-based or online flight behind Zephyr. What makes a good planning program. We tried them shop? Three things, really. Customer all—free ones and pay-per prod- service, customer service and custom- ucts—and we like Voyager 4 as the er service. These shops have grown best does-it-all planning program. loyal followings because they take See seattleavionics.com for more care of people who do business with

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 13 MARKET SURVEY CHECKLIST

There is a market for LSA rentals and sport pilot flight training. Maintenance costs are equal to, or higher than, traditional trainers. Real longevity of many light sport designs and their manufacturers are still an unknown.

flight line and going through the maintenance shop. He’ll be the first to complain about poor durability and high repair costs, but then he’ll admit his own numbers show it comes out as a wash. His average maintenance cost (real cost, not reserve) for his 1978 Cessna 152 has been $24/hour averaged over LSAs for Training: the past five years. The average main- tenance cost for each of two Evektor SportStars (with over 3300 hours of It Works for the Wary flight time combined) is $29/hour. He also operates a Remos GX but with only one year in service, the Our survey turned up accolades and horror stories. $17/hour maintenance cost is prob- ably too low. The first year of Sport- The takeaway was that a shrewd operator can turn a Star operation was only $11/hour. buck renting LSAs as flight training machines. These numbers for LSAs were confirmed by other schools we spoke to. In fact, if one aircraft was cheaper by Jeff Van West to maintain, it was the conventional aircraft. For example, changing a art of the grand promise of aren’t cheaper to maintain—and that tire on a Gobosh 700 takes three Light Sport aircraft and the fact may have no net effect on the times as long as changing a tire on PSport Pilot license was it would bottom line. This may explain why a Cessna 172. On the other hand, reinvigorate flight training, bringing 90 percent of our survey respondents the required 100-hour inspections busloads of new pilot starts attracted would recommend using LSAs as seem to run two or three hours less to cheaper flying with fewer for an LSA. Rotax-powered LSAs requirements (like a medical running 100LL require twice the certificate). oil-change frequency of Mogas Soon after the dream of LSAs “It’s a good solid training burners, and the oil change in the hands of students made has some extra steps to cleanse some hard landings in reality we airplane. It just isn’t going to lead. Numbers varied with how started seeing complaints that heavily the school used aircraft- light sport designs were too light- last like a Cessna 152.” grade parts versus hardware ly built for the rigors of flight store equipment, which is legal training. Now that we’re several in many, non-critical LSA ap- years into the process and have some trainers, even though almost none plications. real numbers to work with, we’ve reported their experiences as trouble- There was also variation with just decided to give this a closer look. free. dumb luck. LSAs broke more often, Dennis Brampton of St. Charles but were often (but not always) DREAM, MEET REALITY Flying Service is in a good position slightly cheaper to repair. Major parts The short answer is that LSAs gener- to speak on LSA viability versus from manufacturers were often just ally don’t have the durability of conventional aircraft. For the past as pricey as certified parts for Part 23 something like a Cessna 152 and five years, he’s had both on the same aircraft. But global takeaway is that,

14 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 over time, keeping a new two-seat LSA flying in a high-abuse environs Common LSA Weak Spots was roughly equal to maintaining a high-time classic trainer. Each make and model has its strengths and weaknesses, Running this out to the bottom but these areas seem to be issues in many models. line is not straightforward. Fuel burns for the LSAs are lower, av- eraging 4 GPH for Rotax-powered equipment in flight training versus 5+ GPH for an average O-200. Rental rates are comparable. We saw a range of $85-$130/hour for an airplane S- Doors and LSA (as opposed to J-3s or air trikes) canopies: rentals, with a tight average of $100. But dispatch reliability of the LSAs Too flimsy and get broken by is reported as either equal—which overextension or closing while doesn’t bode well when you’re com- misaligned. paring an essentially new aircraft to a 20-year-old one—or worse, Odd closing systems broken by mostly because of parts availability unfamiliar renters. (or lack thereof) that can keep an aircraft grounded for weeks. This can ruin customer confidence if the only plane they can fly is repeatedly down. Interiors: Brampton shared a story that shows an interesting twist on this. Lightweight seat tracks break Needing a gear leg for the Evektor, or misalign causing damage. he contacted the company but they couldn’t help him right away. They Lightweight plastics and seat put him in touch directly with the fabric crack or tear too easily. Czech Republic supplier, and the gear leg arrived in five days. That’s Damaged/scuffed interiors pretty good time-wise, but having harder to clean which discour- customers call overseas for parts is ages renters. not a viable long-term support plan. These stories are not rare. One Sport- Cruiser operator we know ordered a gear leg that arrived as a piece of unfinished fiberglass without any bolt holes drilled or even marked. Overall, comments from flight schools fell on a skewed curve. Some folks were just thrilled with their LSAs as trainers: “With lights and a Garmin 430W, we can teach Sport, Private and Instrument students. As soon as the FAA’s complex rule is signed, we can also teach Com- mercial and CFIs in it—at 4 GPH!” A few had tried and walked away: “We tried very hard to make it work, but Gear and tires I lost a lot of money and time.” Most Nosewheel damaged by sud- schools were staying in the game, but den or high-speed turns on well past any Pollyanna illusions that the ground. S-LSAs were ideal trainers. Main gear leg and crossover BRAND BY BRAND failures from hard landings. We asked flight school and lease- back LSA owners how their specific Tires time consuming to make, model and year of LSA faired change and may be odd in several specific areas. While the (hard to get) sizes. total sample size we were able to

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 15 Light wing loading combined with light structure makes the aircraft less resilient to poor technique. This has already had fallout for insur- ance rates for LSA flight training.

one Tecnam. On the plus side was general solidity and ease of repair of the metal airframe and parts avail- ability. Weak points were the interi- ors, particularly wear on the seat and seat belts. The nose gear is a weak point on earlier models. “Tecnams are sufficiently robust for flight train- ing [but] subject to finesse in ground and flight handling. They are not Cessnas. No turning and braking at the same time on the ground.” The Echo Super seemed to be the weak- est, with more electrical, door/inte- rior and gear problem than the other gather wasn’t large enough that we 10,000+ total time, 6000 dual and models. can make statements with strong 1500 in the Allegro. This plane has The most popular LSA for flight confidence (with too few responses over 2000 hours in a training envi- training was the Evektor SportStar, and one person’s unusually good or ronment and it is showing no signs edging out Tecnams by a point. bad luck with a model will skew the of slowing down. … I don’t care if They were rated universally good in results), we did see trends emerge. I ever go back to the bigger stuff.” systems, such as flight controls or A surprise favorite was the Allegro Users spoke of good manufacturer flaps. They were OK, but not without 2000 and 2007. Just three schools re- support—critical in school satisfac- issues in canopy, tires and landing ported on them, but that represented tion with any of these aircraft. gear. They were weakest in warranty a total of six aircraft. One CFI told us No surprise was that Tecnam support, parts availability and manu- the 2000 was the “Best trainer I have aircraft faired quite well, with about facturer responsiveness. ever been able to teach in. I have a fifth of the schools using at least Remos aircraft got more middle- of-the-road comments, some loving it and others not so happy. The fuel Across the board, we saw an improvement in durability with revised or system was a complaint, but this may be because the Remos doesn’t carry newer designs from the same company, so an early-model LSA might not as much as other LSAs. The gear be the bargain it appears. The fact that newer designs exist also inspire (both nose and main) were reported some confidence the company has been around long enough to work out as a weak point. The main gear car- its parts support. ryover has recently been replaced

16 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 with a more robust (but heavier) design. The same has happened with the nose gear. We also saw mixed re- ports on the ease and cost of Remos repairs and warranty support. “It was not handled well,” one respondent told us. Other brands were at such low sample size, trends have to be taken with some skepticism, but the Gobosh and SportCruiser held up about as well as the best LSAs with complaints about parts availabil- ity and the overall cost of repairs. Jabirus were singled out as good for large pilots—six feet tall and 330 pounds—but doors and paint were a problem. Flight Design’s CT line had complaints about gear issues and parts availability, but the complaints were almost entirely about the older CTSW design rather than the newer CTLS. Worth noting is that super-simple designs, such as the Cub Crafter’s Top Cub or vintage J-3s, did much better than any of the newer LSAs. NEW-SCHOOL ECONOMICS A completely unexpected fact that surfaced during this study was how many pilot starts walked in the door specifically looking for Sport Pilot licenses. One school reported a shocking nine out of 10 pilots fit this category. We contacted several schools and saw a range from a third of new students specifically seeking Light Sport to 80 or 90 percent of all new applicants. These are just from schools offering both LSA and tradi- While it might not jump to mind as a durability issue, damage due to less- tional trainers. One school told us, “Other than agile, older pilots—a significant market for LSAs—getting in and out came training in the Jabiru, we are nothing up. Stepping on no-step areas or leaning on lightweight doors and canopies special as far as schools go but I have were an issue. High-wings fared better than low. students that drive as much as seven hours one way and stay in a hotel or camp in their motor home to train turned off by lower wind limits some flight line 20 years and 6000 flight with us because there is nobody schools impose on their LSA fleet. hours from now, that investment closer [who operates LSAs].” From where we sit, the critical should pay off. But if by that point The promoting of Light Sport factor in how this party will go is the aircraft is so worn out it must be training seems to be generating some manufacturer support. Built lighter retired, that represents an amortized real traction, so there is a market for by design than the trainers of yore, $40/hour in investment and cost of these aircraft on the flight line. As these aircraft will break more often, money. That may be more than our we said earlier, how a school chooses in both significant and mundane industry can afford. And it’s unclear to operate the LSAs—parts used in ways, than a 152 ever did. So long as if any LSA will even do that well. maintenance or 100LL versus auto- the aircraft-on-ground time can be It won’t be too long before some gas—will have a noticeable impact kept to a minimum and parts costs LSAs have the opportunity to turn on the bottom line. But it seems are kept in check, the short-term vi- that many hours ... or die trying. clear that what LSA offers is newer, ability is there. Then we’ll see how well the LSA more technologically flashy aircraft, The lurking issue is longer-term promise holds up in the cold reality but not cheaper ones, Or easier to and it’s harder to predict. If today’s of flight training. fly, for that matter. Renters may be $125,000 Light Sport is still on the

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 17 AIRCRAFT FLIGHT TRIAL a brief test flight in May, we conclude that the SR22T approaches par with the TN model but appears to be bit slower. We’ll give our data below, but Cirrus SR22T: without doing a side-by-side flyoff, we can’t make a definitive judgment on performance. Although designed to run lean of A Follow-On Turbo peak, it burns a little more fuel, which we would expect, given the low- compression pistons. Otherwise the The new turbocharged model is claimed to be airplanes are so similar that we have smoother and quieter than previous offerings, but to ask: Why do this? does it give up speed to the TN model? MARKET TALK In its marketing summary, Cirrus listed changes in the airplane and by Paul Bertorelli their benefits. These include full-time 2500 RPM operation for smoother running and power changes, a dy- hen Cirrus went its own way nado Alley, although it’s clear that namic leaning bug on the Garmin and offered the Tornado Al- Cirrus took a page from the TAT book Perspective system, a 15-pound lower Wley Turbo as an STC in the in terms of overall design, especially empty weight and a new oleo strut on SR22, the market practically planted intercooling and leaning strategy. the nosegear. a wet kiss on the project. Now, with a And how about performance? From The claim that may catch the at- new model called the SR22T, Cirrus tention of many buyers is this: “This is following up with a groundboosted lower compression ratio engine is rather than a turbonormalized system. more tolerant of lower octane fuels This time, it did the engineering and reduces the risk for customers in-house rather than relying on Tor- with the future of…fuel in question.” We take this to mean that Cirrus sees the SR22T as being capable of operat- ing on less than 100-octane fuel. We’re not sure if that will be a hard sales point, but if it is, customers will need to ask Cirrus to clarify the claim. Some may also be thinking twice about buying the normally as- pirated SR22, whose IO-550-N sports the same 8.5 to 1 pistons as the TN. Here’s what Cirrus’s Todd Simmons said when we asked about this: “We have implemented TCM’s suggested path and will be working very closely with them to ensure a seamless transition for our customers to whatever fuel the industry selects. Cirrus’s follow-on project We are confident based on informa- to the SR22 TN has a tion TCM has shared with us that we 315-HP TSIO-550-K. As have more than bounded the problem with the TN model, the for our flagship product here, and also engine has generous in- have a viable technical path for the same issue as it relates to the normally tercooling (upper right) aspirated SR20 and SR22.” Pricewise, and different inlets and the new SR22T will be across the cowl louvers. It uses the board with the TN version, assuming same Hartzell composite equivalent equipment. That means three-blade prop, but the invoices typically a little north of governor is fixed at 2500 $600,000, variable with options. RPM, eliminating the CHANGES cam- and-cable arrange- While the TN model turbonormalizes ment. the IO-550-N, the SR22T models uses

18 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 PAYLOAD/FULLPERFORMANCE FUEL GLIMPSE SR22T 167 KTAS/17.5 GPH SR22TN 168 KTAS/17.6 GPH 3000 FT 3000

SR22T 188 KTAS/17.6 GPH SR22TN 200 KTAS/17.5 GPH 12,500 FT

SR22T 199 KTAS/17.8 GPH SR22TN 212 KTAS/17.5 GPH 17,500 FT 160 180 200 SR22T a groundboosted TSIO-550-K with a Other changes include new SR22TN pair of turbochargers controlled by a induction plumbing consist- single wastegate. Maximum normal ing of a pair of pipes running FLIGHT TRIAL NOTES boost is given as 36.5 inches MAP for through filters on the forward Data for this chart were collected from flight 315 HP at 2550 RPM. (The TN has cowl. For alternate induction observations. SR22 TN was flown in about ISA +5, the SR22T in ISA +1 5. All values were ob- 310 HP at 2700 RPM, so on power, air, the system has an automat- served on onboard instrumentation except the the two are essentially a wash.) ic magnetic suck-open door. SR22TN at 3000 feet, which is a POH estimate. We uncowled the engine and had There’s also some increased Cirrus concedes a slight speed difference but a look topside and a peek below the clearance for exhaust cooling believes this comparison isn’t represenative. deck. Cirrus clearly followed the TAT and two new louvers on the lead in using large-volume intercool- bottom of the cowl. For this ing; the coolers are larger than those model, Cirrus did away with used in the STC project turbo that the cam-and-cable prop control and the K-model isn’t yet listed, the TSIO- Continental was showing at Osh- hardwired the prop at 2500 RPM 550-C used in the Columbia/Corval- kosh last year. Cirrus took pains to which, says the company, accounts for lis is a good benchmark. It carries an point out that the SR22T is in no way the smoothness and quieter cabin. We installed overhaul price of $60,000, related to the Continental project, couldn’t say it was noticeable in the according to the Bluebook Price Digest. which used a different variant of the cabin, but Cirrus says environmental The price for the IO-550-N is $33,000, TSIO-550. noise is reduced to 80.8 dB from 83.6 plus the cost of the turbos, bringing dB. the total to under $50,000. Other minor changes include CHECKLIST the addition of an oleo strut on the FLYING IT nosegear up inside the lower cowling We tried the airplane briefly from our Overall performance is meant to absorb shock on the nosege- homebase in Florida on a warmish, strong. Lean-of-peak ar. The avionics package—the Garmin ISA +15 day. Obviously, apart from strategy is a plus. Perspective—remains top of the line for this market and to assist in lean- AC TV Although we prefer a ing, the system now has an electroni- separate prop control, cally displayed leaning bug on the fuel elimination of cam-and- flow indicator. The system calculates cable control suits us. the correct lean-of-peak flow—the POH lists no full rich settings—and Although billed as you merely drag the flow back and lighter, the airplane match the needle to the bug. appears a few knots Weight wise, Cirrus says the SR22T slower than the TN . is 15 pounds lighter than the TN. The example we flew had a useful load For a video report on the SR22T, CHTs are within accept- of 995 pounds, leaving 443 pounds log on to our sister publication, with full fuel. That’s two people and a able ranges, but hotter www.avweb.com, and click the than the TN. Limits of bunch of bags or four people and 50 gallons or so. As far as overhaul costs video index on upper right of the 420 degrees F strike us homepage. Scroll down to the Cir- as ill advised. go, the TSIO-550-K is more expensive to overhaul than the IO-550-N, even if rus SR22T flight trial video. the TAT turbos are included. Although

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 19 HIGH COMPRESSION vs HIGH BOOST fuel flow and cruise speeds, the largest concern with a turbocharged engine Coaxing power out of an engine is is heat rejection. The turbonormal- a matter of balancing a handful of ized version from TAT enjoys a slight variables, but getting more power out efficiency and heat rejection edge and of one inevitably leads to the perennial its well-designed intercooling and baf- argument of boost versus compression fling makes the most of that. It’s one ratio. This frames the Tornado Alley vs. of the coolest running turbo setup we’ve seen. Continental argument in crystal clarity. After some brief maneuvering, we Sport tuners—the guys running around did some step climbs to altitude to in pumped up Toyotas with six-inch test performance. Down low, at 3000 exhaust pipes­—have the same endless feet, we noted a true airspeed of 167 arguments and they sometimes settle knots on 17.5 GPH. That’s 80 percent them by digging a crankshaft out the power, by the way, and on the lean pavement. side of peak, which is all the power Higher compression ratios yield more table provides. Neither the TN nor power and slightly more efficiency be- the turbocharged version have much cause of larger gas expansion ratios. The advantage over the normally aspirated fuel charge does more effective work SR22s at low altitudes because all three make the same horsepower. As because it burns more completely­—but the climb progresses, however, the also faster. The back side of the high- boosted engines do their stuff. world, designers are pushed relentlessly compression knife cuts in the form of Unfortunately, one of the TIT sen- potentially higher cylinder pressures and to improve economy without reducing sors was faulty, so we could record temperatures that encourage detona- performance—two contradictory goals. only one temperature source. At 3000 tion, thus higher octane fuel is a must. As a result, there’s a well-established feet, we saw 1640 degrees on the TIT Lower compression ratios lower the trend toward using small displacement with the hottest CHT at 366 degrees. octane requirement at the expense of engines with turbochargers. And the car Both are well below the POH stated lost power and efficiency. Compressing guys aren’t wimping out on the com- limits. the fuel/air charge with a turbocharger pression ratios, either. Climbing to 12,000 feet and in lev- or supercharger gets some of that back, Take the 1.8 litre Volkswagen Passat. It el flight, we recorded 1620 degrees TIT with the hottest CHT at 378 degrees. but the overall effective compression squeezes 158 HP out of 110 cubic inches using turbocharging and a compression Once the airplane settled out, it was ratio—the combination of static com- truing 188 knots on 17.6 GPH, which ratio of 9.8 to 1, far higher than anything pression ratio and the boost—has to is about 5 knots better than the POH remain lower to maintain the detonation in aviation. That high CR—along with claims, according to our checks. margin. Furthermore, if the incoming other factors—yields a combined fuel Since many owners of turbo- compressed fuel/air charge is hot, which economy of 30 MPG compared to 23 charged airplanes fly in the high it will tend to be given the laws of phys- MPG for a larger displacement version teens, we headed there next, perform- ics, the detonation advantage of lower without the turbo and 11.3 to 1 pistons. ing a slow airspeed, high-angle climb compression ratio may be lost. That’s Yeah, we know…cars aren’t airplanes. on the way up. As expected, this where intercooling and good cylinder They have a different duty cycle, water pumped up the CHTs, but they re- baffling come in. cooling, ECUs, dual overhead cams and mained below 400 degrees. At 17,500 feet, true airspeed settled at 199 knots Low compression ratios in turbo- the benefit of volume driving R&D. Still, they do show that it’s possible to make on 17.8 GPH, again a little higher charged engines used to be accepted than book on airspeed but .2 lower on measureable gains by challenging the wisdom that no one questioned, for predicted fuel flow. The highest CHT both aircraft and cars. The turbonormal- accepted wisdom, if not running around was 386 degrees—not too alarming, izing idea—which retains high-compres- it entirely. but we would rather see it lower. We sion pistons—has fought a rearguard allowed 10 minutes for it to stabilize. effort against this monolithic wisdom The chart on the previous page subscribed to by both major engine shows our noted data from our SR22T manufacturers. Tornado Alley’s Cirrus flight and also some TN numbers. For setup is the most spectacular success for the turbonormalizing philosophy and philosophy is exactly the right word, in our view. The differences in performance CONTACTS may be slight; neither is a slam dunk Cirrus Aircraft and both hinge more on how well the 866-290-0418 installation is engineered and less on www.cirrusaircraft.com underlying physics. In the automotive

20 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 comparison purposes, we hauled out mature cylinder wear and those kinds tion between airframes. We think a our test data from a SR22 TN flight of temperatures can’t be helpful. We perspective buyer would be advised conducted in 2008 with a Cirrus would prefer to remain at least below to fly both models, since Cirrus says demo pilot at similar altitudes but on 380 degrees and our flight was just both will remain in the active lineup, a cooler day. At 17,500 on that flight, too short to see if that is doable. Cir- at least for now. with an OAT of -16 degrees C, still rus insists that cooling isn’t an issue The CHTs we saw, while accept- a little warmer than standard, the with the SR22T. able, aren’t quite as cool as the TN’s. highest CHT was 348 degrees while Until we see more operational history, the highest TIT was 1645. We recorded CONCLUSION we simply can’t judge the heat issue a true airspeed of 212 knots on 17.5 The SR22T is clearly a strong per- on one flight. As noted, we just don’t GPH. To be fair, we’ve seen CHTs as former, but we have concerns about agree with running routinely at CHTs high as 380 in the TAT system. But it. First, in the SR22 TN, Cirrus above 400 degrees in anything, given that’s the limit temp. marketed what was accepted as one the potential for cylinder failures. And this is where things get inter- of the best turbocharged systems ever We like the addition of the lean- esting and also confusing. We took developed and with more than 800 ing bug and we thought the throttle our numbers to Cirrus which said its out there, it has a wildly loyal cus- action was smoother without the own engineering test data revealed tomer base. cam-and-cable gadget. The fixed RPM similar speed envelopes for the two Our surveys indicate that owners of introduces some worries about ring airplanes and it believes our airspeeds these airplanes fly them a lot and are flutter on fast descents, but we could for the SR22 TN aren’t represenative, enthusiastic about their performance, live with that until service history but Cirrus concedes the TN might reliability, economy and service his- shows it to be a problem (or not). have a slight speed edge. To sort this tory. Further, Cirrus built an exception- out, we checked with TN owners who In this context, the SR22T may be ally good service history with the TN reported typical cruise speeds in the a harder sell for Cirrus. By dint of but is now setting the clock back to 201 to 205 knot range. higher overhaul costs and fuel burn, zero with a new installation. It may Of larger concern to us is cooling. its operational costs are a bit higher work out just fine, but we’ll await cus- According to the POH, Continental and our brief flight trial suggests it’s tomer experience before judging it. and Cirrus are allowing normal cruise not quite as fast as the TN version. All things being equal—and they CHTs as high as 420 degrees which we Again, we would like to see a wing-to- pretty much are here—we would tilt simply don’t agree with. Continental wing flyoff before committing to that. toward the TN version for now. We’ll has had long-standing issues with pre- The speed difference may be real or it take another look after Cirrus has had may get buried in the inevitable varia- these airplane in the field for awhile.

1995 15 2010

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July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 21 PORTABLE AVIONICS We found Vertex units, like this VXA-300 performed well, but have a complex operating logic that hampers their utility.

Quality of the built-in microphone also matters. In our view, headsets are required when using any portable com in the cabin of a piston aircraft. But there could be a time when your only headset fails and your portable is your only option. We saddled each transceiver to a calibrated spectrum analyzer and measured both transmit power out- put and receiver sensitivity. We also tested the nav receivers in the units that were so equipped with a cali- brated nav-signal generator, injecting a signal direct into the unit’s receiver and radiating a signal to the unit’s rubber antenna. We used them in flight (and dropped two on a Piper flap handle), stuffed them into our unorganized flight bag and strutted around the Portable VHF radios: airfield with them in our cargo pants. We even tested them in our kitchen over morning coffee where, Sporty’s SP-400 Shines despite roughly 12 miles of hilly ter- rain between us and the airfield, all but the Vertex units could pull in the Call ‘em suspenders with over-equipped glass panels ATIS at half-open squelch. or a belt in a stark LSA, but we think portable SPORTY’S OLD AND NEW transceivers still have a place in today’s cockpit. The SP-200 has always represented a good value, in our view. It’s a no- nonsense unit that we applaud for by Larry Anglisano its simple, yet rugged, design. We think Sporty’s offers the most robust units of the ones we tested. It’s also espite the ridiculous backup performance and cost. Here’s our the largest in the group, measuring common to modern cockpits, hard-nosed report. 6.65 inches tall, 2.35 inches wide Dthe portable radio is the last Our criteria: Portables must and 1.46 inches deep. It weighs 16.64 resort when all other options fail. have a high-end transmitter with a ounces with battery pack. This isn’t a But not all are created equal, and modulator that can reach reason- problem unless you want to stuff the add-ons, such as an external antenna able distances at altitude. They must thing in your pocket. connection, can play seriously into offer a headset interface. They must The real issue we had with it—and be small enough to stow in a map others we tested—is the number of CHECKLIST pocket but large enough for easy use AA batteries it requires: eight in all. in high-workload emergencies. There is a NiCad option but Sporty’s recommends using alkaline because Great performance at GETTIN’ THE GEEK OUT their storage life is more predictable reasonable cost. Nearly all portable airborne radios when used for backup emergency offer roughly one watt of transmit use. To its credit, the duty cycle when Handy for ATIS and power (which is still way more than running on alkaline is quite good. If clearances as well as your average cell phone). Contrast you limit your transmissions and dis- emergencies. this to a panel-mount radio that play lighting, its stamina is over 15 transmits 10-15 watts of power and hours. In our three weeks of testing, External antenna virtually you see why an external antenna is we never had to change batteries. required for good range. almost a required accessory for seri- The controls and lockable keypad ous use of a portable. are hearty and easy to use. Simple

22 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 PORTABLE RADIOS STREET PRICE SIZE RECEIVER STANDARD ACCESSORIES

HEADSET ADAPTER, CASE,BELT CLIP, $299 5.7 X 2.1 X 1.6 COM / VOR / NOAA WX ICOM IC-A24 RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK

HEADSET ADAPTER, CASE,BELT CLIP, $249 5.7 X 2.1 X 1.6 COM / NOAA WX ICOM IC-A6 RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK

RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK, $199 4.5 X 2.0 X 1.5 COM / VOR / NOAA WX ICOM IC-A14 BELT CLIP, HAND STRAP

SPORTY’S SP-200 $299 DIRECT 7.2 X 2.3 X 1.5 COM / VOR / LOC AA BATTERY PACK, WRIST STRAP

SPORTY’S SP-400 $399 DIRECT 5.5 X 2.5 X 1.4 COM / VOR / LOC / GS AA BATTERY PACK, WRIST STRAP

COM / VOR / NOAA WX / LITHIUM-ION BATTERY, $299 4.5 X 2.5 X 1.2 VERTEX VXA710 BRS / FM BNC ANTENNA ADAPTER

NIMH BATTERY, BNC ANTENNA ADAPTER, $219 5.5 X 2.5 X 1.4 COM / VOR / NOAA WX VERTEX VXA300 HEADSET ADAPTER, BELT CLIP

NIMH BATTERY, BNC ANTENNA ADAPTER, $179 4.0 X 2.4 X 1.2 COM / NOAA WX VERTEX VXA220 HEADSET ADAPTER volume and squelch knobs and a last down to 95 dB going direct into the Like the lesser SP-200, this unit frequency recall button are nicely receiver. Our technician marveled, uses AA alkaline batteries that spaced apart on the top of the case admitting it was better than some offered plenty of juice during our while the transmit and display and panel-mounted gear. He was equally testing. If this unit was to be used as key light button are on the side. You impressed with the unit’s com per- a primary (and for some applications can easily pick this unit up and use formance, noting crisp modulation we think it’s worthy) we suggest con- all of its features without touching and decent receiver sensitivity. The necting an external 12 volts. There’s the manual. We especially liked the unit has good transmit sidetone (the a headset adapter standard, but it Clear key that erases a digit if you sound of your voice you hear when impressed us with clean modulation botch a frequency entry, and fre- you transmit) with headsets. from the internal microphone and a quency memory storage. The SP-400 is comfortable in hand reasonably-loud speaker. The nav side includes a VOR and and the LCD display is sharp, but Localizer receiver that allows for we weren’t impressed with its side ICOM OBS selection and includes electron- viewing angle. This is common with The popular A24 is the flagship ic CDI at the top of the LCD display. monochrome LCD screens. Display model from ICOM and features com We found the nav receiver to be backlighting helps. and nav functionality (the A16 is an excellent, with solid reception in the aircraft and on the test bench using the BNC-connected rubber antenna. We wished the unit came with a headset adapter as standard, but at $199 it’s tough to complain. Popular options include the NiCad battery, external power plug, carry case and spare AA battery cases. Sporty’s offered us the first look at the new $399 SP-400. Unique to this unit is a glideslope receiver, which could save your hide if you had to slide down an ILS with a dark panel. The SP-400 performed exception- ally well, with the localizer receiv- ing down to 115 dB and Glideslope

Sporty’s SP-400 hits the target of rugged construction and simplicity without sacrificing any essential functions. It’s also the only unit with a glideslope receiver.

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 23 Sporty’s SP-200 (center) is a bit big. ICOMs (right-hand two) are a good balance of small case and siz- able buttons. Sporty’s new SP-400 is about the size of the Vertex VXA- 300 (second from left).

outlet (the weather function can also be used when on the air-band). There’s a 200-channel memory bank for frequency storage, which might be overkill. All the ICOM units have a good display with easy-to-read characters in all lighting condi- tions. The unit has a 1650 mAh NiH battery with excellent endurance. A double-A pack is available. identical unit less navigational func- Throughout our testing we ICOM’s A14 is a communications- tions). ICOM brags of the unit’s sin- grabbed the more prominent rotary only portable with a special 700mW gle-handed operation for use while knob at the top of the case to adjust loudspeaker using a BTL amplifier flying and it fits the task, in our view. the volume. Wrong control. This (essentially dual amplifiers that drive With battery pack it measures 5 3/32 knob changes the frequency (a fea- both ends of a speaker load). For the inches tall by 2 1/8 inches wide by ture we like rather than keying it in electronically challenged, this makes one inch thick, and weighs roughly from the keypad.) But even so, this the A14 output loud. So loud, in fact, 15 ounces. This proved to be a near knob we found annoyingly close to that we used the A14 while taxiing a perfect stature for a portable. When the flexible antenna. Grumman Tiger with its canopy slid we first started using the unit we The nav feature is easy to use and open and could easily communicate found some of the controls to be out offers both To/From navigation and with ground control during a main- of place. For instance, the Squelch the current radial. It also shows a tenance run-up. is adjusted by pressing a dedicated CDI. It wasn’t as good a performer as The copy we tested had the op- Squelch key and then setting thresh- the Sporty’s in nav mode and seemed tional six-battery AA alkaline pack old with the right rotary knob. We susceptible to RF interference. We that gave the unit a large footprint. wished for a dedicated, one-shot like the NOAA weather radio alert Standard is the Li-Ion pack adver- squelch adjustment. function when plugged into a wall tised at 18 hours of use. We like the

GOT RANGE? TRY IT WITH AN EXTERNAL ANTENNA A watt of power broadcasting from a portable rubber an- useless Loran-C system, this leaves an open antenna loca- tenna inside a cabin isn’t going to offer much performance. tion for installing an aux com antenna. Your shop can even Any chance of transmitting and receiving as far as a panel- use the existing coaxial cable. mounted com requires an external antenna. The only real expense in installing a dedicated antenna for the portable is opening the interior to mount it and run coaxial cabling to a convenient spot in the cockpit. A simple metal-element antenna is around $100. Fiberglass whips are closer to $200. Some such installations include a panel-mounted antenna jack while others simply have antenna cable coiled up in a map pocket ready for quick connection. You’d need an expensive splitter for a portable and a panel mount to share an antenna and it just isn’t worth it for rare emergency use. A beneficial time to install an auxiliary com antenna system is when the aircraft is already opened up for other work. If your shop is installing new primary com antennas there’s usually no reason not to utilize one of the older antennas for emergency use. If you are pulling out a now-

24 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 simplicity of the A14 as well as its a headset is plugged in the rugged case and easy to use buttons. unit will automatically be- We don’t care for the squelch keys gin transmitting, similar that are built into the side of the to a VOX intercom. case, below the transmit key, that The VXA-710 is a bring up a squelch value on the dis- submersible, tiny com play. We prefer a dedicated knob. and nav unit measur- ing 4.5 inches by VERTEX STANDARD 2.5 inches by 1.2 We own an older Yaesu portable inches that’s the amateur radio and can say that these absolute smallest of Vertex aviation units don’t come the group. While it close to the Yaesu we have grown to may be easy to carry, its like. We’re impressed by the small buttons were just too small for our size, as well as some smart features, fingers. The zero key was placed in Part of but remain unimpressed with the an awkward location in the keypad. the bud- feel and occasional quirkiness of But this wasn’t nearly as awkward as get SP-200’s the controls. We don’t like the SMA the feature-set. antenna connections as it requires For days we couldn’t find a bulk is the eight-cell using an included adaptor if connect- squelch adjustment on the 710. We battery pack. Alkalines do have ed to most external antenna setups. finally reached for the manual and a more reliable shelf life. It also took us a bit to figure out the learned it was buried in a menu. In screw-in style microphone and head- fact, a couple of times we turned the phone jack at the top of the case. unit off and then back on because A24. but the extra dough for the nav The smart features include a key- we got so lost in button-pushing. We function is questionable, in our view. pad beep when punching in frequen- think it’s too complex for an airband We might instead opt for the IC-A6. cies (which the Sporty’s doesn’t have) backup or primary. The way we see it nearly everyone and the bright, dot-matrix displays. Keypads and LCD screens are who flies IFR, or even VFR, has a We also like the battery-saver func- illuminated in Vertex Standard’s portable GPS that would be superior tion which sends the unit’s receiver renowned Omni-Glow amber hue, to navigating by a VOR using a hand- into hibernation mode when quiet. for increased visibility and minimal held. If you are a HAM we suspect One day we had the VXA300 and impact on your night vision. Omni- you would be fond of the VXA710, to ICOM A24 side by side on our desk Glow can be configured for both add to your collection of radio toys. for testing and found the Vertex brightness and contrast. We can’t Lastly, if you’re looking for de- would sometimes clip the first part come close to covering all of the cent in-flight performance from any of a reception, receiving a second or features that these Vertex models portable, install an external antenna. so after the ICOM. We assume this offer, which gives you an idea of how That should ensure reliable commu- was from the receiver coming out complex they are. nications when things go to hell— of hibernation. The transmitter was which is why we buy these things in good: over a watt of carrier on the CONCLUSION the first place. scope and a high-quality modulator. Gulf Coast Avionics in Lakeland, The VXA-300 Pilot III is a com Florida, graciously provided us with and nav (the VXA-220 is com only many of the test samples for this Larry Anglisano puts the screws to review but with a loudspeaker). Controls article. We mention this because avionics at Exxel Avionics in Hartford, are not as intuitive as the Sporty’s or both ICOM and Vertex ignored our Connecticut. ICOM models. For instance, the on/ requests for units to review, while off rotary knob serves triple-duty Sporty’s, on the other hand, went as power, volume and menu access. above and beyond. You press the knob for accessing unit Perhaps each company was show- CONTACTS menus. It’s not bad, just different and ing clairvoyance as our top pick is we envision some owners stumbling. the Sporty’s SP-400. Its performance ICOM The VXA-300 performed well in is clearly exceptional and worthy 800-872-4266 the real world and the unit’s stature for sole means navigation, including www.icomamerica.com proved perfect for ease of carrying an emergency ILS. At $395 before and single-handed use. The nav re- discounting it’s a solid bargain. Sporty’s Pilot Shop ceiver was spot on with the on-board After using the SP-200 and 400, 800-776-7897 GNS430W. Interesting is variable we found ourselves annoyed by www.sportys.com audio tone (audio pitch, really) the busy feature set of the competi- control that can be set for a specific tors. Simple is better in an aviation Vertex Standard condition. We think panel-mounted portable. radios can benefit from this feature. For a well-rounded, reliable and 714-827-7600 There’s also a voice-actuated function feature-rich portable, we have no www.vertexstandard.com for hands-off use. For instance, when problem recommending the ICOM

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 25 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE Aeronca Champ A basic taildragger that will offer you the sky without emptying your wallet.

lying low and slow with the production of the model 7AC Cham- 85-HP. These are rare birds with only occasional whiff of honey- pion stopped in 1948, 7200 copies 184 DCs and 124 CCMs produced. Fsuckle through the open cabin had rolled off the line. Production of the two airplanes window is what flying an Aeronca The Champ is similar to other ended in 1950 and 1949, respec- Champ is all about. There’s a certain stark trainers of the vintage. It has tively. Notable other postwar Aeron- romance tagging along with a rag- conventional landing gear, sports a cas were the Chief (a side-by-side and-tube two-seater that’s left over strut-based wing and is made of tube Champ) and the four-place Sedan. from the post-World War II The industry slow- heyday. down of the 1950s killed Moreover, the Aeronca Champ owners will matter-of-factly say off Aeronca production, Champ is perhaps one of the although the line’s genes few remaining inexpensive- they own a Cub-like set of wings for far found their way into the to-buy, inexpensive-to-own, Champions, which ap- tandem-seaters on the mar- less money, and have just as much fun. peared in the mid-1950s ket. You can even buy a new and morphed into the one—more on that later. It’s better-known Citabrias, also an LSA so sport pilots can fly it. and fabric, of course. A 13-gallon which are still built under new fuel tank mounted just forward of model names today by American MODEL HISTORY the instrument panel feeds a diminu- Champion Aircraft (ACA). The “new” The first C-model Aeroncas appeared tive 65-HP Continental engine. The Champ labeled 7EC (not to be con- in the late 1920s with the model year 1947 saw the introduction of fused with the 1957 7EC Traveler) Ks and early Chiefs arriving in the Champs with more authority: the has been in manufacture since 1995 1930s. The popular 7AC Champion 7CCM that had a 90-HP Continen- and is powered by the Continental was introduced in 1945 and when tal and the model 7DC that sported O-200.

26 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE CHAMPION

35' 2" 21' 6" 7'

SELECT AERONCA/CHAMPION MODEL HISTORY MODEL YEAR ENGINE TBO OVERHAUL FUEL USEFUL LOAD CRUISE TYPICAL RETAIL 1945-1948 7AC CHAMP 65-HP CONT 1800 $16,000 14 460 70 KTS ±$19,000 1947-1950 7AC CHAMP 85-HP CONT 1800 $16,000 14 460 70 KTS ±$20,000 1947-1950 7CCM CHAMP 90-HP CONT 1800 $16,000 19 490 78 KTS ±$22,000 1947-1949 7DC CHAMP 85-HP CONT 1800 $16,000 19 500 78 KTS ±$23,000 AMERICAN CHAMPION SELECT MODELS 1955-1962 7EC 90-HP CONT 1800 $16,000 26 600 97 KTS ±$21,500 1964-1973 7ECA 100-HP CONT 1800 $20,000 35 583 107 KTS ±$25,000 1960-1964 7GCB 150-HP LYC 2000 $21,000 35 500 110 KTS ±$23,00 1967-1976 7GCBC 150-HP LYC 2000 $21,000 35 500 111 KTS ±$28,500 1968-1976 7GCAA 150-HP LYC 2000 $21,000 39 510 109 KTS ±$30,000 1977-1984 7GCBC 150-HP LYC 2000 $21,000 35 500 111 KTS ±$42,000

CHAMPION RESALE VALUES SELECT ADs 1974 8GCBC 1945 7AC CHAMP AD 1947-30-01 (7AC) LIFT STRUT WING ATTACHMENTS $40K – DATA: AIRCRAFT BLUEBOOK PRICE DIGEST – $25K – AD 1947-30-05 (7AC) EXHAUST STACK Y JUNCTION – INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT $20K – – $15K – AD 1948-39-01 (7 SERIES) REAR STICK SOCKET MOUNT – $10K – AD 1949-11-02 (7 SERIES) WING ATTACHMENT 1998 2001 2003 2006 2009 FITTINGS

SELECT LATE-MODEL COMPARISONS

PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL CRUISE SPEEDS PRICE COMPARISONS 7AC CHAMP 7AC CHAMP 7 AC CHAMP ($21,500) BC-12 T-CRAFT BC-12 T-CRAFT BC-12 T-CRAFT ($26,000) PIPER PA-11 PA-11 1947 PA-11 ($21,000) PIPER J-3 CUB PIPER J-3 CUB 1945 J-3 ($21,000) CESSNA 120 CESSNA 120 1948 CESSNA 120 ($15,000) LUSCOMBE 8E LUSCOMBE 8E 1946 LUSCOMBE 8E ($19,000) 200 400 700 1000 70 80 90 100 10K 20K 30K 40K

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 27 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE

This panel is cluttered for a Champ—it has a turn-and-bank. Note that mags, fuel and carb heat are on the black panel just to the left of the front seat. Ergonomics are not a strong suit for a classic Champ.

traffic down below will outrun you. A Piper Cub won’t. Takeoff is straightfor- ward and Champ’s low wing loading makes deal- ing with short fields child’s play. Only a few hundred feet of ground run is need- STILL A BARGAIN PRICE less than 5 GPH. Better yet, many ed. This is good because clearing tall Back in the day, a new model 7AC Champs have autogas STCs. Since trees with 65 HP yielding 400 FPM Champ cost $2395, which was $200 these airplanes are so simple there of climb could induce some pucker more than a Piper J-3 Cub. A vintage really isn’t an awful lot to maintain factor. Piper Cub is now worth more than (or break). As long as you keep those cross- the Champ, probably because of the control stalls in the front of your standing Cub image. Most Champ FLYING IT: USE YOUR FEET mind, the Champ loves to slip and owners will matter-of-factly say they Strap into a Champ and you’re sitting landing is fairly simple. Most owners own a Cub-like set of wings for far in one of the most basic set of wings will rave about easy wheel landings less money and have just as much around. No frills here. That’s not to but like any taildragger, you fly it to fun. say the airplane doesn’t command the tiedown. For this reason, it’s no surprise respect when it comes to managing bargain hunters caught onto the stick and rudder skills. Too often LOADING, COMFORT Champ’s appeal. The going rate for tailwheel beginners get behind on The Champ is light. Gross weight is an average-condition Champ today is directional control and find them- only 1220 pounds. But there’s not nearly double what the airplane was selves bouncing over runway lights, much to the basic aircraft. Expect going for in 1992. The Champ (and into the tullies or a drainage ditch. empty weights around 740 pounds— Cub) market has changed because Hardly a nostalgic day. about as much as a big motorcycle. they are now considered classics. But up at altitude, coordinated That leaves 480 pounds of useful For years, airplanes like this were a stalls are essentially a non-event. load, which means it’s a decent ticket to cheap ownership. But most Cross-control stalls are another story. performer with 78 pounds of fuel, are now worth considerably more If you aren’t paying attention they a pilot, a passenger and a couple of than many modern and newer two- can bite without much warning. bags. There’s a small storage area seaters. Speaking of which, the stall warning behind the back seat. Some Champs are still cheap. The system was still a dream when these You’ll need to be careful to always Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest pegs airplanes were built so you’ll need to tie the airplane down or the wind a 1972 7ACA Champ at an average fly the wings and remain mindful of will send it flying, or at least rock it retail of $16,000—some $2500 less keeping the skid ball centered. hard enough to crack a wooden spar. than a 1977 Cessna 150. Contrast If you approach flying the airplane Cockpit visibility in a Champ is this to J-3 Cub prices that run $20K- by airspeeds and not by the seat of better than most postwar draggers $35K. Prices on the Champ and Cub your pants you’re already off to a since it has large windows. The side can vary greatly and are dependent bad start. Your senses will eventually windows slide open for some fresh on the quality of restoration work learn what the right numbers are. air and to lessen the stench of fuel. done, and a pristine Champ can The Champ’s stall behavior is But expect the Champ’s cabin to command near-Cub prices. much in line with two-seat airplanes be drafty even with the windows But with a good eye, it’s possible of the postwar era, which likely closed and plan on wearing good to find a bargain. One owner told us explains the models ugly stall-spin headsets with full ear cups. All the he found a pristine 7AC sitting in a accident record. classics of this vintage are loud. barn in rural Vermont, the deceased Don’t be in a hurry to get to your Hanlon-Wilson mufflers reduce noise owner’s wife happy to unload it. Fur- destination in a Champ. You can ex- somewhat. If you fly a Champ in ther, the cost of ownership is about pect to cruise at a leisurely 80 MPH. cold weather regions, you’d better as low as it gets since you’ll burn A Luscombe and speeding freeway dress for the occasion as the heater

28 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE

is essentially useless. The Hanlon mufflers do improve the heating, however. ACCIDENT SCAN: LEARN HOW TO LAND IT SYSTEMS: NOT MUCH THERE A trip through the NTSB stats from the year 2000 to 2010 show 66 report- This airplane is about as stark as ed accidents for the 7-series Champs—eight of which included fatalities. it gets. There’s no electrical system Most of these fatals were from stall/spin accidents, including one ATP- (except for the later models), no rated pilot who stalled while maneuvering to scare birds from a field. flaps, no vacuum pump and few Another was loss of control on initial climb. One pilot lost control of his instruments. There’s a tachometer, Champ, killing himself and his passenger, and the FAA concluded it was airspeed indicator, altimeter, com- the result of his restricted view of the instruments while flying from the pass and a stark engine gauge or two. rear seat. There was also the classic Some Champs have been fitted with stall/spin on the base-to-final turn ACCIDENT SUMMARY a venturi to drive a turn-and-bank in the traffic pattern and the eye- indicator, but don’t even try weather R-LOC (38%) rolling buzz job that didn’t quite flying in a Champ. Unlike the Cub’s classic piano- CFIT (15%) go as planned. The Champ’s reputation for wire-on-a-cork fuel gauge, the ENGINE FAILURE (15%) Champ has a dial that’s shared with a death-stall is somewhat unde- that in a Model A Ford. The gauge is STALL RELATED (12%) served and stems partly from a set forward of the instrument panel OTHER (11%) 1979 FAA study that concluded which leads directly to a mechanical the airplane had the worst stall movement in the tank. As you would LOW FLY (7%) and spin record of the 33 aircraft predict, these old Model A gauges FUEL EXH. (2%) reviewed. The Piper Cub had a can break; replacements are available stall-spin rate of 3.46 per 100,000 though Bratton’s Antique Auto Parts hours and Cessna’s 150 had a rate rebuilder’s catalogue. Some Champ of 1.42. The Champ came in at 22.47. While we wouldn’t avoid the Champ owners add redundancy by using a Cub-style wire-and-float gas cap plus solely because of its stall behavior, there’s good reason to pay sharp at- the Model A gauge. tention when flying slowly, as you should in any plane. For original fuel systems, Brat- Of the remaining 58 non-fatal accidents, there were plenty of non- ton’s has cheap repair kits to help fatal stall/spin events, and a good number of engine failures for undeter- solve the leaking fuel nag that mined reasons. Some fell victim to carb icing, which is no surprise as the ultimately makes its way into the Champ’s carb heat capabilities are weak. There were some hand-propping cabin. Speaking of fuel systems, the accidents and, as always, a few pilots who just ran out of gas. fuel selector is a simple on-off valve The biggest Champ bender was loss of directional control on the located on a panel adjacent to the ground, including the dreaded ground-loop. Lesson: Get a real tail wheel front seat back where either occu- instructor who’s experienced with low-powered antiques to teach you pant can reach it. The mag switch how to start, taxi and fly the Champ. As a long-time Champ owner and and carb heat knob are also located there. Reaching the carb heat knob instructor put it: “If you can’t fly with your feet, you can’t fly a Champ.” from the front seat can be awkward and easily overlooked since it’s out of sight. Not much ergonomics in a Champ. An STC is available for wing tanks, which increase flexibility when flying solo. With two aboard, there isn’t enough useful load to put any gas in them. The landing gear legs have oleo struts built in, making it more streamlined than a Piper Cub’s bungee arrangement. Wonderful gear, the oleo struts, but brutally expensive to replace when dam- aged. Proper servicing—and good landings—are the keys to gear life. Owners comment there are reliable sources for quality gear repairs. Photo by The braking system on a Champ Paul Aranha is hardly substantial. There are two kinds of brakes—Goodyear mechan-

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 29 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE ical drums and Goodyear discs, both the two clubs and is available to cathlon and Scout, among others. operated with heel levers. But this is restorers. It’s the model 7EC and is powered a tailwheel airplane and having good Aeronca is gone as an airplane by a O-200D Continental engine breaks can be a setup for trouble as company, but parts are available with 60-amp alternator, stainless most wizened ‘dragger pilots will from a variety of sources, including steel exhaust and Sensenich 69-inch warn. A couple of NTSB reports en- the ubiquitous Univair, Wag Aero wooden propeller. There are options force this advice. (who bought the previous Safe Air for avionics (some custom panels are The wheels and hubs are subject to Repair, including PMA-approved available), electronic engine gauges, a recurring AD requiring an inspec- wooden wing spars), Superior Air rear toe brakes, tinted windows and tion for cracks. Replacements are Parts and the Citabria people at greenhouse roof, to name a few. expensive. American Champion Aircraft. ACA There’s also an available vintage The original prop was wooden owns the 7AC type certificate and 1946 paint scheme, but it’s not a and more prone to wear than a metal offers a new Champ. There are a few 1940s aircraft. The basic airplane has prop. Wood props have noticeably bits and pieces that may be hard to a starting price of $102,900. less vibration in flight but metal find, including windshields, retain- ones, which are available through ing clips for the disc brakes, cranks OWNER COMMENTS Wag Aero, give better performance. for the Continental engine and parts I purchased a 2007 Champ (number With no electrical system, you’ll for the oddball—but magnificent— five off the line) from the factory. It need to brush up on your hand- Eisemann magnetos. is a Champ, but different from the propping technique. There are also desirable STC’d up- 1940/50 versions. No gas tank above grades available, including an O-200 your knees, a Citabria metal-spar FIXING IT engine from Cole Wagner, and a wing stressed to 5 Gs, aluminum Even though there isn’t much to go David Lasher 85-HP conversion. spring gear, a Continental O-200 wrong on a Champ, working on a Wag Aero offers approved Cleveland with an alternator and a starter, and 1940s vintage taildragger is not like hydraulic brakes. Slick and Bendix an electrical system for things like repairing even a 1970s Cessna 172. mags and parts are readily available, radios, lights and transponders. Yes, Mechanics who are well-versed as is a 6.5-gallon fuel tank STC that it isn’t “pure” with the electrical sys- with the intricacies of maintaining increases capacity to 26 gallons (24 tem, but I live near Washington, D.C. old ragwing airplanes can be hard to useable). and cannot get along without a radio find. It pays to find one and team up All Aeroncas with wooden spars and transponder (which are optional with that person before shopping for have an AD to inspect for cracks. For from the factory). an elderly airplane. In particular, it’s the 7AC it’s a one-time compliance; The good news is that it is just as a good idea to find someone who’s with other models it’s a recurring in- much fun to fly as the old Champs. good at dealing with fabric. spection. You can get metal replace- If you are in a hurry, however, it‘s the Two active type clubs are there to ment spars and whole-wing replace- wrong aircraft. Even with the extra help. The National Aeronca Associa- ments for the basket-case Champ. horsepower of the O-200, 90 knots is tion (www.aeroncapilots.com) and about as good as it gets. And it is still the Aeronca Aviators Club (www. THE NEW CHAMP fabric-covered, so you need to keep aeronca.org) both have many excel- You can buy a new Champ from it inside if you expect the fabric to lent resources to help with mainte- American Champion Aircraft in last. The wood prop looks classy, but nance and to answer questions about Rochester, Wisconsin (www.amer- has to be re-torqued every 50 hours. the airplanes. A large collection of championaircraft.com). The same I live on a grass strip, and only have engineering drawings exists between company that offers the Super De- about 1000 feet available in the winter due to mud. The Champ does fine. The airplane has been completely trouble free, except for the pesky starboard exhaust pipe, which has broken twice. American Champion replaced it both times with rede- signed pipes at no cost. The second redesign seems to be holding. The aircraft meets Light Sport rules, so you can fly with a driver’s license, but it has a standard airwor- thiness certificate. One point often missed is that if an S-LSA manu-

The Champ is all about grass air- ports and flying for the fun of it. Spring gear is an obvious telltale of a modern Champ.

30 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE

facturer goes belly up, the owners understand these old airplanes and have little choice but to convert their the ones that do are dying off. aircraft to experimental status. Also, Ours was acquired as a basket case an S-LSA aircraft owner must comply and when it first flew, we each had with manufacturer recommendations about $1500 in it. We added two for parts, tires, fuel and maintenance 6.5-gallon STC’d wing tanks when directives. This isn’t the case with we covered it, giving it 24 gallons READER SERVICES the Champ—the FAA maintains its usable. airworthiness. If a part meets a spec Climb is anemic, cruise is at 83 TO VIEW OUR WEB SITE or TSO, it can be used. MPH (faster than a Cub, slower than Visit us at: So if you want a fun aircraft, but a Luscombe), ventilation and view www.aviationconsumer.com need an electrical system, try the are tremendous (both windows open FOR BACK ISSUES new Champ. You can see that the on ours), cabin heat is nonexistent, wife and I like this one, which is the noise is incredible and the brakes See: N91PV for Pat and Vince getting are not to be trusted. www.aviationconsumer.com/backissues married in 91—you gotta sell air- The gear is not as strong as a Cub’s FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR planes to the wife, too. so you should avoid dropping it SUBSCRIPTION: in, but the oil damped struts make Vince Massimini landings smoother. You can easily Phone us at: 800-829-9081 Kentmorr Airpark, Maryland operate it in and out of 300 feet (no obstructions, of course) on grass TO CHANGE YOUR MAILING OR I love my Champ. I fly large turbine without using the brakes. E-MAIL ADDRESS, RENEW YOUR aircraft for a living and I can’t wait Useful load on ours is 440 SUBSCRIPTION OR TO to get home to fly my 1960 7EC. It pounds. With full fuel that leaves CHECK PAYMENT STATUS, has a 90 HP with full electrics. It 284 pounds for people with five VISIT OUR cost about $800 a year to insure and hours of fuel usable. A more rational ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE: burns four gallons per hour. It’s great 13 gallons for 2.5 hours leaves about Log on at: fun. I look forward to teaching my 360 pounds for people. But the extra kids to fly in it when they get a little fuel comes in handy when you’re www.aviationconsumer.com/cs older. going somewhere by yourself and To change your address by mail, won’t have fuel available when you attach your present mailing label to Sean W. Capper get there. this form (or a copy of this form) enter your new address below and mail it to: via email About the brakes: There are two kinds of Goodyear brakes found I’ve have owned a 1946 Champ 7AC on the Champs. The disc brakes are THE AVIATION CONSUMER in partnership with two other people better but they are held in place with P.O. Box 420235 for about eight years and have ac- clips that are made of expensivium PALM COAST, FL 32142 cumulated about 450 hours in it. The and they occasionally pop out and Champ is our “fly for fun” airplane get lost. The brake pads are made Name______and it doesn’t get any cheaper. I of the same material. Just check the doubt that an ultralight could even Wag-Aero catalog and you’ll see what Company______come close. We each get the airplane I mean. Address______for a week in rotation from Thursday The drum brakes are cheaper to Address 2______through the following Wednesday. get parts for, but there is a manda- We hangar ours (required for any tory AD requiring inspection of the City______fabric airplane that you care about) drum/hub for cracks every 50 hours. State______Zip:______and our fixed expenses are $984/year Neither brake system is very effec- E-mail______for the hangar, about $360 for insur- tive but that is probably a good thing ance and $140 for an annual. That’s a with any taildragger. To order or renew a subscription, enter your name and address above and total of $1484 a year fixed expenses, The good news is that if you plan check the subscription term you prefer: or about $500 for each partner. your flying so you don’t use the [ ] 1 year (12 issues) $69 We have an auto-fuel STC and brakes except for run-up, you won’t [ ] 6 months (6 issues) $34.50 average about 4.5 GPH. At my usual put much wear on them and they’ll [ ] Check enclosed [ ] AMEX 80 hours a year, my cost to fly comes last a long time (we have yet to re- [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa out to be about $11/hour. The only place ours in 1100 hours but we have big expense we’ve had in the eight lost several clips). Card #______years was a top end on all four cylin- Bottom line, more fun for less Expiration Date______ders last summer for $600. Needless money than you thought possible in Signature______to say, we do most of the mainte- aviation. Forget ultralights and if you nance ourselves under an A & P’s don’t have a medical, get a Champ. YOUR RENEWAL supervision. The airframe and A-65 IS JUST A CLICK AWAY! engine are stone simple to work on. Joe Scalet www.aviationconsumer.com Unfortunately, not many mechanics via e-mail

July 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 31 FEEDBACK WANTED CESSNA 172

For the October 2010 issue of Avi- ation Consumer, our Used Aircraft Guide will be on the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a classic everyman’s airplane if ever there was one. device may have more than one We want to know what it’s like Letters profile ready for use, each with cus- to own these singles, how much tom messages and recipients. These they cost to operate, maintain (continued from page 3) profiles may be selected as active via internet connection before your trip. and insure and what they’re like serious IFR practice with desktop My standard message goes to my to fly. If you’d like your airplane PCs. This valuable resource is not wife’s cell and her office computer, to appear in the magazine, send utilized by many IFR pilots. I have our son’s cell, my designated emer- us any photographs you’d care to X-Plane, FSX and FS 2004. They all gency friend and my cellphone. If share. We accept digital photos have value. we are flying to visit a relative, we e-mailed to the address below. We I fly a Cirrus SR-22 with Avidyne add their cellphone to the list and welcome information on mods, EFIS and only FSX gives detailed ac- send out an OK message a half hour support organizations or any curate knob turning, using Avidyne before getting to the airport, so they other pertinent comments. Please student and Reality XP 430s. The know when to pick us up. send correspondence on the Hawk X-plane has no compatible systems The 911/SOS message does not by August 1, 2010, to: with accurate avionics for the SR-22, map to recipients in the same way. A but does for other aircraft. primary and a secondary emergency My main point (the same as yours), contact are designated on the profile Aviation Consumer is not to promote one system over along with their contact information. 7820 Holiday Drive South another, but to share my enthusiasm Here is how we use the SPOT for Suite 315 over the real and valuable IFR ex- a local fly: During preflight, once the Sarasota, FL 34231 perience one can get on your home airplane is out of the hangar, I turn (preferred) e-mail at: computer. the SPOT on and send an OK mes- [email protected] If you think you are proficient, sage after it stabilizes for about 30 challenge yourself to getting in a seconds. desktop C-172 in any brand simula- I clip my cell to my shirt pocket SOS button. It takes less time to do tor and set weather to 200 feet, 1 and continue preparing for the flight. that than to reset my transponder to mile and do an ILS (with no autopi- The cell usually pings the text mes- 7700 (a feature of the new transpon- lot). sage on taxi to the run-up area. Once der I don’t like). If I couldn’t do that, the cell pings the message, I reset the the SPOT would still have my track Lee DeRosa SPOT and put it in TRACK mode. I to within 10 minutes of my current Bath, Maine put the SPOT on the dash and try position. The 911 feature on the new to keep it in the shade of the wind- SPOT2 sends a message every five SPOT ON screen center post. minutes, but I think it is more often My aircraft is equipped with a 121.5 During the flight, my wife will of- than that on the SPOT1. MHz ELT, which are now obsolete. ten open the SPOT shared page and I have had the SPOT for nearly So I have a SPOT satellite messenger follow my progress from her office two years and I like it a lot. While and have been using it in my aircraft computer. If I have to divert or have the SPOT system is not perfect, it since September 2008. My family a non-emergency delay, I can send does work and has some very handy and I are very pleased with it. a HELP message, letting everyone features. The shared page feature is Your description of the SPOT fails know that I have been delayed. very informative and entertaining for to describe how versatile the device When I land, I reset the SPOT and my family and adds a level of useful- really is. All of the outgoing messag- send another OK message, letting ness not possible with an enhanced es can be custom configured to relay everyone know I am on the ground ELT. specific information in a manner of and the trip was completed safely. your choosing and these settings are If I were to have an emergency in William “Pete” Hodges saved online in a profile. Each SPOT flight, I would simply press the 911/ via e-mail

32 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com July 2010