Vortex Generators: High-Value Safety Enhancers
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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 IRSIRS TT WW O O RDRD 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 2 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com2 • www.aviationconsumer.com February 2006 LETTE RS 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.