February 2006 Volume XXXVI Number 2 The consumer resource for pilots and aircraft owners STALL

TOTAL DRAG 8 ft 6 in. 15 ft 4 in.

Vortex INDUCED DRAG Generators A low-cost, high-value safety mod 12 ft 10 CDin.TOTAL = CDI + CDP for singles and twins... Page 4 PARASITE DRAG

Two and two is five...page 18 Cessna Cardinal RG...page 24 Avidyne’s active...page 11 8 EFB NOTEBOOK One 14 PROGRESSIVE LENSES FOR PILOTS 20 SOFT HANGARS A good solution man’s quest for the perfect Not all brands are suitable when a metal box won’t do but cockpit computer for the cockpit check permitting 11 avidyne’s tas600 An 18 hypoxia training 24 used aircraft guide active traffic system for Flight Safety is doing it in the Cessna Cardinal RG: folding under $10,000 simulator; we tried it out gear, giant cabin doors FF ii r r s s TT W W O O rr d d A GREAT IDEA MADE LESS GREAT Editor On page 11 of this issue, you’ll find an in-depth review of Avidyne’s new active Paul Bertorelli traffic product being offered at a price that will finally make it affordable for Skyhawk and Archer drivers. Kudos to Avidyne and Ryan for making this hap- CONTRIBUTING EDITORS pen. But this breakthrough is not quite as terrific as it might have been. Jonathan Doolittle Specifically, it’s saddled by what I call the $5000 surprise. And here it is: If Rick Durden Jane Garvey you’ve seen the ads for the TAS600 selling for under $10,000 and you want to Larry Anglisano install one in, say, your older Mooney 231, you’re out of luck, partner. (The fact that we own an older 231 is purely coincidental, by the way.) Because editorial office the 231 is certified for flight above 18,500 feet, it requires installation of the P.O. Box 575 more expensive TAS610, which sells for $14,990. Still a better deal than the Laurel, FL 34272 $20,000 Skywatch, but installing the cheaper version in an airplane certified subscription department above 18,500 feet may be tough to get past the FAA and even if you do, the P.O. Box 420235 software will lock out performance above that altitude. Palm Coast, FL 34142-0235 In a word, this is ridiculous. I’ll concede that at the higher altitudes, the 800-829-9081 closure rates are greater and a traffic system that sees further is a bonus. That www.aviationconsumer.com/cs logic is inarguable. But for a Part 91 aircraft, this equipment isn’t required. It’s For canada purely elective, so accepting performance limitations should be a customer Subscription Services choice, not an FAA or Avidyne choice. The reality for me is that I was never a Box 7820 STN Main customer for a $20,000 traffic system. And at $15,000, I’m still not a customer, London, ON 5W1 although I might be at $10,000. I’m sure I’m not alone. Conclusion: there will Canada be fewer airplanes flying with these systems than there might have been and Back Issues, Used Aircraft Guides what should be a grand slam homer is, instead, a slide into third. 203-857-3100 In requiring this kind of pointless certification hoop, the industry actively works against overall safety by limiting market choices through flyspeck, Reprints: Aviation Consumer can provide you or your organization trumped up technical requirements that cost owners and manufacturers with reprints. Contact Mona Kornfeld, money and benefit no one. The industry and FAA continue to adhere to the 203-857-3143 idea that just because an owner has a higher performance airplane, he should therefore suffer market-will-bear pricing on equipment for that airplane. On the positive side, we’ll see a lot of modest singles with active traffic AVIATION CONSUMER systems that wouldn’t have had them otherwise. We’ll also see a lot of owners (ISSN #0147-9911) is who won’t buy for the reasons I’ve stated. Go ahead, fire off an e-mail calling published monthly by me a skinflint. But I’m sticking to my guns on this one. Belvoir Aviation Group LLC, an affiliate of Bel- Destination ground nav voir Media Group, 800 Judging by the mail we receive, many owners Connecticut Avenue, who buy a portable aviation GPS also use it Norwalk, CT 06854-1631. Robert Eng- lander, Chairman and CEO; Timothy for ground navigation. Garmin has that dual H. Cole, Executive Vice President, use pretty well figured out by offering excel- Editorial Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief lent maps and ground nav software for such Operating Officer; Greg King, Executive products as the GPSmap 296 and the new 396. Vice President, Marketing Director; As we’ve noted in our reviews, the ground nav Marvin Cweibel, Senior Vice President, software works beautifully and will get you to Marketing Operations; Ron Goldberg, your destination without a hitch. Chief Financial Officer; Tom Canfield, Vice But there’s a problem. Actually, two problems, both related to convenience, President, Circulation; Michael N. Pollet, or lack thereof. Products such as the 296 and 396 are relatively large and bulky Senior Vice President, General Counsel. and although Garmin makes well-designed vehicle mounts for these navigators, you still have to move them from the airplane to the car and if you’re driving a Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, rental, you have to carry the bulky thing around. CT, and at additional mailing of- Wouldn’t it be better if Garmin or someone else had a pocket-sized ground fices. Revenue Canada GST Account navigator? It would and they do. We recently tried Garmin’s pocket-sized Quest #128044658. Subscriptions: $84 an- navigator—4 1/4 by 2 by 3/4 inches deep—and found it to be a terrific alterna- nually; single copies, $10.00. Bulk tive to hauling around the bulky aviation portable. Two versions of the Quest rate subscriptions for organizations are available. The original sells for about $370 from various Web sources while are available. Copyright © 2006 Bel- the Quest II retails for about $550. The Quest II has a complement of U.S. or voir Aviation Group LLC. All rights European maps pre-loaded while the original version requires manual loading. reserved. Reproduction in whole or in I have conceded to being cheap, but I still found it worth $370 to have a part is prohibited. Printed in the USA. shirt-pocket, dedicated ground navigator rather than having the aviation unit do Postmaster: Send address corrections to AVIATION CONSUMER, Box 420234, double duty. The Quest goes into the car or clips on the handlebars of a motor- Palm Coast, Fl 32142. In Canada, P.O. cycle without a second thought. It will run on external volts or about 20 hours Box 39 Norwich, ON NOJ1PO, Cana- on an internal rechargeable. The screen size is a tad small but the Quest does da. Publishing Agreement Number faultless address lookup and turn-by-turn navigation. For this price, it’s a must- #40016479 have gadget for me. —Paul Bertorelli

 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com • www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 LETTE r s

Flashlights for Flying one model even puts out the SOS you still need the transponder, we think I am not sure how to mildly com- signal. But the main feature of this the TIS system remains a good value and plain. First, unless the FARs have light is that it never shuts off. Yes, we believe TIS will be around for the changed, it is mandatory to carry that’s correct. It goes into a very foreseeable future. For owners who don’t a D-cell flashlight in your aircraft. dim setting, which means you can need a new transponder, the Mode-S Second, in 60 years of using always find it in the dark. They make upgrade just for TIS is less compelling, in flashlights, I strongly recommend an aviation model in blue, red and our view. reversal of one of the cells. And green. I have two in my buy high-quality batteries. Rever- airplane. Being that Birdies Explained sal prevents the all-too-common they are always on, Reference your review of VHF hand- definition of a flashlight being an they can be found helds in the October 2005 issue, for object you carry a pair of dead quickly in the dark. those of us who are not electrical batteries in. They also have a engineers, could you explain what To use, untwist one end, neck strap. The lights “cross modulation” and “birdie” dump the cells and reinstall will run up to 40 hours mean?. in the correct order and on the high setting and up to then turn it on. And do a year on the off setting, which David Breznick consider replacement really is not off so you can find it Iron Mountain, Michigan of the batteries as in the dark. I also RUN TIME part of your annual. 2200 have one in each of Birdies are unwanted, internally gener- my vehicles and gave Art Brothers one to my wife for her (continued on page 32) LUX Via e-mail HOURS 3 4 5 purse, plus several in the house. CORRECTIONS The requirement for D-cell lights is In our January issue, several for Part 121 and Part 135 operations William A. Yendrzeski of the points we made about only. There’s no specific flashlight Essex Junction, Vermont TrueFlight’s EFB software were in requirement for Part 91 operations. error. You can in fact scroll maps Mode-S or Not? from any of the pages and flight- One of my favorite flashlights is I have known that my old Narco plans can be deleted both manu- the Pelican VersaBright. I found it transponder was going for some time ally and from a menu option. on the Web for under $20. It proj- now and transponders not being a Although no demo is available, an ects a pretty wide beam and I keep particularly exciting item, I had not online video manual is at the cor- the green lens in it with the light been looking forward to buying a rect URL of www.trueflight.org. In clipped it to the visor. From there, replacement. When I saw the Garmin the December issue, we inadver- it does a good job illuminating GPSMap 396 at OSH last summer, tently omitted a photo credit on the cabin with green light for easy buying a new transponder suddenly page 5. The photo was provided chart or unlighted gauge reading. got more exciting because I could up- by www.flightprep.com. You could put it in a shirt pocket grade to Garmin’s Mode-S GTX330 but I always found that it gave and get traffic alerts on the 396. contact us plenty of coverage from the visor. Your article on traffic advisories Getting the lens out requires twist- in the November 2005 issue was like Editorial Office ing the bezel off, so I would keep a a bucket of cold water: What can 941-485-0910 second light to check for ice. the FAA be thinking in taking away E-mail: the TIS? Anyway, ATC has let me [email protected] Scott Macario know that I definitely need a new Via e-mail transponder now. So what would you Subscription Department advise? Get a basic cheap Mode-C P.O. Box 420235 Your article on flashlights for fly- or step up to the Mode-S and hope I Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 ing was informative. However, can still get TIS for awhile? 800-829-9081 you were not thinking out of Online Customer Service: the box. You missed the greatest Rick Baier www.aviationconsumer.com/cs flashlight out there. It is made by Via e-mail Safelight Industries at www.safe- Back issues, light.com. As reported in this issue, buying traffic Used Aircraft Guides: These are powered by one 9-volt gear is more complicated than it once 203-857-3100 battery. They are fully encased in was. If your budget allows, consider the E-mail: customer_service@ a rubber housing with a one-but- new TAS600 active system from Avidyne belvoir.com ton on/off. If you push it once, it reviewed on page 11. With a new Mode- goes bright, then dimmer, then C transponder—which it appears you For weekly aviation news flashes for an emergency with need—plan on a $13,000 or so instal- updates, see www.avweb.com each push of the button. Also, lation. If that’s beyond your budget and

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer •  a i r c r a ft mo d i f i c a ton s

Vortex Generators: High-Value Safety Enhancers

Our trials and reader reports confirm manufacturer claims. VGs lower stall speed and VMC for twins and improve low speed handling in singles.

by Rick Durden Photo by Pete Brown

or any owner locked into the the chaff seeking a kernel of value, c h e c kl i s t never-ending quest to make an we see fairly amazing claims for vor- Fairplane go faster, stall slower, tex generators—or VGs as the more Dollar for dollar, VGs are handle better and maybe hum hip are inclined to say. On ramps among the least expen- patriotic songs, there’s no shortage everywhere, we see airplanes with c sive aircraft mods. of ads for performance enhancing little angular bits of metal protrud- modifications. Churning through ing from wing surfaces, the under- Lowering Vmc in twins side of horizontal stabilizers and and stall speed in both vertical fins, like some weird form c singles and twins is a of aeronautical acne. We recently set safety enhancer. out to find out if VGs really do de- liver as the manufacturers claim. We Kits are easily installed by flew a VG-equipped Cessna 310 and owners on most air- surveyed about 80 owners who have c planes. installed these mods. Our findings: They generally de- Cleaning and ice and liver on their claims, sometimes dra- snow removal from a VG- matically. Owners can expect lower D equipped wing can be a stall speeds and much better slow nuisance. speed handling, plus reduced liftoff and approach speeds for singles and twins. The downside may be a response because airflow over the cruise speed loss of a knot in slower wing had separated, trapping the airplanes and up to 3 knots in twins, ailerons in disturbed air. Solution: although not all owners say they see Strategically placed metal dams at slower cruise with VGs. slight angles to the airflow forward of the mid-chord position generated The History Vortex generators appeared nearly 50 years ago, initially Top photo: “Here’s where you want to channel localized areas of VGs...short final into Bold Strip, disturbed airflow over wings Eklutna Lake, Alaska,” wrote Pete that lead to loss of control Brown, whose Cessna 170 is VG response. On the Boeing 707, in some flight regimes, equipped. Aviation Consumer flew the pilot could rotate the the VG-equipped Cessna 310, left, to yoke 45 degrees with no roll verify performance claims.

 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 How VGs Shape Airflow

The boundary layer is generally wing is increased, more of defined as the layer of air from the laminar flow sepa- the surface of the wing, where rates, until the wing will the molecules don’t move dur- no longer fly. Control STALL AOA ing flight, through a transition surfaces— ailerons, rudder and area, where the air molecules elevator—experience rapid are slowed by friction generated degradation of effectiveness by the airplane wing and are when operating in the disturbed moving at a speed less than the airflow aft of laminar flow sepa- speed of the airplane. ration. At a distance from the wing By creating a whirling cylin- where the air flow isn’t slowed der of air in the boundary layer by the passage of the wing, the immediately above the surface boundary layer ends. Where of the wing, VGs forcibly keep the boundary layer is thin and the layer attached to the wing adheres to the wing, with the even as a higher airflow moving parallel to the angle of at- wing surface, airflow is said to be tack is reached. laminar. That’s the lowest drag This reduces the airflow over the wing. stall speed of the wing and if Moving aft chordwise or as the the VGs are placed in front of wing reaches progressively high- a control surface, keeps the er angles of attack, the boundary boundary layer attached to layer begins to separate from the the control surface, making it wing surface. This separation more effective at lower speeds creates turbulent flow, drag and a and higher angles of attack. The reduction in lift. pilot feels this as more positive As the angle of attack of the control response at slow speeds.

boundary aircraft micro ram beryl 0ºC layer weight speed PRESS model aerodynamics aircraft d’shannon research lbs at 50 ft ALT GRND TOTAL kias FT ROLL TO CLEAR 33 BonanzA $1450 • • $1500 50 FT. OBS 35 Bonanza $1450 • • $1500 2950 60 SL 560 1300 1000 580 1335 beech duke $1950 $3950 • • 2000 600 1370 cessna 172 $1450 • • • 3000 625 1410 cessna 182 $1450 • • • 4000 650 1450 5000 670 1485 cessna 185 $1450 • • • 6000 700 1530 cessna 340 $2950 $2950 $1650 • For both singles and twins, one immediate cessna 414 $1950 $2950 $1650 • benefit of VGs is flying slower approaches to achieve shorter landing rollouts. For a cessna 421 $1950 $2950 $1650 • Cessna 182, for example, a 9-knot slower commander approach yields a 10 percent reduction in 112/114/115 $1450 • • • total landing distance. But actual results are often much better because without piper navajo • $3950 • • VGs, many pilots are uncomfortable fly- super cub $695 • • • ing at the minimum approach speed to achieve POH max short field performance. saratoga $1450 • • • As a result, they land too fast and float. seneca • $3500 • • VGs make hitting the slow approach num- bers more comfortable in most airplanes Chart represents selected popular models and not all kits from all manufacturers are listed. because they improve slow speed control Prices don’t include installation. Some VG kits include gross weight increase, some don’t and response. that may account for price differences. Check each manufacturer’s Web site for details.

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer •  what are best described as horizon- Further, in order to get the desired Aerodynamics, followed closely by tal tornadoes. These caused airflow results, the kits can’t be a one-size- Boundary Layer Research. to adhere to the wing, preventing fits-all for every type of airplane. RAM Aircraft, the folks who do boundary layer separation. (See the While the majority of kit compo- the popular big-engine mods for sidebar for more details.) nents consist of small angled metal twin Cessnas, has some VG STCs One might then say that VGs are channels we’re used to seeing, some and Beech Bonanza specialist Beryl engineering excuses for poor wing include strakes and other exotic de- D’Shannon has kits aimed chiefly at design—something tacked on to vices. Some kits have gently curved those aircraft. correct compromised design. In part, triangles placed on the wing to create While BLR doesn’t post prices on this is correct. Wing profiles for light a larger vortex that acts as a stall its Website and is in the process of GA aircraft were designed before fence to slow the propagation of the revamping both the site and prices, computers could crunch the billions stall outward along the wing. feedback from readers and calls to of bits needed to optimize an airfoil. Because VGs protrude through BLR indicate that where BLR and The wings we fly are merely good, not only about 80 percent of the bound- MicroAerodynamics have VGs for the perfect. ary layer, they don’t appear to be same type of airplane, pricing is com- VGs, then, have become the add-on affected by inflight icing. Further, petitive, as are performance claims. of choice to optimize the wing for the they’re usually installed far enough Kits for most singles are under $1500, low-speed end of the envelope and aft so that rime ice doesn’t build on with those for the smallest, two-place to make the vertical stabilizer and them, either. Clear ice, with its pro- airplanes as low as $700. Prices for rudder more effective, thus reducing pensity to run back, may get into the twins start at around $1600 and Vmc. VGs have found their way into VGs, but we’ve heard no reports from range to just under $3000. Prices the light aircraft market through the owners complaining about icing-re- vary depending on whether there’s a efforts of a handful of companies. lated problems with VGs. takeoff gross weight increase. The actual components of a VG Because takeoff weight certification kit vary by the type of airplane for Major Players has to do with stall speed, decreasing which it’s intended. Because of the For light GA, the development of the stall speed may allow an increase in expensive flight test requirements for VG industry has enough plot and that weight with the installation of obtaining STCs for VGs, not every character twists to satisfy any soap VGs. Usually, landing weight in- airplane has a kit available. Manu- opera lover. In recent years, however, creases require more rigorous testing facturers have understandably picked the market has shaken out to two aircraft models whose potential major players and two lesser play- owner views market size justifies the expense of ers. The company with the greatest YES: 98% IMPROVED testing the VGs. number of STCs for VGs is Micro- NOT SURE: 2% STALL /SLOW FLIGHT?

NO: 72% CRUISE SPEED YES: 8% REDUCED? OWNER SURVEY: FEW COMPLAINTS NOT SURE: 20%

We queried both Aviation Consumer speed reductions, confirming manu- 9.8 AVG RATE VGs ON A readers and subscribers to our online facturer claims. Stall speed reduction SCALE OF 10? publication, www.avweb.com, about varies but most owners reported at YES: 96% BUY THEM NO OR NOT SURE: 4% experiences with vortex generators. least 5-knot reductions. Owners of AGAIN? We corresponded with about 80 own- single-engine airplanes reported ers of airplanes ranging from J-3 Cubs post-modification stall behavior as A number of Cardinal owners, fixed to heavy piston twins. With few excep- a “shudder and bob” or “a mush,” and retractable gear, reported stall tions, owners are satisfied with their rather than a sharp break, yaw or speed reductions in excess of 7 knots VG installations, some gushingly so. roll. Those who commented on the with full control authority deep into We asked owners to comment on subject reported improved low- the stall. Several owners of singles observed cruise speed reductions, if speed handling, with ailerons being and twins said that with the increased any, stall and Vmc speed reductions crisper at low speed. control authority at low speeds, and handling characteristics in slow A Musketeer owner told us—as they felt comfortable in stronger flight and during stalls. did several other owners of light crosswinds. Wrote Scott Sedam: “The All of the owners reported stall singles—that the airplane’s takeoff Commander has a reputation as being characteristics were noticeably differ- difficult in crosswind landings due to ent with VGs installed, with a quicker, lack of rudder authority…installation crisper rotation at takeoff. of the VGs made a major difference.” Cessna 206 owner William Bartram For single-engine owners, VG im- told us VGs didn’t change the stall be- pacts on cruise speed proved nebu- havior noticeably but that slow-speed lous. Some said they’d lost a knot or handling dramatically improved and two, others noticed no difference. In that he could reduce his over-the- any case, there was no persistent pat- fence speed by 10 MPH. tern of complaints about slower cruise

 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 of the landing gear and structure, so only a few VG STCs increase allow- able landing weight. The VG kit contains everything you need to install it, except a lad- der, according to one owner com- ment. Readers enthused about the quality of the kits, clarity of the instructions and ease of installation for both major companies. Many owners we corresponded with said they were able to install the kits themselves, under the supervision of a mechanic, minimizing the cost. Peel-and-stick templates are laid on defined locations on the airframe. The skin is roughed up at the appro- the argument rages over priate locations and each VG is glued glasses of beer. Readers in place with the adhesive provided. reported time to install Strakes, if involved, are bolted or the kits ranged from riveted into position. On most a low of three hours airplanes, the face of the airspeed for singles to about 12 indicator must be replaced because of hours for sophisticated the changes in stall speed and Vmc. twins. The manufacturers of VGs locate them slightly differently, with BLR What to Expect VGs further aft than Micro’s. We The initial marketing of VGs was to found no evidence that this subtle the owners of multi-engine air- difference had any effect on the re- planes. VGs promise to reduce Vmc, sulting performance. We suspect that thus making the airplane’s handling owner views there are those who feel passionately more forgiving and making it more YES: 98% IMPROVED about such positioning issues and likely that a pilot not up on his skills NOT SURE: 2% STALL /SLOW FLIGHT? that there are dark little bars where will keep the airplane upright. Nonetheless, we still think it’s im- NO: 72% CRUISE SPEED perative that pilots train frequently MicroAerodynamic’s kit for a Baron, YES: 8% REDUCED? NOT SURE: 20% speed. One owner who regularly for engine-out situations. VGs simply top, contains several dozen pieces. aren’t a substitute for proficiency. 9.8 AVG RATE VGs ON A flies two VG-modified Barons and For precise location of each VG, To be sure, VGs do reduce Vmc SCALE OF 10? an unmodified third said that the VG adhesive-backed templates are anywhere from 5 to 12 knots. We YES: 96% BUY THEM equipped airplanes had better roll provided. Each VG, inset, is bonded NO OR NOT SURE: 4% AGAIN? sampled the performance of an Az- control, were more comfortable to fly tec D and a Cessna 310R with Micro- with adhesive, as shown in the bot- on final and that he could safely take Aerodynamics VGs installed. At gross tom photo, a Commander. those into shorter airports than the weight, our tests closely matched the unmodified airplane. performance claimed by Micro. For All owners said that the kits were the Aztec, Vmc was down from 68 the wing and the vertical stabilizer, easy to install and the directions knots to 61 knots and was still above aileron and rudder effectiveness is were clear, especially those from the clean stall speed. noticeably improved at low speeds MicroAerodynamics. Kits include In the 310R, clean stall speed had and in the stall. extra VGs should one come off, but dropped to 76 knots, Vso was 68 The airplanes no longer handle as knots. The reduced Vmc published they did when they left the factory. they rarely seemed to be needed. by Micro is 71 knots, well below the Controls are more effective, not only One owner said that it had been clean stall speed. We chose not to reducing Vmc, but giving better roll four years and he’d yet to have to perform a single-engine stall in the control at and in the stall, reducing replace a VG. 310R as part of our Vmc trial, but the likelihood that a pilot will lose We did get comments about cut stopped it when we were well into control of the airplane. hands when washing airplanes and the stall buffet at about 77 knots, Following engine failure, if a pilot the need for care when putting on finding the airplane still easily con- flies the airplane at the single-engine wing covers but Alaska owner Pete trollable in yaw. best-rate-of-climb speed, VGs mean Brown, whose Cessna 170 is pictured Our view is that it doesn’t matter that the airplane is operating further at left, said wing covers were no whether a hamfisted pilot coping away from its Vmc, thus the pilot has problem to install. with an engine out loses control more room for error in handling the because of the stall or a Vmc roll. engine out. Another benefit of VGs Because of the installation of VGs on is that takeoff roll is reduced because

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer •  the liftoff speed, usually a given c o c k p i t a c c e s s o r i e s speed above Vmc, drops due to the lowered Vmc. Beca use of this, the ac- celerate-stop distance is reduced, too. This means that more runways can An EFB Odyssey: be used safely by a given twin and it increases the margin of safety for any twin on any runway, if the air- plane is flown as the STC requires. HP ‘s TC1100 and NavAir Finally, depending on the kit, the installation of VGs may allow an increase in max takeoff weight, ramp One owner’s trek through the EFB jungle reveals three weight and zero-fuel weight or some winners: a tablet PC, NavAir software and a pocket combination of these. For airplanes such as the Cessna 340A, with a printer for printing plates on the fly. tiny useful load when its numerous fuel tanks are filled, a VG-provided by Ken Sutton gross weight increase makes them nearly standard equipment on these ecause I owned a Commo- As Aviation Consumer has pointed out, models. But caution is indicated: If dore-64 when Michael Dell finding the ideal EFB solution is not you take advantage of the increased Bwas still in grade school, I easy and for many owners, it may be takeoff weight, you’ve got to burn off consider myself an innovator rather a long, expensive quest. What follows enough fuel to be at or below max than an adopter when it comes to is a report on my experience. landing weight before you return to cutting-edge computer technology. In my view, the ideal EFB combines earth. So I’ve been following Aviation Con- flight planning, a moving map with In single-engine airplanes, the sumer’s reporting on electronic flight terrain, enroute charts, approach advantages of VGs are primarily bags with more than idle interest. plates, airport information, NEXRAD, reduced stall speeds, with a side METARs, TAFs, lightning strikes, benefit of noticeably improved winds aloft and satellite imagery, all control response at low speed. VGs in a sunlight-viewable screen. improve aileron response near and at the stall, making it less likely Way Back that a pilot who inadvertently stalls I began this quest in what now seems a VG-equipped airplane will lose like ages ago, with Control Vision’s control. excellent Anywhere Map product, Our flights and reader feedback which was initially limited to PDAs. indicate that the stall of a VG- The components included an iPAQ equipped airplane tends to be more PDA, a glareshield GPS receiver, a docile than it was pre-VG. Where stall behavior was already good, say in the Cessna 206, VGs didn’t HP TC1100, left, is a capable negatively affect it. However, there’s no magic bullet. Once the airplane tablet but slightly too large. Sony is stalled, no matter how docile it U-70, below, is too small, albeit may be, it’s going to descend and easy to mount. the pilot must act accordingly. For singles, and to a lesser extent, for twins, VGs function as inex- pensive and lightweight STOL kits. This is a big deal for bush opera- tors flying Super Cubs and Huskies which, with tweaked engines, can break ground in under 100 feet in still air. Further, they can safely fly approaches slower than a non-VG- equipped airplane can, and this can radically shorten landing rolls. Stall handling behavior is also likely to improve with VGs. For air- planes such as the Cub and Champ, with no camber on the tail surfaces,

continued on page 32

 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 satellite phone, mounts and wiring harnesses. The sat- phone mounted with suction cups to a side window where I found a location that worked reliably to make connections in my Cessna 310. This proved far from ideal, as I learned on a trip through a priority and they were the Northwest. working to perfect the PDA For my tastes, the PDA was too version. With that and because the small, although it was fine as a Fujitsu tablet was too moving map and even for display- large and dark to work ing weather. But when I’d zoom out well in the 310, I sought too far, the PDA would run out of another solution. memory and lockup. Additionally, trying to display an approach chart Jeppesen Next was clumsy, involving too many My next stop was Jeppesen, whose steps and allowing only a portion of charts I had used for my entire flying the chart to be readable. Fortunately, career. Jepp offered two products I printed all the charts I needed so I that seemed interesting: FliteStar, had paper readily at hand. their flight planning program and The solution to this was simple. JeppView/FliteDeck for charts, both Pentax (www.pentaxtech.com) of which would run on a PC. shipped one of their PocketJet-II FliteStar is a terrific planner which printers—$350 to $450, depending includes DUATs link capability and on model—to my hotel in Seattle. Jepp’s own proprietary weather. This I carried a notebook PC and con- is a tremendous complement to on- necting the printer was a breeze. The board weather because detailed plan- PocketJet is a tiny thermal printer ning/weather charts can be printed that uses special paper from Pentax, immediately before departure. but don’t cringe at the thought of JeppView is really nothing more Pentax PocketJet, top, can print crinkly thermal faxes. The PocketJet than a database of approach charts. out high-res approach plates, using paper is far better than that, if not Jepp provides pre-drilled paper for Jepp-View. Plates are in black and the brilliant white high-rag stock its binders which allows printing you’d use in the office. on both sides—if you have a duplex white, lower photo. The bad news is that Control Vi- printer—to obtain a total of four sion’s replication of NOS charts was printed approach charts per 8 1/2 by in such low resolution that the print- 11-inch sheet. Pentax says many corpo- product not offered in the U.S. It ed copies were barely legible. Control rate pilots use the PocketJet for printing was the Sony U-70 palm computer, Vision assured me they planned to Jepp charts on the fly and it does so in sold only in Japan but offered in fix this eventually. Further, I wasn’t high resolution. The Pocket-Jet has a the U.S. by a few importers, includ- happy with the awkward satellite rechargeable battery-pack and Blue- ing AirGator/NavAir. They offer a phone, either, so Control Vision tooth capability, so it’s quite practical in full set-up including software and suggested that I convert my set-up to the cockpit. mounting for the U-70. Although it their EFB package and to XM-based FliteDeck is nearly a perfect was thicker than I wanted and per- data from WxWorx. To their credit, moving map program, with good haps didn’t have the battery power they offered to exchange my gear resolution and a host of features that I’d need, the U-70 looked better than with new for the difference in price, allow easy display of almost any data the Fujitsu. which seemed generous. on a big, easy-to-read display. But, I talked to AirGator’s owner, Amir The new set-up included an XM FliteDeck has a failing. As Aviation Tirosh, who was direct and helpful receiver and software to run on a Consumer reported in its January and suggested that I’d soon abandon Windows XP computer. I purchased 2006 issue, Jeppesen offers no XM- Jeppesen FliteDeck for his offerings. a Fujitsu tablet PC, which I had no based weather capability. I contacted He may be right. He has not only means of mounting in the 310. I as- Jeppesen about this huge hole in listened to my concerns and sugges- sumed I could use this set-up on my their product line, but never reached tions, but he has integrated them into lap. The result was a disaster. anyone who could assure me it would a string of upgrades to his moving Control Vision’s EFB software be addressed. Jepp has terrific tech map program. (See the January wouldn’t run to my level of satisfac- support, but the lack of live weather is 2006 issue of Aviation Consumer for a tion. It would often lock up and a shortcoming, in my view. review.) AirGator seems to be work- didn’t work well with the XM hard- ing much harder than the rest when it ware. Finally, after hours of remedial Let’s Try Sony comes to the details. work, a technician at Control Vision What to do? PDAs were out so the However, having flown with the told me that the EFB software wasn’t answer seemed to lie in an obscure U-70 for several months, I concluded

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer •  that the display, like the PDA, was too took me through Western Canada scope and/or onboard radar is still an small. I wanted to view an entire Jepp and Alaska. On the fly, I connected asset in those areas. What would I like approach plate and be able to clearly my PocketJet to print out approach to have to improve the set-up? How see it. What I needed was a tablet PC, charts from JeppView when my itiner- about a single suite of software to do sized similar to a Jepp plate. ary changed. I used the TC1100 to all of this? (I know AirGator is work- When I began a panel makeover plan my flights using FliteStar and ing on this.) I still wish Jepp would last year, it seemed natural to consider Jepp Weather. Enroute, I use a com- integrate WxWorx into their moving replacing the U-70 with something bination of FliteDeck and NavAir map, which ought to represent a huge larger. The Fujitsu was too big and map programs and use NavAir exclu- business opportunity. I also wish the not bright enough for the cockpit and sively to display XM weather. form factor of the TC1100 was smaller. thus far, the best compromise I have Although the picture suggests the found is the Hewlett Packard TC1100 How Does It Work? TC1100 gets in the way of the throttle at about $2500. Its form factor is Displaying XM-based weather, es- quadrant, it doesn’t. A slightly smaller smaller than nearly everything else pecially NEXRAD, has been a huge tablet would be more convenient. out there, yet it has a bright and du- enhancement to the utility of my Since I use the computer for flight rable screen with tons of memory. Its airplane. I’ve flown trips that I oth- planning in the hotel, I need a detach- detachable keyboard and integrated erwise would have scrubbed because able keyboard such as the TC1100 has. joystick mouse make it the ideal tab- I now have an in-flight view of the A touch screen like the U-70 would let/laptop multi-purpose computer. weather. Having flown with advanced be nice, too. AirGator will be offering AirGator helped me get the TC1100 weather detection displays for the just such a machine later this year. It’s to interface with my XM receiver airlines for many years, I find Wx- called a Dialogue Flybook and can be and a glareshield-mounted GPS, via Worx better than what I use in airline seen here at www.dialogue. Bluetooth, eliminating the wires that flying. It provides a better big-picture com. tw/english-fly- would make this set-up otherwise view, which makes weather avoidance book/ product/product. unworkable. AirGator seems to be at a distance easier and safer. htm. leading the way in new technology One thing not often mentioned The new models and their ongoing support is nothing regarding WxWorx is that except for offered by AirGator short of fabulous, in my experience. a bit of overlap in southern Canada will be powered by an With the TC1100 running on ship’s and Mexico, NEXRAD is Intel Centrino processor power and connected wirelessly to a limited to the Continental and include an integrated GPS and an XM receiver, I returned U.S., with nothing avail- keyboard and a touch- last month from a 30-hour trip that able for Alaska, so Storm- screen, all in a form factor a fraction of the TC1100’s. I’ll be watching this When XM is MIA product as a possible fifth-genera- tion EFB display. And, of course, as For as wildly successful as it has theft software built into Aviation Consumer has reported, the been, WxWorx’s XM-based datalink XM chips. If the receiver LS800 from Motion Computing has has encountered two nagging prob- isn’t used for a certain also been well received. lems, one related to technology and period—and XM’s another to customer service. We’ve Roderick MacKenzie Conclusion heard complaints about both. wouldn’t say exactly how long that Finding the optimum EFB and The customer service beef relates is—the receiver reverts to inac- display for moving map, weather to ongoing confusion about the tive status and must be refreshed. and charts is still a work in progress. difference between XM Radio and Do that by logging onto to www. Panel-mounted displays and PDAs WxWorx. The former simply provides xmradio.com/refresh, then type in aren’t very attractive compared to the the datalink, the latter does the your receiver’s ident code, then turn advantages of a tablet PC’s flexibility, in my view. On the other hand, a weather products. They are separate on the receiver. tablet PC’s size is awkward, the dis- companies. Unfortunately, XM Radio MacKinzie told us software play might not be sunlight readable is more focused on its five million improvements have addressed prob- and, incredible as it seems, at this entertainment subscribers rather lems some receivers had in going writing, no one makes integrated than the handful of data customers. inactive too frequent- software to seamlessly perform all As a result, when some owners ly, but he says XM the cockpit tasks pilots should expect have called the XM technical service sees no other of these machines. For me, the per- line for assistance with datalink, the way of pro- fect EFB is a continuing odyssey. I’ll tech has been clueless about avia- tecting itself let you know when I find it. tion products. To remedy this, XM against theft now has a dedicated call center for of service. So Ken Sutton was an airline pilot for the datalink issues. The number is 800- if you have XM original Piedmont Airlines and then US 985-9200. Radio, use it Airways. He is currently a senior partner at The second issue relates to anti- frequently. a private economic forecasting company.

1 0 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 c o c k p i t a c c e s s o r i e s Ryan line—they simply have new nomenclature, new pricing and the Avidyne name. Hardware remains largely the same, except for traffic Avidyne TAS600: range capabilities, which, as we’ll see, is proportional to price. But price is the major development here. The Ryan/Avidyne merger cre- Beats Skywatch in Value ated the Safety Systems Group, a new division within Avidyne that remains based at the previous Ryan The Avidyne/Ryan merger has dropped the price of ac- factory in Columbus, Ohio. Traffic tive traffic systems to $10,000. Flexible display options system product support and market- ing will also sweeten the deal. reside there. In-depth by Larry Anglisano technical

ne of the hazards of cover- dollar boxes based on expensive ing cutting-edge avionics is TCAS technology. We predict they’ll Othat what’s hot one month, find plenty of buyers, given the might very well be obsolete the next. number of owners who ask us about That’s not quite the case with the these systems. traffic alerting gear we covered in Avidyne and Ryan are a natural the November 2005 issue of Avia- pair, in our view. Avidyne is a well- tion Consumer, but the market has regarded veteran of the cockpit dis- definitely shifted in just a couple of play wars and Ryan has been plug- months with Avidyne’s merger with ging away at traffic systems, carving Ryan International. a respectable share in what is by no As we noted in the November means an easy market in which to report, real-time, active traffic alert- sell. The new product is called the ing equipment is the best choice TAS600 and it’s being marketed in for pilots who are paranoid about a three-tier approach, with a price swapping paint with another aircraft. point for every buyer. It’s also so expensive that many owners simply won’t consider it. And Market Savvy at $20,000 or more for an installed In our view, the introduction of the system, we don’t blame them. TAS600 series represents more of a But Avidyne and Ryan have just marketing breakthrough than fresh introduced an active traffic system new technology in active traffic that fills the price point wasteland equipment. All of the traf- between inexpensive portable or fic systems now offered Mode-S-based TIS systems and high- in the Avidyne line represent trickle- c h e c kl i s t down technology from Ryan that’s well The TAS series breaks the proven. The new $20,000 barrier for active Avidyne products are c traffic systems. comprised mostly of technology carried At an economy price, the from the previous TAS600 provides the c functional equivalent of Avidyne’s TAS600 TCAS-1. is a single, remote- Display flexibility is mounted box with impressive. TAS plays on two antennas, c nearly everything. upper photo. It will play on a wide Due to color and typogra- phy, numerical data tags range of displays, d are difficult to read. including Avidyne/ Ryan’s 3ATI, right.

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 1 1

continued on page 32 Avoidance system. Cessna 182s, Arrows and the Beech The Avidyne traffic Debonair would be typical target products on the applications. widest variety of Despite hopeful claims from some displays already, owners, these modest airplanes don’t but now Avidyne come close to 200 knots in con- is offering its own trolled flight, eliminating the need complete system for a traffic system that can calculate to compete with 1200-knot closure rates at a range the Honeywell greater than 7 miles. And not many Bendix/King IHAS are likely to fly above 18,500 feet. line. Avidyne’s ver- At $9900, the entry-level TAS600 sion is driven by a represents a good bargain for entry- 7.2-pound single level aircraft. No other active system remote proces- comes close in overall value. sor that measures The TAS610 kicks the perfor- 3.1 by 7.25 by 11.675 inches and is mance up a notch, with 12-nautical compact enough to secure to most mile range, a 25,000-foot ceiling airframes. It plays well with many and ±3500 feet of vertical scan. displays through ARINC and RS232. Light twins, turbocharged singles The box is sold sans display; you pick and small helicopters are the target the display you want or use one you market for the TAS610. At $14,990, already have. it might stretch the budget of some, but we still think it’s priced appro- New Lineup priately for a Baron, twin Cessna and There are three products in the Avi- most high-flying piston twins and dyne traffic line, all of which use ac- singles that routinely ply the teens, tive surveillance, meaning they inter- pushing 200 knots. rogate other transponder-equipped One sour note: Even if you want to Traffic displays use standard sym- aircraft. They all use the familiar install the lower-priced TAS600 in an bology, as shown on the FlightMax Ryan top-and-bottom mounted aircraft certified to fly above 18,000 EX500, above. Relative altitude antenna array, they all track up to 50 feet, you can’t. For one thing, the traffic targets and can display nine shop probably won’t get FAA field ap- data inside black boxes can be dif- of the most critical. All of them also proval and second, the software will ficult to read, lower photo. use voice annunciation; what Avi- lock out operation above 18,500 feet. dyne calls heads-up audible position- We’re sure some owners will have ing. This means the box audibly calls heartburn over this, but this appears support of the new combined prod- relative range, bearing and altitude to be the only way the FAA would uct line of Avidyne FlightMax MFDs of conflicting traffic, with N-number certify the system. and Ryan traffic equipment remains traffic tags and target transponder The flagship Avidyne TAS system an unknown, but both companies squawk when available. is the TAS620, previously known have good track records. We hope to These are feature-rich traffic prod- as the 9900BX. With a 21-nautical see a seamless interface between the ucts that go well beyond early gen- mile range, ±9900 feet of vertical two product lines, if not an improve- eration passive boxes and competing scan and a 55,000-foot ceiling, the ment in the way Avidyne handles its TAS systems that simply announce TAS620 is obviously for high-end orders to dealers, an area Ryan has “traffic, traffic” to warn of potential aircraft, from speedy jetprop singles perfected, in our experience. Al- conflicts. Interestingly, each of the and twins to bizjets and transport though owners don’t see this aspect three traffic systems is directly mar- helicopters. At $20,990 it represents of the business, engineering support keted and technically focused toward the same price and performance for shops doing the installation work a specific class of aircraft, priced ap- points covered by the L3 Skywatch is critical. Without it, the work is de- propriately for each class. system and basic TCAS. layed and the customer does see that. Avidyne scaled back the price One immediate result of the and performance of Ryan’s flagship Air and Ground merger is what Avidyne is calling 9900BX product to suit a broader We recently flew a fresh installa- the MHAS6000, for Multi-Hazard range of budgets without sacrificing tion of the TAS620 and EX500 in a any of the useful features found in Beechcraft. The system called a lot of this box. The result is the TAS600 traffic and accurately. Interestingly, focused directly at modest single- the aircraft was also equipped with a Contacts... engine piston aircraft. It has a 7-mile Garmin GTX330 Mode-S transpon- Avidyne Corp. range, 18,500-foot service ceiling der playing TIS traffic on a GNS430. 800-284-3963 and ±3500 feet of vertical separation As we expected, the active, real-time www.avidyne.com criteria. TAS620 showed the traffic in slightly Normally aspirated Mooneys, different positions than the TIS,

1 2 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 making us dance in our seats twice in mind that the basic remote box you’d have a mismatch between the as often. If anything else, it showed will drive just about any screen dis- system’s 18,500-foot ceiling limi- that active traffic alerting is more ac- play and which one you select—or tations and the aircraft’s certified curate and reliable than TIS because what you already have—will impact and typical operating ceiling. The the latter suffers from processing the installation cost. For the TAS600 Avidyne flight manual supplement delays as ATC radar sweeps and up- and up, you can use any of Avidyne’s for each system is clear on this ap- dates. (We still think TIS is a good- FlightMax displays, the Entegra PFD, plicability. value basic traffic system, however.) the Garmin G1000, 400/500 series This limitation not withstanding, The TAS620 and all the other TAS and MX-20 MFD and Bendix/King’s we think the lower end of this prod- systems in the Avidyne line use a top KMD550/850 series. Even display uct line will be a winner for owners and bottom antenna, making the technology from smaller players who just can’t afford or won’t buy a overall installation an involved, cost- such as OP Technologies, Chelton’s $20,000 L-3 active Skywatch system. ly affair. In the Bonanza we flew, old Sierra, Sagem and Meggit are sup- In functional usefulness, the TAS600 coaxial cable had to be replaced with ported, to name a few. essentially does what the Skywatch low-loss cable to stifle any stray RF Also on the display option list are system does, but for half the money. that might interfere with the traf- Ryan’s own digital display and 3ATI It’s well designed and well supported fic system. Some existing antennas display, pictured on page 11. The by two established companies and needed to be relocated to accommo- digital display is a small rectangular we think that will be more than date the TAS620 antennas. unit limited to numerical display. enough to assure its success. There’s also an optional weight- We don’t think it’s good choice so on-wheels interface that allows the the more sophisticated displays are system to sense when the aircraft the way to go. All of the displays use Larry Anglisano is Aviation Consumer’s touches down, automatically sup- standard traffic symbology, regard- avionics editor. pressing nuisance traffic callouts less of which TAS model is installed. while operating on the ground after What varies is the aforementioned rollout and during taxi. Some aircraft range and vertical volume. avidyne tas pricing might need an airspeed pressure A note on the traffic display on the basic box prices switch interface as well, sensing low EX500: We think the traffic tag is airspeed instead of weight on wheels difficult to see and we’re not alone. • 7-mile range when that won’t work in an airplane A few users with less-than-perfect TAS600 • 18,500 ceiling without resorting to complicated and eyesight tell us that reading the traf- $9900 • 3500-foot vertical costly relays. fic data inside the black boxes on scan Similarly, interface with the air- the screen’s base map is a struggle, • 12-mile range craft’s retractable landing gear is also mainly because of the size of the TAS610 • 25,000 ceiling possible, to automatically change the text. This might be more of an issue $14,990 • 3500-foot vertical system’s sensitivity during descents in a Beechcraft with the stack dis- scan and climbs. These types of optional placed toward the right of the panel, interfaces can add a sizeable effort but we still think the graphic design • 12-mile range and cost to an installation, so be can be improved. TAS620 • 18,500 ceiling clear with the shop on the bottom Avidyne tells us that there’s a $20,990 • 9900-foot vertical line. A control-yoke-mounted traffic TSO-specified size for the traffic tag scan mute/redraw switching adds finger- and that the TAS600 and EX500 display options and prices tip control to the system and more displays comply with it. We would The TAS series is delivered with no display. Prices work and money to the invoice. like to see users given the option of below represent the add-on costs for the listed dis- For playing the traffic alert audio, increasing the size of the traffic tags plays. we suggest a modern audio system, through a set-up menu. While the ryan digital $1290 such as the Garmin GMA340 or TAS series annunciates traffic posi- ryan 3ati $1950 PSEngineering PMA8000. Both have tion, some owners will still want to switched inputs, providing the pilot see the numbers and this is, after all, avidyne $1950 with an option to switch the traffic the point of having that expensive ex500 callouts out of the headphones when display in the first place. appropriate. Our experience is that garmin 430 $1450 passengers become uneasy as the Regulatory Notes system is calling traffic in congested There’s one caveat to what seems like garmin 530 $14,995 areas with the pilot nervously scan- the perfect and inexpensive traffic garmin mx20 $695 ning for visual contact. system and it relates to FAA certi- bendix/king fication issues. All of the TAS600 $7990 Display Options systems are TSO’d under the Traf- kmd550 Avidyne and Ryan appear to have fic Advisory System TSO C147 and bendix/king engineered this system right but each application must fall within the kmd850 $13,440 what’s most right about it is the specs of the system to be installed. number of displays it will play on. For example, if you tried to install sandel 3400 $9950 This can be a little confusing so keep the low-price TAS600 in a King Air,

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 1 3 fl i g h t me d i c a l The answer is that we slowly lose our ability to focus from the time we are born. Like a complex auto-focus cam- era, the human eye has a lens located directly behind the pupil, surrounded by a radial-shaped muscle called the ciliary body. The muscle is innervated by a complex of nerve connections between the brain, the pupil and the other eye. When looking far away—beyond 20 feet—the lens is in a neutral position; no focusing is required. As the eyes look at objects closer than 20 feet, focusing becomes necessary; the closer the object, the greater the focusing requirement. You can actually quantify the amount of focusing demand at a given distance. For example, at 16 inches (40 centimeters), +2.50 di- opters of power is required. For you PALs for Pilots: mathematics buffs, by definition, +1.00 diopter takes infinite (beyond 20 feet, or 6 meters) light and fo- Cockpit Friendly Lenses cuses it at 1 meter. At 30 centimeters, +3.00 is required; at 20 cm., +4.00 and so on. You can see how, as you If presbyopia has set in, progressives are the lenses get closer, the power requirement increases significantly. of choice for pilots. Younger, Signet and Varilux are At birth, the eye can focus as close among the top choices for pilots. as 2 cm, but as we age, this distance decreases. However, most of us don’t notice what’s going on until it affects by Dr. Bob Glass our lives, usually with difficulties reading normally. On one flight, you can read the minimums box on the t’s 0400 Zulu. A dark night, panding. We now think of presby- plate, on the next you can’t. but it’s a VFR flight with clear opia as middle-age vision and more Why does all this happen? The Iskies and unrestricted visibility. and more people are entering that crystalline lens, which does the You pull out the sectional to look age range than ever before. focusing, becomes more sclerotic and up the ATIS and Class-D tower For pilots, presbyopia can be hardens as we age. That’s because frequencies. You look twice. a huge pain, but one that’s eas- the most unique tissue in the body, What’s that say? Is it a 12…or is ily addressable with corrective the lens itself, is about 30 percent that a 3? Better turn on the cabin lenses. Because pilots operate in a protein, where all our other tissues light, squint a bit more. Oh, boy. unique environment requiring near are almost completely made of water. Where’s that magnifier? vision—for chart reading—mid- Proteins denature with time, so the Has this ever happened to you? vision for instrument scanning lens gets harder. It’s not the muscle If you’re over 40, if it hasn’t, it and distance vision for traffic and weakening. It’s the lens stiffening. will. That is, unless your AME navigation, the right kind of correc- Eye exercises won’t help, by the way, catches it first. There’s even a tive lenses matter. A lot. so don’t waste your time and money name for it: presbyopia. These days, most pilots opt on hocus-pocus schemes. This isn’t a Literally translated, it means for progressive addition multifo- muscle problem, it’s a lens problem. “old eyes.” But don’t despair. cal lenses or PALs, a technology You can’t make those poor muscles do When the name was coined about that’s come a long way during the any more than they already are. So, it’s a hundred or so years ago, people past decade. But progressives vary either off to the eye doc or the AME, didn’t usually live to be over 40, widely in their suitability for cock- who then sends you to the eye doc. I so if you were lucky enough to be pit use. Here’s a guide on how to personally recommend an eye exam old, you got this condition. select them. before your medical, just to avoid rais- Well, now we have the privilege ing the profile with your AME. of extended life expectancies. Equipment Failure Forty is barely early mid-life, so So, why does the focusing mecha- Now What? the presbyopia club is ever-ex- nism fail in the first place? The There are several ways of dealing

1 4 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 with presbyopia. They are eyeglass- cause the lens power is less in the es, contact lenses, corneal refractive earlier stages. But, eventually it will surgery—monovision Lasik or con- become an issue. And besides, who ductive keratoplasty or CK—surgical wants a line in their glasses anyway? reversal of presbyopia and accommo- Trifocals solve the range problem, dating intra-ocular lenses, a form of by providing distance, mid-range cataract surgery, which the FAA just and near focal powers all in one lens. approved at press time. Corneal sur- All of the advantages of the bifocal gery is done monovision, meaning are there, plus a solution to the range one eye is for far vision and one for issue. And that’s great, except you near. It requires, for FAA approval, a now have not one, but two lines to six-month period of eyeglasses along deal with. The difference with the monovision, followed by in price is minimal, but a waiver with a medical flight test. those lines… Monovision or bifocal contacts aren’t Which brings us to permitted by the FAA. the no-line category of While still a point of intense lenses. There are two debate, the FAA disallowed monovi- types of no-line lenses, sion contact lenses in the aftermath blended and progres- of the Delta Airlines Flight 554 crash sive. Blended lenses are at La Guardia Airport on October 19, purely cosmetic; they are no 1996. The NTSB ruled that the prob- better than regular bifocals as far as able cause of the crash was pilot er- range goes and in some ways, they’re ror due to the inability of the captain worse. Imagine a lined bifocal, to overcome misperception of the with the line rubbed out—that’s a airplane’s position on the visual por- blended lens. So you not only have tion of the approach “because of his a lens with just two parts, but also use of monovision contact lenses.“ a distorted area between those two So, simply put, eyeglasses remain parts. Which is exactly why we in the best, simplest choice for pilots. the business call them the “poor Think of these glasses as nothing man’s progressive.” more than a tool to help you see what What’s left is the pro- you need to see, when you need to see gressive addition multi- it. Keep in mind that by using these focal lens, or simply put, lenses, you don’t become “addicted.” progressive. I like to The glasses don’t make your eyes get compare the progressive worse; they will continue to get worse lens to the Swiss Army whether you wear glasses or not. knife. It does a little bit of everything, but it isn’t Lens Choices There are basically five options. They are single vision, lined bifocal, lined Bifocals, top, and trifocals, trifocal, blended and progressive. center, are a traditional, inex- Single vision readers are fine for the computer or reading in bed because pensive means of solving the you can see clearly looking straight range problem for close-vision ahead at a single distance, usually 16 correction. PALs, right, do the to 18 inches. But that won’t work in same job without the nuisance the cockpit, because you need to see lines across the lens but at the at a variety of distances and espe- expense of unwanted astig- cially far away. Bifocals are a better choice, since matic zones to either side of you can see near and far simultane- the additive corridor found in ously. The downside is the slightly the center of the lens. higher cost, the ugly line, which can get in the way, and range problems. What’s a range problem? Every lens has a focal power. So if the bifocal is set for 16 inches, you can’t see at 24 inches and vice versa. A younger presbyope won’t have as much trouble with this as an older one will—say, 43 versus 53 years old—be-

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 1 5

specific for just one task such as, say, PALS: GETTING THE FIT RIGHT a carving knife. A single-vision pair Because every pilot and cockpit is different, some pilots may need a specific of computer glasses would be like that set of PALs tailored only for flying. Even if that’s not the case, to spec the cor- carving knife—perfect for the com- rect lens, the cockpit dimensions shown here should be made available to the puter, but useless for much else. optometrist during fitting. The progressive lens has all the advantages of the trifocal, without any lines. Well over 50 percent of all multifocal lenses made in the U.S. are A of the progressive design. It provides E F excellent vision at far, near and mid- B range, without the distracting line. It’s C by far the closest replacement to out- D of-service zoom focus you can get, making it the best choice for pilots.

KEY COCKPIT MEASUREMENTS How They Work A = Eyes to overhead Progressive lenses have been around, B = Eyes to glareshield in one form or another, since 1959. C = Eyes to instruments They have evolved over the years D = Eyes to approach plate through many generations. But one E = Eyes to center stack thing they all have in common is F = Eyes to far right stack, instruments that they have a distance portion at the top—which may be no power at all, for you eagle eyes—with a Distance correction zone (may require no progressively stronger corridor that in- correction) creases as you look down, to provide for near focus. What this means is that you can see the approach chart Intermediate zone for distant through the lowest part of the lens reading, panel scan and your gauges through the middle corridor. And when approach calls Highest additive area for close-in traffic, just look straight ahead reading through the upper portion of the lens. No need to be distracted by Fitting cross centered taking the glasses on and off. on pupil As depicted in the diagram, the lens design allows for unrestricted horizontal gaze in the distance, with a corridor for the middle ranges Minimum fitting and a maximum power area at the distance (As little as bottom, usually set for 16 inches or Areas of unwanted 14mm) additive change so. As depicted in the diagram, the lens design allows for unrestricted horizontal gaze in the distance, with a corridor for the middle ranges TOP LENS PICKS FOR PILOTS and a maximum power area at the Of the nearly three dozen progressive designs I know about, here are my top bottom, usually set for 16 inches or five picks of brands. The less the distance from the frame bottom to the pupil, so. The transition between sections is seamless and smooth. But, this the smaller and lighter the lenses will be, offering more choices in frames. comes at a price. In order to make ◊ Younger Image—Widest array of material options of all PALs; can go this transition continuous, there’s a to 18mm from pupil to frame bottom. compromise in the lateral vision in ◊ Signet Armorlite Kodak Precise—Good balance between all view- the middle corridor and near zone. ing portions down to 20mm. We call these lateral limitations un- ◊ Varilux Comfort—Reduced swimming effect in periphery with 18 to wanted astigmatism and unwanted 20mm from frame bottom available. distortion. Looking through these ◊ Sola One—Advanced design based on newest technology, also down areas, you won’t see clearly. to 18mm. Not until the late 1980s were ◊ Vision Ease Outlook—A 99 percent adaptation rate for this brand, progressive lens designs beginning also with 18mm capability. to deal effectively with peripheral limitations in the near-vision portion of the lens. There are an infinite

1 6 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 number of possibilities in these lens designs. The bottom line is to find MULTI-FOCUS IOLs GET FAA APPROVAL ways to keep the unwanted astigma- As we go to press this month, the FAA surgical option that’s been around for tism as far as possible away from the has just approved two new optical about 25 years. At one time, they were most commonly technologies for pilots: used exclusively in conjunction with used parts of the multi-focus contact lens cataract surgery but techniques have lens. This profile and multi-focus intraocular become refined to the point that IOLs can be illustrated lens implants or IOLs. are now elective. by a contour plot, which shows the Multi-focus contacts do A version of IOLs called Crystalens fingerprint of the the same job as PALs but, has been FDA approved since 2003. specific lens design. obviously, without requir- The device is inserted through a small Each profile ing glasses. For pilots who incision behind the cornea. The Crys- has pros and cons wear contact lenses or wish talens hinges on both sides so it essen- Some designs work to, the FAA’s announce- tially restores flexibility to the lens and best for midrange ment is good news, for it allows the ciliary muscle to respond to (computers), while opens up more options for focus requirements to close-in vision. some allow for anyone requiring distant Although it may not restore the accom- more near area vision correction and/or modation you had as a teenager, IOLs vision. There’s no presbyopic correction. are likely to greatly reduce dependency single best design and each manu- Intraocular lenses are a on glasses. facturer will claim that their product use. These include the distortion areas instead of seeing is better. However, cockpit configuration, clearly through the corridor of clear it’s critical for the frame preference and vision. Since you can’t see the mark- provider of your prescription. To make ing in the lens used to make this eyewear to be familiar with all the it more complicated, there are lens alignment, you must have confidence lens design options and their specific materials and treatment choices. You that the optical professional doing properties, especially when it comes have your pick of materials such as the fitting is experienced. to flying. I feel that distance area con- glass, plastic and polycarbonate. Lens At one time not so long ago it siderations are especially important in extras include high index and anti- was common for patients to have the cockpit. More on that in a bit. reflective, transitions (for plastic) trouble adjusting to PALs. But the and polarized, scratch-resistant and good news, according to Dr. Bob Lee, PAL Type Ratings photochromic for glass. clinical professor at the Southern So, how many progressive designs My personal preference is plastic California College of Optometry, are there and which is best for you? lenses with an anti-reflective coat- recent studies have shown that suc- My last count was about 28 contem- ing such as your quality camera lens cess rates for progressives are as high porary designs. There are about six has. Glass lenses are just too heavy. as 98 percent. And the chief causes of newer designs that I prefer. Thanks I also prefer polarized lenses for non-adapting are measurement error, to computer modeling and patient daytime flying, although I am just a followed by lack of proper instruction trials, these most current lens designs piston driver. You should know these and failure to properly troubleshoot are easier to wear, providing maximal don’t work very well with tempered problems through frame adjustment. fields of view and clarity of vision. windows and with some avionics dis- So, no quitters allowed. PALs Distance viewing area is a major plays. I learned this the hard way in a sometimes require an adaptation consideration for flying, especially for King Air. I ended up having to use my period as a long as a week. Occasion- those who never needed glasses until clear glasses to see. So you Plexiglas ally, they have to be re-made, either age 40. Distance areas range from window folks can use polarized— not because of a prescription or measure- 18 mm2 to 56 mm2. That’s a lot of so for the heavy metal crowd. ment problem, a fabrication error or variation. Intermediate is second in even because you need a different importance, in my view, because Fitting Considerations style of lens than was anticipated. Be that’s for the instruments over to the It’s critical to look through the cen- patient. Also, the frames need to be transponder and radio/GPS stack. In- tral portion of these lenses. A quick adjusted periodically. Your eye-care termediate areas in the mid-strength look at the contour plot/fitting cross provider should offer this service at prescriptions range from 13 to 28 diagram on page 16 will help. I sug- no charge. Speak up if there are any mm2. Unfortunately, the lenses with gest, if possible, superimposing the difficulties. Odds of success are far the most intermediate area are not fitting cross on a contour plot of the better than they ever were. the same as the ones with the most lens you have in mind to show how distance area. And that, folks, is why important this really is. Buying Recommendations there is no single best choice. It’s all too easy to make an error in First, find an optometrist familiar At the end of the day, a number proper lens placement; if the center both with progressive lenses and of variables need to be considered to of the lens doesn’t align with your aviation. How? Ask your hangar arrive at the right choice for cockpit pupil, you will be looking through buddies for a recommendation but

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 1 7 also check this Web site for a list- t r a i n i n g ing of aviation-savvy professionals: http://209.83.210.5/drlocator/search. asp. Second, use an optical dispenser that knows its stuff and will guarantee FSI’s Hypoxia Training its work. Usually, that will be in the same place as the optometrist, but not always. I have a dispensary with more This innovative simulator-based program shows what it’s than 1800 frames, four opticians and my own in-house lab. Bigger is not like to become utterly stupid in the cockpit from lack of always better, but it helps. A dispen- oxygen. It’s a worthy alternative to a chamber ride. sary with an in-house lab is helpful, because they can give a quicker turn- around and if there’s a problem, they by Paul Bertorelli can do it again just as quickly. Don’t try to find the cheap way f pilots don’t love acronyms, this shortfall. I recently sampled the out. Better quality lenses work better. they at least learn to live with three-hour course at FSI’s Orlando But they cost more. You wouldn’t use Ithem, but here’s one you prob- Learning Center. Although I’d taken the cheapest headset (who needs the ably haven’t heard: MEGO. I found a chamber ride 10 years ago, FSI’s headache?) and you don’t want infe- it penciled in the margin of a manu- program was a revelation. rior quality frames or lenses, either. script that had been reviewed by an Stick to the name brands. editor I worked for in the distant Lots of N2 Don’t give up. Work with your eye past. MEGO means “my eyes glaze To invoke genuine hypoxia in a doctor and optician to find the best over” and a manuscript so labeled simulator, FSI partnered with the solution for your needs. Remember, was deemed too boring to even merit Mayo Clinic to develop a hypoxia there is no “best” answer; the solu- further comment. awareness trainer with something tion for you is the one that works for Articles about hypoxia often go called a reduced oxygen breathing you. The sidebar on page 16 gives my MEGO one better, some substitut- device. It essentially exposes the specific recommendations for lens ing nicely for a sedative chased trainee to mixed gas breathing in brands. Others may certainly do just with a glass of wine. That’s to say which the ratio of nitrogen to oxygen as well but I’ve had consistently good that pilots—especially those most simulates the lower oxygen partial results with those listed. exposed routinely to hypoxia—tend pressure reduction of high altitude. A word about frames: Until re- to downplay its hazards because Nitrogen content is ramped up to cently, there were significant limita- they’ve never experienced it. Despite as much as 92 percent, from the 78 tions on the vertical dimension of recent high-profile hypoxia-induced percent atmospheric ratio. the frame. We needed at least 21 accidents—the Payne Stewart Learjet Reduced oxygen breathing was mm between the pupil of the eye and crash and the Helios Airline crash in developed by Mayo as early as 1936, the bottom of the frame. Now, with Greece—only a tiny fraction of pilots as part of its considerable experi- recent advances, we can accommodate have trained for hypoxia awareness. ence in aerospace medicine. Digital as little as 14 mm. That means that Bluntly, the risk is not taken seriously. technology now makes it possible smaller, cooler looking, more com- Flight Safety International has to build an automated computer- fortable frames are fine for PALs. And devised what I think is an innovative monitored reduced breathing system unlike days gone by, frameless and simulator-based program to address that FSI has installed in six of its drill-mount designs of lightweight learning centers, according to FSI’s titanium can be used for progressives. Larry Schuman. He says the system I’m partial to titanium The reduced oxygen breathing ap- will eventually be available in all of mountings;they’re durable, hold paratus, below, invokes potentially FSI’s facilities. The one we flew was their shape, can be bent and sat intense hypoxia. installed in a Level D Citation Bravo upon (not recommended) and still simulator. remain light. And I always recom- The point of the mend the smallest frame size that training is to provide an will work with your face and pre- alternative to a tradi- scription. For sunglasses, I recom- tional altitude chamber mend a frame large enough to session so that pilots protect, but with a minimal wrap. can experience hypoxic The Terminator look is cool, but the symptoms in the envi- distortion in a prescription lens is ronment they’re most not going to make you smile. likely to encounter it: the cockpit. Further, it doesn’t require a day or Dr. Bob Glass practices optometry in more, as some chamber Costa Mesa, California. He owns a Piper rides do, and there are Warrior. no post-training flight

1 8 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 restrictions. The training can be done FSI’s Rosser, right: “Pilots as a standalone or in conjunction with are trained to pay atten- other FSI sim programs. Cost is $950 tion to the airplane. Here, for the three-hour course. That doesn’t we’re teaching them to pay place it out of reach for the owner of a flight-level-capable piston airplane, but attention to their bodies.” the target audience is turboprop and Mixed gas breathing is jet operators. computer controlled and monitored, lower photo. Class and Sim Like traditional chamber rides, the training consists of classroom orien- matically: Immediately don a tation and hands-on training with the mask with supplemental oxy- equipment, although a simulator is gen and begin an emergency involved rather than the chamber. FSI descent. Worry about the pres- instructor’s Johanna Rosser and Eric surization failure later. During Dixon took me through the program. both sessions, SPO2 is monitored by a Anyone who has taken a chamber medical-grade pulse oximeter. ride will be familiar with the theory. During the symptoms phase, Rosser does a brisk review of high- I found that the reduced breath- altitude physiology, including the ing apparatus creates sharply more basic gas laws you would remember unpleasant hypoxic symptoms than if you’d been awake in high school I recall from my chamber ride. But physics class. (If only you’d known I’m 10 years older, lighter and in bet- you’d become a pilot…) ter physical shape or my symptoms Unlike chamber training, the FSI could have otherwise changed. And course is relentlessly focused on that’s exactly the point of the train- learning, in detail, what your person- ing, according to Rosser and Dixon. al hypoxia symptoms are and then My first symptom—lightheaded- responding correctly in the cockpit. ness—appeared at an SPO2 of 92 “Pilots are trained to pay attention to percent. By the mid-1980s, I was feel- the airplane,” Rosser says. “But here, ing dizzy and disoriented. After 3 1/2 we’re teaching them to pay attention minutes at 22,500 feet, my SPO2 had to their bodies.” sagged into the high 60s and my note your symptoms than to simply moni- Any pilot can list potential hypox- page says “fell like crar,” which was tor SPO2. ia symptoms, but can you list them supposed to be “feel like crap.” This all? There are at least 14 and Rosser response is far more distressing than Conclusion says everyone experiences different I recall from my chamber ride. After In retrospect, the Stewart and combinations. Says Dixon, “I want to three minutes, I desperately wanted Helios crashes should have been know this: What’s my first symptom, out of the mask. utterly avoidable. FSI has proven not my strongest symptom.” To find During the flight session, I initially that training to recognize hypoxia out, each pilot goes through two jumped the gun with false symp- and respond immediately is hardly brief hypoxic sessions. toms. But Rosser cautioned me to brain surgery. I think anyone flying a The first is a non-flight segment take the time to recall the symptoms pressurized airplane—especially a jet in which you’re fitted with a medi- I’d learned in the first session. Five or turboprop—should consider FSI’s cal oxygen mask and placed in the minutes into the flight, with my SPO2 course. Although it’s expensive, it’s stationary sim. By increasing the ni- at 92 percent, I noticed the first defi- not out of line for operators who do trogen mix, the computer-controlled nite symptoms: slight dizziness and periodic sim training. profile climbs rapidly to the oxygen shortness of breath. With Dixon in If this type of training gains a saturation equivalent of 22,500 feet, the right seat, we donned emergency foothold, I’d like to see FSI develop where it will remain for up to seven oxygen and descended from 35,000 a less expensive, tabletop version for minutes, followed by a rapid return feet to breathable air at 10,000 feet. mid-altitude piston drivers whose to the surface. (That alone took four minutes.) training budget doesn’t include Level During this profile, the pilot is The takeaway? When definite D sims. There’s much to be gained by asked to write down his evolving symptoms appear, don the mask and broadening this type of training. symptoms and to do serial subtrac- descend. Everything else can wait. tion problems. In the second ses- The second takeaway illuminates my sion, the pilot flies the simulator skepticism toward pulse oximeters in with the mask in place and hypoxia the cockpit. Without correlating your Contacts... is induced at some unknown point, symptoms with your SPO2, these Flight Safety International mimicking insidious pressurization instruments don’t deliver much value. 800-497-4023 failure. Having learned his symptoms, Everyone’s symptoms and SPO2 are www.flightsafety.com the pilot is expected to respond auto- different. It’s more practical to know

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 1 9 a i r c r a ft u p kee p Soft Hangars

They’re quicker to erect than metal but not necessarily cheaper. If you’re consid- ering one, an open-ended sunshade is the way to go, but check local permit requirements before committing.

by Ben Barnard

hat is it about hangars? gars suggests that they aren’t neces- Chip Ottinger’s Big Top hangar at Most airports have a years- sarily cheaper than metal hangars, Cross Keys, New Jersey, took about Wlong list of owners wanting although they can do with less site a day to erect. All-in cost, less pav- them, acres of open land to build preparation. Costwise, the most eco- them and plenty of suppliers willing nomical approach is a sunshade-style ing, was $10,000. to do the work. Yet hangar construc- hangar open at both ends. These will tion seems to be a rarity. Airport provide surprisingly good protec- cover training jets at air stations in Tex- boards drag their feet on permitting tion for an aircraft, even in wintry as and Mississippi. These open-ended or simply reject the idea outright. climates in exchange for no options shelters are several thousand dollars In desperation, this has caused on heating or secure storage. cheaper than fully-enclosed hangars, some hangar-starved owners to con- To gain some sense of soft hangar a price point consistent with all of the sider so-called soft hangars—tent- economics and practicalities, we manufacturers we spoke with. like structures with fabric pulled interviewed both the manufacturers Shelter Structures’ Bill Wolters over metal frames. Obviously, they of these products and owners and told us that many owners shopping a should be cheaper because they’re airports who have installed them. fabric hangar against a steel one are quicker to erect than metal hangars Worth noting is that as in some “disappointed initially from the mis- and shouldn’t require much site segments of the metal hangar trade, conception that fabric buildings are work or permitting, right? Not really. these companies don’t build hangars cheap.” Rather, he explained, fabric Our investigation into soft han- as such, but shelters suitable for han- hangars are just as durable and offer gars. Most will custom build any size the same capabilities as their rigid c h e c kl i s t hangar the customer wants and they counterparts but at a commensurate honor special requests of all kinds. cost for an enclosed structure. Shel- Soft hangars are easy to ter Structures offers free estimates for erect and can be built as Shelter Structures hangars, on a project-specific basis, c freestanding structures Shelter Structures, Inc. is based in and Wolters said a fully enclosed rather than blocks. Stuart, Florida and has been in busi- hangar, with a zippered door, large ness for about 20 years. They’ve sold enough to accommodate a light twin Open-ended sunshade hangars to private owners and FBOs would cost between $11,000 and style hangars are the best, throughout North America. If a $15,000. An open-ended sun shade c most economical choice. structure requires a building permit, would cost about $10,000. they can provide drawings signed by Shelter Structures has recently Whether open or closed, a structural engineer who is licensed completed a product-wide redesign expect mold issues with in the contiguous 48 states. that includes heavier galvanized steel d the fabric in moist climates. Recently, the company won a support trusses and stronger fabric, contract to construct 36 sun shelters to a 20- or 28-ounce PVC (polyvinyl

2 0 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 chloride) industrial fabric with a available in three opaque thermoplastic fluoropolymer topcoat colors that will allow for that resists UV exposure, is flame natural lighting during the retardant and will slough off accu- day. The 18-ounce fabric mulated dust and dirt when it rains. has an estimated life of The material is slightly translu- 10 to 12 years while the cent so that no artificial lighting is heavier fabric will last for needed during the day. The new up to 20 years. Construc- fabric will last 20 years plus, while tion options are the same the old fabric was good for about as those available with 15 to 20 years. These structures are Shelter Structures and are engineered to withstand winds of up generally accepted as the to 90 MPH with the fabric on, 140 norm for soft structures: MPH with it removed. All structures Save money if you do it are built to comply with local snow- yourself, spend more to have it done load requirements. for you, including overall cost and Wolters said that smaller hangars any legal hoops you’ll have to jump can be assembled “like an erector through. For a free estimate, visit the set” by two people in an afternoon. company’s Web site at www.fabric- Materials are delivered to the site structors-usa.com and plug in the and no special tools are required. size hangar you’re interested in. The fabric is attached to the frame We visited a small, family-oper- and tensioned with ratchets. An- ated turf airstrip in rural Florida that choring can be by auger stakes or the had a row of 20 Fabric Structures- structure can be unanchored or even USA sunshades erected 20 years ago. placed on wheels. Concrete floors These so-called pull-throughs are or foundations, of course, raise the open sunshades anchored in con- price considerably. crete with adjacent units sharing sup- port columns. (Newer versions don’t Fabric Structures-USA use the shared columns, however.) Ken Stanley of Fabric Structures- All of Fabric-USA’s sunshades are free USA told us his company has been -standing so that they can be disas- manufacturing soft structures in sembled for repair or removal. Lake Worth, Florida since the 1970s. Concrete slabs were poured in Big Top’s arch-style hangar has He likes to steer potential customers the center of each unit to avoid mud welded trusses made of S-bend in the direction of a sunshade rather bogs and tire ruts. Although the tubing. It’s anchored by rods and than a fully-enclosed hangar for structures—which have been through several reasons. The first is price. He at least two hurricanes recently—ap- plates driven into the ground, top. said that many people are put off by peared to be in good shape, every the $14,000 to $15,000 price tag for shade had an accumulation of so well that they commissioned 20 an enclosed hangar measuring 44 by mildew, giving credence to Stanley’s more from another soft shelter com- 30 feet, the size of typical T-hangar. advice about moisture worries with pany, Big Top Manufacturing. A sunshade of the same dimensions enclosed hangars and even, appar- will cost under $10,000. ently, open sunshades. Big Top Manufacturing Second, in humid conditions, con- The owners told us other than a Perry, Florida-based Big Top Manu- densation forms on the inside of the “tiny twister” bending some trusses, facturing sells structures similar to fabric and unless you have a climate they’ve had no maintenance problems the other companies, with translu- control system, you’ll have to vent it with their sunshades. The fabric—af- cent PVC fabric available between regularly to prevent the accumula- fixed by tiedowns and tensioned 18 and 28 ounces stretched over tion of moisture. His candor on this with a system of cables—remained galvanized steel trusses. Big Top of- issue gave us pause. If you need air unscathed. Most of their custom- fers open-ended hangars for under conditioning or even a fan to main- ers are ultralight owners because $9000, with price increasing depend- tain a suitable storage environment, the sunshades, at $125 a month, are ing on size and options. The Big Top you’ll spend far more for a fabric cheaper to rent than sheet-metal Ts. sunshades we saw in Florida were structure than you would for a con- That rental fee has more than covered built to mirror those done by Fabric ventional sheet metal hangar. While their initial investment. Structures-USA. The only difference ventilation may be cost-effective for We asked about security issues. between the two was that the trusses industrial structures, its costs out- The owners conceded that there have on the Fabric Structures were painted weigh the benefits for a small hangar. been instances of gas cans and radios rather than galvanized. Both had Fabric Structures-USA offers being stolen from the open struc- mildew on the fabric. 18-, 24- and 28-ounce PVC fabric tures, despite daily Sheriff patrols John Eddowes, who operates a wrapped around hot-dipped gal- and a gate that’s locked at night. busy skydiving center in Cross Keys, vanized steel trusses. The fabric is But overall, the sunshades worked New Jersey, erected two Big Top

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 2 1 Manatee Airport, left, has two blocks of arch-type sunshade shelters. New- er designs don’t use shared columns for the arches. In humid climates, mold is still a problem, lower photo.

asphalt paving. Both are anchored with steel pins driven below the paving. Eddowes told us all three hangars have been through signifi- cant wind and snow storms with no physical damage, other than occa- sional retightening of tension cables. As did Eddowes, G.W. Pridgon of Big Top stressed to us the issue of permitting, because portability is a selling point for soft hangars. Own- tions provided with the hangars were ers interested in soft hangars like that clear and complete. “It’s so well put option, which is what sets them apart together that erecting it is pretty easy. from fixed steel hangars that are com- The hardest part is pulling the fabric parable in price but usually have to be over the frame,” he told us. relinquished if an owner moves or the Any cautions? “They say no permit airport leasehold changes. is necessary and that’s right, techni- Speaking of which, public-use cally,” Eddowes said. “But by code, airports rarely sell land upon which if you anchor them, you do need a to erect a hangar. The arrangement is permit.” Eddowes planned to leave usually a long-term leasehold with a his hangars in place for only a short monthly or yearly fee. These should fabric hangars for maintenance bays period of time in Cross Keys, af- be committed to a formal contract and a private owner erected an open ter which they would be moved to with a clear understanding that Big Top sunshade right next door. He another airport in New Jersey. His the fabric hangar you erect can be told us it took about a day to erect advice is get the permitting squared removed at your discretion. each one and that the hangars were away before buying the hangar. shipped with all the necessary parts Eddowes’ hangars, each about 45 Conclusion and materials. He told us the instru- feet square and 19-feet high, cost Here are some numbers to ponder: $10,000, plus another $5000 for Hangars are more commonly rented FUTURE FILE rather than bought. Typical monthly T- hangar rents range from $100 to $600, ROBOTIC HANGARS depending on geographical location. At the opposite end of the fabric tory handling. A company called HK Using $250 (including leasehold) a hangar spectrum is a new concept in Systems, with expertise in this tech- month as an average, 10 years worth aircraft shelter being shopped by a nology, is partnering with Av Stak. of T-hangarage will cost $30,000. company called Av Stak Systems, Inc. Av Stak’s Eric Whitted told us such Although long-term rentals are the As the name implies, Av Stak hangars could be built in multiples norm, hangar purchase deals aren’t is proposing to build high-dollar, of about 120 airplanes with monthly unusual and T-hangars are usually built in project blocks at costs rang- multi-story hangars with aircraft rental rates of $400 to $500 per ing from $10 to $25 per square foot, aircraft, depending on density. On parked and retrieved by the same again, depending on the airport and kind of robotic systems used in the the plus side, the structures would the land arrangement. Pick the mid- automotive, manufacturing and be hurricane resistant and protected dle of that range and a typical 1000- retail industries for automatic inven- against fire by automatic sensing/ex- square -foot T-hangar costs $15,000 tinguishing systems. On the other to erect, with monthly leasehold fees hand, owners wouldn’t have the op- on top of that. Our surveys reveal tion of storing stuff in their hangars that some small hangars suitable for and would depend entirely on an op- singles and light twins cost as much erator to park and retrieve airplanes. as $35,000. At the lower end of the Whitted says the Florida Depart- scale, a $15,000 purchase to store a ment of Transportation has asked for $100,000 airplane isn’t a bad option, in our view. If it’s available, that is. a proposal to build a small test proj- An open-ended fabric shade ect for the Av Stak system. For more information, contact 727-343-6890. continued on page 31

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February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 2 3 u s e d a i r c r a ft g u i d e

Cessna Cardinal RG Thirty years after emerging from the factory, these singles still look sleek and modern. Performance and market prices are respectable but to avoid headaches with the landing gear, shop for a later model.

o some, the Cessna 177 Cardi- Cardinals—both fixed and retract- With no clunky struts and the gear nal RG is the sleekest and most able—have one more big advantage: in the wells, Chris Thompson’s Tattractive piston single Cessna an owner organization, Cardinal 1977 Cardinal RG looks as sleek ever built. The Cardinal RG shares Flyers Online (CFO), that many say its fixed-gear sibling’s strutless wing, is the most active and supportive as anything flying. (Photo by Matt rakish cowl and windshield, along owner organization in general avia- Lilienthal.) with a seating position that lets the tion. pilot see past the leading edge of the control surface. The RG, however, wing, while allowing all four occu- History started and stayed with a fuel inject- pants to ride in the shade. The Cardinal RG is basically the ed 200-HP Lycoming IO-360 engine Many say that it’s also the best same airframe as the fixed-gear and had the leading-edge slots in the compromise for its class: faster than Cardinal. This may not have been a stabilator from the get-go. all but the Mooney, roomier The larger engine gives the than all but the Beech Sierra, Cardinal RG a welcome boost better useful load than any and Many say the Cardinal RG is the best in gross weight compared to very hard to load out of CG. the fixed-gear airplane (2800 Of course, it’s also had its compromise in its class. Faster than vs. 2500 pounds), although share of problems. The landing empty weights are higher as gear has been a major weak most, with a high useful load and well. The net gain in useful point, although owners point hard to load out of CG. load is about 100 pounds. out that with good mainte- The competition in 200-HP nance, the landing gear is no four-seat retractables at the more problematic than any other favor to the RG, since the fixed-gear time of the Cardinal RG’s introduc- aircraft. The fuel system also had model, introduced in 1968, had a tion in 1971 was fierce. Piper had early problems, which were fixed number of well-publicized problems been building its successful Arrow about halfway through the model that took a couple of years to sort for four years, Mooney was well life. And finding good maintenance out. The lack of power in the origi- established with various flavors of is an issue. With a relatively small nal FG Cardinal (150 HP) was fixed the M20 and Beech had just started population, there are many more with an upgrade to 180 HP. Reduced selling the Sierra. It was a lucrative mechanics who claim to know the stabilator authority in the flare was market segment, attracting buyers Cardinal RG than really do. fixed with leading-edge slots in the wanting a high-performance single

2 4 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 cessna 177 cardinal RG 8 ft. 6 in.

27 ft. 3 in.

35 ft. 6 in. Photo: Mark Remaley Drawings courtesy www.schemedesigners.com

cessna 177 cardinal rg model history Model Year Engine TBO Overhaul Fuel Useful load Cruise Typical Retail 1971 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6 2000 $22,000 50 1170 135-140 KTS $58,000 1972 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6 2000 $22,000 50 1155 135-140 KTS $59,000 1973 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 1140 135-140 KTS $60,000 1974 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 TOTAL1140 DRAG 135-140 KTS $61,000 1975 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 1120 135-140 KTS $63,000 1976 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 1093 135-140 KTS $66,000 1977 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 1093 135-140 KTS $68,000 1978 177 cardinal rg 200-hp lyc. io-360-a1b6D 2000 $22,000 60 1093 135-140 KTS $70 ,000

CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG RESALE select recent ads 70 K 1971 177RG 1977 177RG AD 00-06-01 fuel strainer replacement 60 K AD 97-01-13 fuel, oil, hydraulic hoses 50 K AD 88-12-12 FUEL STRAINER 40 K QUICK DRAIN CONTROL DATA: WINTER 2006 30 K AIRCRAFT BLUEBOOK PRICE AD 87-20-03 seat tracks (all cessnas) DIGEST 20 K 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 AD-86-24-07 ENGINE CONTROL MODIFICATION

SELECT LATE-MODEL comparisons

PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL CRUISE SPEEDS PRICE COMPARISONS CESSNA CESSNA 177RG 1978 CESSNA 177 RG 177RG CESSNA 177 FG CESSNA 177 FG = Model 1978 177 FG variability PIPER PIPER ARROW ARROW 1978 PIPER ARROW CESSNA 172RG CESSNA 172RG 1980 CESSNA 172 RG MOONEY C,E,F MOONEY C,E,F MOONEY C,E,F BEECH SIERRA BEECH SIERRA 1978 BEECH SIERRA 500 600 700 800 900 100 120 140 160 180 30K 50K 70K 90K

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 2 5 easily maintainable. And finally, in 1978, the aircraft got a 28-volt elec- trical system and an improved gear retraction power pack that cut retrac- tion time in half, to six seconds. Production of the Cardinal RG ended after the 1978 model year, with 1366 aircraft built. Unlike many designs, the 177RG didn’t linger on with production trailing off to a trickle; about 100 airplanes were built that last year. However, in 1978, Cessna introduced the larger, more powerful Skylane RG and it’s likely the manufacturer didn’t want to wind up competing with itself. In- terestingly, 177 Cardinals were built in France under contract and oc- casionally turn up in the U.S. These were internally corrosion proofed with zinc chromate. Cabin Cessnas are big favorites with pas- The Cardinal’s IO-360 Lycoming is step a small improvement. Also, sengers, for several reasons. The cab- one of GA’s more reliable engines. the fixed cabin steps were dropped. ins are generally quite roomy and the Other than cam problems, its only They tended to expose the bottom high wing makes for a cool, shady of the fuselage to even more grief if ride as well as a better view. The Car- Achilles’ heel is the Bendix dual mag. the aircraft landed with the gear up. dinal adds to this with a wider cabin Instead, small foot pads were placed than the 172 or 182, low sill height but without the means to afford a on the main gear struts. In addition, and wide doors. more powerful airplane like the Deb- landing and taxi lights were moved But those big doors—four feet onair. Cessna didn’t help itself with from the wing to the nose, a feature wide—can be a problem on windy a base price on the RG of $24,795— that many feel wasn’t an improve- days. They’re fairly light and can fly several thousand dollars more than ment because the higher vibration right out of your hand if they get the Mooneys of the time. levels in the cowl shorten the life of caught by a gust, causing damage to The original fuel system was an cowl-mounted landing lights. the hinge or the skin ahead of the unusual (for Cessna) design that In 1973, the fuel capacity was door, or both. The doors also have had only on and off settings. This raised from 50 gallons to 62 (60 proven to be leak-prone. Some of occasionally caused problems, gallons useful), improving the the doors fit too tightly, others too since it’s possible for one tank airplane’s flexibility and usefulness loosely, due to either poor quality to empty more quickly than the for instrument flight. Along with the control in production, subsequent other. But ingenious Cardinal RG bigger tanks came a more conven- wind damage, or both. owners have found that this can tional left-both-right-off fuel selec- Air leaks mean cold air and some be resolved in flight with a short tor. The doors sprouted latch pins to Cardinal owners report that the but healthy sideslip. The tanks help hold them closed in flight and back seat gets pretty chilly despite then feed equally for the remain- the cowl was streamlined. Cessna’s attempts to warm things up der of the flight. The problem also Prior to 1976, the instrument with heater ducts. Careful sealing of occurs in later models with left- panel was higher in front of the pilot potential air leaks in the cabin can both-right-off fuel selectors, but than the right-seat passenger. This bring some improvement, but a lap here, the fix is simply to switch to was nice for the passenger but lim- blanket for backseat passengers is the fuller tank for a few minutes. ited panel space for added avionics. useful when the ambient tempera- There were several minor improve- In 1976, the instrument panel was ture falls below zero. ments to the Cardinal RG during redesigned and enlarged and a sim- Many owners assume that if the its production run. The 1972 model plified landing gear hydraulic system door leaks air it also leaks water. The gained a few knots in cruise and a was offered. This gear configuration windshield has also been implicated slightly better climb rate thanks to was maintained through the end of in water leaks. But water leaks, for a new prop. The gear system also production except for the powerpack the most part, seem to come from gained some improvements, with change in 1978. For the 1977 model, the fairing joint at the wing root and mechanical switches moving to a the aircraft received a fuel selector owners and mechanics have come up more trouble-free magnetic setup. that gave it commonality with other with a fix for this leak that owners Both the hydraulic and electri- Cessna singles, had a more positive can do easily. Still, many owners find cal control systems changed, each detent and was supposed to be more a hand towel is a useful checklist

2 6 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 item for IFR flight. As noted earlier, visibility from the front seats is among the best in any Cessna. With the seats slid forward into flight position, the pilot sits about even with the wing’s leading edge. This allows a view around the wing during maneuvering. The seats themselves could be ordered with vertical height adjusters—a boon to both short and tall pilots. At the other end of the cabin, the baggage compartment is, to put it mildly, oddly shaped. Cessna had to put the wheels somewhere and they wound up in the baggage bay. The usual Cessna cavern has a big hump in the middle of it, right next to the bag- gage door. This sounds worse that it is in practice. The baggage compartment holds a huge volume and Cardinal RG owners use the hump as a divider. The place retractable. Landing distance baggage door is wide, but what won’t over a 50-foot obstacle is a claimed fit through the baggage door will go in 1220 feet, shortest in its class. over the backseats. Despite the higher horsepower, One owner commented: “We had the Cardinal RG’s takeoff perfor- occasion to stuff the entire contents mance (T/O Roll: 890 feet, T/O over of a freshman girl’s dorm room into an obstacle: 1585 feet) falls short of the baggage compartment one time. the later fixed-gear Cardinals (T/O Well OK, her trunk had to go into Roll: 750 feet, over an obstacle 1400 the backseat, but everything else feet). While some of this is due to went into the baggage compartment. the higher gross weight, another fac- Try that in your Mooney.” tor is the large nosegear door that sits An interesting exercise is to try to immediately behind the propeller The above should be a periodic load a Cardinal RG out of CG. It’s when the gear is down. Cardinal RG experience for Cardinal owners. The tough to do. You are more likely to pilots say they can tell if the nosege- gear system can be reliable, but only go out the front end of the envelope ar is down without looking at the than the back, especially with a gear lights simply by the vibration if it’s treated to occasional preven- heavy pilot and instructor and no the gear door induces. This vibration tive maintenance. (Photos courtesy baggage. In the Cardinal RG, at least, also means that the nosegear door Keith Peterson.) the 25 to 50 pounds of undefined hinge is an item to watch for wear. “stuff” most of us leave in the bag- Because all three gear legs retract gage compartment becomes useful to aft, there is a noticeable pitch-trim Cardinal RG has been the subject counteract forward-CG problems. change during both extension and re- of a lot of discussion. While it’s less traction. On takeoff, experienced own- sensitive than some other stabila- Performance ers take advantage of this by letting the tor-equipped aircraft, it’s much more Pilots say that the Cardinal RG aircraft accelerate to the target climb sensitive than the stabilizer/elevator makes for a good, stable instru- speed and then retracting the gear. The combination that most Cessna pilots ment platform, but it’s still nimble. change in CG brings the aircraft into know and love. More than a few “Compared to a Skylane RG,” said climb attitude with almost no input folks transitioning from the 172 or one, “it’s like a sports car.” As noted required from the pilot. 182 to the Cardinal RG have embar- above, the speed is good in its class, The pitch change during gear rassed themselves by crow-hopping although not up to that of the extension is easily canceled by lower- down the runway. A good checkout Mooney. Owners report cruise of ing 10 degrees of flaps at the same with careful attention to the special about 140 to 145 knots at 11 to 12 time. In IMC, some pilots like to needs of the stabilator is a must, but GPH, or about 135 knots at 9 to 10 take advantage of the gear’s drag and once mastered it becomes a non-is- GPH. The RG doesn’t get its speed pitch change by lowering it right at sue. from raw power, so proper rigging is the outer marker. If you set up your important in obtaining book speeds. speed carefully in advance, you will That Landing Gear Cessna’s flaps are among the big- find that only slight power adjust- Through the eight years of its pro- gest in the business and the Cardi- ments are necessary to maintain duction, the Cardinal had four differ- nal RG uses them to get respectable a stabilized descent on a 3-degree ent landing gear systems, as Cessna short-field performance for a four- glideslope. The stabilator in the strived to correct all its quirks. Major

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 2 7 one to choose if cost considerations ACCIDENT SCAN: oddballs and engines and availability permit—only 100 One challenge in reviewing the think that indicates that owners are RGs were built in 1978. There are accident history of the Cessna either keeping up the maintenance other landing gear issues too, not 177RG is that there aren’t that or the gear isn’t as troublesome as related to the hydraulics. The most many of them so the number of we sometimes think. For example, serious is the main gear actuating accidents is relatively low. In the we see many more reported gear cylinder rod ends, which had a nasty 12-year period between 1992 problems in the Cessna 210. habit of breaking off at inopportune and 2004, we found only 76 RG The bad news is the Lycoming moments, rendering the main gear mishaps, the results of which are IO-360. In this sweep of accident inoperative. Actually, the main gear summarized here. Twenty-one records, we generously excluded dropped to in-trail position and for a percent of these involved fatalities, maintenance-related engine stop- while, there was talk about carrying a relatively low number compared page reports from the engine- boathooks to reach down and pull it to other airplanes in this class. failure category. (We lumped into the locks. But replacing the rod We found both good news and those into the “other” category.) ends is a more permanent solution. bad news in the accident history. We found two reports of engine Have your mechanic check for grease First the good. Although it has failures due to the governor gasket zerk fittings on the rod ends. If they quirky, maintenance-intensive issue, for instance. We could blame are there, you have the old rod ends. landing gear, we found only two those on the engine, but this time, At any rate, buyers should check to incidents in which landing gear we blamed the mechanic. see which, if any, of Cessna’s recom- failure or design weakness were Nonetheless, as an accident mended service instructions have cited as potential causes. This is a cause, engine failure—sometimes been applied to the model being lower incidence than we’ve seen unexplained—finished in third considered. There are at least eight of with other Cessna models and we place, relatively unusual for singles. them, including numbers 71-41, 72- Had we lumped in the exclusions, 26, 73-28, 74-26, 75-25, 76-4, 76-7 accidENT suMMary it would have finished second. We and 77-20. other (37%) have noticed the same pattern in The landing gear raises the issue R-LOC (16%) the Mooney M20 and Piper Ar- of proper maintenance. Experienced row series using the same engine. Cardinal RG owners will tell you ENGINE (13%) We don’t have a ready explanation that properly maintained, the land- vfr-into-imc (8%) for this, but it’s a noticeable and ing gear is every bit as reliable as CFIT (8%) persistent pattern in the data. It the gear on any other aircraft. The gear-up (5%) may relate as much to pilot train- problem is finding a mechanic who FUEL EXHAUSTION (5%) ing, habits and predilections with really understands the landing gear, STALL related (4%) regard to other accident causes as as well as the rest of the airplane. it does the engine itself. We simply Proper rigging of the gear is set forth fuel contamination (3%) don’t have enough supporting data in great detail in the maintenance to pin this down with confidence. manual and careful adherence to these procedures usually results in a reliable landing gear system. This is components remained the same but Cessna, the early Cardinal gear sys- where the owner organization proves plumbing and controls evolved. The tems benefit from a mechanic with its worth, with a lot of useful and first, most problem-plagued one on prior Cardinal knowledge. detailed advice as well as referrals to the 1971 and 1972 Cardinal RGs, In 1976, Cessna finally got it knowledgeable Cardinal mechanics. was a Rube Goldberg combination of right, removing all of the electrics electrical and hydraulic components. from the gear system in favor of Other Maintenance Issues Its weakest links were electrically fully hydraulic gear using only two The Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D engine actuated main gear downlocks and switches: a pressure switch to control in the 1973 to 1978 Cardinal RGs mechanical position switches. the hydroelectric gear pump and a has a couple of notable idiosyncra- The 1973 Cardinals got magnetic squat switch to keep the gear down sies. One is that it uses the infamous position sensing switches which held while on the ground. While any of dual magneto that puts two mag- up better to the elements, hydraulic these gear systems are dependable if netos on a single shaft, making the downlock actuators that improved properly maintained, 1976 and later shaft a potential single-point failure reliability and direct control of the Cardinal owners are most likely to item that can rob you of all engine gear movement through a hydraulic report a fully trouble-free ownership power instantly if it fails. valve rather than an electric switch. experience. The Cardinal RG is not the only By 1974, the hydraulic system was Finally, with the 1978 models, the aircraft using a dual-magneto engine almost completely in control of the 12-volt Prestolite hydraulic power — some Mooney models and Beech gear, although a complex electrical packs were eliminated in favor of Duchess models do also. The 1971 control system remained. There are a 24-volt power pack of Cessna’s Cardinal RG used the IO-360-A1B6 many stories told about Cardinal design. This has proved to be the engine, with separate magnetos. This gear issues, most of them inaccurate, most satisfactory of all the gear engine is approved for all Cardi- but perhaps more than any other systems and, of course, would be the nal RGs, but getting an exchange

2 8 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 at overhaul time can be costly. The dual-magneto engines were recently a subject of Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin NE-06-08, which alerted owners and mechan- ics to a prop governor hazard that “could result in loss of engine oil leading to engine failure.” Not only could it, it has. The oil loss results from omission of a plate between the prop governor drive pad and the prop governor itself. The plate is between two gaskets and is often thrown away with the gaskets when the old governor is removed. Unfor- tunately, the gasket without the plate often takes 15 minutes or so to fail, setting up the pilot for an off-airport landing. Owner Organizations One of the biggest selling points for all Cardinals is Cardinal Flyers Online (CFO). This model-specific organization with over 2000 mem- Cardinals are renowned for their bers maintains a large and complete barnlike cabin doors, as shown in Website (www.cardinalflyers.com) Ken Towl’s 1975 model, above. The that is a treasure trove of data and baggage compartment is awkwardly advice on Cardinals. Much has been contributed by members, but the bisected by a hump to contain the operators of the site, Keith Peter- landing gear, right. Early Cardinals son and Paul Millner, have become have a unique dip-down glareshield, experts in every detail of Cardinals. as shown in the 1972 RG owned by CFO was the first organization to Ross Youngblood, right. call attention to the prop governor plate problem and was instrumental in getting the recent SAIB published. flyer with a turbonormalizing system Most of the fixes or techniques noted from Tornado Alley Turbo at www. in this article have been documented taturbo.com or 888-359-4264. An- on the CFO website. other engine mod is available from In addition to the website, CFO Firewall Forward (www.firewallfor- sends out an almost daily email ward.com or 800-444-0556) to in- digest containing messages from stall high compression pistons in the members, replies from other mem- stock IO-360. Speed modifications bers and comments from both of various kinds are available from Millner and Peterson. Past digests are several sources, including wing tip maintained on the site, with a search mods and fairings for the exhaust facility that lets you search all the pipe. Contact www.aircraftspeed- digests from the most recent (#2851 mods.ca or 204-728-7618 for more Find McCauley at www.mccauley. at this writing) to the earliest digest information. textron.com or or 800-621-7767. in March 1997. Membership in CFO As mentioned on page 4 of this is $34 a year. Many owners find that issue, vortex generators are avail- Owner’s Comments the Cessna Pilots Association (www. able for the Cardinal from Micro This Cardinal RG is my third aircraft cessna.org) is also a good source of Aerodynamics at www.microaero. (following a 1979 Warrior II and assistance. com or 800-677-2370. Owners re- 1977 Arrow III, both purchased al- port good results with these mods. most new). I use N1587H for carry- MODS Along the same lines, Horton ing machinery throughout the east- Because it attracts somewhat of a makes a STOL kit. Contact Horton ern U.S., as well as for holiday trips. cult following, the Cardinal has also at www.airsport.com. My enthusiasm for the 177RG is attracted quite a few modifications Hartzell and McCauley continue tempered only by what it has cost me over the years, with some shops spe- to offer good deals on three-blade to bring a 30-year-old, neglected bird cializing in the type. You can turn prop conversions. Contact www. into acceptable condition. I wouldn’t the airplane into a fast flight level hartztellprop.com or 937-778-4376. have attempted the task without the

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 2 9 plan for 132 knots. I try to limit each leg to approximately 3 to 3.5 hours, but that has more to do with the size of my bladder than fuel burn. As with any airplane, there are some downsides to the Cardinal RG: 1. The rear seat is cold in the winter months. This is due to the combination of the big doors that don’t seal very well and a poor heat- ing system design. 2. Hot weather (80-degrees plus) tends to kill rate of climb to a boring 200 FPM with full fuel and three on board. Put the temperature in the 70-degree range and she’ll climb at about 500 FPM. Temperature in the 60s and below will provide a won- derful 1000 FPM rate. 3. One of the very common prob- Mark Remaley has used Cardinals suggestions. Other than that, flying lems is an uneven fuel burn. Early in his aerial photography business the RG is simply delightful, but not models like mine have a fuel selector for years and sent this photo of a delightfully simple. It calls for well- that is “on-off-both.” I have learned Michigan-based 1977 model. developed and practiced operating to overcome the problem during the procedures, but it repays the compe- preflight. I remove the fuel caps from tent pilot with great traveling perfor- both tanks. detailed technical information and mance, especially after the first hour I then find the weep hole about support available through Cardinal of fuel is burned off. four inches in from the vent opening Flyers Online. If you want to tell My carefully rigged RG trues and block it with one finger while people anything about Cardinals, get around 160 to 162 MPH rich of peak blowing into the vent as though I them to the CFO website. (10+ GPH) around 155 MPH lean were playing a wind instrument. I The 177 cabin is very spacious for of peak on about 8 GPH. Most of stop the process when I can hear the its class and its great visibility and my trips are solo with 300 to 400 fuel gurgling in the opposite tank. legroom make it very popular with pounds of payload, plus charts, I repeat the process on the other backseat passengers. The strutless tools, baggage and full fuel, using side, replace the caps and go. This design, with low sills and wide- most of the 1037 pound useful load. usually works very well with the opening doors, make passenger and Cruising lean of peak, the 60 gallons resultant even fuel burn. machine loading a breeze. available provide far more endurance 4. The big doors can be difficult The baggage compartment is than I want to use. on windy days. I generally make divided by the landing gear, but it the right seaters wait for me to exit carries a remarkable volume and the Ken Towl and walk around the airplane to rear seat can easily be removed for Via e-mail open and hold the door. Because of more space as required. For example, the sleek, strutless design coupled two beach chairs, three large suitcas- This was my first injected engine with the big doors, it doesn’t take es, groceries and linens for a week, and I always hated the hot start. much wind to rip the door out of normal tools, oil, chocks and covers. The problem was cured with a your hand. If the wind is strong And did I mention the two full-size LASAR Ignition System. My me- enough, it can fold the door back bicycles? chanic put her up on jacks for a against the forward fuselage, which As far as operating costs, I’ve aver- gear swing during the first annual. is a costly repair. aged about $25/hour on fuel and We found that the nosegear door oil. Insurance now costs me just over did not close properly and that an Fred Coste $1400 per year for $80,000 hull and item called a “snubber” was miss- Via e-mail $1 million smooth, a few hundred ing from the lower cowling. We less than when I had no time in replaced all the hydraulic hoses, We have owned N177BS for 10 years. type. (I have something over 1000 cowl flap hinges, the gear door We bought it as a salvage airplane hours, instrument rating, annual with hinges and added the snub- and it has become a labor of love. recurrent training and an outside ber back. I was surprised that these The restoration has gone well and we tiedown.) changes resulted in about a 4-knot have won several awards at Cardinal There are two tasks that can trip speed increase. fly-ins around the country. up new Cardinal pilots: planning I generally burn 9 to 10.2 gallons We are active members of Car- descents and flaring for landing. per hour, depending upon power set- dinal Flyers Online. Their Website Newbies need only refer to the CFO ting. At 25 inches squared, I cruise is a goldmine of knowledge and is site for thorough discussions and in the 155 to 160 MPH range. I flight a must for a Cardinal owner. Not

3 0 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 only are there people that write in plane. It is a joy to maintain and with tips on care and maintenance, fly. The RG is definitely a cross- but also resources for complete care country airplane. It was built to go. of the Cardinal. We couldn’t do If you want to stay in the pattern, without it! get something else. This airplane The retractable Cardinal is a almost demands to be flown places. READER SERVICES beautiful airplane in flight and We have the long range, 62-gallon looks fast just sitting on the tanks. Often we fly four hours and TO VIEW OUR WEB SITE ramp. Our fuel burn is less than could fly longer except for physi- Visit us at: 10 GPH on a cross-country. Very ological factors. www.aviationconsumer.com economical to maintain. There’s During my time, I have owned 13 one thing that we recommend: planes. My last was a Turbo 210. For FOR BACK ISSUES Be proactive in the maintenance. us, the Cardinal RG is a perfect bal- See: If the owner does his job and ance between economics, comfort www.aviationconsumer.com/backissues follows up on the checks and and speed. We cruise at 135 to 145 FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR changes the hydraulic hoses ev- knots and travel from Florida, the ery five years or so, there will be Bahamas, Texas and all over the SUBSCRIPTION: no problems. As far as we know, East Coast. Phone us at: 800-829-9081 there have been no ADs on the landing gear. In fact, there are Jimmy and Sandy Honeycutt TO CHANGE YOUR MAILING OR very few problems with the air- Via e-mail E-MAIL ADDRESS, RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR TO CHECK PAYMENT STATUS, VISIT OUR soft hangars An open-ended fabric sunshade ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE: is appealing, in our view. It can (continued from page 22) be built for about a third less than Log on at: a typical $15,000 metal hangar, www.aviationconsumer.com/cs hangar such as the Big Top model requires minimal site work and To change your address by mail, pictured on page 20 can be erected you can save money by erecting it attach your present mailing label for about $10,000. Unlike a T-han- yourself. If it’s anchored, you’ll need to this form (or a copy of this form) gar, it can be built as a free-standing permitting, but whether anchored or enter your new address below and mail structure, if the airport will allow it. not, you can take it with you if you it to: For those airports that will, a free- leave. standing hangar may be the only Further, at some airports, individ- THE AVIATION CONSUMER short-term solution. ual owners may be able to erect free- P.O. Box 420235 In 15 years time, a fabric hangar standing fabric sunshades on their PALM COAST, FL 32142 may need replacement fabric, cost- own, where an individual metal han- ing about a quarter to half of the gar or a block of hangars wouldn’t be original cost. (If you don’t plan to an option. In our view, that’s better Name______keep it that long, this may not be than letting the airplane bake in the Company______a consideration.) Resale potential sun, hammered by rain and hail or Address______of soft hangars is an unknown but buried in snow. And therein lies the metal hangars at airports with long allure of soft hangars. Address 2______waiting lists are quickly snapped up City______when put on the market and most at State______Zip:______least hold their purchase value, if not Ben Barnard is Aviation Consumer’s a higher resale value. assistant editor. E-mail______Bottom line: If you want a fully To order or renew a subscription, enclosed hangar, we think conven- enter your name and address above and tional metal construction is the Contacts... check the subscription term you prefer: better way to go, if you can make it Big Top Manufacturing [ ] 1 year (12 issues) $69 work. It’s competitive in cost and if 800-277-8677 [ ] 6 months (6 issues) $34.50 built to the latest hurricane codes, www.bigtopshelters.com [ ] Check enclosed [ ] AMEX more durable. Depending on local [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa codes, fully enclosed fabric struc- Shelter Structures Card #______tures may require just as much site www.weatherblockshelters.com Expiration Date______work—concrete footers and floors— 800-330-9294 Signature______as a metal hangar so savings for the equivalent protection are elusive. Fabric Structures-USA YOUR RENEWAL Metal hangars also have moisture www.fabricstructures-usa.com IS JUST A CLICK AWAY! issues, but far less so then enclosed 800-424-5609 www.aviationconsumer.com fabric structures.

February 2006 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 3 1 feedback wanted piper super cub

For the April 2006 issue of Avia- tion Consumer, our Used Aircraft Guide will be on the Piper Super Cub. We want to know what it’s like to own these hardworking taildraggers, how much they cost handling is an unqualified safety VGs to operate, maintain and insure enhancer, in our estimation. For that and what they’re like to fly. (continued from page 8) reason, as a safety mod, we would put VGs right up there with shoulder If you’d like your airplane to an uncoordinated stall leads to a harnesses for all of the seats. appear in the magazine, send us rapid yaw, roll and pitch down, any photographs you’d care to often resulting in ground impact share. We accept digital photos in at low altitude. This phenomenon Rick Durden is an Aviation Consumer the tif or jpg format, e-mailed to has come to be known as a “moose contributing editor. the address below. We welcome stall” in Alaska, a unique mishap information on mods, support that plagues pilots doing game spot- organizations or any other perti- ting at low altitude. Owners tell us letters nent comments. Please send cor- VGs change this behavior from a respondence on the Super Cub by sharp break to a more gentle bob- (continued from page 3) bing, giving the pilot time to recover February 15, 2006 to: before impact. ated signals that a receiver reads and Aviation Consumer pauses, usually during a scanning process. P.O. Box 575 Conclusion Most receivers have at least a few of these. Laurel, FL 34272 While it may be true that VGs are Cross modulation is a form of interfer- or e-mail at: engineering crutches that correct ence caused when one modulated signal [email protected] compromised wing design, after fly- impinges on another. It can cause distor- ing VG-equipped airplanes and inter- tion or poor audio or transmission qual- viewing owners, we believe they work ity. How well it’s controlled is often a The folding pedals, while a little as claimed. We found no evidence function of circuit design. detail, really help with the fit. that the manufacturers are exaggerat- My wife and I ride them all day ing performance claims, although Bike Friday long. They’re even more comfort- performance is likely to vary case by Your article on folding bicycles able than my regular, full-size bike. case. left off one of the best companies Most weekends during the summer For twins, VGs are an inexpensive in the field—Bike Friday (www. and fall we load the bikes and take way to improve low-speed handling, bikefriday.com). They have over off for a fly/ride day trip. The bikes control and to reduce Vmc, thus 40 models of folding bikes rang- are a pleasure to ride. We are not increasing the level of safety. Period. ing from $695 to over $5000. Their into distance or speed, just an en- We think they’re among the top safety selection includes touring, road, joyable ride with nice scenery and/ items any twin owner should have. mountain and recumbent folders. or interesting towns. And the best For singles, VGs seem to give most of You can get various sizes to ensure part is that we get to spend time do- the benefits of a STOL kit, without a comfortable fit. They even have ing two things we enjoy—flying and the added weight, with improved low- tandem folding bikes. biking. speed handling, more docile stalls After trying several models of and increased control effectiveness folding bicycles, my wife purchased David Fisher that pays off in crosswinds. Maybe two Bike Fridays for our Cessna Brookline, Massachusetts you need those benefits, maybe you 182. I can fit both of them into the don’t. baggage compartment and still have Actually, we contacted Bike Friday But maneuvering and landing ac- room for a couple of bike bags, sup- during our research and the company cidents account for the largest pro- port gear and the helmets. It takes told us it didn’t have a suitable product portion of general aviation accidents about five minutes to set them up in our stated price range. They’ve since and any modification that lowers or fold them and I can get them changed their mind and are sending a stall speed and improves low-speed through the airplane’s baggage door. bike for a follow-up review.

3 2 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006