Wingtip ADS-B: Page 23 Is the Skybeacon the Money-Saving Solution the Market Has Been Waiting For?

December 2017 Volume XLIX Number 12

The consumer resource for pilots and aircraft owners

2017 Editorial Index Wingtip ADS-B: Page 23 Is the skyBeacon the money-saving solution the market has been waiting for?... page 13

Which bud’s for you?… page 4 Upgrading the belts… page 9 Chasing engine idling trouble ... page 22 4 IN-EAR HEADSETS 16 LIKE-NEW DAKOTA 22 CARBURETOR TUNING There’s a clear winner in the A look at Premier Aircraft’s How to determine if your carb minimalist headset market Piper Dakota refurb program needs an idle adjustment

9 RESTRAINT SYSTEMS 19 PART 135 LEASE-BACKS 24 CESSNA 120/140 A lifesaving guide to seat belt The realities of putting an A vintage taildragger that’s replacement and upkeep aircraft up for charter affordable and easy to fly FIRST WORD

EDITOR Larry Anglisano NAVWORX SAGA: FAA ENFORCEMENT TO THE MAX In the November 2017 issue of Aviation Consumer, we were happy to report that SENIOR EDITOR ADS-B manufacturer NavWorx announced a fix for its AD-stricken ADS600-B Rick Durden ADS-B system. The replacement model—the ADS600-B 2.0—was seemingly the upgraded transceiver NavWorx buyers were hoping for. The first-gen systems EDITORIAL DIRECTOR were essentially useless after the FAA ruled that the internal WAAS GPS module Timothy Cole NavWorx used in the transmitter didn’t meet the required TSO spec. As you’ve probably figured out, the November issue of the magazine didn’t even make it off CONTRIBUTING EDITOR the presses before the company announced it had shut its doors. Paul Bertorelli Just one week before we went to press, NavWorx President Bill SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT Moffitt spoke reassuring words in a press release to the many P.O. Box 8535 hundreds (perhaps thousands) of customers who Big Sandy, TX 75755-8535 bought ADS600-B ADS-B transceiver systems. 800-829-9081 In part, Moffitt said his company made “signifi- www.aviationconsumer.com/cs cant progress with certification of the ADS600- B 2.0,” and said NavWorx had found a viable FOR CANADA solution to the long-delayed actions with the FAA. Subscription Services Not so fast, said the FAA. A last strike, the replacement Box 7820 STN Main WAAS receiver was also deemed unworthy of meeting London, ON 5W1 the stringent ADS-B position source specs. Not even worthy Canada for experimental aircraft, where an official TSO stamp isn’t required. I suspect the technical proof would be in the paperwork and the FAA obviously didn’t find what it was looking for. REPRINTS: Aviation Consumer can provide you or your organization Showing that it’s not fooling around, the FAA in an October 2017 press with reprints. Minimum order is 1000 release of its own proposed a $3.7 million civil penalty against NavWorx for copies. Contact Jennifer Jimolka, 203-857-3144 allegedly producing and selling ADS-B units that did not meet the FAA’s ADS- B Out requirements. In the release, the FAA alleged that NavWorx misled its customers about the certification status of these products. The FAA went on AVIATION CONSUMER to say that NavWorx advertisements omitted and materially misrepresented (ISSN #0147-9911) is the essential fact that its units contain a GPS chip that is incapable of meeting published monthly by the FAA’s standards. “Customers of these products must be able to trust that Belvoir Aviation Group their equipment meets our safety standards,” said FAA Administrator Michael LLC, an affiliate of Bel- Huerta. It’s not the first time the FAA flexed its regulatory muscles at a manu- voir Media Group, 535 Connecticut Avenue, facturer. Recall that avionics supplier AmerKing met its demise last year when the FAA determined many of its products were misrepresented as being FAA Norwalk, CT 06854-1713. Robert Eng- approved when in fact they were not. lander, Chairman and CEO; Timothy H. The NavWorx saga has racked up many chapters and it’s one example of why I Cole, Executive Vice President, Editorial don’t run news stories in Aviation Consumer, given the time lapse between editing Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief Operating and final production. That’s why we’re trying to make good use of the internet by Officer; Greg King, Executive Vice Presi- supplementing our magazine with the obligatory social media presence on Face- dent, Marketing Director; Ron Goldberg, book. Aside from posting video productions to chase some of the print articles Chief Financial Officer; Tom Canfield, Vice only subscribers will have access to, we’ll update the Facebook page between President, Circulation. monthly issues to keep you posted on industry news like this odd NavWorx story. Still, this story was too important for us not to cover because I know it affected Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CT, some of our readers who shelled out real money to equip for the ADS-B mandate and at additional mailing offices. Rev- with a NavWorx solution. You pay us for sorting through these kinds of issues. enue Canada GST Account #128044658. There’s a lesson here. To me this story is as much about a relationship with Subscriptions: $84 annually. Bulk rate sub- the FAA that went off the rails as it is about the FAA’s zero tolerance for unap- scriptions for organizations are available. proved parts. In November 2016, the FAA issued an emergency order suspend- Copyright © 2017 Belvoir Aviation Group ing NavWorx’s manufacturing authority to build the affected ADS-B units after LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in the company repeatedly refused (it eventually cooperated) to allow the FAA to inspect its records and manufacturing facilities. From my experience dealing with whole or in part is prohibited. Printed in FAA inspectors on the shop level, neither is a recipe for success. the USA. In the end, this situation hurts both the market and the FAA. Closer yet to the 2020 mandate, the fleet still lags behind in ADS-B equipage. A small operation, Postmaster: Send address corrections to NavWorx sold in relatively small numbers, but it also means nearly 1000 more AVIATION CONSUMER, P.O. Box 8535, Big aircraft will need to find an alternative means of equipage. It sure would be easy Sandy, TX 75755-8535. In Canada, P.O. Box if another manufacturer stepped up with a replacement product that could drop 39 Norwich, ON NOJ1PO, Canada. Publish- into the ADS600-B wiring. There is chatter that it could be in the works. I’m ing Agreement Number #40016479 watching this closely—and suspect the FAA is, too. —Larry Anglisano

2 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 LETTERS

MORE ON LAKE AMPHIBS is 40 gallons as standard, and 54 gal- any airplane I can think of, and while As a Lake owner with 25 years experi- lons with optional aux fuel. Only two offering great transportation options, ence flying it from South Florida to or three EPs have been converted to the Lake is more fun than any of the all corners of the continent, I would hold 88 (not 90) gallons, which results dozens of other single-and twin-en- like to correct certain information from installing Renegade wings (with gine aircraft types that I have flown. published about Lake amphibians in their integral fuel tanks) on the EP. the September 2017 Aviation Consumer. The article quoted me as saying that Marc Rodstein Some of my quotes in that review my forward CG condition goes away via email were made over 10 years ago and when loading passengers in the rear. deserve a refresh. This is incorrect We reached out (via the last contact infor- The Lake Am- as my Lake EP mation we have) to the Lake Amphibian phibian Flyers Club has a rear CG Flyers Club and haven’t gotten a response (LAFC)—from when empty as we go to press. which I retired after and requires 15 years of man- forward bal- NAVWORX BAILOUT aging it—was left last when I fly I bought and installed a NavWorx with a rich heritage, solo. Adding ADS600-B system carrying part num- but in my view passengers ber 200-0012. Since your last Nav- lost the trust it had eliminates the Worx article, it looks like the company earned from Lake rearward CG, went out of business. What options do owners and pilots but can result I have for replacing the system? in its previous 27-year history. Mem- in a forward CG and the need for aft Are other manufacturers willing to bers have reported that service center ballast. But, the point was well taken take on these consumers at a reduced and flight instruction listings haven’t that the airplane is not a load-and-go price to get them to switch? been updated, phone calls and emails airplane but requires careful calcula- are unreturned and the Lakeathon tion of CG for all different loading Barney Schewenzer annual four-day fly-in and safety scenarios, both for takeoff fuel and via email seminar (which had been held for 27 landing fuel loads. consecutive years)—along with the The structural cracks that you re- ADS-B manufacturer uAvionix told long-published bimonthly Lake Flyer ferred to in the article were addressed us distributor Dallas Avionics (www. newsletter—has been discontinued. In many years ago by two ADs, one on dallasavionics.com) will be announcing 2016, some dissatisfied former LAFC the tail and one on the spar cap. By a limited-time program for NavWorx members formed the Lake Amphibian now all Lakes should have had these Find ownersus on Facebook Badge with experimental aircraft. CMYK / .ai Club (LAC). fixes applied. The wing spar AD is one As for options, there are plenty of The majority of the former LAFC and if it has been accomplished, the UAT-based solutions. We report on one members, myself included, have not AD is no longer a concern. Depend- new product worth considering on page renewed their LAFC membership and ing on the method used to comply 13 of this issue. have now joined the LAC instead. At with the tail AD, these can be one- the invitation of the founders of LAC, time fixes with no recurring actions I became one of its directors. The LAC needed, or may need recurring inspec- has restored the tradition of an annual tions at annual, 50-hour or 850-hour four-day fly-in and safety seminar intervals. CONTACT US (named LakeFest) and publishes its As noted in your article, the Lake own newsletter (Lake Club News) in a absolutely requires specific training Editorial Office fashion that, in my view, echoes and from a qualified Lake instructor, as it 860-614-1987 (EDITORIAL ONLY) in some cases exceeds the past club’s has some idiosyncrasies that are easy Email: [email protected] accomplishments. The LAC website is to deal with if you understand them, www.lakeamphibclub.com. The site but can bite you badly if you don’t. Subscription Department has updated listings for service and in- I would like to point out that a Lake P.O. Box 8535 struction resources. The Lake Amphib- is not only a versatile seaplane but a Big Sandy, TX 75755-8535 ian Club is now the bona fide Lake very capable airplane in many other 800-829-9081 amphibian type club and its directors areas. Whether on land or sea, it has Online Customer Service: and members will be happy to assist short takeoff and landing character- www.aviationconsumer.com/cs any current or potential owner or pilot istics, handles crosswinds exception- of a Lake amphib in any we can. ally well and can do a worthy job of Used Aircraft Guides: Some other statements in the article cross-country flying. My Lake has 203-857-3100 are in need of correction. The fuel taken me as far as Baja California and Email: [email protected] capacity of the Buccaneer and the EP Alaska in the West, to the Caribbean were listed as 55 and 90 gallons. The and Newfoundland in the East. It per- For weekly aviation news actual fuel capacity of a Buccaneer/EP forms reliably in more situations than updates, see www.avweb.com

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 3 PILOT ACCESSORIES CHECKLIST

The Clarity Aloft Link In-Ear Headsets: offers exceptional build and audio quality. If you can live without Clarity Link Gets Our Nod Bluetooth, you can save $270 with the Clarity If you can tolerate earbuds, in-ear headsets have Classic model. In-ear headsets offer convincing benefits. If we had to pick one, it would be the freedom, but might not Bluetooth-equipped Clarity Link from Aloft Technologies. work the best in loud environments. by Larry Anglisano and Robert McGuire sets, not every noggin is the same, he logical alternative to cir- To see which models do this the so the ability to precisely adjust the cumaural (over the ear) and best, we rounded up three aviation- frames for just the right fit when wear- Tsupra-aural (on top of the ear) purposed in-ear headsets to include ing a hat, eyeglasses and maybe even a headsets is an in-ear design. These the Clarity Aloft Link, the Quiet flight helmet is important. are basically ear buds attached to a Technologies Halo Tubephones and We’ve always advocated trying any thin head frame that also accom- the Faro Air. Here’s a field report. headset before you buy it. Under- modates a traditional microphone. stand that in-ear headsets aren’t for Their purpose is obvious and simple, HOW WE EVALUATED everyone because some simply can’t which is to allow more freedom and We put each of the three models on tolerate buds in the cabin environ- comfort than you might experience our bench and looked at design and ment—especially unpressurized wearing a traditional headset. build quality of the frames (some are ones. See the sidebar on page 8 for But that’s no easy task and there’s bendable so we tried to snap them), custom ear mold alternatives. Based far more to consider than comfort. the wiring protection, the audio plugs on our use, in-ears might not work to In-ear headsets should protect your and supplied accessories. Face it, ear your liking in loud cabins, including hearing, provide audio clarity and buds get nasty (and accumulated ear open cockpits. We know they work performance as good as the highest- wax deteriorates performance), so a quite well in jets and turboprops. For end ANR headset and they need to healthy supply of fresh replacement these missions, we bring along our be rugged. Like any headset, they buds in various sizes is high on our list own Clarity Classic model. need to have a simple and compact of gotta-have parts. And as we learned For performance comparison with control module. a long time ago with traditional head- a circumaural ANR design, we used the Bose A20 Bluetooth model as the benchmark for entertainment audio quality, since all of the in-ear models evaluated here accommodate music. CLARITY ALOFT LINK The Clarity Aloft line consists of three available versions of in-ear headsets offered by Minnesota-based Aloft Technologies. The models— Classic, Link and Pro Plus—differ either by having wireless Bluetooth capability or FAA TSO certification. More on this in a bit. The set we used in this roundup is the Link, plus the $525 Clas- sic model. Weighing just shy of 2 ounces, the Clarity Classic (which weighs the same as the others in the Aloft lineup) isn’t the lightest and

We found that the Clarity, left, had the best no-fuss fit right out of the box.

4 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 that’s obvious when it is on the head. But out of the sets we evaluated, we think it feels the most durable. The hardware—including the headband and attached microphone boom— have a high-end feel. The Clarity is worn over the ears and the band rests behind the head. There is some flex in the band to adjust it for a more precise fit, while the microphone always seemed to stay in just the right position over the lips without dropping or moving out of the way. We use the Clarity with and without glasses and hats and it always fits well without struggle. All Clarity models come with what Aloft calls Comply Canal Tips. These foam tips come in small, medium and large and screw onto threaded posts of the set’s speakers. We wouldn’t believe it unless we tried them, but Aloft advises that you may need different size tips for each ear. That was the case with more than The downside of the one evaluator who needed a small Clarity Link model, tip in the left ear and a medium one top, is dealing with in the right. You’ll want to experi- ment because if you don’t get a full two controllers. The seal (with any of these in-ear head- removable BluLink sets), performance will indeed suffer. controller, middle, You also have to properly insert the tips and that may not be easy for all. is fairly large and Aloft instructs you to compress needs a longer the foam by pinching it down, as cable for better opposed to rolling it. That can cause storage. The main the tips to unscrew from the posts, it can stress the wires and also risk volume control, lodging the tip in the ear. The aver- bottom, seems just age canal tip lifespan when used right. daily can be up to three months, but waxy ears have us changing them far more often. balance is pre-adjusted at the We found the Clarity’s audio qual- factory for center balance, you ity and noise attenuation impressive. can tweak the pot for more Aloft says you can expect between a or less volume in either ear. 29- to 47-dB noise reduction within This might be handy when the 125 to 8000 Hz frequency spec- used with a PS Engineering or trum—that’s nearly as effective as Garmin audio panel that has higher-end ANR models. dimensional sound, where The directional noise-cancelling audio is spatially positioned in microphone also performed flawless- the headset. ly. It never clipped and it was as crisp There is a music input jack and clean as the mic on the Bose on the control box for external A20 or Lightspeed Zulu 3. But keep wired audio input. While the the correct side to your lips—there’s music quality was quite good, only one “talk” side. it doesn’t mute when there’s radio or input. Aloft doesn’t build the Blu- The volume control box is mini- intercom chatter. Link module, but instead sources it mal and houses a single volume The $795 Clarity Link model has from Pilot-USA. While the BluLink control knob, plus a stereo/mono all of the same features and speci- module has intuitive controls and switch. There’s also a balance control fications as the Classic, but with a a high-end feel, we wish it had an potentiometer on the back of the detachable Bluetooth module for extension cable for more storage box. While left and right channel wireless music and telephone audio options in the cockpit. Weighing

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 5 That’s the com- connected to a Bluetooth source. plete Quest Tech- Aloft also offers a TSO’d version called the Pro Plus. It says the target nologies Halo kit market for the $725 model (which spread out on our doesn’t have the BluLink module) is test bench, top. airline crews requiring TSO’d headsets. These are manufactured in a dif- You can see that ferent location than the other Clarity the dangling au- models (because of the stringent dio tubes might TSO standards) and utilize a slightly get snagged on different microphone with a heavier boom. something in the All Clarity models come with cabin, middle. a storage case, six pairs of small, That’s the utili- medium and large ear tips, plus a three-year warranty and 30-day tarian control money-back guarantee. module at the bottom. QUIET TECHNOLOGIES HALO TUBEPHONES Maker of the $359 Halo, Mississippi- Pairing the based Quiet Technologies boasts that BluLink with a it was the first company to develop a newer iPhone was lightweight insert-style noise isolat- easy and there’s a ing foam tip headset for aviation. dedicated pair- Company founder Phil McCandless ing request key said the design dates back more than on the face of the 20 years ago as the UltraFlite and module, along AuriComm models. The UltraFlite with a Bluetooth and the current Halo concept arose status annuncia- by studying the Etymotic Research tor. There’s also a ER-series insert earphones used by power annunciator audiologists in clinical and research and a simple on/ labs. off key. The basic Halo design—which is The quality of really an Etymotic Research ER-3 the music linked through earphone fitted with an aviation- the module was outstand- compatible noise-cancelling micro- ing, in our view. The module phone—utilizes a balanced-armature has Digital Signal Processing speaker that delivers sound to the ear (DSP) and our ears sensed through a carefully designed “tuned” an increase in audio gain tube network inside a small box. The and depth when the circuit sound travels through the acoustic energizes. Better yet, volume tubing network, exiting the box keys allow you to control the through a foot-long tube and out of a music level separate from the soft compressible foam ear tip sealed main Bluetooth source, plus to the ear canal. you can advance or rewind McCandless says studies show through the song playlist that significant noise isolation (at- 4.2 ounces with two AA batteries with dedicated keys on the module. tenuation) is possible using the ER installed, the BluLink tends to tug You can answer the connected tele- earphones and can equal or exceed on the headset’s audio cables if it phone with the dedicated telephone that of a single-walled audiomet- isn’t resting on something—like the key. ric test enclosure. This allows the aircraft floor or secured in a map The BluLink comes preset to reduce audiologist to test patients down to pocket. Even the supplied attach- the volume of the linked music when the quietest threshold levels in typi- ment clip wouldn’t keep the module there’s radio or intercom chatter, but cal physician examination rooms secured where we wanted it in flight. you can make it mute entirely by without the need to place the patient Of course, you don’t have to use pressing and holding the phone icon inside a massive and expensive the BluLink module. The device on the module for three seconds. noise-isolating test suite while wear- has two quick-connect attachment Depending on how much Bluetooth- ing conventional earphones. points: One side connects with the ing you do, battery life is listed as There’s no fancy electronics here, volume control box and the other 15 to 20 hours, and it has automatic which frankly gives the Halo a dated connects directly with the headset. shutoff after 30 minutes when it’s not feel compared to the others in the

6 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 group. But what the Halo lacks in gee-whiz design, it could make up for in reliability. McCandless said the advantage of using tubes in the Halo (instead of a direct earphone driver into the ear) is obvious. Tubes are simple devices, requiring no wires or electricity, and when they become defective or clogged they can be up) and the set lacked the bass re- replaced in the field by pulling the sponse that we enjoyed on the Clar- old ones off and slipping new tubes ity—and have grown to love on the on. The Halo comes standard with Bose A20. Not even close. replacement tubing. The noise-cancelling microphone’s Since the Halo can be worn either sensitivity didn’t seem to be as good over the head, behind the head or as the one used on the Clarity, either. rested on the shoulders, the tubes With the Halo, it has to be posi- can be cut almost an inch for a bet- tioned precisely over the lips to avoid ter fit, depending on how you wear clipping. the set. For instance, longer tubes As for the ear tips, the Tubephone accommodate the frame resting on can be used with triple-flange rubber the shoulder (making the set more inserts or disposable foam inserts. awkward, in our view), while shorter In our trials, the foam tips seemed ones work best when the headset is to offer the best noise worn behind the head. Still, it’s easy isolation. You can for the dangling tubes to get caught compress them bet- under the headband or even snagged ter than any of the on a shoulder seatbelt. other tips, which is The headband is flexible, and pull- the key to the best ing or pushing on the stainless steel attenuation. Once rod (which is contained inside a hol- in the ear and fully low portion of the headframe) allows expanded (which for a fit that works best for your head takes a few seconds), shape and size. We tried all three fit- we found them to ting positions. be comfortable and Wearing the set over the head extremely effective. seemed uncomfortable and made The Tubephone them unstable, if not difficult to has a basic control wear with a ballcap. Worn on the module (the set shoulder, the microphone seemed doesn’t require bat- to move out of position. Wearing teries) that houses a the Halos over the ear worked best stereo/mono switch in our trials, easily accommodating and thumbwheel glasses and a ballcap. potentiometers for adjusting volume. The Faro Air, shown in the The tubes, according to Quiet No frills here. We do like the Kev- photos above, is priced at $390 Technologies, are critically damped lar reinforced audio cables that the and optimize speech and music company says are high strength and and the company vows to replace (the headset accommodates a wired UV-resistant. They are routed into the any set that breaks as a result of entertainment input—no Bluetooth) hollow headband, which keeps them bending the frames for a custom by restoring the natural resonant out of the way. characteristic of an unblocked ear Quiet Technologies said it is still fit. We wish the set had Blue- canal. We found the audio quality producing the Halo, but as we go to tooth connectivity. to be acceptable. The real test is with press it has suspended new orders music piped in from an iPhone. The due to product backorder. The com- Halos, in our opinion, performed pany only fields questions and cor- ing the in-ear Air. The $390 Faro Air the worst out of the three headsets respondence via email and you can’t (along with a Clarity) has been in tested. But admittedly, this is with a leave a message. In our dealings, the our long-term evaluation pool for critical ear. demo set arrived promptly. roughly one year and we’ve been of- The music input gain was low fering them to passengers and other (even with the source cranked way FARO AIR pilots for feedback. Despite brisk competition in the One pilot used them in his Arcus entry-level headset market, Las glider during a multi-day competi- See a video review of in-ear Vegas-based Faro Aviation has made tion. The draw? A traditional over- headsets at http://tinyurl.com/j95ht2a inroads with several models, includ- the-head headset can break the

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 7 DO CUSTOM EAR MOLDS STILL MAKE SENSE? Of course I tried circumaural headsets years ago, but the company I originally used for fitting to the Mach 1 ear molds pressure and bulk caused me discomfort and gave me was Sensaphonics in Chicago. Its website is www.sensaphon- headaches on long trips. The lightest headset at the time was ics.com. made by Plantronics and was used by airline pros. I ordered a But should you even mess with modifying something as Plantronics model MS50/T30-2, but I didn’t like the ear- piece good as a Clarity Link? I liked the build and audio quality so that came with it so I adapted and mount- much I’m considering them and a custom ed a firearms ear plug to the ear tube. I mold. Aloft’s Mike Feldbauer—an audio used this for years until I found a place specialist—warned of some caveats. For that could make a custom ear mold for it. example, the human body is flexible and By eliminating the headband, the comfort when an ear mold is taken, the ear canal level was increased exponentially. When is in one state. The canal opening may be Lightspeed came out with the Mach 1 smaller or larger depending on the ambi- stereo headset, I bought one with the ent temperature and other physical factors custom ear mold option. The audio was such as water retention, weight and diet. much better, with both ears processing Think in terms of a finger ring—sometimes sound, plus the microphone was also a it slides right off, other times it’s stuck. notch up in quality. Similarly, the custom ear mold may be Today, the process is simple for loose on some flights, which would let in getting custom ear molds for use some ambient noise. Aloft doesn’t recom- with most in-ear headsets. The first mend using custom ear molds with its Clar- step is to find an audiologist to ity headsets because they can’t guarantee get an ear mold fabricated. That’s the same noise attenuation with them as one in the inset photo to the right. they can with the audio foam they use. It Then you send the molds out to a has also seen cases where the molds damage the threads on company that makes the finished the speaker attachment posts. ear inserts. They’ll customize the After buying custom molds, I never looked back and have inserts to attach them to the specific headset you have pur- been flying all kinds of aircraft, including my Mooney, with chased. The process generally takes a couple of weeks. huge comfort on long trips. The stereo audio quality has I always find vendors at Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture offering been very good and ambient noise is reduced considerably. custom on-the-spot ear molds, but a web search gener- But, I was so impressed with the audio quality of the speakers ally turns up fewer options. One reputable mold maker is in the Clarity Link headset that I’m starting to think it’s time Avery Sound in Capo Beach, California. Its website is www. to upgrade and ditch the molds for foam. pilotstuff.com, which has a pilot-oriented section for custom mountings for a variety of headsets available today. The —Robert McGuire aircraft’s canopy when jarred in tur- but the Air just felt easier to wear ears and offer decent sound isola- bulence. Problem solved with an in- on longer hauls and there were no tion. Our takeaway is the same as it’s ear model. Unfortunately, the same pressure points where the earband been in other in-ear headset trials. evaluator reported what seemed rests on the base of the ear. It helps The performance of either in-ear to be an impedance-related audio that the headband doesn’t need to model is greatly dependent on the fit problem when used with a passenger fit tightly on the back of the head to of the slow-recovery composite foam on the intercom. The problem was stay firmly in place. earplugs. Faro provides two sizes to solved by using a different headset. Don’t look for slide adjustments choose from: medium (Faro says the The Faro is comfortable and at 1 on the metal headband and earloop medium fits the majority of users) ounce, it’s .5 ounces lighter than the frames—they don’t exist. Instead, and large. Both are designed slightly Clarity. This might seem nominal, you simply bend the metal (expand longer than a typical earplug to fit or contract) to get the right size for deeper into the ear canal. your head. Faro says you won’t break Faro says the Air provides up to the structure by making these adjust- 50 dB of noise reduction. Compare CONTACTS... ments, and if you do, the company that to the Clarity Aloft, with specs Aloft Technologies will exchange the set. And you likely rated at up to 49 dB of noise attenua- 612-747-3197 will have to do lots of adjusting. tion. But, for perceived audio quality, www.clarityaloft.com One staffer dinged the Airs for being we prefer the Clarity. The Faro is Faro Aviation too loose on the head without siz- accepatble, but we think the Clarity 855-359-3276 able tweaking, and he thought the beats it in depth and tone. www.faroaviation.com microphone felt heavy hanging off Still, we like simplicity and the the frame. Faro’s lightweight control module Quiet Technologies 601-316-7160 But we think the Airs have the delivers. It has a slide volume control www.quiettechnologies.com best foam ear buds in the group. This means they’re comfortable in the continued on page 32

8 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 AIRCRAFT ACCESSORIES seatbelt and shoulder harness—if the shoulder harness does not attach firmly to the seatbelt and stay attached through all flight operations, Restraint Systems: the connector(s) should be repaired or replaced. If the restraint system is in use Repairs and Upgrades during a quick stop—there’s been any damage to the airplane and the system was loaded by the occupant— They keep us alive without our thinking about them, it should be pulled and repaired or replaced. If a restraint system has yet belts and straps wear out. Repair is surprisingly been loaded there’s no guarantee it inexpensive and upgrades abound. will be able to handle its certified nine or 16 Gs if loaded again. During our research the one con- by Rick Durden sistent guideline we saw from manufacturers, repair shops and publica- t’s routine: We get in, strap in Denver, told us, “Restraint systems tions on restraint systems was that without thinking about it and are on-condition replacement items, the useful life of webbing is 10 years. Ibeginning running the checklist. but there’s nothing comparable to UV rays break it down, weakening it. Putting on and tightening up the the guidance you get with other restraint system is probably the most components that says such things as REPAIR, REPLACE, UPGRADE basic of automatic tasks any of us a quarter-inch crack is acceptable, a The good news is that there are a lot do as pilots—without the reassur- half-inch crack is not.” He went on of options for the owner facing worn ing pressure of the belt and shoulder to tell us that anytime you observe restraint belts and the most ba- harness attaching our torso to the frayed, torn, creased or crushed web- sic—rewebbing—is not particularly airplane, most of us wouldn’t hit the bing (fabric), it should be repaired or expensive and rarely takes even two starter. replaced—any one of those items is weeks to accomplish, including pri- Restraint systems keep us firmly a condition. So are broken, missing ority shipping. If it is time for your attached to our seats in turbulence or frayed stitches. If the stitching pat- restraint system to be rejuvenated, so we can control the airplane when tern is inconsistent, it may indicate you may want to take advantage of it’s gyrating and they make a huge rewebbing by someone not qualified the upgrades available, especially if difference in whether we’re going to to do the job. your airplane doesn’t have shoulder be injured or killed when things go We also learned that the hardware harnesses installed in all of the seats south and the airplane comes to a should be inspected for wear or or it doesn’t have at least four-point, stop in circumstances other than we bending of hooks and end fittings, inertia-reel harnesses in the front desire. inoperable springs and rust—all seats. We’ll survey what’s available. While restraint system use is auto- are conditions that call for replace- matic for most of us, as aircraft own- ment. If the buckle shows wear or REWEBBING ers and users we also need to inspect doesn’t operate properly, it should While buying a new set of restraints the restraints in the airplanes we fly. be replaced. One of the big problems from the aircraft manufacturer is But, what are we looking for? How is the connection between the belt fine, the more cost-effective method do we know when a seatbelt needs and shoulder harness of older Cessna of getting the same result is to send to be repaired or replaced? And, if it restraint systems that had a separate the current set—hardware and all— does, what are our options? HOW MUCH WEAR? The FARs call for following the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions; however, there simply are not definitive guidelines for what is acceptable wear and what isn’t. As Scott Utz, proprietor of Arapahoe Aero in

The cabin of this Cessna 182 maintained its integrity during a crash—the sort of impact in which a good restraint system may be the difference between life and death.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 9 SHOULDER HARNESSES: A MAGIC BULLET FOR SAFETY From the perspective of an aircraft owner, it seems that makes GA’s most common accidents the most survivable anywhere you look someone is trying to sell you some- if the occupants are restrained. thing that is guaranteed to make your ride’s panel the The chart below depicts the ability of a healthy human hottest on the airport, or reduce drag so that it’s faster to withstand impact G loads straight ahead—toward the and more efficient or reduce the stall speed so that it can instrument panel—if properly restrained. The variables take off and land from a postage stamp. are the intensity of the load and its duration. If the G load Almost invariably, the advertising includes a claim on the occupant can be kept below about 10, the chances that installing the product will make your airplane safer. of surviving an impact go up dramatically, even if the It may even be true. However, for an aircraft owner on impact sequence lasts some time. a budget, what is the one The next factor in assessing product that gives the abso- crash survivability is the con- lute most bang for the buck in tainer holding the occupants. terms of increasing the level So long as it remains intact of safety of the airplane? The enough that the occupants answer is: shoulder harnesses, don’t slam into it during the for all of the seats. impact sequence, the chances While owners spend big of surviving go up. However, bucks for avionics to avoid even if it remains intact, it’s midair collisions, those make still necessary to hold the oc- up only 1 percent of aircraft cupant in position in the seat accidents. Interestingly, more because the container isn’t than half of the people in- very big—there’s not much volved in midairs survive. “flail” space for the occupants. When you do the safety That brings up the problem and accident risk analysis for of a lap-belt-only restraint GA aircraft it turns out that system. During an impact the big accident risk is runway sequence of as little as one-G loss of control on takeoff or forward (toward the panel), it landing (RLOC). In tailwheel is impossible for the occupant airplanes the rate of RLOC to brace him or herself against accidents can approach 50 the load and she or he jack- percent—and they tend to be knifes over the seatbelt. That the airplanes that don’t have means the head impacts the shoulder harnesses for all of instrument panel or the back the seats. of the seat in front of the oc- With the highest single ac- cupant, as shown by the photo cident exposure being RLOC at left of an impact sled test. events, the next step in the Head impact is likely to safety analysis is whether mean serious injuries. Even if those accidents are survivable and whether installing a the impact is light, it may be enough to stun or cause loss better restraint system would make any difference. of consciousness that reduces or eliminates the occu- Stall/spin and inflight loss of control (VFR into IMC) ac- pant’s ability to get out of the airplane without assis- cidents tend to involve a ground impact that generates a tance. That can be critical if a post-crash fire starts. In ad- quick stop and very high G loads on the occupants, mak- dition, jackknifing can cause spinal injury and paralysis. ing most of those crashes unsurvivable. The reason: High A shoulder harness—even the most basic single-strap G loads cause destruction of internal organs. version—will help keep the occupant in place in the seat RLOC accidents more often involve speeds of less than and greatly reduce the risk of hitting some portion of the 50 knots and an impact sequence that has the aircraft interior of the airplane during a crash sequence, which slowing to a stop over some distance—reducing the G is the cause of most injuries and deaths in lower-speed load on the occupant. crashes such as RLOC. The secret of survivability in an accident is to minimize That’s the analysis—shoulder harnesses will greatly in- the impact speed. One of the grim laws of physics is that crease the safety of your airplane. The real world agrees: force is a squared function—doubling the speed means FAA research shows 88 percent of injuries and 20 percent quadrupling the impact. Hitting something as slowly as of fatalities have been eliminated through the use of possible means the potential for survival goes up, which shoulder harnesses over lap belts alone.

10 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 This retrofit shoulder harness was installed for the rear seat of an Aeronca Champ as a minor modification per AC 23-17C and required only a logbook entry, above right. Sewing a seatbelt as part of the rewebbing process, below right. to a shop that specializes in rewebbing. Cindy Vandereedt, office manager of Aviation Safety Products in Blairs- ville, Georgia (www.aircraftseatbelts. com), told us that her company normally turns around restraint systems sent in for rewebbing in five to seven days. The procedure involves an inspection of the hardware—including the inertia reel, if part of the system—to confirm it can be reused. That is usually the case. The old fabric is discarded and new webbing is sewn onto the hardware using the stitching pattern and thread approved for the particular type of belt or shoulder harness so that it will meet the nine or 16 G (as appropriate) FAA requirements for it. Vandereedt told us that an X-pattern stitch is normally used. If any of the hardware has not met inspection criteria, it is replaced. Once the belts and harnesses have been built up, each is visually inspected for conformity and condition of the hardware, including function- ing of buckles and inertia reels. The FAA 8130 Airworthiness Approval tag is filled out and the assemblies are shipped out. have an airplane that As part of quality assurance and does not have shoul- confirmation that rewebbed belts der harnesses for all conform to their type design and of the seats that you FARs, rewebbing operations periodi- install them if at all cally test that completed belts meet possible. It can be pull requirements and the webbing done on most, but not meets burn requirements. all, general aviation Our survey of prices for rewebbing airplanes. We’ll talk restraint systems showed that the in- here about passive dustry is competitive. Prices for seat restraint systems (once belts alone start in the low $60 range installed, they do their and increase with the complexity job of protecting oc- of the system to about $240 for the cupants without further ado) as we the overhead structure when the air- most complex system—a five-point, covered active (airbag) systems in the plane was built even if shoulder har- rotary release system with inertia- June 2017 issue. nesses were not installed. Installing reel shoulder harnesses. In some airplanes, such as on shoulder harnesses can be easy. We most Cessna singles and the 336/337 watched it done in 15 minutes for UPGRADES series, the hardpoints/nutplates for the rear seats of a Cessna Cardinal. We strongly recommend that if you shoulder harnesses were installed in For many aircraft, the upgrade is

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 11 We think the most important step you can take to protect those most important to you is ensure each person has, and wears, a shoulder harness, top. Hooker harnesses installed, middle. Whether it’s rewebbing or upgrading, you can get a webbing color that complements your interior, bottom.

Alpha Aviation (www.alphaa- viation.com) sells replacement and upgrade three-point fixed-strap and inertia-reel kits for a wide selection of Piper, Beech, Cessna and Ercoupe aircraft. In most cases, the belts are ance. Generally, if there is for the front seats only. Prices start a hardpoint or structure at $349 per set for fixed-strap kits where a shoulder har- with inertia-reels being about $100 ness can be attached, it’s higher. a minor modification. BAS (www.basinc-aeromod.com) Hey, the FAA knows the offers a line of inertia-reel four-point value of shoulder har- restraint systems manufactured by nesses and doesn’t want AmSafe. They are available for what to put roadblocks in the seems to be an ever-expanding list of way of installation where Piper, Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft there is good structure. as well as Luscombes—although they The Advisory Circular tend to be limited to front seats only. applies to the front seats Prices begin at $1480 (black)/$1500 of airplanes built before (color) for a pair of front seats. Check July 19, 1978, and the rear with BAS for exact pricing and rear- seats of airplanes built seat availability. before Dec. 12, 1986. Hooker Harness (www.hook- The second method erharness.com) is known for its of upgrading a restraint aerobatic restraint systems but it also system is via STC, which offers a line of fixed three-, four- and is most often the way to five-point harnesses for the front go when adding the more seats of most GA aircraft. Prices start sophisticated restraint at $275 per seat. systems. The following is a brief CONCLUSION survey of upgrade options When your restraint system hits available for most GA double digits in age, it’s time for airplanes. replacement of the webbing. While Aero Fabricators offers a Y-type, buying new is an option, we think four-point harness kit—a shoulder rewebbing is the sensible approach. harness over each shoulder attach- If any seat in your airplane ing to the seatbelt—through Wag doesn’t have a shoulder harness Aero (www.wagaero.com). They are and it’s possible to install one, we STC’d for either the front or all seats strongly recommend doing so. We for most of the Cessna 100 and 200 like inertia-reel restraints for their series, fabric-covered Pipers and the comfort when flying, but their price PA-24 and -28 series as well as Beech may dissuade owners from a retrofit. 35s, some Stinsons and Aeroncas. We think that the prices of fixed-belt nothing more than what the FAA Starting at $162 per seat for these three- and four-point systems are so refers to as a minor modification fixed (not inertia-reel) systems, we reasonable that they should be the and requires only a logbook entry. consider the prices so low that there next upgrade an owner makes to her AC 23-17C (at page 101) has guid- is no reason not to upgrade. or his airplane.

12 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 ADS-B TECHNOLOGY

All of this tech Wingtip ADS-B: trickles to the sky- Beacon ADS-B device, a product design that’s uAvionix Gets Creative so simple we wonder why other companies double the size haven’t acted on the concept. We think the bolt-on skyBeacon is the most innovative NEAR ZERO-INSTALL ADS-B solution yet. Not only is it an easy install, but the That’s how uAvionix describes the concept has legs to grow. device in the overview section of the current revision of its installation manual. The product is no joke. by Larry Anglisano A look at the specs reveals that it’s a 2020-compliant Class B1S UAT o date, even the lowest-priced Corporation has plenty of experience transmitter that meets the FAA’s 14 mandate-compliant ADS-B doing just that because outside-of-the- CFR 91.227 criteria. The skyBeacon TOut solutions require opening box thinking is what’s required in the is limited to lower altitudes (below the airframe for a major installation. rad world of UAS electronics. In our 18,000 feet) because it transmits on Whether installing a remote ADS-B view, there hasn’t been much innova- 978 UAT and not 1090ES that’s re- transmitter or a new transponder, it’s tion when it comes to easy ADS-B ret- quired in the flight levels. But in our realistic to plan on nearly two days rofits for the typical GA aircraft, which estimation, the idea behind the sky- of shop time. In round numbers, that has put the market in a real pickle as Beacon—which also includes a red could mean a $1600 invoice—just for ADS-B equipage continues to lag. wingtip LED position light—is easy labor. But not with the uAvionix sky- The uAvionix team of RF, avionics, equipage for lower-end, basic aircraft Beacon, a bolt-on, two-wire solution. software and hardware engineers has that only fly at lower altitudes. With roots in the UAS market, uA- a proven track record. For unmanned Moreover, owners of these kinds vionix brings fresh thinking, creativity applications, uAvionix has a diverse of aircraft likely wrestle with a and slick modern tech to the GA mar- line of forward-thinking avionics, dilemma that’s been present in the ket still struggling with equipping for including the Ping line of Mode S ADS-B upgrade market since day the FAA’s 2020 mandate. Is the sky- transponders, ADS-B transceivers and Beacon—an ADS-B Out transmitter perhaps most important, mandate- that serves double duty as a position compliant WAAS GPS engines. There’s That’s the uAvionix skyBeacon light—the easy solution the market’s also the echoUAT, a remote ADS-B installed on a Flight Design CT in lower end has been waiting for? We transceiver for LSA and experimentals the lead photo. The device has a ordered one for a close look. that’s 2020-compliant and is compatible with everything from an iPad to a see-through lens partly because it THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Garmin GNS430 and even the current serves double duty as an LED posi- Palo Alto, California-based uAvionix Garmin GTN navigators. Good start. tion light, photo upper right.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 13 ADS-B COMPLIANT IN AN HOUR OR LESS? Maybe. According to uAvionix, shops the skyBeacon is built with shielding that have already installed the sky- issues in mind. “Our engineers come Beacon report that some jobs might from the drone world where EMI and be completed in an hour when using other considerations come into play,” the existing lighting wires. We took said uAvionix’s Shane Woodson. the device into our shop and had it The mandate requires that ADS-B lit up in minutes. This is wiring at the Out systems are powered all the time absolute simplest level. There’s a red and on the primary bus. The current wire for switched power and a black skyBeacon for experimental and LSA one for ground. No worries about applications doesn’t require a pullable smoking it, either. It works out of the circuit breaker, but uAvionix isn’t sure box for 14- and 28-volt systems with- what the final requirement might be out additional wiring considerations. when the device is approved for certi- One concern we have about using fied aircraft. The whole idea behind existing power and ground wir- the concept is to use the existing ing (which in most cases is as old as power and ground lighting wiring the airframe it’s routed through) is that exists at the wingtip. shielding, or lack of, which can lead to The physical installation couldn’t interference and degraded perfor- get easier for aircraft that have a mance. While this technical tidbit position light with the same footprint will likely be high on the FAA’s list of as the skyBeacon. The kit is supplied technical concerns when issuing the with a mounting gasket and three STC or TSO, uAvionix is no stranger button-head machine screws that to solving these kinds of issues and are inserted through the device and thread to the existing light mount. The image at the lower right is a screen grab from the installation configuration app and you’ll need to allow time for this step, plus a flight test to obtain a performance report. So can a skyBeacon retrofit get your aircraft ADS-B-compliant in an hour? Based on our technical obser- vations, we believe it can, but some jobs might take slightly longer—but not much. one: Their aircraft lack a mandate- and Ident status in sync without approved WAAS GPS—a pricey a separate ADS-B control head, larger than a transponder blade an- upgrade with relatively few options. something that could be required tenna), we wondered why uAvionix But uAvionix solves the dilemma with other lower-cost UAT sys- designed the housing with a see- and built a WAAS receiver into the tems. This requires panel space and through lens, making the PC board skyBeacon, which also houses a more install time. uAvionix shows fully visible. uAvionix said it exposed WAAS antenna. There are two anten- a healthy list of compatible Mode the electronics mostly for the gee- nas, actually—the WAAS, plus an A/C/S transponders, including the whiz factor. Hanging out there on the L-band pulse antenna for the UAT vintage King KT76 series, Garmin, wingtip, it will surely be a conversa- transmitter. That’s why the fiberglass- Becker and even old Terra systems. tion piece on ramps, plus it shows the enclosed device is shaped like a typi- The skyBeacon will work with most competition that this can be done. cal transponder blade antenna. all existing Mode C altitude encod- The sidebar above is a brief sum- The skyBeacon has transponder ers without any additional wiring. mary of a skyBeacon installation and monitoring circuitry that’s smart The internal LED position lamp not all will be a direct bolt-on. There enough to keep the aircraft’s tran- (standard aviation red) has a are current deal-breaking limitations. sponder and ADS-B squawk codes 40-candela intensity and it’s located In its current form factor, the skyBea- on the main PC board. The entire con isn’t a bolt-on for wingtip lighting See a video overview of the device draws a measly 3 watts of enclosed in a fairing. To work cor- skyBeacon at http://tinyurl.com/j95ht2a operating power. While handling rectly, the skyBeacon’s antenna needs the device (that really isn’t much to hang in the same configuration as a

14 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 belly-mounted transponder antenna, and many wingtip fairings won’t accommodate it. APPS AND STROBES uAvionix is already a few steps ahead of the version 1.0 skyBeacon concept. The companion product will replace the green position lighting (with LEDs) in the right wingtip and house an ADS-B In receiver, plus a Wi-Fi transmitter for delivering weather and traffic data to the cabin. It’s smart—ADS-B Out on one wingtip and ADS-B In on the other. Given the current relationship uA- vionics has with ForeFlight (it supplies the Scout portable receiver that’s only compatible with ForeFlight), we’re confident about ForeFlight tablet app compatibility, but uAvionix didn’t talk about third-party interfaces. uAvionix said it’s nearly certain that every skyBeacon will include Since all ADS-B Out systems trans- The current iteration of the sky- the LED position light (the device is mit aircraft-specific data, the skyBea- Beacon won’t easily replace en- currently in the certification process con is configured with the uAvionix closed wingtip lighting because for Part 23) and it’s also developing skyBeacon Installer app on iOS or a strobe lighting interface option. Android and it connects with the sky- the UAT’s blade antenna needs Shane Woodson described a strobe Beacon over Wi-Fi. Program the call to be positioned as shown above. light interface that’s controlled on sign, ICAO number (the app is smart uAvionics said it’s working on and off from a tablet app. Woodson enough to fetch this 24-bit number made a good point that strobe light- from the FAA database), emitter type a future solution for fairing- ing may be a common accessory on or category, plus for the paranoid enclosed lighting. newer aircraft, but still not retrofitted among us, an anonymous mode. to older ones. Strobes or not, there’s When the anonymous mode is an efficiency benefit of any skyBea- enabled, the skyBeacon transmits We’re told the skyBeacon could have con upgrade. “Instead of consum- a self-assigned call sign when the a wide-reaching AML-STC by Febru- ing 26 watts per incandescent bulb, transponder is squawking 1200. ary 2018. LEDs might reduce that to 3 watts Word is that aircraft transmitting In our view, uAvionix is on solid each,” Woodson reasoned. We don’t anonymously won’t be eligible for ground with hardware (including a disagree. Near-limit power draw is ATC services. WAAS GPS) that already meets the indeed an issue with older electrical stringent specs of the TSO. Better systems. LED lighting helps. Plus, CERTIFICATION WRAP yet, it manufactures and tests its own given the long lifespan of LED lamp The skyBeacon is already shipping for WAAS GPS engine and isn’t relying technology, you can keep them on experimental and LSA installs. Since on a third-party vendor to vouch for all the time. that crowd doesn’t need equipment its performance. that has a TSO (the skyBeacon does uAvionix has a patent pending CHECKLIST not, but it does meet the specs of the for the skyBeacon and we think the ADS-B TSO-C154c), it’s fair game at overall concept will lead to other Mandate-approved ADS-B the current price of $1400. time-saving retrofits. It’s not often we installs in an hour? That’s As for the certified version, uA- get excited about a new product, but easily possible. vionix is hoping to reap the benefits unlike most ADS-B solutions to date, of rewritten Part 23 regs. We see the we think the skyBeacon is the most A skyBeacon is a two-for- logical argument already. The typical innovative and cost-effective solution one upgrade with skyBeacon retrofit is far from a major yet. We’ll be watching its certification efficient LED lighting as a modification to the airframe, with progress closely and so should you. bonus. the benefits of reducing power con- sumption. Why not certify by way of It can be installed in an approved model list supplemental CONTACT... experimentals and LSA type certificate, or AML-STC? That’s the plan. It’s a similar approach we uAvionix Corporation aircraft now, but Part 23 844-827-2372 certification is pending. saw most recently with EFIS and www.uavionix.com autopilot certification via AML-STC.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 15 AIRCRAFT UPGRADES CHECKLIST

The Dakota is a true Premier’s Dakota Redo: heavy hauler and outdoes even the 182. Premier offers a tiered Like New, Half Price upgrade program that includes basic improve- In the Dakota, Piper found a sweet spot for owners ments on an old airframe. hauling lots of people and stuff. Premier wants to Refurbed is like new, but bring it back with a nose-to-tail refurb. not new; depreciation is an unknown. by Paul Bertorelli Skylane and Piper’s answer was to stuff t’s axiomatic that four-place air- example of an airplane that’s no longer a Lycoming O-540 into the PA-28 airplanes are flown with two or three built, but has niche appeal for buyers frame and christen it the PA-28-235. Iseats empty for most trips. But it’s bored by the everyman humdrumness In 1973, it got a formal name: the just as true that some owners want of a Skylane. Charger. And a few years later, it was not just four seats, but a bunch of Interestingly, Premier has discovered renamed the Pathfinder. The 235 series payload even beyond that. That’s why that buyers who may push back on came into its own in 1979 with a new we have the Cessna 182 and the Piper the $259,000 asking price of a restored engine—the O-540-J3A5D—to replace PA-28-235/236 series. That there aren’t model are willing to pay a premium the original B4B5. many of the latter suggests that owners for an example that’s repaired and The airplane also got a longer hungry for hauling are a fraction of the gussied up, but not to the extent of a fuselage and a semi-tapered wing to market, at least for Piper. bare-metal redo. replace the old Hershey bar design that Premier Aircraft is betting that the celebrated its draginess with sink fests fraction is large enough to constitute BACK IN THE DAY on final approach that put more than a modest business in refurbing the The Dakota’s DNA traces right back one hapless pilot into the weeds short PA-28-236—the Dakota—to new to the original PA-28 Cherokee, but of the threshold. standards and we recently got a look at the model emerged when Piper and Premier’s target donors for their what the company is doing with this Cessna were in pitched head-to-head refurb market are the 1979 airplanes airplane. As new single-engine air- competition for all the buyers they forward. The Dakota actually survived planes reach nearer the million dollar could find. The basic Cherokee was in the Piper lineup all the way to 1994 mark, Premier, a well-known Florida fine and all, but it couldn’t carry much and none have been made since. sales and modification shop, thinks very far or very fast. By the early 1960s, The Dakota’s claim to glory was load owners will find value in a refurbed Cessna was doing well with the 182 hauling and it didn’t disappoint. Fac- tory numbers gave it a useful load of 1392 pounds and even if it was 100 pounds less in the real world, it could still carry full fuel and four people with enough payload left for reasonable baggage. For hauling the kid to college, it could cross several states with a Baby Grand in the back. By comparison, the 182 could carry a load too, but it was often just a little shy of what the Dakota could muster, so Piper found

Premier’s Dakota redo, left, looks very much like a modern Archer. But it’s 13 inches longer and has 55 additional horsepower.

16 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 buyers. But not a lot of buyers. Piper built nearly 33,000 PA-28s, but fewer than 3000 were the six-cylinder variants and fewer still were Dakotas. Premier estimates that just over 830 airworthy Dakotas remain on the registry. WHY THE DAKOTA? “We kind of got brought into it,” says Barry Rutheiser, Premier’s regional sales manager. “One of Fred’s very good customers had a son getting into flying and wanted him to have a very nice airplane. He thought a Dakota would be the perfect airplane.” (Fred is Fred Ahles, Premier’s principal and an aircraft marketing guy Premier offers tiered who has sold just about every brand upgrades. The panel and model ever made.) above, with G500 Although the refurb market remains somewhat of a mixed bag, Premier and GTN750, is the figured that if one buyer was interested top-tier Platinum in a ground-up redo of a niche model Edition. All of the like the Dakota, others would be, too. upgraded aircraft The instinct proved correct, but the get an overhauled numbers remain an unknown. O-540, right, and a “We’re getting a lot of calls on this airplane and when they hear the price, new Hartzell three- there’s sticker shock,” Rutheiser told blade prop, lower. us. We can understand why. Premier is offering three levels of refurbishment for the Dakota. The base offering, ers may not want any what Premier calls the Silver Edition, of the higher-end is $259,000. For $299,000, you get the upgrades, but will instead settle for a Gold model and $329,000 buys the clean, carefully inspected and repaired Platinum Edition. airframe with modest avionics up- What’s the difference? All three grades. Premier’s Ahles said another levels get an overhauled engine from thing common to the Dakotas the Certified Engines, a new three-blade company is selling is that all of them— prop, a complete strip and repaint and whether fully refurbed or just brought a new interior. From there, it diverges to a higher state of airworthiness—get with various avionics and instrumenta- a comprehensive annual that averages tion choices. about $20,000. The Silver Edition, for instance, gets “There 832 Dakotas in the U.S. a pair of Garmin G5s (one for the AI, Less than 10 of them are for sale,” says one for an HSI), a GTN650 navigator Ahles. “They’re all at about $80,000. with a GTN225A backup comm and Some are high-time engines and prob- that there’s no stratospherically priced ADS-B In and Out. The interior is basic ably high-time airframes. And not one new version of it to compete and the vinyl. The Gold upgrade includes leath- of them has seen a Piper service center airplane still has unique capabilities. er upholstery with wool carpet and an in 20 years for a real annual,” he adds. S-TEC 55X autopilot. The top-of-the- Not surprisingly, Premier has discov- NEW OR NOT? line Platinum version adds a Garmin ered stratification in the market. One We spent a few hours looking over G500 display, a GTN750 in place of tier of buyers wants a higher-quality and flying Premier’s full-boat refurb the 650 and the same autopilot. Cus- airplane and will pay a small premium of the Dakota. It generally lives up to tomers are free to mix and match and while another will pay a much larger the claim as “like new.” The paint— Rutheiser says Premier is flexible on sum for an airplane that presents as the only part of the job done out of how the airplanes are equipped. new, but isn’t new and costs two-thirds house—is well detailed and designed And perhaps the most interesting to half what a new airframe would. in a modern scheme. In fact, viewed at offshoot of this exercise is that custom- The unique thing about the Dakota is a distance, the restored Dakota is

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 17 DAKOTA VS. SKYLANE Premier encountered market disinterest when it launched a diesel are the true Dakotas, the PA-28-236 Comparing the Dakota to the rather conversion of the Cessna 172 three more numerous Cessna Skylane that first appeared in 1979. Like Pre- years ago. The shop hasn’t sold one is a study in cost-benefit matrices. mier’s Dakota redo, these have useful yet, but Fred Ahles says he’s un- That’s an indirect way of saying it’s loads in the 1150- to 1200-pound daunted. The diesel rolled out just not that straightforward. range. as Continental announced approvals What became the Dakota—the In the Skylane line, that gets you for a higher horsepower version of PA-28-235—first appeared in 1964. into the Q and R models, which have the engine—155 HP vs. the 135 HP It had a whopping 1465-pound similar useful loads, but probably just available when the conversion was useful load, but as the model aged, a bit less than the Dakota in the real planned. Moreover, the conversion it got fat. Later models claimed a world. The Dakota is also faster than was aimed at flight schools and Ahles says few of them have the capital for useful of 1392 pounds, but in the the Skylane, cruising at an honest such investments. 130 knots. The 182 is nearly 10 knots real world, they’re closer to 1200 The Dakota project isn’t intended pounds or a little less. slower. for schools, but for owners who have Comparable vintage Cessna 182s But perhaps because the Dakota the wherewithal to buy their own never reached that kind of payload, is more desirable and there are far airplanes, but either can’t afford new even though they too are consid- fewer of them, retail prices are higher. or don’t see the value in new, as many ered prodigious load haulers. Mid- You’ll see Dakotas on the market for buyers clearly do not. Ahles says new to late-1960s Skylanes could carry $80,000 to slightly over $100,000. airplane sales slowed to a crawl when just under 1200 pounds, but as with Skylanes are a little lower, although a Cessna, Diamond and Piper crossed the Dakota, real numbers are lower pristine, low-time example—if such the $400,000 mark for new aircraft. than that. a thing exists—will command about “I’m looking at it like if people are unwilling to buy a new 172 or a new The most desirable of the Pipers the same price. DA40 because of the price and I can give them the same or better features indistinguishable from a factory-new power gauge, which would normally for $300,000, I think there’s a market Archer. It’s actually 13 inches longer occupy the lower panel left of the there. We don’t know how big it is than the Archer, but unless the aircraft throttle quadrant. Power and engine yet,” Ahles says. are side by side, only a Piper expert instrumentation are handled by the JPI Premier has had surprisingly good would notice. EDM900, a welcome refinement. response to the Dakota refurb pro- The interior in the example we While late 1970 to early 1980 gram and could have made a couple reviewed was flawless. The only over- Dakotas had a claimed useful load of of more sales if the airplanes were sight we would complain about is that as much as 1392 pounds, Premier’s available. the flap handle bore the dings and Dakota falls well short of that, at 1180 “We had a lot of people say, well, chipped paint of nearly four decades pounds. That still allows full seats and you don’t even have the airplane in of use and one of the panel placards full tanks, plus 70 pounds of bags. A stock, but I want an airplane now. The was peeling. factory-new Archer can’t touch that kind of people who are serious about The panel is well conceived, within and neither can recent model Skylanes. it don’t want to wait for a customized the limitations of fitting new equip- And therein lies the attraction of the airplane, particularly when we didn’t ment into an old airframe. The G500 Dakota. even have one. So we bought two serves as the primary flight display, You’ll pay for it in fuel burn. The other Dakotas to have them in inven- backed up by a Sandia SAI-340 Quat- O-540 is not the most efficient large- tory,” Ahles says. Those airplanes, tro standby gyro. That combination displacement engine in the fleet, burn- and more Premier will purchase, may allows the ditching of the airplane’s ing between 13 and 15 GPH for best- or may not get the full-boat refurb stock vacuum system. Navigation is case true airspeeds in the mid-130s. treatment. Some buyers will be happy provided by Garmin’s GTN750 (or With 72 gallons aboard, that gives with an airplane wrung out through a GTN650) with a Garmin GTN225A the airplane a little over four hours of comprehensive annual and upgraded navcomm for backup, all piped endurance with a 45-minute reserve. with modest avionics, including ADS- through a GMA35 audio panel/inter- B Out to meet the 2020 mandate. com. MARKET POTENTIAL Ahles says he isn’t necessarily If we had our druthers, we would The McGuffin here is that because new swinging for the fences on the Dakota place the JPI engine monitor and back- airplanes of this class cost nearly half program. “For a little company like up gyro on the right side of the radio a million bucks, if not more, there ours that’s going to sell 100 airplanes stack for a less cluttered and neater ar- ought to be a brisk market for remanu- a year, four Dakota sales is a 4 percent rangement. But this shows the limita- factured airframes that cost half that. increase in business,” he adds. In the tions of retrofit, since the standby gyro Maybe. The Premier Edition Dakota current market, where sales have been has to be within easy view of the pilot, joins a handful of refurbs pitched at flat if not declining for several years, forcing a bit of a jumble. Functionally, building market share on this premise. that counts for a stand-up double, it doesn’t matter much, but it’s not While these have found buyers, the if not a home run. For more on the ideal, in our view. Noticeable is what’s volumes have been smaller than we Premier Edition Dakota, see www. missing: the engine instruments and would have expected. premieraircraftsales.com.

18 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 AIRCRAFT OWNERSHIP CHECKLIST

Inspection requirements are onerous and expen- Lease-Back Part 135: sive. If your airplane flies Worth it for Your Plane? enough to make money, you may not get to use it. Leasing your airplane to a Part 135 charter operator If your airplane makes money, wear and tear to generate income sounds great. The increased cost of may be unacceptable. maintenance means it usually doesn’t work. bly expensive for the owner. Anyone by Rick Durden considering leasing her or his airplane to a Part 135 operator should ne of the questions we get to generate income by being flown go in with eyes wide open and a full from readers is whether they on charters by the operator’s pilots understanding of the procedures and Ocan cut their aircraft owner- while the owners sit comfortably costs involved in putting an airplane ship costs by entering into a lease at home in front of the TV. Our onto a 135 operating certificate and agreement with their local Part 135 response: It sounds good if you say keeping it there. operator. They’d like their airplanes it fast, but the downside can be terri- 85 PERCENT OF REVENUE Often the person we’re talking to will come back with, “But I’m going to get 80 (or 85) percent of the revenue from each flight, that’s a great deal, isn’t it?” Our research indicates that the going rate for payment by Part 135 operators to lease airplanes is in the 80 to 85 percent of revenue range. However, unless the airplane is flying charters regularly—as in at least a couple of times a week—and the owner is willing to put up with the wear and tear on his or her pride and joy—as well as potential lack of access to it—even 85 percent of charter revenues can be a money- losing proposition. After all, the owner is also responsible for all of the cost of maintenance and fuel and, usually, training for the pilots who fly the airplane. We’ll tell you our conclusion as to whether it’s a good idea economically to lease your airplane to a Part 135 operator and then go through

Leasing your airplane to a Part 135 operator to fly charter sounds like a money maker, above. The reality may not be quite so attractive—starting with probably the most extensive and expensive inspection your airplane has ever under- gone, below.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 19 Bringing an airplane that has been flying under Part 91 for years into conformity with the maintenance requirements of Part 135 requires replacing all components that are beyond TBO, including hoses.

it into compliance with its manuals and Part 135. THE RIGHT OPERATOR Here is where selection of the right charter operator can make the difference between actually making some money and writing big checks to the operator each month. If the operator already has an aircraft of the same type on its certificate the process of adding yours is much easier than if yours will be a new type. That’s because each operator is required to have documents known as Opera- tions Specifications (OpSpecs) and a General Operating Manual (GOM) that set out all of the procedures that the operator is to follow in conduct- ing its charter operations. The manuals contain the main- what’s involved with putting an air- accountant (there are tax conse- tenance and training procedures for plane onto a Part 135 certificate. quences) and your insurance broker each type of airplane it operates. to make sure you are protected. When an operator adds a new type PROBABLY NOT Since you’ll be paying for mainte- of airplane, it must amend its manu- We think it is almost never worth- nance and fuel, you should get a als to show how it’s going to main- while to lease a personal airplane reduced shop rate and fuel price tain that airplane and the training to a Part 135 operator due to the from the operator and a good-faith program for its personnel. cost of complying with the mainte- estimate of what it is going to cost The amendments are submitted to nance requirements to qualify it for to do the upgrades to the airplane the local FAA office having over- Part 135 ops—especially with older needed to meet Part 135 mainte- sight over the operator and must be airplanes for which manufacturers nance requirements initially. approved. Depending on the so- have created continuing airworthi- phistication of the operator and the ness requirements after they were THE OPERATOR’S ACTIONS workload and subtle factors involv- built—and keeping it in mechanical If you decide to go forward, the op- ing willingness of the persons at that compliance once on the certificate. erator begins the process of adding office to work with the operator, get- Let’s say that you own an air- the airplane to its certificate—which ting an amendment to the OpSpecs plane (usually a high-performance you can figure on taking at least a and GOM can take a few weeks or single, piston twin or turboprop) few months. The operator informs several months. that a local charter operator thinks the FAA that it wants to add an Usually, the operator will be could make money for both of you aircraft to its certificate via a format required to maintain the airplane in if you were to lease it to the opera- specified by the FAA that gives the compliance with the manufacturer’s tor. Having the airplane that you local office a heads-up as to what’s maintenance instructions as set out picked out so carefully and love to happening. In doing so, the opera- in the Service Manual, Service Bul- fly, but costs a little more to run that tor also sets out a timeline for when letins, Airworthiness Directives and you’d hoped, bring in some money it anticipates completing the vari- Instructions for Continued Airwor- each month sounds pretty good. So, ous steps along the way and when thiness. That includes all manu- what’s involved in going forward? it thinks the airplane will be ready facturers—airframe, engine, com- The first part of the process is to for the FAA to examine it for con- ponents and STCs. Some operators negotiate a lease with the Part 135 formity. The operator then sets out with extensive experience in specific operator while spending quality to inspect your airplane and take types of airplanes have their own time with an aviation attorney, your any and all action required to bring maintenance procedures that have

20 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com DecemberAugust 20122017 been approved by the FAA—which may be a little less onerous if they can be applied to your airplane. MANDATORY MAINTENANCE The bottom line is that your airplane will become subject to the far more rigorous maintenance requirements of Part 135 of the FARs rather than those of Part 91. When you were operating under Part 91 and the manufacturer published recommendations or guidelines for maintenance as well as Service Bulletins, Instruc- tions for Continued Airworthiness and maintenance procedures for aging aircraft, they weren’t mandatory for your operations. Under Part 135, all of those recommendations become rules—hard and fast ones. That means that your new part- ner in aviation is going to pull your airplane into the shop and peer closely at its maintenance records. If a manufacturer issued a Service Bulletin applicable to your machine, thing that can be time consuming Once your airplane is on a Part and the logs don’t show that it was on older airplanes. 135 certificate, the more strin- performed, the operator is required We spoke with Derek DeRuiter, to take the action called for in the owner of Northwoods Aviation gent maintenance requirements SB. in Cadillac, Michigan. He uses a continue in place, which can You’re going to be writing big number of single-engine Cessnas in make complying with TBO limi- checks for maintenance before the his Part 135 operation. He recently airplane goes online. added a 182 to his certificate and tations expensive. Scott Utz, proprietor of Arapahoe told us it took several months to do Aero at Denver’s Centennial Airport, all that was required. He described talked with us about what’s involved the 182 as “nice” and said that his Once in service, the maintenance in initially putting an airplane onto shop spent 90 hours on labor to get requirements of Part 135 mean that a Part 135 certificate. He pointed the airplane into compliance with if the airplane is flying enough to hit out that the manufacturer(s) set out Part 135 maintenance requirements component TBOs via flying hours maximum times—hours of opera- and 15 hours on paperwork. He is in before calendar hours, it may be tion or calendar—between overhaul the process of adding a Cessna 185 generating enough income so that for components of your airplane. on amphibious floats to his opera- you get a check most months. It also Every one is now mandatory. If it’s tion, and is amending the OpSpecs may mean it’s not going to be avail- been more than six years since your and GOM for water operations. Thus able to fly when you want it and it’s prop was overhauled, no matter how far in the process of complying with getting beat up enough that you’re much time is on it, it has to come Part 135 maintenance requirements going to need to spring for paint and off and be overhauled—inspect and he has had to have overhauled or interior work so that it remains at- repair as needed (IRAN) doesn’t cut replace everything forward of the tractive enough for charter work. it. That applies to the engine, all firewall—which has cost $53,000, If the airplane is hitting calendar hoses (figure on $2,000 to replace all not including his shop’s labor. TBO times before flight hour TBO of them), the engine controls, prop Once the operator has completed times, the chances are that it’s not governor, aux fuel pump, vacuum the needed work on your airplane generating enough income to offset pump(s), manifold valve if you have and associated paperwork, the FAA your increased costs of maintenance more than one vacuum pump and will send a team in to do a confor- of Part 135. fuel indicating system, to name a mity inspection. That takes a day few. or two as the personnel go over the CONCLUSION paperwork and spot check the con- If you have the opportunity to lease STCs dition of the airplane. If all has been your personal airplane to a Part 135 If the airplane has any STCs those done correctly, the FAA will approve operator in hopes of reducing your must be researched to ensure any the operator’s actions and, assuming cost of ownership, proceed with maintenance guidelines or instruc- pilot training has been completed, extreme caution. We haven’t seen tions for continued airworthiness the airplane is ready to start flying much evidence indicating that it will have been complied with—some- the line. provide the result you desire.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 21 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RPM rise, your idle mixture is set too lean. The idle mixture adjustment on a Marvel-Schebler carburetor is in the form of a large knurled screw (or Carburetor Idle Issues: small slotted knob) on the throttle casting, high on the carb. On MA-3 and MA-4 series carbs, for example, Check the Mixture First find the bowl drain plug, then run your finger (or eyes) straight up the side of the carb until you come to a If you live in a climate with seasonal temperature swings, slotted knob with arrows on it point- ing to “R” (rich) and “L” (lean). That’s adjusting the carburetor idle mixture may be required the idle mixture adjustment. Give this more often than you think. There are some clues. screw a turn in the desired direction, then repeat the lean-out procedure described above. Staff report Of course, alterations in idle mixture have an effect on idle speed as ave you noticed that carburet- As for symptoms that suggest it’s well. If your engine was set too rich ed engines behave differently time for an idle mixture adjustment, (i.e., 150-RPM rise on shutdown) and Hin varying temperatures? We you might observe the engine run- you corrected this by turning the idle have, and it’s a pretty good argument ning rich in summer and lean in mixture screw as needed to give the for the simplicity of fuel injection. winter temperatures. desired 50-RPM rise, your engine will But if you’re stuck in the carb age, Some engines are more affected now probably idle about 100 RPM tweaking the idle mixture (perhaps than others due to carb location, faster than before. Accordingly, you’ll often) for the intended operating intake plumbing, baffling and so on. want to adjust the idle speed to put it climate could be a necessary evil for In warm weather the tipoff is, first, a back in the 650-750 RPM range. Any properly maintaining it. Unless you’re noticeable RPM gain on pulling the changes require supervision by an an A&P, adjusting carburetors may mixture control to idle cutoff—maybe A&P. not be an approved owner-performed as much as 100 RPM or more. The re- On a Marvel-Schebler carb, as on task. But you can help your tech get verse may be the case when it’s cold. an automotive carb, the idle speed ad- it right to your liking by knowing the You might also find that spark plugs justment is made with a set-screw on basics. Here’s a primer. are fouling easily, even with a lean the low-RPM stop at the throttle arm mixture set for taxiing. on the carburetor. Make adjustments BY THE BOOK, BY THE TACH as needed to bring the idle RPM back Face it, from a fundamental PULL IT BACK to 650-750. Repeat the idle mixture standpoint, the carburetor on your Don’t adjust anything unless you’re lean-out check. You want no more Cessna is hardly much different than confident in the health of the magneto than a 50-RPM rise on lean-out. the one you maybe had on your small- timing, the condition of the spark Obviously, several iterations of the block Chevy engine. Dealing with its plugs and obviously the carb itself, basic procedure may well be neces- maintenance is the familiar nuisance although attempting the adjustment sary to get the carb set up correctly of dealing with stuck float bowls, is the first step. Head to the runup for both idle mixture and idle speed, chasing fuel leaks and doing preventive area (or fly it first) to warm the engine. since one affects the other. Try not to rebuilds. With carb heat off and a clean air filter idle the engine so long on the ground, At the least, if you want your in place, face the airplane 90 degrees however, that CHT reaches in-flight engine to run well on and off idle, to the wind and adjust the throttle to indications. commit to frequent adjustments. give minimum RPM. This is typically And, be aware that with prolonged Lycoming even suggests resetting idle around 650 RPM. Secure the throttle ground operation at full-rich mixture mixture on a seasonal basis, if you friction lock to keep it from creeping. and a low RPM, spark plug fouling is live in an area with wide swings in Move the mixture control toward idle encouraged, even with a perfectly ad- density altitude. But we say only if cutoff and monitor the tachometer. justed idle mixture. That’s because in there’s an issue. With finicky carbs, As you come to the last inch or two the 700-RPM range, the plugs operate we’ve long subscribed to the “if it isn’t of mixture travel, you should notice too cold to burn clean. It really helps broken, don’t fix it” theory. And, we a 25- to 50-RPM rise in engine speed to have even the most basic graphic wouldn’t attempt any adjusting with- before the engine falters from lean engine monitor for maintenance and out a current service manual, plus misfire. Keep it running and record normal ops. service data for any modifications the actual RPM rise, whatever it is. Once you have it set, record the made to the fueling system. If your lean-out gave more than a RPM rise on every shutdown. It can If you’re still using an analog 50-RPM rise, your carburetor (or fuel help you spot float saturation and tachometer, don’t go any further injection—the same test applies) is set internal leakage. And while you’re at without knowing when it was last too rich and needs to be compensated it, record the date and outside temper- calibrated. If there’s doubt, send it to in the lean direction. ature. After a while, the calendar will an instrument shop for a bench cal. Conversely, if you saw little or no tell you it’s time to do this all again.

22 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 2017 EDITORIAL INDEX

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December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 23 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE Cessna 120/140

With stone-simple systems and benign handling, the Cessna 120/140 is a good choice for affordable flying.

he first of Cessna models to ample—most offerings were tail- the 120 initially sold for a mere be built in volume was the wheel machines. So equipped, the $2695. Tdiminutive Cessna 140, fol- Cessna 120/140 was easy to own. That amount is equivalent to just lowed a month later by a stripped- Although they all initially had fabric under $31,000 in current dollars. down version called the 120. At wings, they were made mostly of Try to find a new, FAA-certificated, the time, the Cessna 120/140s were metal, avoiding the periodic need for mostly-metal trainer for that kind perfectly serviceable and practical re-covering. of money today. two-place airplanes. They were Cessna made the 120 about reasonably priced to buy and as simple as airplanes get, with economical to own. There was side-by-side seating, yokes a reason for that. Buyers look for vintage aircraft for rather than sticks, no flaps and During WWII, tens of thou- many reasons and one of them is no rear window. Because it was sands of Americans were either cheaper than building cantile- taught to fly by the U.S. military the low cost of operation. ver wings, Cessna—which had or were exposed to the routine never put a wing strut on an use of air transport to cover airplane since it started produc- long distances quickly. Aircraft tion in 1927—hung struts on manufacturers naturally assumed The good news is the qualities the 120/140 series, forever changing this fertile crop of newly released making them popular in the late the public’s perception of the prod- soldiers, armed with the recently 1940s are still present. Today, what uct line. Standard equipment did enacted G.I. Bill of Rights, would little they give up to Piper’s Cubs in not include an electrical system, generate a sales boom of staggering panache, they more than make up although a generator was available proportions. for in reduced acquisition costs and as an option. The International It did. While it was of far shorter arguably more-forgiving handling Cessna 120/140 Association tells us duration than even the most pes- qualities. that none left the factory with one; simistic forecasts, huge numbers of however, most 120s have an electri- new airplanes were manufactured. MODEL HISTORY cal system these days. Piper was building Cubs and, soon, The 120’s model history is rather Cruisers and Pacers pretty much as short, since it was produced only for That’s Russ Niles’ 1948 Cessna fast as it could. four years, from June 1946 through With a few exceptions—Beech’s May 1949. Since Cessna had the 140 ready for takeoff in the Bonanza or the Ercoupe, for ex- training market firmly in its sights, lead photo.

24 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE CESSNA 120/140 6 ft. 7.5 in. 6 ft. 7.5

21 ft. 6 in.

drawings courtesy 33 ft. 4 in. www.schemedesigners.com CESSNA 120/140 SELECT MODEL HISTORY MODEL YEAR ENGINE TBO OVERHAUL FUEL USEFUL LOAD CRUISE TYPICAL RETAIL 1946 CESSNA 120 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 25 632 LBS 100 KTS ±$15,250 1946 CESSNA 140 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 21 650 LBS 88 KTS ±$15,500 1947 CESSNA 120 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 25 632 LBS 100 KTS ±$15,250 1947 CESSNA 140 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 21 650 LBS 88 KTS ±$15,750 1948 CESSNA 120 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 25 632 LBS 100 KTS ±$15,250 1948 CESSNA 140 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 21 650 LBS 88 KTS ± $16,000 1949 CESSNA 120 85-HP CONTINENTAL C-85-12 1800 $16,000 25 632 LBS 100 KTS ±$15,250 1949 CESSNA 140A 90-HP CONTINENTAL C-90-12F 1800 $16,000 21 650 LBS 90 KTS ±$16,250 1950 CESSNA 140A 90-HP CONTINENTAL C-90-12F 1800 $16,000 21 650 LBS 90 KTS ±$16,500

RESALE VALUES SELECT RECENT ADs 1946 CESSNA 120 1950 CESSNA 140A AD 2006-03-08 REPLACE CERTAIN AERO 25K – ADVANTAGE VACUUM PUMPS – AD 2004-19-01 INSPECT/MODIFY CESSNA KIT 20K – SHOULDER HARNESS ADJUSTERS – INSPECT/REPLACE PRECISION 15K – AD 98-01-06 AIRMOTIVE CORP. CARBURETORS – INSTALL VENTED FUEL CAPS AND 10K – AD 79-10-14 DATA: AIRCRAFT BLUEBOOK FUEL SERVICING PLACARDS – REPAIR/DISABLE CIGARETTE 5K – 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2016 AD 79-08-03 LIGHTER WIRING

SELECT MODEL COMPARISONS PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL CRUISE SPEEDS PRICE COMPARISONS 1946-1949 CESSNA 120 1946-1949 CESSNA 120 1946-1949 CESSNA 120 ($15,250) 1946-1950 CESSNA 140/140A 1946-1950 CESSNA 140/140A 1946-1950 CESSNA 140/140A ($15,750) 1946-1947 LUSCOMBE 8E 1946-1947 LUSCOMBE 8E 1946-1947 LUSCOMBE 8E ($19,000) 1945-1947 PIPER J-3 1945-1947 PIPER J-3 1945-1947 PIPER J-3 ($20,750) 1946-1950 SWIFT GC-1B 1946-1950 SWIFT GC-1B 1946-1950 SWIFT GC-1B ($29,500) 300 350 400 450 500 50 70 90 110 10K 15K 20K 25K

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engines: Available was an optional 90-HP Continental four-banger in place of the 85-HP engine common throughout the 120/140 series. At a glance, the easiest way to recog- nize the 140A is by the single strut. Despite its changes, the 140A didn’t sell as well as the 120/140. Only about 500 left the factory before the line was shut down in 1951, after which Cessna turned to other models, including the 195. But Cessna wasn’t through with light singles, regardless of whether the 140A’s demise resulted from competition or a tired market. In 1959, Cessna hung a nosegear on the basic 120/140 airframe, creating the most successful trainer of all time: the Cessna 150. Thousands were built and many a pilot owes his or her basic skills to the 150 and its successor, the 152. In turn, the 150 owes its existence to the 120/140 line. CONSTRUCTION, SYSTEMS As noted and in contrast to Piper’s Cub, the 120/140 is an all-metal design, at least for the fuselage. The skins are riveted over ribs in conventional monocoque construction. Even for the 1940s, this was nothing special; all-metal Luscombes were on the market before the war. But it also was durable and easy to fix, especially by the hordes of aircraft mechanics trained by the mili- The 120/140 has limited panel was building acres of Cubs. Other tary during WWII. Early 120s had space and a non-standard in- companies—Taylorcraft, Aeronca, fabric-covered wings, a “feature” Globe, ERCO and Luscombe—also carried over to the 140, as well. strument layout, but has suf- offered two-place airplanes and, When Cessna upgraded the line to ficient space for a short stack of although Cessna was shoving some the 140A, the wings were all metal. radios to the left of the pilot’s 30 airplanes out the door daily in The additional, aft-cabin windows August 1946 and eventually made and single strut were retained. yoke. some 7000 120s and 140s, by the Many of the older airplanes origi- end of 1946 the bloom was off nally delivered with fabric wings the rose. Sales dropped annually. have been converted to metal. To go even more upscale, Cessna In 1949, the company realized it While there’s certainly nothing followed the automotive industry of needed to revamp the platform to wrong with fabric wings, they do the time and offered a “luxury” ver- stay competitive. require care and maintenance. If sion, dubbed the 140. It came with In that model year, Cessna built the airplane will be a ramp dweller, flaps, an electrical system, fancier its last 120 and brought out the we think the 140A—or at least an seats and a pair of rear windows on 140A. The revised model came with airplane with the all-metal-wing either side of the fuselage (but not a redesigned, all-metal tapered conversion—is the better choice. the wraparound, Omni-view con- wing with a single strut, presaging Oddly, buyers may also find a few figuration that later became standard what was to come from Cessna’s 140s sporting 120 wings, i.e., a in Cessna’s single-engine line). singles. The strut replaced the two- 140 without flaps. On finding one, That was the company’s entry- piece struts of its predecessors, with we’d be very interested in learning level, post-war lineup. These a single attach point at the fuselage more about the airframe’s damage airplanes sold well and although and two attach points under the history. there was demand, there was also wings. No matter the model designa- competition. For example, Piper Also, the 140A offered a choice of tion, systems are stone simple. The

26 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE

With 12.5 gallons per side, you won’t spend a fortune fueling these airplanes, top. 120s and 140s had two wing struts; single struts did not come along until the 140A. 120s also had no flaps and no rear window; the one in the bottom photo had a rear window mod.

fuel system includes a 12.5-gal- lon tank in each wing, connected through a left-right-off valve. Later models had a “both” position and a fuel-tank crossover line. When originally delivered, airplanes with electrical systems had generators and a few flying have them still. These days, the better setup is an STC’d alternator conversion. As far as engines go, the 120/140 came from the factory with only two choices. The 120/140 has the 85-HP Continental C-85-12 while the 140A got the 90-HP C-90-12F, all with metal propellers. Even a cursory glance at today’s market, however, reveals all manner of engine upgrades, including the Continental O-200 used in the Cessna 150—said to be a bolt-on conversion—and the O-235 used in the Cessna 152. At least one STC involves installing an O-200 crankshaft and cylinders to a C-85 crankcase. While these newer engines may improve performance, the real reason for having them is serviceabil- ity. While parts remain available, the older C-85 and C-95 engines grow ever more difficult and expensive to support. As noted, the 140s have flaps there, it can resemble a 747 com- too, depending on the engine. while the 120s don’t. Do you need pared to other basic airplanes from Although some think it’s insane to them? Probably not. One owner the same era. Sure, panel equip- fly a venturi-equipped airplane in wrote a few years ago to say he ment in these airplanes tends to actual IFR, we don’t see the prob- considered the 140 flaps to be a be Spartan at best. Still, it should lem. The venturi is actually more “joke.” In any case, these airplanes come as no surprise some owners reliable than a pump, as long as fly so slowly that the benefit of flaps have jazzed them up with GPS and you can keep it from freezing up. is questionable. Any pilot worthy of other goodies. But there is enough (Heated versions are available.) the title should be able to put one space for basic IFR gauges and Moving into the cabin, you’ll of these into a pea patch without avionics. find primary controls consist of a need for flaps. In fact, there’s no reason these pair of side-by-side yokes grouped aircraft, if properly equipped, can’t in the center of the panel. Anyone CABIN, ACCOMMODATIONS be flown in a little light IFR. Most with passing familiarity with a Push your nose against the window aircraft of this vintage sport exte- Cessna 150 knows how cramped of a Cessna 120/140 and scan the rior venturi horns for vacuum, al- the seats and interior are. The panel. Although there’s not much though some have vacuum pumps, Cessna 120/140 is no better; the

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seats are 1940s-style bench designs CESSNA 120/140 ACCIDENTS: RLOC and both shoulder and leg room are Our review of the 100 most recent accident, it was a wheel landing. limited. accidents involving the Cessna With the low wing loading of the Taller pilots may find their knees 120/140 series uncovered a situation Cessna 120/140 series, extra energy/ colliding with the yokes, while short in which the airplanes may have too speed on touchdown is not a pilot’s ones may need a pillow to reach the rudder pedals. The seats are fixed much of a good thing—effective friend. in place and, unlike more-modern brakes that are easy to use. That, There were only seven engine fixed-seat types, the rudder pedals combined with a landing gear ge- power loss accidents—a low num- do not adjust fore and aft. As one ometry that could be a little better, ber, in our opinion. Three involved result, we’ve seen a few of these led to an unusual problem. While improper maintenance; the cause of airplanes modified with later-model the airplanes evidenced decent the remainder could not be deter- Cessna 150 seats. ground handling—for a tailwheel mined. Carb icing led to another five Visibility from the cockpit is machine—in the form of only 35 forced landings, not surprising for marginal, at best. It’s not bad out runway loss of control accidents, we airplanes powered by small Conti- the side windows, but 120s without counted 43 accidents that resulted nental engines. a rear-window modification essen- in the airplane flipping completely Neither the 120 or 140 is blessed tially blind the pilot from getting a good look at what’s behind and to over. with excessive power, but most the sides. The 140s, with their rear In most cases the pilots simply pilots seem to make appropriate al- windows, are a bit better. Meanwhile, got on the brakes too hard during lowances. There were four aborted visibility out the front isn’t up to rollout or on an aborted takeoff, takeoff accidents when the airplane modern standards, either. although two pilots were simply wouldn’t climb and then couldn’t Trainers like the 152, Diamond taxiing downwind and combined get stopped. We had no sympathy Katana or even the Piper Toma- mispositioning the elevators with for the pilot who took off downwind hawk excel in this area in large assertive brake use. A couple of from the midpoint of a runway part thanks to their tricycle gear. pilots were penalized with a close- and couldn’t understand why he But the 120/140’s taxi stance is not up view of the runway during a couldn’t clear the obstacles off the so sharply pitched a pilot can’t see noseover for the offense of landing end. over the nose; the short cowling and somewhat flatter deck angle are a on a soft surface or hitting a big Three airplanes suffered corro- real plus compared to other tail- puddle on rollout. We witnessed a sion-caused fractures and separa- wheel airplanes. student pilot flip a 140 on rollout tion of an axle. There were only four You don’t need to sashay down after a downwind landing while on stall accidents, all on takeoff or go- the taxiway making S-turns to keep a solo cross country—the Unicom around—a relatively low number from creaming another airplane operator had reported the wind for modestly powered airplanes. coming the other way. But it might direction precisely backward. The Six pilots crashed due to combin- not be a bad idea. One thing that student was coming to the end of ing low flying with what appeared aids ground handling is toe brakes, the marked grass runway and got to be disengaging their brains. a vast improvement over the heel on the brakes too hard. Two airplanes and their crews were brakes found in the typical aircraft A few pilots reported brake lost to midair collisions and two of this vintage. Owners often complain about failures or lockups, but not many. airplanes were wrecked as their one 120/140 shortcoming: cabin In our opinion, the brakes on the pilots successfully evaded deer on noise. The cabin is small and the Cessna 120/140 series are so effec- the runway but couldn’t keep the engine is nearby, with the exhaust tive and the main gear located far airplane under control. dumped overboard very near the enough aft that braking should occupants’ feet. The results can be always be done with great care. ACCIDENT SUMMARY deafening—perhaps more so than in We also strongly recommend contemporary types. We’d consider RLOC (35%) retrofitting shoulder harnesses for an active noise-canceling headset occupant protection because of the OTHER (20%) mandatory (but we do, anyway). high risk of an overturn accident. NOSEOVER ON LDG (9%) Finally, it should come as no The 35 percent RLOC accident ENG/MECH (7%) surprise that cabin heating and ventilation in the 120/140 is not up rate is about in the middle for FUEL-RELATED (7%) LOW FLYING (6%) to modern standards. Owners say it tailwheel airplanes. While there was is adequate, however, and many air- not enough information provided in CARB ICE (5%) planes have been fitted with vents the accident reports, we noted that ABORTED TO (4%) in the wing and/or blast vents in the where the type of landing—wheel STALL SPIN (4%) side windows to improve airflow in versus three-point—was reported in LDG GEAR FATIGUE (3%) hot weather. The front cabin win- a crosswind landing loss of control dows are openable for ventilation during taxi.

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PERFORMANCE, HANDLING does not have Even though the 120/140 does bet- the massive ter than other two-seat tailwheel adverse aileron airplanes of similar vintage, own- yaw of the Cub ers tell us performance can best be or Champ. described as “thrifty.” A pilot can As tail- expect to see between 95 and 105 wheels go, it is MPH true from the 85- or 90-HP not as forgiv- engines Cessna installed while ing on the burning about 5 gallons an hour. ground as a J-3 That’s in keeping with a slightly Cub, but con- faster Cessna 150 burning 6 GPH. temporaries Results from installing a more mod- from Lus- ern engine like an O-200 or O-235 combe and the predictably push up cruise speeds. like generally Regardless, this is not really a are considered traveling machine: A cross-country “touchier.” Of A polished 140 screams nostal- of any length will take most of course, all tailwheel airplanes are gia, photo above shot at AirVen- the day. If several states must be ditch lovers compared to tricycle- spanned, plan on a couple of days, gear airplanes, which explains why ture at Oshkosh, but be prepared or find another solution. Too, get- the 150 became so popular. for a lot of work keeping it ting to and staying at altitude is Landing a 120/140 is not espe- shined. another challenge. There simply cially difficult. The fact that it has aren’t many of the 85-to-100 horses better visibility over the nose than left at any altitude above 10,000 most airplanes of its ilk helps. So, large enough numbers to provide feet. Climb rate in these airplanes is too, does the side-by-side seating, a good parts reservoir while not about what you’d expect: adequate which obviates some limitations, being so rare it has classic collector at mid-weights but somewhat ane- like the need to solo it from the value. mic at gross. rear seat. Being relatively light, it The stock engines can be kept Max gross, by the way, is 1450 does have a tendency toward bal- perking along with effort and/or pounds for the 120/140 and 1500 looning on landing if the mains are upgraded with newer versions, the pounds for the 140A, with a typical forced on at too high a speed. But latter being our preference. Try to useful load of 600 to 650 pounds. the airplane will happily do three- find an airplane with an engine Obviously, a load-hauling, utility pointers or wheelies all day if the conversion already done. airplane the 120/140 isn’t. Perhaps pilot’s skills are up to par. Other than engine overhaul, the not so obvious, however, is the two Because it doesn’t have the op- major cost for a 120 is re-covering airplanes are too heavy to be con- tion of placing much weight rear- the wings, if they’re still fabric. De- sidered a so-called “legacy” light ward, the airplane has a tendency pending on the fabric and whether sport aircraft, or LSA. Since 1320 to nose over. Owners say it’s likely the airplane is hangared, re-cover pounds is the max gross weight for that any 120/140 on the market intervals range between seven an LSA (1430 for a seaplane), the has a noseover or two in its history. and 20 years. Metal wings are, of 120/140 miss the cutoff maximum That’s no big deal if any needed re- course, heavier than the fabric ver- weight by a fair margin (along with pairs are done correctly. But nosing sions by about 30 to 40 pounds. contemporaries from Aeronca, over is a big enough “deal” in this But most owners consider the Luscombe and Taylorcraft, to name type that many have been equipped penalty worth it in reduced mainte- three). with “wheel extenders”—spacer nance costs and, in any case, these For its size, the airplane has large blocks on the main gear legs that airplanes aren’t bought for the mas- elevator and tail surfaces, which move the wheels a few inches for- sive load-hauling capability. probably account for its good cross- ward. This reduces the tendency to As do all airplanes, the 120/140 wind characteristics on both grass nose the airplane over and if you’re models have some weak spots. Here and paved runways. As post-war looking at an example that doesn’t are some things to look for: tailwheel airplanes go, despite the have the extenders, we think it’s • Look for damage in the lower RLOC accident record outlined on worth considering them. door posts, near the strut attach the sidebar on the previous page, point. This critical structural mem- the 120/140 handles quite well. MAINTENANCE, ADS ber may be damaged by rough field Ailerons are brisk and crisp—if not Owners buy vintage airplanes for operation, groundloops or corro- aerobatic in roll rate—and pitch is many reasons and one of them is sion. a bit lighter than expected from the low cost of operation. While that’s • Corrosion in the carry-through typical Cessna. not true of every post-war spam can spar can be a problem. The cabin Overall handling is quite forgiv- out there, it’s certainly true of the skylight leaks water into this struc- ing, with few bad habits in the air. 120/140. Despite post-war compe- ture, and years of moisture will Wing dihedral gives it stability the tition, it occupies that sweet-spot take a toll. J-3 Cub lacks, and the 120/140 niche of having been produced in • Cracks in the tail structure

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the airplane was new. Many are shotgun-type ADs that apply to the engine and may or may not require compliance in the model 120/140 at hand. One of the most recent applies to the Lycoming O-235 engine, calling for inspection of the crankshaft. MODS, TYPE CLUBS The list of mods and STCs for these airplanes is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The International Cessna 120-140 group maintains an exhaustive list on its website, including contact information. The fact that the airplane has been the subject of so many mods speaks well of both its basic design and that it remains flying in large enough numbers to make such mods economically worthwhile. Some of the more interesting mods include the aforementioned engine upgrades, including the Ly- coming O-235, metal and fiberglass coverings for the wings, alternator kits to replace the older generators, improved brakes and instruments, autogas STCs and even approval to install an engine-driven vacuum pump in lieu of a venturi. As for groups, the International Cessna 120-140 Association main- A Cessna 120/140 tains a terrific website and support works on wheels, network. It can help with buying floats and skis. advice, parts and other support. Find them online at www.cess- But, don’t expect na120-140.org. blistering perfor- Another group is the Cessna Pi- mance trying to lots Association (CPA), which bills itself as the largest type club in the get one off the world. Either organization should water. serve the new 120/140 owner well. Find the CPA at www.cessna.org and rear fuselage. Those familiar tion plate in the cabin floor. OWNER COMMENTS with the 120/140 tell us the air- • Broken tailsprings are fairly I bought a Cessna 120 just after I plane’s tail is the weakest part of common. Check to ensure that the graduated high school and earned my the design. It’s especially vulnerable steel leaf-type tailwheel spring is commercial and CFI ratings in the around the tailwheel attach point. still springy but not saggy. A broken 120. I’m now a captain on the 737. This is repairable, but make it a spring will cause complete loss of In the Cessna 120, I learned to condition of the sale during prebuy. control on landing and could do ma- enjoy doing spins. I flew to many • Landing-gear boxes take a beat- jor damage to the airplane, particu- Iowa flight breakfast gatherings, to ing on all Cessnas and the 120/140 larly the elevators. Even if the springs the Playboy Club resort and to the is no exception. The gear box—the look good at the time of purchase, big Oshkosh, Wisconsin fly-in. support structure for attaching the they should be inspected regularly. I’ve operated the 120 in and out of landing gear to the fuselage—may The list of ADs that apply to the grass strips and hard-surface runways have taken abuse from pilots over Cessna 120/140 is quite long—more around the Midwest, plus a number the years, thanks to hard landings by dint of age than in any serious of Central Iowa alfalfa fields. and maybe even a groundloop or shortcomings in the aircraft. Some Learning wheel landings provided two. The box can be inspected from of the ADs are absolutely ancient, many laughs for my instructors, but the outside by removing an inspec- dating back to the late 1940s, when overall, the Cessna 120 instilled a lot

30 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USEDAVweb_Vrt_BlvrAvtnAd_final_4C AIRCRAFT GUIDE 12/13/06 8:41 AM Page 1

AVweb’s TOP FIVE • Podcasts – Biweekly podcasts with aviation newsmakers In a 120/140, wheel and three- • Brainteasers – Put your point landings can be done I purchased my 1947 Cessna 140 aviation knowledge to the test equally well. This makes it a to commute from my home in with these interactive quizzes Algonquin, Illinois, to the Chicago good first tailwheel aircraft. Executive Airport. To drive to work • Video of the week– is 50-60 minutes in Chicago traffic. Some of the most interesting My door-to-door commute using plane and pilot videos around of confidence and enjoyment in my the 140 is 30 minutes, including a flying. 12-minute flight. • Picture of the week– Unfortunately, we hurried A showcase for our readers Wendell Moeller through the prebuy and found via email out at my first annual, which cost keen eyes an impeccable taste $4000, that previous mechanics in aerial photography We became joint owners of a 1946 were pretty much “pencil whip- • – 140 and found it inexpensive to ping” the annuals. I found corroded The Pilot’s Lounge own, maintain and operate. Fuel wing bolts, corrosion under the Need we say more! burn runs 4-4.5 GPH at 105 MPH propeller and numerous items that (not knots). should have been caught. All this and more Ours came with a metalized My 140 has an O-200 engine, wing, which we dislike because it Cleveland brakes, VGs, metalized reduces useful load by 50 pounds. wings and a Scott tailwheel. In my FREE The original Goodyear brakes were commute, I rarely get above 1800 at AVweb.com maintenance intensive and mod- feet, fly at about 100 knots and erately effective, but good on grass burn about 5.7 GPH. With the com- strips. mute putting about 0.3 hours each The original straight stack exhaust, way on the tach, I burn 3.4 GPH. no muffler, on the airplane was just The aircraft has a fairly low plain loud. The Eisemann magnetos wing loading, so it doesn’t handle gave a strong spark but were heavy the bumps very well. If it gets too for such a light aircraft. The airplane bumpy, I just slow down a bit and came to us with the horizontal it seems to ride a little better. The stabilizer mod, which reinforced the rudder is large and sensitive. This is horizontal stabilizer spar. an advantage in crosswind land- The Cessna 140 is a lot of fun ings, but takes a little practice and to fly because you have to fly it; a light touch to keep from yawing it doesn’t fly itself. As a tailwheel around in flight. Adverse yaw is machine, takeoffs and landings re- pretty strong. SUBSCRIBE quire full pilot attention. It requires The aircraft is inexpensive to op- prompt and timely use of the rud- erate, and its benefits far outweigh TODAY! der—wooden feet need not apply. the cost for me. Normal annual in- at spection, oil changes, fuel burn at Tom Tann 100 hours of flying a year and debt Michel Litalien service make my cost of ownership AVweb.com/register via email about $70 per hour before storage.

December 2017 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 31 FEEDBACK WANTED CESSNA 414

We’re preparing a report on the Cessna 414 in an upcoming Used Aircraft Guide in Aviation Consum- IN-EAR HEADSETS er. We want to know what it’s like to own these Cessna twins, how (continued from page 8) AN EASY WINNER We like the build quality, audio qual- much they cost to operate, main- for each ear that proved to have a lin- ity and fit of the Clarity Link the best, tain and insure and what they’re ear adjustment, plus there’s a stereo/ although we don’t think you should like to fly. If you’d like your 414 mono slide switch that’s easy to get have to pay extra these days for Blue- to appear in the magazine, send to. But, the cutouts for the volume tooth capability. At $795, the Link us any photographs (full-size, sliders seemed too exposed, poten- comes at a $270 premium over the high-resolution please) you’d like tially susceptible to trapping dust Classic model. to share to the email below. We and other contaminants over time. The runner up is the Halo. We welcome information on mods, There is a mono/stereo selector think it has good audio quality and operating expenses or any other switch nicely positioned on the face it’s a fair price at $359. We’re con- comments that can be helpful for of the control module. What you cerned, however, about the company won’t find on the module is controls not accepting new orders. buyers considering a 414. Send for Bluetooth. The only way to pipe Last, as with any headset, we correspondence by January 1, music into the set is to connect an strongly suggest trying before buying. 2018, to: audio patch cable from the music device to the module, like the Halo. Aviation Consumer Email at: CESSNA 120/140 ConsumerEditor@ hotmail.com We think every modern head- (continued from page 31) set should have Bluetooth for (I have a rather expensive hangar.) tunes and telephone audio. The The market has settled on Cessna than five years—tops. But every time Clarity Link, with the BluLink 140s costing anywhere between I look at a replacement that goes fast- module shown below, is the only $15,000 and $32,00. If you look er, flies farther, carries more people around at other aircraft of simi- and more stuff, I fall more deeply in in-ear model so equipped. lar class, that’s pretty love with the 140’s affordability. cheap. I chose it over Thorough annual inspections are the Cessna 150 because rarely more than $2000 (and I rarely of the tailwheel. This ever defer any items uncovered), gives the airplane better although I’ve had a few pricey ones. performance and makes We replaced a couple of cylinders me a better pilot. It can during one event, did some exhaust make you a crosswind work during another and most superstar. recently did a corrosion treatment, based on Aviation Consumer’s report Mark Zakula suggesting to do so. Algonquin, Illinois Someday I might step up to a Cessna 180, but for now the 140 is I’ve owned my Cessna just reliable, affordable fun. 140 for well over 20 years and really didn’t Bill Stephens plan on keeping it more via email

32 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com December 2017