April 2010 Volume XL Number 4

The consumer resource for pilots and aircraft owners

Legend Amphib Respectable performance, good build quality and just crazy fun … page 22

Plastic trumps paper … page 4 JPI’s new monitors… page 8 Actually, it’s even worse than it looks… page 18

4 TABLET EFBs 11 KNEEBOARD ROUNDUP 18 AUTOPILOT NIGHTMARE It’s a tough call to pick a true For a place to write and keep a In case you haven’t noticed, winner, but ChartCase is it pen, we like Sporty’s Classic. the AP market is just a mess 8 JPI’S NEW 730/830 14 BARGAIN RETRACTS 24 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE: Sophisticated new monitors That’s all of them these days. Practicality and durability are are ideal for tight panels The Arrow is a top pick why the Piper Archer endures FIRST WORD

EDITOR Paul Bertorelli Blue Screen of Death in the Cockpit Maybe I emit some kind of weird electromagnetic field, but it seems if there’s MANAGING EDITOR a way to get a computer to crash, I’ll find it. Back in my dot.com, tech-writer Jeff Van West days people loved to have me beta test software because I’d break it within five minutes. I’ve even found bugs in MFDs weeks before certification. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS This knack held right into our EFB trials that you’ll see on page four. We Jeb Burnside had started up the engine and I was having trouble getting the device to Jonathan Doolittle respond correctly. Simple solution: reboot. Not a big deal as it boots up pretty Rick Durden fast—except that it wouldn’t shut down. It sat there running … and running Larry Anglisano … still running. Finally, the taskbar disappeared and the shutdown process commenced. Then the reason for the long delay became crystal clear: “Do not SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT shut off your computer. Windows is installing updates.” P.O. Box 420235 Installing updates? We’re taxiing to the runway for freakin’ takeoff and the Palm Coast, FL 34142-0235 test device is installing updates? No one had turned off the automatic updates 800-829-9081 for this tablet computer and it www.aviationconsumer.com/cs found some when it updated its navigation data back at the FOR CANADA Subscription Services office. There was nothing to do Box 7820 STN Main but wait. Good thing we weren’t London, ON 5W1 depending on it for a taxi dia- Canada gram or local frequencies. This kind of thing is sadly Back Issues, Used Aircraft Guides common when testing cockpit 203-857-3100 devices based on off-the-shelf consumer electronics. The stuff REPRINTS: Aviation Consumer can works almost all the time. I had provide you or your organization with reprints. Minimum order is 1000 a ’76 Rabbit that worked almost copies. Contact Jennifer Jimolka, all the time, too, and I get the 203-857-3144 same feeling about using one of these EFBs as my primary chart AVIATION CONSUMER reader and map during an in- (ISSN #0147-9911) is pub- strument approach that I used to lished monthly by Belvoir get driving that Rabbit through Aviation Group LLC, an South Boston at two a.m. affiliate of Belvoir Media It’s a tradeoff. These EFBs offer Group, 800 Connecti- far more capability at a much cut Avenue, Norwalk, CT lower cost than a Garmin 696. 06854-1631. Robert Englander, Chairman But I’ve never worried about a and CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice purpose-built, aviation GPS crash- President, Editorial Director; Philip L. ing just when I needed it most. OK, Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg King, I admit, they do fail and every electronic device needs a backup. But I bet if Executive Vice President, Marketing Direc- you polled 20 users of a Garmin or Honeywell portable GPS you’d be lucky to tor; Ron Goldberg, Chief Financial Officer; find one who had seen the unit completely fail. Do the same with folks who Tom Canfield, Vice President, Circulation. use laptop software—and that’s what these EFBs are—and you’d be lucky to find one who had never seen a lockup requiring a restart. Periodicals postage paid at Norwalk, CT, There’s a second level of annoyance with these devices. Some functions are and at additional mailing offices. Rev- an almost fit because the hardware just wasn’t quite designed for it. Most avia- enue Canada GST Account #128044658. tion portables have built-in GPS. These EFBs require Bluetooth connections to Subscriptions: $84 annually; single cop- separate GPS units. Not a big deal, but it’s one more thing to charge, to carry, ies, $10.00. Bulk rate subscriptions for to fail to connect. The touch screens sometimes have trouble distinguishing organizations are available. Copyright © between a tap and a drag, especially in turbulence. I happen to have a Garmin 2010 Belvoir Aviation Group LLC. All rights aera and Honeywell AV8OR in my office now, too. Neither of these devices has that problem with their touchscreens. But, then again, I can’t check my email reserved. Reproduction in whole or in in the FBO with an aera or AV8OR either. part is prohibited. Printed in the USA. The simple fact is that I’m willing to put up with a lot more futzing and instability in the comfort of my office chair than I am while wrapped in alu- Postmaster: Send address corrections to minum and moving three miles a minute. For me, the value of these EFBs still AVIATION CONSUMER, Box 420234, Palm falls short of overcoming the annoyance on any of the options available today. Coast, Fl 32142. In Canada, P.O. Box 39 A factor in that might be my flair for making computers crash. I prefer Norwich, ON NOJ1PO, Canada. Publishing avoiding crashes of any kind when it comes to airplanes. —Jeff Van West Agreement Number #40016479

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

Cirrus Comments from Amazon and although you free copy of Voyager, I find myself Nice article in the February 2010 is- can’t use it to clobber someone over using Fltplan.com which is free and sue on the Cirrus SR20. I would like the head as you could with a six extremely straight forward. It has 95 to add some comments/corrections. D-cell mag lite, it does everything percent of the features I need. I own the number two all-electric else and more. One additional comment on SR20 (s/n 1269) having taken deliv- This delivers four different levels EFB’s: I purchased a Kindle DX as a ery in January 2003 (boy, was it cold of light: Low, which is perfect for result of your article a few months up there then). I have 650 hours on cockpit use, medium and high, ago. While it stores everything but it now and generally have been very which are better for preflighting at charts and is fairly easy to navigate pleased with it. night. The highest use is the “turbo” and the display is about the same You mentioned mode, which size as a chart, it is not as easy to a $1200 cost u S ed aiRCRaft guide delivers 180 uviewS ed aiRCR asaft guidea paper chart because the for replacement Cirrus SR20 lumens (with contrast just isn’t there. The “baby” Cirrus comes in many different flavors, but all offer of the reefing good speed, comfort, economy and, of course, a parachute. two AA batter- I have no problem reading books cutters every ies) but only on the Kindle, but reading an six years. There for an hour or approach plate requires a flashlight are two of these so. (even in daylight) or a magnifying and at slightly It’s made glass. Keep up the good work; a over $1000 each, in China like great magazine even for us King Air it’s slightly over everything drivers. nly 10 years ago, the idea of a has a lot going for it: It is comfort- stuff,” Alan Klapmeier told us in a certificated, “plastic” airplane able, is relatively economical to 1997 interview. “Making it too hard $2000 to do the Ohad many old-timers shaking acquire and operate, has simple to fly is not a good value.” else, but it has their heads in skepticism. It looks systems, comes with a well-defined What eventually became the Cir- kind of interesting, but no “real” support network and is faster than rus SR20 emerged from that philoso- pilot would want of those things— much of its direct competition. Later phy and, from the beginning, was a job. The number it’s got a parachute, fergawd’s sake! models feature the most-modern different airplane. In addition to the a quality, mili- Frank Singer Today, the Cirrus SR20—and espe- technology available in personal materials used for construction, its cially its big brother, the SR22—have aircraft. Refinements continue to be side-stick controller, swing-up doors two alternator upended traditional ideas of what a applied, not just to the instrument and then-state-of-the-art multi-func- tary-grade feel Huntington Beach, California personal airplane should look like, panels but also to major airframe tion display immediately set it apart how it should be used and how it components. Oh, and it has an air- from the traditional airplanes com- should be equipped. frame parachute, too. ing from Wichita and Vero Beach. is a 20-amp B The SR20 could be thought of Ten years in the making, the mar- The most innovative detail, how- to it. The bat- as the product that started chang- ket for used SR20s is mature enough ever, and the one garnering all the ing how the industry thinks of a to make it a very real option for attention in the months and years modern personal airplane. Those buyers considering more traditional leading up to the SR20’s certifica- & C unit, same changes have been evolutionary, designs offering less. tion, was the Klapmeiers’ insistence teries probably That Ain’t No Rocket not revolutionary. For example, every Cirrus sold would come with the early SR20s, in fact, retained HiStORy an airframe parachute as standard the too-familiar vacuum-powered Cirrus Design began life offering equipment. Their desire stemmed as used on the “steam gauge” flight instruments, a kit for the VK30, a composite from a 1985 mid-air collision involv- won’t last very It’s hard to fool a Mooniac. That’s not albeit complemented by a large piston-single pusher seating five. ing Alan Klapmeier, which resulted multifunction display. Today’s copies By 1993, company founders—and in the other pilot’s death. Based have eliminated the vacuum system brothers—Alan and Dale Klapmeier on that experience, the Klapmeiers Bonanza, not the and gone all-electric, with full glass announced kits were a dead end realized no matter how well-trained long unless a Rocket on page 29 of the March is- panels; steam gauges are only there for them. Even so, they maintained or experienced one might be, there for backup. And even if the SR20 traditional airplanes from Cessna, were situations where there was responds respectably for its horse- Piper and others were too hard to fly, nothing a pilot could do to save the 35-amp unit you power, performance didn’t break lacked intelligent safety features and airplane, himself or his passengers you use it in sue and it’s not a TSIO-520-NB under new ground, either. failed to push the technological edge unless some kind of “whole-plane” Though living these days in the in both design and manufacturing. parachute was developed. referenced. The shadow of its big brother, the SR20 “We have to lose a lot of this macho The Klapmeiers gambled the the low mode, the cowl, nor is it at K- model. carbon fiber wing 24 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com February 2010 but it uses a That is a Missile with an IO-550- used in the G3 is Cree LED bulb, A5B. That’s a J-model. The giveaway? 50 pounds lighter than the origi- which should last forever and is ex- The scimitar prop! nal wing. That, plus the 50-pound traordinarily bright if you need it. increase in gross weight gives you a It also has strobe and SOS modes, Rae Willis nice 100-pound increase in useful which you will probably never use, Falmouth Airpark load. but it’s nice to know they are there You mentioned empty weights are if you need them. No idea about the We hate it when you’re right. But you’re typically 2000 pounds. My 2.1 ver- longevity of this light. But it’s only right. sion was 2136 pounds. My airplane $50, it’s small (6 inches long and is not heavily optioned and I think about the diameter of a AA battery) CONTACT US this weight is more typical. and impressively bright. Check it I am mystified by the comment out. I don’t work for the company, Editorial Office of one owner about a sharp wing just love the product. I also have a 941-929-1693 fall off in a stall. All the Cirrus Surefire 9P with an LED modifica- E-mail: [email protected] airplanes I have flown have exhibit- tion and this is better. Subscription Department ed very benign stall characteristics, P.O. Box 420235 probably the best I have ever flown. Name withheld Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 I wonder if one of his stall strips is 800-829-9081 missing. Except for the comments Flight Planning Simplicity above, it was very accurate Great article (as usual) on flight Online Customer Service: planning. I won Seattle’s Voyager in www.aviationconsumer.com/cs Jim Scott a contest a couple of years ago. You Wilmington, Delaware described it very well. It is robust Back Issues, and full of so many features that Used Aircraft Guides: unless used weekly, it becomes dif- 203-857-3100 And The Winner Is... E-mail: customer_service@bel- Thought I’d spare you the trouble ficult to use. They keep adding great voir.com of doing another flashlight article features all the time, making it that and just declare the winner. I think much harder to use. For weekly aviation news it’s the Fenix L2D. It uses two AA They have excellent customer updates, see www.avweb.com batteries, can be had for about $50 service, but even though I have a

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 3 PORTABLES FLIGHT TRIAL Both ChartBook and Skypad use the beefier 2Go machine (on the right). Vista uses the lighter T91.

and that’s why no one solution is the right one for everybody. In all three cases, there’s a flight planning program and we’ve already reviewed those in our January 2010 issue. The three contenders here come from the same companies—Flight Prep, RMS Flitesoft and Seattle Avionics—but now we’re focusing only on the in- flight modules. We’re also looking specifically at the ready-to-fly pack- ages offered by each company. You could roll your own EFB using any of these programs with your computer. There are a couple of global things we can say about all three devices we tested. All have excellent battery life, performing fine on a three- hour flight, but you’ll want to plug them in to ship’s power for best performance. Direct connections to 12V systems run around $50 and Tablet-Based EFBs: 24V systems are over $100 (using a 24V-to-120V inverter is a cheaper solution). All systems update auto- ChartCase Wins by a Nose matically from the internet. These things all weigh between two and three pounds, which gets heavy in What constitutes “best” really depends on how you your hand. Yoke and suction mounts can be had for about $60. All three plan to use the EFB. Power users will prefer the companies have been around for a Voyager Skypad, but we like simplicity in the cockpit. while with solid user bases and good histories of customer support. by Jeff Van West FLIGHTPREP CHARTBOOK We felt immediately at home with e get a steady stream of map GPS—it’s all there. All have the ChartBook running in its inflight requests for reviews of touch-sensitive screens (that work mode. Buttons were big and clear- Welectronic flight bags (EFBs). with gloves on). All are available as ly labeled. The screen is divided In theory, they make sense: all your ready-to-fly solutions and meet the into two major sections (upper and charts and approach plates in one FAA’s requirements as Class 1 or 2 lower or right and left depending on place and geo-referenced so you portrait or landscape view). can see your exact position, up- One combination might be to-date airport information at CHECKLIST your flight plan and a sectional your fingertips and a pre-flight chart. The chart would show planning tool that becomes the Approach plates and charts all in one your aircraft with the option in-flight resource without reen- package and updated automatically. of showing airspeed, altitude tering information. and heading as flight tapes In practice, we’re in a Dick- Support for geo-referenced charts, or as boxes in the corners. ensian “best of times, worst of terrain awareness, datalink weather Another combination might times” state where the tech- and Zaon traffic be an approach plate and a nology is marginally up to terrain-awareness page. Either the task and no one has quite Ease of use, cockpit ergonomics and section can be expanded to fill nailed the software. All three overall reliability is far from perfect. the whole screen with a touch of the solutions we tested for and it’s only two taps to navi- this article get the job done— gate to a different screens. approach charts, sectionals, airport EFBs. The ChartBook plots the aircraft’s information, XM weather, a moving Where they differ is in execution, position on computer-generated

4 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 FULL CONUS COMPANY TECH SPECS HITS MISSES WARRANTY HARDWARE SUBSCRIPTIONS

9.5 x 7.5 x 1.5 in Simple, big buttons, Find function non-standard, One-year (three-year FlightPrep 2.8 pounds highly configurable, tap-intensive for some func- $200; three-year, $1796 $357/year ChartCase 8.9-inch screen fast rendering tions, cost no-fault $400) 9.5 x 7.5 x 1.5 in Limited touchscreen opti- $1200 for Pro Simple, flight panel and Through PC $238/year Pro Flitesoft EFB 2.8 pounds mization, weakest display of $1500 for emergency windows manufacturer only $338/year Comm 8.9-inch screen scanned charts Commercial 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.1 in Powerful, highly configu- Steepest learning curve, $1095 Voyager $299/year 2.1 pounds rable, best data access small type and buttons, One year ($1354 with SkyPad $829 lifetime 8.9-inch screen and integration responsiveness can be slow SS drive) moving maps or sectional, low, high and find functions on the Chart- to narrow the list quickly, but not or TAC charts of your choosing. Book. Nearest is simple enough and intuitive. These are actual scanned charts that shows current bearing and distance, Once waypoints are in your flight zoom and scroll smoothly. One as well as if an instrument approach plan, getting at any information is feature we grew to appreciate was a is available. Selecting an airport and quick, but editing is one waypoint at dedicated “chart” button that flipped hitting direct will insert that airport a time. There is also no easy way to us to the chart of our choice no mat- as your next waypoint and navi- load the waypoints of an instrument ter what screen we had been viewing gate you in that direction (perfect approach into your flight plan, and a moment before. There is a similar for emergencies or diversions). Or there’s no vertical navigation. “IP” button to return to the last load- you could tap the IP button to see ChartCase’s simplicity leads to ed approach plate. It’s another tap to approaches for that airport. some other limitations. Digging see a list of recently-viewed approach But whichever you choose, getting down to get airport frequencies or plates. Ease of navigation is a big the other action to then happen (di- weather details—particularly for an plus in the cockpit, and these quick rect or viewing the plate) confounds airport not on your flight plan—is a switches let us effectively use less- the new user until you get at the more tap-intensive affair than other er features, like the checklist page, logic of ChartCase’s find function, systems. because critical information was one which stores recent finds to access ChartCase has, in our opinion, sure tap away. them later. You can also see Not everything was intuitive approaches for airports within or clear, however. We had a lot of the range you have set on the trouble getting our brains around the map—powerful once you get it interplay between the nearest, direct because you can pan and zoom

ChartCase’s EFB is easy to navigate physically (big buttons) and logically (simple menus). Big fonts also make everything easy to read. The screen can be split into two squares, either of which can be extended to full screen with a touch of a button. What combinations you see on these screens is highly customizable with seven presets. Buttons can be easily minimized, but may still block some data.

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 5 the best 3D representation to buy the latest version of just with terrain warnings, and one sectional chart? Fine, that’s $5 it works quite well with the please. The full CONUS VFR and IFR airspeed/altitude/heading charts (and approach plates) package tapes. Weather display on the is $357/year. Data for the computer dedicated weather page is ex- (vector) charts is free. The popular tensive, but it’s limited on the FlightGuide can be integrated into basic navigation pages. They the airport info for ChartBook for an have new options for layering extra $89/year. data in views for upcoming releases. VOYAGER SKYPAD The hardware used for Seattle Avionics’ Voyager was our the ChartBook is a CTL 2Go top pick for both free and advanced NL1 Tablet PC. The beast was flight planning on the desktop. But designed for children (which the cockpit environment is radically makes it a good choice for the different. Voyager’s flexibility and abuse it’s likely to get in the power that is an asset in the com- cockpit). ChartBook comes fort of our den, we found to be a with either Windows XP or hindrance while we were also busy Windows 7. The touchscreen flying the airplane. Running Voyager flips around so you can use on the Skypad is more like running a built-in keyboard for flight a full-featured FMS than a source for planning or checking your charts and a moving map for situ- email in the FBO. ational awareness. That means lots The ChartBook package of options and power, but a steeper starts at $1795.99, which learning and retention curve. makes it the most expensive We’re convinced that what Skypad solution. XM weather and does well, it does better than anyone Zaon traffic with Bluetooth else. Chief among these is access to connectivity can be added data. On any of the systems, you can for $719.99 and $1589.99, tap an airport on the vector map respectively. to get airport information. On the FlightPrep offers a terrif- SkyPad, you can tap an airport on ically granular system for the sectional and get a pop-up. All purchasing updates. Want the information is easily accessed through tabs—weather, Seattle Avionics’ Skypad offers as frequencies, approach plates, many full-screen or split-screen whatever—as well as options to go direct or insert it in views as you want. The software your flight plan. On a trip is by far the most feature-rich, but from Maryland to Maine that doesn’t equate to ease of use. where we had the ChartBook On-screen buttons are, in our view, and the SkyPad side-by-side barely large enough to control with performing the same tasks, fingers. Skypad excels at finding there was no contest when it came to getting data and waypoints, presenting airport infor- weather for an airport and mation and weather, and editing on working it into our flight the fly. plan. The SkyPad was easier and faster. Sectional and IFR en route charts are stitched together so that you fly off one chart and onto another without no- ticing the border. You can layer weather, obstacles, terrain and much more on most of the charts. Rather than having separate windows for sectional

6 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 RMS Vista’s main page (far right) software does well for simplicity of navigation and clear obstacle and terrain warnings. You can quickly full-screen the main map to get rid of the Windows wrapper, but you lose some navigation buttons. The Flight Panel (near right) is a clever tool for quick reference of things like terrain or the bearing to nearby waypoints. It’s customizable and toggles on and off from the toolbar. or vector charts, you can simply tog- gle the sectional on and off. In fact, this is the basic design of Voyager: You toggle data on and off as you want and can store presets of views you like as layouts. These can be full screen or split-screen. The split can be even sections or a custom divi- sion. You can also navigate by tabs tice to get it right. for different views within a screen. Getting the most out Voyager offers an interesting alter- of several Voyager fea- native to datalink weather. You can tures takes practice. The download weather via the internet direct-to function can before departing and have Voyager be used like any direct paint the weather as forecast for the to, but it also has power current time as you fly. That won’t options for specifying help if weather doesn’t develop as a course or going direct forecast, however. to the nearest point The program offers FlightGuide on a specific airway. If data like ChartCase, but also offers you use these features fuel prices from 100LL.com and regularly, they may make the SkyPad Bluetooth. If you already have an XM AOPA airport data (if you’re a mem- the best choice for you. But we think receiver, there will be a $199 fee for ber). This can make a difference if many users won’t ever touch them. XM integration on the SkyPad. Data you have an unexpected fuel stop. Another example of this might be for the EFB (data, charts, approach- Other features include a scratch- the ability to add not only the final es,) is $299/year or $829 for a life- pad on its own tab for jotting down approach fix and glidepath to the time subscription. You can also get a quick clearance (functional, but runway to your flight plan, but ac- smaller packages, such as just VFR we still prefer paper for this) and a tually add guidance into the down- data for $99/year or $297/lifetime. quick zoom to any scale. If Skypad wind, base and final for a specific Flight Guide is an extra $49/year. sees you on the ground at an airport, runway. It’s a cute feature, but we it automatically shows an airport think having your position marked diagram. Obstacle warnings include on a moving map should be enough continued on page 32 bearing and relative altitude—a nice to get you in position for the appro- plus. There are also several hidden priate downwind. features. For example, tapping just Voyager is processor-intensive and CONTACTS the right spot on an approach plate taxes the Tablet to its limit. Start- FlightPrep (ChartBook) pops up a list of all the other plates up is slow, in our view, and there 800-966-4360 for that airport. Slick, if you remem- can be a noticeable delay rendering www.flightprep.com ber where to tap. some charts—sometimes so long we We found SkyPad weakly opti- thought the computer had crashed. RMS Technologies (Vista) mized for fat fingers and we reverted We learned to be patient. 800-533-3211 to the stylus several times. The text The SkyPad lists for $1095. It’s www.rmstek.com size might also be a problem for an extra $349 to get it with a solid older eyes. The ability to tap and state hard drive. This is essential if Seattle Avionics (Skypad) get info on a scanned chart (like a you fly over 10,000 feet. If you want 425-806-0249 sectional) makes panning across that XM weather with a SkyPad, it’s a bit www.seattleavionics.com same chart tricky. It takes some prac- more than the others at $695 for

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 7 ENGINE MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST

The 730/830 instruments slide right into a large JPI EDM 730/830: instrument hole. The can is offset and will Options for Tight Panels rotate to clear obstacles behind the panel. JPI’s newest all-system engine monitors combine clever The monitor is easily configurable to use rich- packaging with a full feature set. Leaning logic is or lean-of-peak engine especially sophisticated. operation. Only CHT, oil tempera- by Marc Cook ture and TIT are allow- able replacement for s we attempt to keep our and CHT monitoring. Many pilots OEM gauges. legacy aircraft flying longer are familiar with the firm’s 2.25-inch Aand more efficiently, more gauges and while some of them can pilots look to the avionics upgrade include monitoring of other engine path as a means of improving utility parameters besides EGT and CHT, is: The EDM-730/830 monitors are and safety. And while the glass-panel the limited display size reduces the designed to slide right into a large primary flight display and multifunc- number of items you can watch at instrument hole. tion display have both earned their once. Sure, that’s a great idea, but you fair share of attention, it’s also correct On another end of the market haven’t seen everything yet. The front to suggest that the combined engine are those big-screen engine monitor- of the instrument is rectangular—ap- monitor—shorthand for a screen that ing systems, such as JPI’s own EDM- proximately 4.2 inches tall and 3.2 includes powerplant and airframe 930 and EDM-960—both roughly wide—with a 2-inch-deep stub on system monitoring—is on many radio-stack width and around 5 the back that fits into the instrument owners’ radar. Who isn’t eager to get inches tall. hole, similar to the way the Aspen rid of those wiggly needles, anyway? Avionics EFIS takes two vertically J.P. Instruments has been a RIGHT SIZE stacked instrument holes. household name in add-on engine But what if you’re upgrading a Better yet, the stub is not centered monitors, making popular panel and don’t have that kind of on the instrument, meaning that the the bar-graph style of EGT open real estate? It makes sense to have an instrument in between those sizes, The EDM730 can be oriented in preferably one that fits into portrait mode (left) or landscape, a 3.125-inch instrument below. Because the instrument is hole—heck, you have a few of those to spare, offset, it can be rotated to clear right? Well, now there obstructions behind the panel.

8 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 edge distance is different for each has the EGT/CHT bars packed more surface; in turn, this means that you closely together. Also, the display is can install the instrument with any modified when you have a 730 versus of the four sides facing up, and the the 830—the layout reorients to place offset provides more opportunities to useful data where the MP and RPM clear existing instruments or panel displays would be. In the vertical structure. To make that work, the (portrait) layout, MP and RPM form screen can be configured, actually on the upper and lower halves of a the fly, to show the data in any of the circle, but when in the horizontal four orientations. (landscape) mode, they split into two So, what’s it packing? It starts with semicircles side by side, with large all-cylinder CHT and EGT monitor- numeric displays below them. ing—either the 730 or the 830 can be A large single-line display just be- configured for 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9-cylinder low the EGT/CHT bar-graph magni- engines. What’s more, the instrument fies the values of other indications— is self-configuring. Plug in a new you can scroll through the display’s probe, and at power-up the instru- choices with the STEP button. If you ment recognizes it and includes it in have ever used a conventional JPI en- the scan. gine monitor, the 730’s methodology The primary difference between the will be immediately familiar. EDM-730 and 830 is the inclusion of Also on the front panel is the LF manifold pressure and RPM sensors. button, for Lean Find. In default With them, the 830 can also calcu- mode, when you press LF once, the In portrait mode, the 730 packs all late percent of horsepower as long as term ROP will appear, which means of the engine data into a single dis- there’s also an outside-air temp probe it’s entering the Lean Find mode, play, including fuel level and fuel connected. More on that later. expecting you to run the engine rich flow and electrical monitoring. of peak EGT. (If you press and hold SECONDARY INSTRUMENTS both buttons, you can select LOP The EDM can be tailored in terms for lean-of-peak operations; you can of the layout and makeup of the make this your default setting if you mounted in the small left subpanel) secondary instruments. You can prefer.) the 740’s display is clear and legible choose where any of the horizon- In Lean Find, the monitor watches right down to the smallest menu tal bar-graph displays reside on the the EGTs rise and notes the first and item. And while the individual bar- 4-inch-diagonal TFT display, and set last to peak. Once it has found peak, graph gauges do look alike, the abil- their upper and lower alarm limits. the bottom display line changes to ity to place them in any order allows The items the 730/830 can watch show the current fuel flow and the each pilot to stack them in order of include oil pressure and temperature, temperature delta from peak of the importance. You can also choose to fuel pressure and flow, turbine-inlet controlling cylinder, all as an aid to leave a field blank, in effect creating temp, carb temp, compressor-dis- leaning. In the LOP mode, the EGT a more prominent grouping for, say, charge temp and inlet-air temp. With bars form an “icicle” layout, descend- oil pressure and fuel flow. In flight, a fuel-flow transducer, the instru- ing from the top line, to show how fast-responding probes are worthy of ment also performs the full collec- far each cylinder is lean of peak EGT. mention—during the several en- tion of fuel-management functions, The EDM-830, as mentioned, also gine-leaning cycles we tried, the EGTs including real-time flow rate, time to features an engine-power calculator, empty, fuel remaining and fuel re- and here it’s done correctly: Rich of vAC TV quired to waypoint (with an external peak it uses mass airflow (manifold GPS feeding an RS-232 data stream). pressure x RPM, roughly), but lean More about the display. JPI has of peak it uses fuel flow to calculate taken extra care to make the presen- power. This attention to detail means tation clear and professional. If you that the calculation can be remark- have a four-cylinder installation, for ably accurate without having to create example, you won’t have to look at intricate engine lookup maps. missing bars or blank spots on the How does it work? We had a display. Every item on the display chance to fly with Lance Turk, de- For an in-depth video on the new JPI is rendered to use all of the screen’s signer of the first all-in-one engine engine monitors for experimental and area. A six-cylinder version simply monitor, the Vision Microsystems VM-1000. He is currently flying the certified aircraft, log on to our sister experimental version of this instru- publication www.avweb.com and click CONTACTS ment, called the EDM-740, in his the video button in the upper right of JP Instruments Glasair I. the home page. Scroll down to the JPI 800-345-4574 engine monitor video. Here’s a direct www.jpinstruments.com EASY ON THE EYES link: http://snipurl.com/ulni6 Even cross-cockpit (Turk has the unit

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 9 ULTRA’S NEW TWIN ENGINE MONITOR immediately followed movement of the mixture control, and the Lean Find function looked stable and easily Digital engine monitoring in twins CRM2120 has to replace the exist- digestible to a pilot who is busy doing has always been a design and ing analog gauges. Hathaway says other things (like flying). And while technical challenge. The traditional it will have the approvals to do this. we didn’t have the chance to validate solution has been to just install For the time being, STC/AMELs the percent-of-power readings, they two discrete systems, one for the are planned for the 300 and 400 definitely passed the sniff test based on our understanding of the Ly- left engine and one for the right. series Cessnas, Barons and later coming O-320. It works, but it takes up a bunch of model Senecas. Other approvals And those who want to track panel space. may come along later. engine health will be excited to Ultra Electronics Flightline In order to make this work, the learn that the 740 includes integral Systems’ new AuRACLE CRM2120 CRM2102 will be available in a verti- data logging—it can absorb data at comes at the problem with a sin- cal or a horizontal 6-second intervals for gle-unit solution that incorporates format. some 200 hours. Access the cutting-edge digital monitor- In the verti- to the data comes from ing and color display technology cal version, it a front-panel USB port. it introduced in the AuRACLE 2100 replaces the 2 Plug in your USB stick, single-engine monitor. (See the ¼-inch gauges press a few buttons, and the stored data goes February 2007 issue for a complete in later Barons rushing out. We watched review.) and Senecas. a download, and can A little housekeeping here: The The horizontal say that the new USB AuRACLE series was developed by version is for pre- hardware is dramatically Xerion Avionix, a small, privately 1984 Barons and faster than the seri- funded startup. The product line Cessna 300 and al-based transfer on the was purchased by Ultra Electronics 400 panels. Over- older EDMs. in July 2009, which provided capi- all screen dimen- Installation should tal to complete work in the 2120 sions are 5 inches not be back-breaking, system, according to UE’s Erick wide by 8 inches especially if you al- Hathaway. The 2120 is expected to tall for the verti- ready have a JPI engine monitor. The harnesses be certified in time for EAA AirVen- cal version and 9 are exactly the same, as ture, or shortly thereafter. ¾ by 4 ½ inches are the probes. In theory, Like its single-engine progenitor, for the horizontal this could be a plug-and- the 2120 is a modular system—the style. play with a later-model display itself lives in the panel The original EDM-700 or 800. At the while most of the processing and AuRACLE pio- moment, the EDM- sensing goes on in boxes mounted neered some- 730/830 are approved to the firewall. There’s an engine thing called “Smart Leaning” which as primary replacements for CHT, oil interface box for each engine and allows leaning from either the rich temp and TIT, meaning that those all of the sensors—CHT, EGT, fluid or lean side of peak and includes stock instruments can be removed. temperatures and so forth—run text annunciations and warning Prices are competitive. A basic EDM-730-4 (four-cylinder) is $1995, into those boxes, from whence they flags for critical engine parameters. and $2750 for the six-cylinder version. are routed into the display unit. The CRM2120 allows a degree Step up to the EDM-830, which in- Each engine interface has redun- of customization. You can, for cludes the MP/RPM sensors, fuel flow, dant processors to provide some instance, program it to show yellow oil temperature and pressure probes, comparative data checking. bands at certain fuel levels or to for $3795; it’s $4295 for the six. The display is essentially a flag CHTs cooler than the certifica- That’s approximately $500 more repackaged version of the single- tion limits. than the old price of the EDM- engine units. The upper screen is For maintenance and diagnos- 700/800 series. J.P. Instruments the engine management area, the tics, the monitor records engine has, in our view, greatly expanded lower screen contains ancillary en- parameters every two seconds for the capabilities of the small-format gine gauges including fuel gauges, a total of up to 100 hours per en- engine monitor in the EDM-730 and 830, packing a lot of capability into a oil temperature and pressure, gine. It also ingests GPS data, so it clever, compact package. amps, volts and vacuum. should be possible to discern phase These gauges, while not neces- of flight from the stored data. Price sarily engine critical, are also more on the CRM2120 is expected to be Marc Cook is editor of Aviation Consum- than nice-to-have add-on since $14,000. For more, see www.ultra- er’s sister publication, KITPLANES. in order to fit into the panel, the fei.com.

10 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 COCKPIT ACCESSORIES CHECKLIST

Many options to suit Kneeboards: Sporty’s many needs. The cheaper, simpler solution usually gets the Classics, ASA Top Picks job done just fine. ASA’s folding lapboard surprised us with its versatility The only difference between the IFR and comfort. For strap-down kneeboards, Sporty’s line and VFR models is the “useful” data did simple to complex with ease. printed on the metal board itself. Beyond reminding you what the light-gun signals are if you go lost by Jeff Van West comm, we don’t think that informa- tion matters much. Other than that, ven in this age of cockpit elec- best in class as we see it from several the two boards are the same. tronica, there’s often a need to perspectives. The price is right at $14.95, and Ejot something down, hold open the fit is comfortable. It edges out a chart or approach plate, or stow ONE PAD, ONE PEN ASA’s basic kneeboard on price your checklist. Enter the kneeboard, The core function of a kneeboard is ($16.95) and the pen holder. ASA’s is and the reviewer’s dilemma. to write stuff down. With strictly that a spandex sleeve, where Sporty’s uses Kneeboard needs and preferences goal in mind, we liked the vary not only person-to-person, but Classic VFR and Classic IFR even aircraft-to-aircraft. So here’s the kneeboards from Sporty’s.

Simple is good, and Sporty’s Classic VFR and IFR boards (below left) are as simple as you get: board, strap, clip and pen holder. The quick-release pen holder is largely why we think this specific design takes top prize. The Flyboys basic kneeboard (below right) was comfortable and compact, with a strap that easily held an approach plate book. The eyelets on the left let you clip on custom checklists or other items. The charts block the writing on the pad, however.

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 11 a clip. We liked the clip better as it’s quicker to use and holds most any size pen, but if you like the sleeve, go with ASA. Both hold half-letter (5.5- by 8.5-inch) pads. Sporty’s board has foam anti-slide material on the back, but it’s su- perfluous if you use the strap. Our experience with that foam is that it usually wears out and disintegrates over time anyway. The board can hold a pack of approach plates under the clip, but it’s awkward and tends to make the paper underneath fall out. You’ll want a separate holder for a book of plates (see below) or a kneeboard that’s a bit more fea- ture-rich to hold a bound book of approach plates. Who says your thighs have to have all the fun? The ArmBoard (above) That kneeboard might be the straps to your wrist and has a holder for your pen. The pads come blank, Flyboys Kneeboard. This design adds ruled or with a nav log form. The location is convenient and it doesn’t a small side section with three pen interfere with flying, however, we found it less comfortable than a knee- holders that accept all but the beefi- board after an hour of wear. The pen holder was too small for fat pens as est pens. There’s also a small pocket OK for a pulse oximeter or pack of well. ASA’s lapboard (below) doesn’t connect to an extremity, but it stays mints. in place just fine due to its size. It proved the most convenient for juggling The big added feature is a clear several items and the most comfortable. The left-hand clip opens wide strap that comes across the entire enough to hold a board to hold down a pack of plates NACO approach opened to the page in question. The plate book grip is quick and secure, and the text under the strap is perfectly readable. opened to a spe- The downside is that the placement cific approach. makes writing on, or looking at, There’s no pen the paper underneath a hassle. The holder, how- Flyboys system also offers a set of ever, and it checklist rings on the left side of the kneeboard for any checklists won’t work if or quick-reference items you might you fly with a want to add. center stick. If you need more storage from your kneeboard, such as folded charts or sticky notes to cover the attitude indicator during instrument instruction, then the Sporty’s Flight Gear Tri-Fold Kneeboard is a best bet. The $27.95 price is lower than similar kneeboards by other vendors and, we think, the design is more versatile with a good combination of long chart pockets and square mesh pockets. KNEEBOARD ALTERNATIVES Our favorite kneeboard wasn’t ex- actly a kneeboard at all. It was ASA’s Lapboard. This is really just a piece of bifold aluminum with a clip on the top of the right section and the side of the left section. Resting in our lap, it made a surprisingly comfort- able and versatile workspace to have charts, plates and a pad. The best

12 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 Both Sporty’s and ASA offer long, tri- fold kneeboards that can carry sectional and en route charts without folding. We favored Sporty’s design with the mesh pockets on the left. One of our staff uses this Sporty’s board as his porta- ble flying office. part was just tossing something down and having it stay there un- til we needed it again. The experience was like having, well, a desk. If all you need is somewhere to $59.95 for the Deluxe Zuluboard. Charts or an approach plate book to write, it doesn’t have to be on If you can get a hold of one to try can be clipped or rested on the left your knee. The ArmBoard is avail- out in person, it might be worth a with room to write on the right. able through several online outlets look before you commit to another When it comes time to land, the ($24.95 from Sporty’s) and puts the option, but that’s about all we can whole thing can be folded and put writing on your wrist. The Armboard say about Zulu at this point. aside far easier than a big kneeboard, takes custom pads, which can be had This is far from everything out which always seems slightly in the for $6-7 for a pack of three. there, but, frankly, we haven’t seen way on landing. The only thing we We found the freedom of not anything fancier that held our wished for was a good pen holder. having stuff in our laps refreshing, attention for long. (Although a Just by chance, we were also flying but felt the ergonomics of writing on kneeboard specifically designed for with two cockpit EFBs for the ac- your inner wrist awkward if that arm the left-handed pilot with its extra companying article in this issue. The was also flying. It quite comfortable flap on the left is definitely lacking.) Lapboard with a cloth pad resting on if the airplane was on autopilot and When it comes to old-school, pen- it turned out to be the perfect resting we could bring our arm closer in and-paper technology, we think that place for the rather large and heavy and at a better angle. The pen holder simple and well-made is the way to EFB computer. We liked this better sleeve for the ArmBoard also didn’t go. than yokemounts (which tend to be like fatter pens. cumbersome with something so big as an EFB) but not quite as well as DON’T YOU ZULU? Jeff Van West is Aviation Consumer’s a good suction mount which could We’ve briefly used the Zuluboard Managing Editor and resident kneeboard hold the EFB at eye level. kneeboards in the past and been addict. ASA’s Lapboard sells for $29.95. impressed by their comfort and Sporty’s sells what looks like the utility packed in a small space. same product (although we didn’t They are similar in design to the CONTACTS have one to test) for less, at $21.95. Flyboys kneeboard, but without It has the anti-skid grip stuff on the approach-book strap and with ASA the bottom and ASA doesn’t, but more options for pens and other 800-272-2359 we didn’t have any issue with ASA’s small items. They also offer a unique www.asa2fly.com sliding. tabbed system of “Zulucards” as If you’re using a simple kneeboard basic checklists or memory items for Flyboys and still need a place to strap your different phases of flight. 888-435-9269 approach plates, you can get a clear Unfortunately, the company was www.flyboys.com Chart Leg Strap from www.tagpilot- unresponsive to our emails or phone Sporty’s Pilot Shop supply.com for $6.95. A similar prod- calls to get samples of their products uct is also available in two widths for this review. We had similar diffi- 800-776-7897 from www.flywings.com for a bit culty with the company during our www.sportys.com/PilotShop more. It does start to feel like you’re flight bag review. The company web- Zuluworks wearing football padding with multi- site is still active and says you can www.zuluworks.com ple things strapped to your legs, but order the boards, at prices ranging the simple chart strap works great. from $24.95 for the Economy Mini-Z

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 13 As retractables go, Piper’s Arrow offers a high-value combination of good price, supportability, ease of operation and middling perfor- mance.

buyer’s market. Which means it’s probably not a good idea to jump on the first “deal” you come across. Bargain Retractables: Instead, spend some time watching Trade-A-Plane and other resources for Now’s a great time to buy a retractable single. those airframes that seem reasonably priced but which haven’t sold. Then, Piper’s Arrow is the best bang for the buck. since there’s usually a good reason an airplane hasn’t sold if it’s priced right, ignore them. By Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside At the same time, think carefully about what you might be getting into. For example, some of the ow’s a good time to buy a used them from which to choose. The bad models averaging $60,000 these airplane. Savvy buyers can news? Even in this market, finding days are 50 or more years old. While Nsnap up pretty much whatever the right bargain will still take some age alone wouldn’t deter us from a they want, paying as little as 50 per- work. To try making that process eas- well-maintained example, buying cent of what the same plane might ier for you, we set an arbitrary price and operating what is essentially a have gone for only three or four years of $60,000 and, with a fresh copy of vintage airplane isn’t for the faint of ago. But what to buy? Our answer the Aircraft Bluebook Price Digest in heart. Or wallet. Even a creampuff always has been the right airplane hand, looked at what’s available and example might require a couple of for you is the right airplane for your what you can expect. We found the years and several trips to the shop to mission. For many of us, that means best bargain is the Piper Arrow IV, get it sorted out the way you want. a four-seater capable of cruising at but many other models may mer- And if you find some corrosion around 130 knots for four hours— it your attention, especially if you missed on your pre-purchase inspec- plus IFR reserves—and enough pay- have some special needs or desires. tion, your $60K bargain easily could load to reasonably haul four adults turn into an $80,000 albatross. and bags, even if we need to offload CAVEATS Also, the very idea of buying a some fuel. So, we’re basically talking With the economy in the tank and retract may not be the best one for a retractable single. some desperate sellers cutting prices you. That same $60,000 can get you The good news is there are a lot of well below average, it’s definitely a into a mid-1970s Skylane or slightly older Cherokee 235, which will meet all of our basic criteria without the maintenance or insurance expense of retractable landing gear. Avionics is another area where you may find “average” isn’t what you had in mind. The Bluebook prices we used in evaluating this market, for example, may not include a mov- ing-map GPS or autopilot, something we consider standard equipment in an airplane used for traveling. We Straight-tail Bonanzas like the generally urge shoppers to find an 1967 E-33 above are good per- airplane with all the goodies they formers for the money and are still want already in the panel, since add- supportable. The 1959 Comanche ing them yourself costs more than buying them already installed. When 250, upper right, retails in the looking for one of these bargain mid 40s and owners rave about retracts already equipped with all the them. Although J-model Mooneys goodies you want, expect the price to aren’t cheap, the pre-201 Fs, like the one at quite affortable at under Jeb Burnside is Editor-In-Chief of sister publi- $60,000 for a good example. cation Aviation Safety magazine.

14 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 go above $60,000, or the aircraft to PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL (OPTIONAL FUEL, POUNDS) be older. BEECH BONANZA S35 Finally, with two basic excep- BEECH DEBONAIR B33 tions—the Piper Arrow and the two Mooney models we’ll get to in BEECH C24R SIERRA a moment—all of these airplanes CESSNA 172RG CUTLASS RG are out of production. While for the CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG most part their respective factories CESSNA 210J CENTURION still support them, what about five or 10 years from now? How good are COMMANDER 112B you or your mechanic at scrounging MOONEY M20C RANGER parts or finding someone to rebuild MOONEY M20F EXECUTIVE 21 what you have? PIPER COMANCHE 260B BEECHCRAFT PIPER ARROW IV The last V-tail Model 35 Bonanza 200 400 600 800 1000 flew away from the Beech factory in RANGE/FULL FUEL (OPTIONAL FUEL, ZERO WIND, NM, NO RESERVE) 1982. Twelve years later, the com- BEECH BONANZA S35 pany rolled out its final copy of the BEECH DEBONAIR B33 Model 33, or straight-tail Bonanza, after introducing it in 1960 as the BEECH C24R SIERRA Debonair. Together, these two mod- CESSNA 172RG CUTLASS RG els also may be thought of as “short- CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG body” Bonanzas, in deference to the CESSNA 210J CENTURION lengthier Model 36, which remains COMMANDER 112B in production. For your $60,000, you should easily be able to find either MOONEY M20C RANGER a 33 or 35 from the mid-1960s. If MOONEY M20F EXECUTIVE 21 something newer is more your cup PIPER COMANCHE 260B of tea, the last few editions of the PIPER ARROW IV Model 24 Sierra, known as the C24R, 200 400 600 800 1000 which went out of production in 1983, can be had for only $45,000. TYPICAL CRUISE SPEED (KTAS) But caveats apply to all these choices. BEECH BONANZA S35 For example, Beech has long been BEECH DEBONAIR B33 known for expensive and no-lon- ger-produced parts. The reality is a BEECH C24R SIERRA little different. CESSNA 172RG CUTLASS RG Beech has a deserved reputation CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG for building stout aircraft. Unless an CESSNA 210J CENTURION example has been poorly maintained COMMANDER 112B or suffered damage, the vast major- ity of consumable parts are indus- MOONEY M20C RANGER try-standard items or something a MOONEY M20F EXECUTIVE 21 speciality shop can overhaul. There PIPER COMANCHE 260B are exceptions involving Beech’s use PIPER ARROW IV of magnesium in control surfaces, for 130 140 150 160 170 180 example, but even those components can be rebuilt, for a price. Power- plants in older Bonanzas can range pedals helps damp any Dutch roll. when compared to the competition, from the ancient E-series Continen- Those same pilots agree flying the plus substantial load-hauling abili- tals to a fire-breathing IO-550 and Bonanza is a delight, with well-har- ty. Later versions of the Sierra came everything in between. monized controls and excellent with two front-row doors, plus a Meanwhile, the short-body performance. third one for loading the aft cabin Bonanzas tend toward Dutch rolls The same can’t always be said of and baggage area. In keeping with in turbulence. Some of this results the Model 24 Sierra, Beech’s answer Beech’s reputation, the Sierra is well- from its flat-bottomed and slab-sided to Piper’s Arrow. The Sierra is basi- built and a delight to fly. It’s also the fuselage, which doesn’t do much to cally a retractable Musketeer, itself only 200-HP retract of which we’re damp such tendencies, and some of an attempt to compete against Cher- aware capable of seating six, even if it involves the type’s interconnected okees and Skyhawks, which came on the last two need to be children. rudder and aileron system. Pilots the market in 1963. The first Sierras experienced with the Bonanza know were marketed in 1970 and offered CESSNA some slight pressure on the rudder relatively spacious cabins, at least Cessna’s single-engine retractables all

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 15 4100-pound business machine. In TAKEOFF DISTANCE, 50-FT OBSTACLE (ISA/SEA LEVEL/MGTW—FEET) contrast, the earlier 210s were much BEECH BONANZA S35 simpler airplanes—except for the BEECH DEBONAIR B33 landing gear, perhaps—and soldier on in a variety of roles. Seating for BEECH C24R SIERRA six is standard beginning with the CESSNA 172RG CUTLASS RG 1964 210D model, although the CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG early rear-most seats are for children. CESSNA 210J CENTURION The struts were eliminated in 1967 in favor of a cantilever wing, which COMMANDER 112B remained throughout production. MOONEY M20C RANGER MOONEY M20F EXECUTIVE 21 COMMANDER PIPER COMANCHE 260B First certificated in 1972, the Rock- PIPER ARROW IV well Commander 112 emphasized 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 looks, cabin room and comfort over raw performance. Two upgrades LANDING DISTANCE, 50-FT OBSTACLE (ISA/SEA LEVEL/MGTW—FEET) later, the 112B sported 16-inch wing BEECH BONANZA S35 extensions and a more-respectable BEECH DEBONAIR B33 1027-pound useful load. Never known as a speedster, the 112 trades BEECH C24R SIERRA wide-body cabin comfort for leisure- CESSNA 172RG CUTLASS RG ly cruise speeds. Perhaps because CESSNA 177 CARDINAL RG of its military-airplane experience, CESSNA 210J CENTURION Rockwell built into the 112 numer- ous “big-airplane” features, including COMMANDER 112B a stout landing-gear system along MOONEY M20C RANGER with well-engineered ventilation, MOONEY M20F EXECUTIVE 21 electrical and fuel systems. PIPER COMANCHE 260B Original production ceased in PIPER ARROW IV 1979, and the design has been 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 through a variety of hands—includ- ing a well-heeled group of pilots— with a potential new owner in the suffer from the same basic mala- if the basic Skyhawk cabin fits your wings as we write this. That group dy: Trying to fold into the fuselage needs but you just need more speed. was formed to produce parts, among landing gear other manufacturers With its bulletproof engine, the other reasons, and owners report no stow in the wing. Starting with 172RG might be an excellent choice problems in maintaining their 112s, the earliest 210s, the basic design if you can find one that hasn’t been which always is a concern with older has depended on sometimes-leaky abused by renters. aircraft. hydraulics, crack-prone saddles, The Cardinal RG, on the oth- The type’s history has been balky gear doors and an assortment er hand, was rarely seen on the marred, however, by a rash of air- of other problems, depending on flight training ramp. Featuring a worthiness directives (ADs) targeting model and year of manufacture. fuel-injected version of the same wing-spar cracking, plus cracks in Thankfully, the gear systems in the basic Lycoming 360-cube engine as the tail’s vertical spar. A 1990 AD 172RG, 177RG and 210 have been installed in the 172RG, the 177RG called for repetitive inspections until out there long enough for redesigns is more of a baby Centurion than it modifications could be performed. (210) and upgraded components is a Skyhawk on steroids. It comes The good news is no additional ADs (172RG/177RG). Still, the system with a much larger, more-comfort- against the basic airplane have been can be maintenance-intensive and, able cabin, a cantilever wing and a issued since then. As for the ADs, if the hydraulic system leaks all its stabilator. Huge cabin doors facili- most aircraft in the fleet probably fluid, the gear simply won’t come tate access, but also can get caught have been modified and what’s re- down on its own. in the wind and break their hinges. quired to rework the rest is well-un- If you already have your complex The wing is mounted further aft derstood. airplane endorsement, chances are than the Skyhawk’s, so a pilot can you earned it in either a Cutlass actually see what’s above by leaning MOONEY RG or a Piper Arrow. Although the forward. Any time pilots discuss the most-ef- Cutlass RG basically replaced the The Centurion, meanwhile, ficient personal airplanes, Mooneys Cardinal RG as Cessna’s entry-level started life as a retractable 182 with invariably are part of the conver- retract, they are two very different a 260-HP IO-470 and weighing only sation. Although perhaps the most airplanes, with the Cutlass’ 172 2900 pounds. Over the years, it’s heritage readily apparent. That’s not changed quite a bit, morphing into a necessarily a bad thing, especially pressurized, turbocharged, 325-HP,

16 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 UAGCD4B_Ad_Full 6/28/07 11:21 AM Page 1

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April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 17 AVIONICS UPGRADES CHECKLIST

S-TEC appears to be back on its game with its Autopilot Odyssey: product line and cus- tomer support. Success Took Three Tries When shopping for an aircraft with an autopilot, make sure what’s in the A nightmare experience with an autopilot upgrade airframe is still support- shows that competition in the market is virtually ex- able. Chelton gets a nod for tinct. Consider that when buying a used airplane. buying back the custom- ers autopilot when it exit- by Ken Sutton ed the business. iven the slide in the value of example of how an autopilot up- Although it had an used aircraft, there are some grade project can neutralize a good autopilot for the 310, Greal deals on the market these deal on a used airplane. My adven- Century did poorly with days, But there are also some huge ture began in early 2003 after the support. pitfalls and one of the most poten- birth of our third child. We had tially expensive is underestimating outgrown our Bonanza and it was the replacement cost of an autopilot time to search for an airplane with system. Aviation Consumer avionics more room and greater payload. in Denver. I flew out to Denver and editor Larry Anglisano wrote about Living northwest of Chicago, I spent the next week with the local this in the March 2008 issue and I wanted an airplane that I could Cessna dealer as they performed a now wish I’d read his advice earlier. comfortably fly across Lake Michi- thorough pre-buy inspection. I was In this article, I’ll show an actual gan and that meant a light twin. As focused on the airframe and engines I was about to learn the hard way, and naively gave little consideration step number 1 in searching for an to the autopilot. I was aware that the Installing a modern autopilot airplane should always consider the panel was dated and ripe for an up- system once, much less three times, autopilot first, if your operations will grade, but I believed I could readily involves major surgery and signifi- require one. bring the avionics—including the cant structural work and rewiring. autopilot—into the 21st century. LOW-TIME 310 My first experience with the exist- Author’s Cessna 310 panel was After a lengthy search, I found a low- ing Century II autopilot came on the stripped back to the firewall and time Cessna 310 G-model (1962) flight home from Denver. Without a completely reconstructed. owned by a former radio celebrity pitch mode, the Century did a fine job tracking the airways and I was able to trim the airplane to hold alti- tude with minimum manual effort. While I expended a great deal of resources upgrading mechanical systems after I brought the airplane home, it wasn’t long before avionics upgrades reached the top of my to- do list. At the time, UPSAT had just received FAA approval for the first GPS WAAS navigator and knowing I’d be frequently flying IFR into my home airport where there are no precision approaches, the CNX80 became my first avionics purchase. The CNX80’s features were intui- tive, largely mimicking the FMS and FMGS systems I was accustomed to at the airline where I worked. However, flying the CNX80 coupled to the pitchless Century II autopi- lot, particularly for VNAV or LPV approaches, seemed absurd. I knew

1818 • • The The Aviation Aviation Consumer Consumer www.aviationconsumer.comwww.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 the next logical step would require Century’s a significant commitment. For the Triden, right, next two months, I worked with is the digital both Mike Voltl, owner of Mobile follow-up to its Avionics and Jim Finefield, owner popular attitude of Finefield Aviation at Lake in the Hills airport to formulate a plan for based systems. a major avionics upgrade to my 310. However, in au- Chelton had just introduced their thor’s 310, the revolutionary two-servo digital system proved AP3C autopilot to the market. My unreliable. decision to install this autopilot came after I saw it coupled to a Chelton’s AP3C CNX80 in Chelton’s demo aircraft. used innova- With only two servos, rather than tive, high-qual- the conventional three, the AP3C ity servos, autopilot was capable of smoothly center photo, but flying an LPV or RNAV approach the company yanked the with CNX80 guidance. This was ex- actly the capability I was looking for. system from the mar- The original panel was removed ket just before buying along with all the old wiring, hoses, S-TEC.The System 60, switches and circuit breakers. With lower photo, ultimately Jim Finefield’s help, the panel was proved the winner. crafted to mimic the jet aircraft style I was familiar with in the pre-EFIS Boeings I flew. Engine instruments were stacked in left/right columns just to the right of the standard the removal of the sys- T-layout for the flight instruments. tem, or I could choose Electronics International gauges and to do nothing. engine monitors helped preserve However, I was panel space and provided the layout warned that future I wanted. support for the system The AP3C autopilot control panel was “uncertain.” I was fit nicely into the avionics stack given 20 days to make a just below the CNX-80. The refur- decision. In effect, I was bishment of the panel was remark- offered only one logical able, albeit with great effort by the choice. With the help of installation team. The performance Mobile Avionics, we elect- of the system was satisfactory after ed to remove the AP3C only some minor tweaks. Chelton system and return it to provided good customer support Wulfsberg. before, during and after the instal- With the benefit of lation. I was pleased with what we hindsight, it’s not difficult had accomplished and the AP3C to connect the dots and performed well. Unfortunately, that understand what was go- wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long ing on in the GA autopilot stretch. business at that time. I sus- pect without coincidence CHELTON EXITS that Cobham pulled the Just six months after we upgraded plug on its AP3C auto- the panel and installed the AP3C pilot just months before autopilot system, I received a call acquiring S-TEC. After we removed from a representative at Wulfsberg the AP3C from my airplane, I could they called the Triden. I had met Electronics, a Chelton sister com- not find a single S-TEC dealer that the president of Century at Osh- pany in the Cobham plc family. I would agree to install their system. kosh just a few months earlier and was told that Chelton had exited the S-TEC was in turmoil and their deal- he raved about the new system’s autopilot business and I was offered ers weren’t happy. capability. However, when I inquired two choices: Either they would buy Century Flight Systems had re- with sources inside the industry, I back the autopilot system I had just cently rolled out their first attempt received discouraging reviews about installed, fully reimbursing me for at a fully digital autopilot, similar the company. the components, the installation and in capability to the AP3C which While Century has been around

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 19 Although it wasn’t to command a sharp pitch up and last, the addition of when the rheostat was turned down, the Chelton autopilot, the aircraft would abruptly pitch top photo, made for a down. spare and organized I found that communicating with Century and it’s repair techni- panel in the 310. Note cians was difficult and this seems the L/R digital engine to discourage a feedback loop by gauge packages. The which valuable information can be ultimate solution, low- efficiently conveyed. Components er photo, has a pair of were being shipped to and from their headquarters in Mineral Wells, Aspen EFDs, bringing Texas, weekly. a 48-year-old panel Test flight after test flight proved into the 21st century. the system to be unreliable and S-TEC System 60 con- unstable. There was a standing joke trol unit is installed with my installation team that we on the pilot-side should have installed the system with Velcro to make it easier to re- subpanel, just behind move the components as they failed. the yoke. In an attempt to gain control of what was rapidly turning into an un- tenable situation, I arranged to take the airplane to Century’s headquar- Century became my ters at my own expense for a week- only choice. As any long examination of the system. economist will tell you, After I clearly demonstrated in a test a business that enjoys flight the problems that continued monopoly power is to plague the system, Century was rarely good for the unable to pinpoint the cause. After market. a week of inaction, I flew home and The installation of made the painful decision to remove the Century Triden the Century autopilot and find yet for many years, ownership changed autopilot included a new Century a fourth autopilot for my airplane. several years ago and the company NSD1000 HSI, a new flight director I was hopeful I could find one that is today but a small shadow of what gyro, the altitude pre-select system, would not have a propensity to catch it had once been in its OEM-supplier a yaw damper and, to add panel on fire in flight. glory days. Factory support was con- space, a Garmin GTX33 remote tran- sistently described by some of these sponder. The CNX80 was upgraded ROUND THREE sources as wanting. Unfortunately, to a Garmin GNS480 and a Shadin Bruised, battered, but not yet beaten, the Bendix/King KFC autopilot line fuel totalizer was added. On pa- Mobile Avionics patiently went was not STC’d for my airplane, per, this seemed to be another leap about the process of removing the S-TEC was still uncertain and so forward in avionics and autoflight Century autopilot. At one point, I capability, but the reality turned out contemplated selling the airplane to be sadly disappointing. and giving up on general aviation CENTURY’S VIEW For the next two years the air- entirely. Fortunately, by this time, We contacted Century Flight Sys- plane’s reliability fell to near zero. Cobham plc, Chelton’s parent com- tems for its view on the author’s After we installed the Century sys- pany, had purchased S-TEC, provid- autopilot foibles. Century’s Bill tem, I was unable to complete even ing much needed capital to refresh Eubanks told us that although he one flight segment without a Centu- the brand and the company’s image recalled Sutton’s airplane, he did not ry autopilot component failure. On with dealers. recall the details of why the auto- one flight, the Triden controller unit With new life now pumped back internally burned while airborne, into S-TEC, several dealers I spoke pilot couldn’t be made to work. He creating smoke in the cabin. with were once again recommending told us he was unaware of whether The Century attitude gyro tum- the S-TEC product. While S-TEC’s the Triden system had been intalled bled in flight twice, including once flagship 55X autopilot is not ap- in any other Cessna 310s. in actual IFR conditions. For still proved for my model 310, an STC Century’s largest seller remains undetermined reasons, the autopi- exists for their Model 60-2 autopilot. the Century 2000 autopilot, ac- lot would initiate uncommanded Universally, dealers I spoke with cording to Eubanks. The Triden is rolls to the left and right up to recommended this solution and I considered a speciality, low-volume 25-degrees. When the backlighting gladly moved on from the Century product. rheostat for the autopilot controller debacle. was turned up, the autopilot would After the S-TEC 60-2 was in-

20 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 stalled, we began the final step in avionics upgrades, adding an AVOIDING JUNK AUTOPILOTS Aspen Avionics EFD1000 Pro PFD and EFD1000 MFD, converting the There are so many autopilot models autopilot emulator interface for its remaining engine instruments to in service–too many to list—that G500/600 PFD. This digital converter digital and replacing the EFB with a you’ll need the help of an autopilot box uses an AHARS reference for Garmin GPSmap 695. pro to determine what’s still service- driving an otherwise ancient analog Finally, I have an autopilot system able in a used airplane. As a rule, autopilot, eliminating the spinning in my 310 that performs nearly as the complexity of the aircraft is gyro altogether. Such an interface well, if not better in most situations proportional to the complexity of already exists for the King KFC-series than any autoflight system I’ve the autopilot. Pre-purchase inspec- and the ones we have flown outper- used. As with any system, there are tions should include analysis of the form the KI256. Aspen is working compromises and human interface autopilot, including research of prior on an interface for its PFD, too. But engineering design features, particu- maintenance and a thorough flight the gyro is only part of the system. larly on the older-design S-TEC 60-2, that leave room for improvement. test. The drive transistors found in many However, the integration of the To our surprise, several autopilot Bendix FCS-series autopilot comput- Aspen system with a capable auto- shops told us that many older sys- ers are becoming scarce. The same is pilot such as those offered by S-TEC tems—and we’re talking about mod- true of servo motors that just aren’t provides a pilot els that are over field-repairable. with true state- 30 years old— Lower-end systems you’ll find in a of-the-art func- are still readily Cherokee—the Century II and Piper tionality. I am as serviceable. Not Autocontrol III—aren’t exactly throw- comfortable flying surprisingly, the away, but don’t expect spectacular behind the Aspen/ common thread performance. These are known to GNS 480/S-TEC is that old gyros create tail-chasing intermittencies system as I am flying behind the that feed these due to split-pin connector sockets Honeywell Peg- systems are the in the harnesses. Reworking these asus EFIS/FMGS biggest source harnesses is what ruinous autopi- system on the of headaches. lot repair bills are made of. How Airbus. Be cautious of about later-model Cessnas with the The intuitive nature of the Aspen this with the Cessna/Sperry 400-se- KAP140? Examine log entries to en- system makes for a shallow learning ries systems found in larger Cessna sure that bulletins on the servos have curve. Unlike my experience with singles and twins. The gyros for been addressed. Century, the reliability of both the these are pricey and parts to rebuild Given the slim pickings on the Aspen system and the S-TEC auto- them are scarce. Similarly, the later current autopilot market, even pricey pilot has proved superb in the nine flavors of the King KI256 flight direc- upgrades might not yield the best months since it has been installed. Customer service with Aspen has tor that feeds the KFC200 and newer performance for heavier airframes. been nothing short of exceptional— KFC150-series autopilots are work- While S-TEC’s line of rate-based something unique in the GA market able. They run several thousand to systems are proven reliable and cost during these troubled economic overhaul. effective to install and maintain, they times. The dilemma surrounding the A/P might not yield the performance of a The recent addition of the Aspen gyro is evolving as Garmin works vintage attitude-based system still on MFD for displaying XMWX weather, to expand the GAD43 electronic its game. traffic and, most important, a truly redundant full backup to the PFD, has been a welcome addition. The Aspen GPSS integrates well with and have no plan to sell the air- support. Finally, if you find yourself the S-TEC 60-2, providing a fully plane… ever. having to upgrade your autopilot or automated flight control system very The journey was filled with autoflight system, find a shop that similar to what I’ve enjoyed for years minefields in an autopilot industry will work with you and support you at the airline. that has too few competitors to be until you are satisfied as you navi- an efficient market. Owners should gate what I found to be nothing less END GAME consider taking meticulous care than a make-or-break adventure. Unquestionably, I’ve invested more of whatever autopilot they already on upgrading my 310 than the air- have. plane is worth. But because airframe If you’re buying a used airplane Ken Sutton is chief market economist values have declined so markedly, in which an autopilot is must-have for a private investment partnership and avionics now represent the lion’s equipment, make the autopilot a a former airline captain with 12,200 share of aircraft value. However, I first priority, focusing on brands hours of flight time. am finally satisfied with what I have that provide reliability and customer

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 21 AIRCRAFT FLIGHT TRIAL

Legend Amphib: likely to be flown a bit overweight, which is common practice for most light floatplanes. Fun-to-Fly Eyecatcher For Parsons’ amphib, the empty weight is around 840 pounds with land gear. Remove that and add A Legend Cub married to floats brings back basic, the 235-pound float rig and the total empty weight is just under the affordable water flying. A simple panel and an 1000-pound empty weight limit, at airframe diet makes the payload reasonable. 998 pounds. That leaves 432 pounds of useful load and capacity for two not-too-heavy people and enough by Paul Bertorelli gas for a short flight. Or one person and enough fishing and camping f you park a Cub on a ramp, you’ll it turns out not to be. That’s not to gear for a couple of weeks. soon draw a crowd. If the Cub is say a Legend couldn’t be fitted with Ion floats, you’ll need crowd con- floats, but the airplane we flew is a BAUMANN FLOATS trol and that, in a nutshell, describes purpose-made amphib and owner There only a handful of compa- what may be American Legend’s best Dick Parsons told us he doesn’t have marketing ploy. land gear for the airplane. (That’s an vAC TV At the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in option.) Sebring, Florida, last winter, Legend The challenge for LSAs on floats introduced the amphibious float ver- is weight. The LSA max gross for sion of its popular LSA Legend Cub. float-equipped airplanes is stretched By dint of sheer size, it drew a from 1320 pounds for land planes constant stream of attention—the to 1430 pounds for aircraft intended airplane towers over the typical for water operation. That’s only a diminutive LSA and it’s one of only 110-pound delta, so obviously the a small number of LSAs being sold float system has to be light. And so For a video on Aviation Consumer’s as purpose-built amphibians. (We does the airplane itself. flight trial of the Legend amphib, log covered two others, the Searey and When floats are fitted, there’s an on to our sister publication www. the Seamax in the August 2009 issue, exchange weight between removing avweb.com and click the video button both flying boats.) the land wheels and installing the in the upper right of the home page. While we initially thought the floats, but the 1430-pound limit Scroll down to the Legend amphib Legend amphib was a conversion kit doesn’t leave much headroom. The video. available for any existing Legend, reality is that LSA floatplanes are

22 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 nies making floats for LSAs and a couple of these companies told us they haven’t installed any yet. For its amphib project, Legend worked with Baumann Floats of New Richmond, Wisconsin, to develop the BF 1500 install for the Legend. These floats are also approved for the J-3 Cub, PA-11 and Taylorcraft, plus the FK-9 LSA. Apart from being exceptionally light, the 1500 floats are typical of amphib hardware. They’re nicely made of 6061-T6 aluminum rivet- ed together with caulked seams for water-tightness. Each float has eight The amphib’s panel is necessarily watertight compartments, each fitted spare to save weight. The gear is op- with a removable cap so they can be erated by a Johnson bar, right, and pumped dry of any water. The float water rudders are fully retractable, bottoms are fluted which, according as shown in lower photo. to Baumann, ride smoother in the water and reduce weight by eliminat- ing the need for cross bracing. The main wheels hide inside the center of the floats while the front 496 (the 696 is an option), an SL40 wheels are mounted on the stems. comm and a GTX327 transponder. The gear itself is controlled by a The panel is otherwise quite spare, Johnson bar lever to the pilot’s left, with not even an attitude indicator, and there are wire flag gear indica- but an airspeed indicator, altimeter tors on the top of each float confirm- and tachometer. ing gear position. You can also see Although the land version is the nose gear position over the top of available with the 100-HP Continen- the float. The floats have retractable tal O-200 in either open or closed water rudders, which are handy for cowl configuration or the Jabiru beaching. 3300A at 120 HP, the amphib gets Many float plane owners revert only the O-200D, again for weight to land gear when the lakes freeze considerations. It has a three-pitch, and to do that in the Legend, it can ground-adjustable prop. be lifted from the top by attaching to the wing center section, a beefy FLYING IT latticework of welded steel tube For a light sport with only 100 HP that’s typical of the airplane’s entire and at its weight limits, the Legend construction. Parsons told us the amphib turns in performance that’s conversion takes a couple of hours, better than an old Cub on floats and and involves removing a half dozen maybe rivaling more powerful air- bolts and re-rigging the gear and craft like the Cessna 185. Obviously, water rudder cabling. it doesn’t carry nearly the payload. For our test hop with Dick Par- MINIMUM PANEL sons, we found a small freshwater The well-established trend in LSAs is pond of a couple of acres and we premium panels with EFIS systems shot video with takeoff runs in the rivaling the capability of certified 10- to 12-second range. Baumann’s flaps), its cabin is a bit more commo- gear like the Garmin G1000. But Joe Birkmeyer apparently managed a dious than a J-3 and, indeed, some because of weight restrictions, the 7-second run during testing, which of the other LSAs. Ingress and egress amphib Legend doesn’t qualify. Leg- strikes us as quite a feat. with the floats is actually reasonable end’s Darin Hart told us that keeping Surprisingly, the amphib is no because there’s more stuff to perch the airframe on the diet was neces- slouch in cruise, even dragging those on and grab hold of. sary to make the empty weight limit, big floats. On the way to the pond, At $159,000 complete, the amphib so Dynon Skyview or other new age we saw 95 MPH at 700 feet, which is is near the top tier for LSA pricing, electronics aren’t options. But then fast enough to actually go places that but we think it’s a fair value given why do you need that stuff to fly VFR aren’t in practical reach of a 65-MPH the airplane’s exceptional build qual- into a backcountry lake? Cub. ity and attention to detail. For more Parsons’ Legend is typically Since the Legend is essentially a information, contact Legend at www. equipped with a Garmin GPSmap Super Cub airframe (without the legend.aero or 903-885-7000.

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 23 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE Piper Archer It springs from a long line of successful 180-HP air- frames for a reason. It’s comfortable, anyone can fly it and it carries a lot for not much money.

n the heady days of the 1960s and that’s true only because those older ered by a Lycoming O-360, which has ‘70s, personal airplane manufac- designs perform well enough that proven to be a durable powerplant Iturers were heavily invested in potential new entrants know they’d well suited to the airplane’s weight and marketing their products the same encounter stiff headwinds trying to performance. Before becoming the way Detroit had been selling cars: Get bring a new model to market. Archer in the mid-1970s—and before new owners hooked on an entry-level For proof, look no farther than the gaining a tapered wing and becoming model, offer several step-up models market for new, four-seat, fixed-gear the Archer II—it already was among and make annual but incremental im- piston singles of less than 200 HP, the most popular Cherokees. provements. Just as Detroit’s Big Three which has long been dominated by For many, the Cherokee 180/Ar- had dealer networks, Beech, Cessna Cessna and its 172. Along the way, cher is about as close as mere mortals and Piper had them also, offering ev- Piper carved a deep niche with its can get to the perfect airplane. It has erything from primary flight simple systems, a stone-reliable training to maintenance, engine, sufficient room that four rental and charter. adults won’t commit immor- Rarely would a new pilot The Archer is in many ways a al acts and economics good trained in, say, a Cessna 150 product of the brand loyalty that enough to serve as a basic trainer. look at another manufac- For cross-country work, it has turer’s product as a step-up continues to drive the GA market. enough speed to make most airplane, because a larger, headwinds only a slight nuisance faster version of what he was and long-enough legs to be a already flying was readily decent though entry-level instru- available. Brand loyalty was important Warrior and Archer. No viable com- ment platform. All of which means a to general aviation’s Big Three back petition has emerged, despite both good Archer will command a healthy then, just as it was to Detroit. But designs having originated during Ei- price on the used market and, depend- times changed, models were elimi- senhower’s years in the White House. ing on year, generally will cost a bit nated and some brands went out of And until the mid-1990s, the 172 more than an equivalent Cessna 172. production entirely, at least for a time. wasn’t available fresh from the factory Of course, the 172 isn’t the Ar- Despite economic upheavals, the with a fixed-pitch propeller and more cher’s only competitor: Cessna’s own microcomputer revolution and the ad- than 160 HP, while Piper offered the fixed-gear Cardinal, the Grumman/ vent of “plastic” airplanes, the realities Cherokee 180, a model besting the ba- AGAC Tiger and the Beech Sundowner of aerodynamics, along with design, sic Skyhawk in almost every category abound on the used market, often certification and manufacturing costs and which remains available today as available for many fewer dollars. But mean some models first conceived in the Archer III. the Archer’s mix of good numbers, the 1950s are still popular today. But The original PA-28-180 was pow- good looks and ongoing production—

24 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com April 2010 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE PIPER PA-28-180/181 ARCHER

Drawings courtesy www.schemedesigners.com 7 ft. 3 in

35 ft. 5 in. PIPER CHEROKEE 180/ARCHER SELECT MODEL HISTORY MODEL YEAR ENGINE TBO OVERHAUL FUEL USEFUL LOAD CRUISE TYPICAL RETAIL 1963-64 PA-28-180B LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1170 LBS 124 KTS ±$29,000 1965-67 PA-28-180C LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1170 LBS 124 KTS ±$31,000 1968-69 PA-28-180D LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1090 LBS 124 KTS ±$36,000 1970 PA-28-180E LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1090 LBS 124 KTS $39,000 1971 PA-28-180F LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1090 LBS 124 KTS $41,000 1972 PA-28-180G LYC. 180-HP O360-A3A 2000 $19,000 50 1090 LBS 124 KTS $43,000 1973 PA-28-180 CHALLENGER LYC. 180-HP O360-A4A 2000 $19,000 50 1055 LBS 123 KTS $45,000 1974-75 PA-28-180 ARCHER LYC. 180-HP O360-A4A 2000 $19,000 50 1055 LBS 123 KTS ±$48,000 RANGE: 1976-1994 PA-28-181 ARCHER II LYC. 180-HP O360-A4M 2000 $19,000 48 1134 LBS 125 KTS $33,000 – $79,000 $85,000 – 1995-2000 PA-28-181 ARCHER III LYC. 180-HP O360-A4M 2000 $19,000 48 1134 LBS 125 KTS $140,000 $115,000 – 2001-2005 PA-28-181 ARCHER III LYC. 180-HP O360-A4M 2000 $19,000 48 870 LBS 125 KTS $150,000 $150,000 – 2006-2010 PA-28-181 ARCHER III LYC. 180-HP O360-A4M 2000 $19,000 48 870 LBS 125 KTS $299,500

ARCHER RESALE VALUES SELECT RECENT ADs 1980 ARCHER II 1995 ARCHER III 180K AD 04-14-12 CONTROL WHEEL HARDWARE – DATA: AIRCRAFT BLUEBOOK PRICE DIGEST INDUCTION AIR FILTER – $181,070 NEW AD 99-05-09 80K – – AD 96-10-03 FLAP HANDLE ATTACH BOLT 60K – – AD 95-26-13 OIL COOLER HOSES 40K – – AMMETER REPLACEMENT 20K – 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 AD-86-17-01 SELECT MODEL COMPARISONS

PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL CRUISE SPEEDS PRICE COMPARISONS PIPER ARCHER PIPER ARCHER 1980 ARCHER II ($48,000) DIAMOND DA40 DIAMOND DA40 2000 DA40 ($130,000) CESSNA 172 CESSNA 172 1980 CESSNA 172 ($40,000) GRUMMAN TIGER GRUMMAN TIGER 1970 TIGER ($49,000) CESSNA 177B CESSNA 177B 1978 CESSNA 177 ($40,000) 500 600 700 800 120 130 140 150 30K 40K 50K 60K

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 25 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE

something Piper has always 2450 pounds) improved the airplane’s done well, perhaps better payload by half a person while a larger than everyone else: Build a door, more-crashworthy seats and ad- good basic model and evolve ditional panel improvements rounded it into improved follow-on out the cosmetic improvements. products without greatly For 1973, the Cherokee 180 be- increasing manufacturing came the Challenger, but that wasn’t costs. First rolled out in 1963, a Native American name, so Piper the original Cherokee 180 has quickly changed it again—to Archer, been upgraded considerably beginning with the 1974 model but is fundamentally still the year—continuing its ongoing theme. same airframe, with some (Neither of those strictly are Native 10,000 flying. American names either but despite the The first Cherokee 180 illogic, Piper’s are easier to follow than had the constant-chord Mooney’s. ) Hershey-bar wing (span 30 It wasn’t until 1976 that the new feet)—so-named because of tapered wing—still the standard con- its resemblance to the con- figuration today—was introduced to fection—and a Lycoming the 180-HP airframe, resulting in the O-360-A3A engine. That early type-designation change to PA-28-181, engine had a TBO of only which also continues with the current 1200 hours, mainly due to model. This change was so significant a weak valve-train design, the model received yet another name: including 7/16-inch exhaust Archer II. Current-manufacture PA-28- valves, which was far from 181s are known as Archer IIIs. Lycoming’s best effort. Later, The basic tapered wing first was those engines were switched installed on the then-new 1974-era to ½-inch valves, which Warrior and, after a few tweaks involv- increased the TBO in part by ing the aileron control system, was In new Archers—1999 models and eliminating chronic issues with exces- added to the company’s other PA-28 newer—Piper adopted a stylish sive wear and heat-induced damage. models and, eventually, to the PA-32. all-metal panel design and Garmin The smaller valves long ago should The new wing’s inner panels were still GNS430s became standard. Older have been flushed entirely from the constant-chord, while the outer panels panels, such as the Archer II, lower market by overhaul or remanufacture, were both lengthened and tapered. but prudent buyers will check anyway Wing-mounted fuel tanks remained photo, are utilitarian and have if looking at an older engine. in the same location, although total room for modern avionics. One beef The newer engines all carry Ly- unusable fuel increased to two gallons. is the low-mounted power gauges. coming’s more-or-less standard 2000- The Archer II got a powerplant hour TBO, and the overall engine change as well, to the -A4M version has a well-earned reputation as one of the 180-HP Lycoming O-360. That which usually translates into excellent of the company’s—if not the indus- same engine is installed in new Ar- parts availability—means its popu- try’s—more bulletproof designs. In chers today. These changes, of course, larity likely will continue. Prospective fact, the engine’s reputation is one of brought escalating prices. An original, owners know that and usually are the reasons for the Archer’s ongoing 1974 PA-28-180 Archer with average prepared to pay the premium required. popularity. Throughout its history, equipment brought in $23,495 to Pip- the PA-28-180/1 has used essentially er’s coffers while a typically equipped MODEL HISTORY the same Lycoming O-360—still 180 1980 Archer II sold for $47,610. There The PA-28-180/1 series, of course, can HP—with only minor variant changes. was no 1991 Archer, as Piper became trace its roots back to the basic Cher- After five years of production and ensnared in the light-aircraft indus- okee 140 and point to close relatives few airframe changes, the instrument try’s overall economic troubles but by like the Arrow, Cherokee Six/Lance/ panel was modernized and a third, 1995, a reinvigorated and re-branded Saratoga and even the Seminole twin. trapezoidal window was added to company—New Piper—rolled out the All owe their existence to the first each fuselage side in 1968. This result- Archer III. It sold for $181,700, again Cherokee airframe originally designed ed in the airplane’s current ramp pres- with average equipment installed. by the late John Thorp, best known for ence while admitting more light into By then, the New Piper Archer III the crank-winged Thorp T-18 home- the cabin. A longer wing came along had gone through numerous chang- built, among his many other designs. in 1973—still with a constant chord, es, including an upgraded cowl, an He reportedly considered the PA-28 though—accompanied by a bigger sta- all-metal instrument panel, factory-in- among his favorites and, if viewing an bilator and a five-inch fuselage stretch. stalled Garmin GNS430/530 naviga- original copy in plan form, one can The extra inches made a noticeable tors, new paint schemes, air condi- easily see the resemblance between the difference on cabin space. tioning, better seats and an improved first Cherokee and the Thorp T-18. At the same time, a modest, exhaust system. A 2010 model retails And this Piper’s lineage highlights 50-pound boost in gross weight (to for $299,500, and comes standard

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with an Avidyne Entegra glass panel, an S-TEC 55X autopilot, air condition- ARCHER ACCIDENTS: R-LOC, FUEL ing, two Garmin 430W s. In reviewing the PA-28’s recent cornucopia of creative pilot bum- accident pattern, we were struck bling. But not universally, actually. MARKET SCAN by one thing: Piper has made a reli- The “other” category revealed a Any would-be owner wanting to able, easy-to-fly airplane, but pilots couple of weird mechanicals such as upgrade from a basic trainer—or even do a poor job of letting it keep a broken aileron control circuit and looking for an affordable entry-level them out of trouble. a fire due to a loose fuel fitting. airplane to use as a trainer, then as a As in our review of the model And speaking of fuel, Piper has an platform with which to perform the weekend getaway—always should at five years ago, the miscellaneous idiot-proof fuel system, yet pilots least consider an Archer. It’s a bit faster category led the league, a veritable still manage to fill it with air at an than a Cessna 172, it climbs better and alarming rate. Nearly one in five it carries a smidge more, all without PA-28-181 accidents are due to fuel gulping fuel the way a 182 does. Main- ACCIDENT SUMMARY exhaustion. Although the aircraft tenance costs are on the low side of OTHER (27%) tankers only 48 gallons, that’s a reasonable. On the flip side—at least R-LOC (24%) reasonable load for this class of when compared to the Skyhawk— FUEL EXH. (18%) airplane. Pilots simply try to stretch there’s only one door and passengers VFR/IMC (7%) it too far. Runway loss of control may not like clambering up on the (R-LOC) is the real biggie, however, wing to gain entry. ENGINE FAILURE (7%) accounting for nearly a quarter of Despite the tapered wing’s better CFIT (5%) looks and—as many pilots confirm— STALL RELATED (47%) all Archer accidents. These include its improved roll response, the market LOW FLY (3%) losing it in crosswinds, undershoots hasn’t always treated the Archer II MID-AIR(3%) and over-runs and just running into well. In fact, there’s not much differ- innocent bystanding objects. ence in performance between the Her- shey-bar-winged versions and the ta- pered wing. The original Archer wing’s Archers with motley panels in which of gas, or about three hours’ endur- span of 32 feet increases to 35 feet, an old Bendix/King KX-170B was re- ance with 45-minute reserves. Again, five inches on the Archer II after it’s placed with a newer digital KX-155 or, not bad for a modest airplane. If the tapered, while service ceiling decreas- occasionally, a Garmin GNS430. Some passengers are light, full fuel and full es and takeoff ground roll increases. have mid-1980s upgrades with Ben- seats may be possible. Distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle dix/King Silver Crown stacks. Many Performance-wise, the Archer is is markedly reduced by tapering the still have ADFs. Clearly, some Archers respectable, but no one will mistake its wing, however, as is stall speed. have gone through extensive upgrade numbers for a Bonanza’s, or even an Those numbers—and perhaps the cycles but if owners lavish big bucks Arrow’s. How fast you go on 180 HP ability to use a smaller hangar—prob- on these airframes, they probably tend depends on the year of manufacture ably explains why early Archers—the to keep them and not flip them into and the equipment. Specifically, the 1974 and 1975 models—today sell in the used market. semi-tapered wing on the 1976 and the $45,000 range, according to a re- later Archers yielded benefits at both cent Aircraft Bluebook Digest, while their LOADING, PERFORMANCE ends of the airspeed spectrum. The slightly younger brethren fetch less, For 180-HP airplanes, Archers haul stall dropped by four knots and cruise on average. The deficit isn’t overcome respectable loads. Empty weights vary speed went up by about the same until the 1980 model but—all things by year and example, of course, but amount. The large wheel pants avail- being equal—prices start escalating one owner told us his PA-28-180’s able in 1978 add another four knots or from there. By comparison, a 1980 empty weight was 1452 pounds on a so to cruise speed. Cessna 172 retails for about $40,000 gross weight of 2400 pounds. With Even so, a late-model Archer with while a Grumman/American General full tanks, that allows 650 pounds of wheel pants will cruise at only about Tiger of about the same vintage sells people and stuff, or three husky peo- 120 knots, although some owners for around $50,000. Archer IIIs start ple and a bit of baggage. Not bad. insist they see 125 to 130 knots. (We out at around $80,000. Later Archers allow a 2550-pound suspect erroneous airspeed indicators Given the wide range of model gross but empty weights are often or tachometers.) The airplane gives up years and histories of used Archers, higher, so payloads are lower. A 2010 10 knots to a Tiger but pulls ahead of it should be expected they will vary Archer III with standard equipment, a Cessna 172. Climb rate, while better widely in installed equipment. Unlike says Piper, weighs in at a hefty 1688 than a 172, isn’t stellar. According to Cessna—which only installed its pounds empty and comes with a ramp the POH, the airplane will climb out house-brand ARC avionics in new weight of 2558 pounds, for a useful from sea level at about 740 FPM but, piston singles until selling the unit in load of 870 pounds. Older Archers by the time it reaches 6000 feet MSL, 1983—Piper put into its Cherokees might beat that by 75 pounds or more. upward mobility has trended off to either King or Narco products for quite With four people in the airplane and, around 450 FPM. As noted earlier, some time. A recent scan of Trade- say, 50 pounds of baggage, a typical original Archers with the Hershey-bar A-Plane revealed quite a few earlier example has room for 35 to 40 gallons wings eke out slightly better rate-of-

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Piper long ago abandoned its seats—before the five-inch fuselage overhead pitch trim control— stretch—are somewhat tight. Pipers pilots never could remember have decent but not exceptional front which way to turn it to get seats with an S-shaped frame designed what they wanted—and put to absorb energy in a crash. The height a conventional wheel on the adjustment uses a gas-assisted spring center console, between the and when this wears out, the seat seats. Below the instrument automatically falls to its lowest setting, panel, in a center pedestal, is giving a short pilot a good view of the a reliable rudder trim knob, glareshield, but little else. though it’s not always neces- The seat stuffing tends to compress sary. with use, causing sags, and the plastic Early airplanes came with a back trays on the seats aren’t at all double stack of avionics, with durable and fall apart with use. The less-critical boxes mounted aftermarket is your friend, as relatively in a second column to the right of inexpensive solutions exist for both center. Again, many of these airplanes well-known issues. There’s an ade- have since seen an avionics shop for quate baggage compartment behind upgrades, but many others haven’t. the rear seats that’s accessible in flight. Reaching to the far side of the panel A lthough the baggage door can be isn’t a chore, but it’s surely an incon- opened from the inside, the back venience and something you should windows can’t. consider when inspecting a poten- Cabin appointments can range tial purchase. Recent upgrades may from the original avocado green have eliminated boxes from the right or bright orange upholstery and stack, but unless the entire panel was sub-panels dating from the 1970s to redone, cosmetics may suffer. more tasteful and less-jarring designs, Wing flaps are controlled with a including what seems to be the new Johnson-bar handle between the seats, industry standard: light gray fabric The O-360 Lycoming is one of GA’s including detents. It’s an easy system or leather. Later models came with better performers. It’s reliable and to deploy smoothly, while also afford- all-metal instrument panels—the easy to maintain. In the Archer, the ing the ability to immediately retract Royalite plastic overlays were finally accessory case is readily accessible. or extend flaps, depending on your banned. One reason the Archer has excel- needs, without having to wait for an The Piper Cherokee didn’t get to electric motor. And, of course, they’re be an industry-standard airplane by lent payload is that it doesn’t carry fully available even in the event of an having handling quirks; it simply has much fuel—48 gallons. A tank in electrical failure. Deploying flaps does none. Its flight controls are relatively each wing is managed with a single result in an upward pitching moment, well balanced, with roughly equiv- left/right/off valve. but it’s relatively easy to counteract alent pressures required in all three with forward pressure on the yoke. axes. The Archers are safe, stable and Most crosswinds are easy to handle, predictable and easy to land, even climb numbers than later models with thanks to the low wing and relatively on short runways. In slow flight, the tapered wings. The nosewheels are wide main gear. airplane has no bad habits, nor does it steerable on the ground, and the rud- Early airplanes mounted the circuit build speed in unusual attitudes. der pedals come with conventional toe breakers to the far right of the instru- brakes. Parking or emergency braking ment panel, about as far from the pilot MAINTENANCE is controlled by a meaty handle and as possible. Same with the heat/defrost Archers don’t have much AD baggage. locking mechanism just to the left of controls. On the up side, frequently It was the target of a controversial the center console and easily manipu- needed switches—master, fuel pump, AD in 1987 calling for an expensive lated with the pilot’s right hand. beacons and the like—are mount- inspection of the wing spar for cracks. Unless the airplane is air-condi- ed just above the engine controls. This procedure required de-mating tioned, summertime cooling of the Systems gauges are just below the the wings and cost some $1200 at the occupants can be a problem on the flight instruments, with an idiot-light time. In typical FAA overreaction, it ground and at low altitude. Fresh-air annunciator panel above them. The was an emergency measure brought ventilation is via wing-root inlets with tachometer is mounted in front of the about by the crash of a 7000-hour Ar- outlets above the floorboards, supple- pilot’s right knee, which often makes cher used for pipeline patrol. That AD mented by fan-driven overhead vents for unnecessary head motion during was rescinded when the expected rash getting fresh air from an inlet at the takeoff. of cracked spars failed to materialize. top of the vertical stabilizer. Neither However, in reviewing recent works well on the ground, requiring COMFORT, HANDLING service difficulty reports, we noted an open-door policy until right before Occupants should have no trouble that mechanics are finding evidence takeoff. The good news is the Archer’s remaining comfortable during a three- of corrosion in the spars, at least one heating system usually works well. hour leg, although pre-1973 back of which required replacement. This

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

Piper’s crushed velour seats of the 1980s are a thing of the past. Newer interiors are tastefully done in leather, with composite side panels. READER SERVICES corrosion is often discovered when leaking fuel tanks are re- TO VIEW OUR WEB SITE moved for repair. Make sure a Visit us at: pre-buy includes an inspection www.aviationconsumer.com and check the wing-attach fit- FOR BACK ISSUES tings, too. Check the baggage door for a leaking seal; the tell- See: tale sign is wet or waterstained www.aviationconsumer.com/backissues carpet on the baggage floor. By FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR now, early Archers should have been MODS, TYPE CLUBS SUBSCRIPTION: through at least one interior refurbish- Various aerodynamic mods are avail- ment, so pulling up the floorboards in able from LoPresti Speed Merchants Phone us at: 800-829-9081 that area to inspect for corrosion is a (www.speedmods.com, 877-565-1731) good idea. and Met-Co-Aire (www.metcoaire. TO CHANGE YOUR MAILING OR While you’re back there, take a few com, 800-814-2697). LoPresti has E-MAIL ADDRESS, RENEW YOUR extra moments to inspect the battery flap gap seals, wheel pants and flap SUBSCRIPTION OR TO box just aft of the baggage compart- hinge fairings. Met-Co-Aire offers CHECK PAYMENT STATUS, ment. Piper placed it there, presum- replacement wingtips, tailcones and VISIT OUR ably to help with loading. But in a dorsal fins. LoPresti also offers its ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE: misguided effort to save weight, the BoomBeam landing-light enhance- Log on at: company at one time equipped its air- ment. planes with aluminum battery cables, Knots 2 U (www.knots2u.com, www.aviationconsumer.com/cs which proved susceptible to corrosion. 262-763-5100) also sells a range of To change your address by mail, Given the lengthy cable run from the Cherokee mods, including gap seals, attach your present mailing label to battery box to the engine compart- wingtips and wheelpants. The compa- this form (or a copy of this form) enter your new address below and mail it to: ment, many owners have encountered ny also offers upgraded strobe lights, starting issues. Aftermarket kits and engine air filters, speed brakes (!) and a Piper service bulletin are available aftermarket control wheels, among THE AVIATION CONSUMER to help replace the aluminum cables other products. P.O. Box 420235 with copper, which isn’t as prone to Laminar Flow Systems (www.lam- PALM COAST, FL 32142 corrosion and high resistance. inarflowsystems.com, 888-327-8140) Another problem is leaky fuel offers a wide range of gap seals, wheel Name______tanks, particularly on older airplanes. fairings and other aerodynamic clean- An airworthiness directive (AD 79- up kits for the Cherokee. For fiberglass Company______22-02) addresses peeling tank sealant, parts to replace broken or cracked Address______with which owners long ago should plastic exterior fairings, of which Address 2______have complied. It’s not much of a the Cherokee has many, try Globe problem any more, certainly nothing Fiberglass (www.globefiberglass.com, City______like the hassle of owning a Mooney. 800-899-2707). State______Zip:______The vents are also a source of mainte- There are two type clubs serving E-mail______nance trouble. One SDR found they the Piper Archer models. The Piper had been installed incorrectly. Owner Society (POS, www.piperown- To order or renew a subscription, enter your name and address above and Otherwise, maintenance hotspots er.org) consolidated its efforts with check the subscription term you prefer: have to do with typical Lycoming the Cherokee Pilots Association (CPA) [ ] 1 year (12 issues) $69 issues, such as cracked cylinders, cor- a few years back. The Piper Owners [ ] 6 months (6 issues) $34.50 roded cams and problems with Bendix Society serves all Piper products; the [ ] Check enclosed [ ] AMEX and Slick magnetos. Also, on older CPA’s popular Cherokee Chat Line, [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa airframes, the stabilator bushings an online community at members4. may need work. Have them checked boardhost.com/piperowner, continues Card #______during pre-buy. Another area to look (members only). Meanwhile, the Piper Expiration Date______at, according to the SDR database, is Flyer Association (PFA, www.piperfly- Signature______cracking in the skins of the forward er.org) offers services similar to POS’s. wing walk. One SDR submitter report- YOUR RENEWAL ed six high-time airframes with this OWNER COMMENTS IS JUST A CLICK AWAY! damage. We have operated Warriors and www.aviationconsumer.com Archers since 1977. Our Archer II

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 29 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE has about 14,000 hours while our er, there is one serious fault with the 10 GPH, but I can get it down to eight Archer III is approaching 7000 hours control column. It tends to be gripped at altitude and leaned back to cruise, and is our most popular private-hire by the sleeve where the column comes indicating 120 knots. aircraft. The Archer III is quieter and out of the panel. The binding occurs The engine has slightly more than smoother, but it is 180 pounds heavier at about the position of the column 1600 hours on it, but compressions than the Archer II and is definitely during the flare and is erratic. still run in the upper 60-to-mid-70 only a three-person aircraft for all but If it grips then the aircraft lands range. I’m starting to notice oil leaks the shortest flights. It’s disappointing heavily because the pilot will not have where the crankcase halves meet. the 100-pound gross weight increase pulled back hard enough. Next time The aircraft has been hangared for made available to the Warriors did not he pulls a little harder and the column the most part, and tied down when apply to the Archer. Now the Warrior doesn’t grip, and the aircraft balloons. on a business trips. The original paint has a better range/payload envelope Lubrication helps but it dries out and is showing wear mainly due to the than the Archer. makes black marks on hands and canopy cover rubbing. Maintenance is less than the Archer clothing. This does not happen with RETRACTS II probably because the III is 20 years brands B and C. younger. However, the price of some (continued from page 16) components is eye-watering (e.g., Name withheld by request the 24-volt battery, the 24-volt boost pump, the back-up vacuum-pump/ I have owned a 1979 Archer II since Markwell-known H. example is the 201, manifold/regulator, which are life-lim- 1998. I just sent it in for engine over- Viaprices e-mail for it haven’t come down to ited components). The O-360-A4M haul, after putting about 500 hours our arbitrary $60,000 ceiling—yet— has not been as good as the O-320 on it. It has been a pleasure to own. so we considered two more aged in the Warriors, but the one installed A few small problems have been per- models: the classic “short-body” in the III is now 1000 hours into its sistent—bleeding the brakes, shimmy M20C and the slightly stretched fourth overhaul and is still on its origi- in the nosewheel—but all in all quite M20F. Before the company changed nal crankcase and crankshaft. reliable. The engine made about 100 its model names, these were known Like all the Warrior/Archer/Arrow hours beyond TBO but was using as the Ranger and the Executive 21, aircraft, cabin noise can be kept to some oil. It is insured for $50,000, but respectively. moderate levels because of well-fitting with the new engine I will increase Other than horsepower and doors and seals, and on our uneven that. Insurance has been about $900, fuselage length, there’s very little grass taxiways there is no creaking and but this year was reduced to $600! difference between them. Both are rattling of the airframe, and the doors I’ve had a commercial ticket with well-built airplanes, featuring a never come open in flight, unlike instrument rating for over eight years welded steel-tube cabin enclosure, Brands C and B. and no damage claims. It will haul laminar-flow wings, incredibly We do find that the Archer propel- four adult men and full fuel on a strong landing gear and pushrods lers incur more stone damage because winter day without difficulty, which instead of the control cables oth- they are longer than the Warrior ones, I learned before I owned and flew er manufacturers use. The basic and the nose strut is usually more the airplane. Mostly fuel burn is 9-10 M20C was first marketed in the compressed because of the greater load gal/hr. As the engine became older, early 1960s and, while much of the on it. The main gear legs behave much I slowed down to around 70-percent cosmetics changed over the years, the same as do those on the Warriors. power and saw about eight GPH when little else did. And why mess with All of them suffer because of the routinely flying at 120-125 knots. success? Johnson bar-operated gear uneven grass. We have to replace the I thought for a while about moving and rubber doughnuts to cushion leg at about 10,000 hours. Wing walks up to a retractable, or even down to an the landing help make a relatively usually run 4-to-5000 hours. LSA, but decided instead to overhaul simple, economical single. The Archer III has a decent alter- my friend and keep flying it. For the For those who might automat- nator, whereas the one fitted to the money, performance, and the cost of ically discard the Mooney from Archer II and the Warriors is a dis- maintenance and operation, this is consideration due to its diminutive grace. They are supposed to run the probably the best I can do. cabin size—which mostly is an life of the engine (2000 hours), but optical illusion, anyway—there’s the we average about 250 hours and have Martin Dixon longer M20F. Twenty more horse- had brand new ones fail in as little Via e-mail power helps haul around the extra as 20 minutes. Same thing for starter sheet metal, though everything else motors. In both cases, the mainte- I own a 1980 Piper Archer II, which remains pretty much the same as on nance strategy is to replace it when has been a great aircraft for me in both the M20C. Either model is a good it breaks, which makes a mockery of business and pleasure for the past choice for an economical cruiser. the concepts of safety in an aviation 12 years. Cost of operation has been While the manufacturing company environment. within reason. has been through more changes of On balance, I think that the Archer Annuals average less than $1000 ownership than we can count—rais- III probably costs a little less to run without much more than normal ing the specter of parts scarcity in than Brand C, but out here in Oz, we maintenance items. Insurance has the future—enough demand and miss the free sunshade. The Warriors been about the same, but I now fly less aftermarket suppliers exist to mini- and Archers are easier to land; howev- than 50 hours/year. I flight plan for mize those concerns.

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PIPER knows them intimately—any Co- WHAT’S A BARGAIN? Despite the Mooneys’ renowned manche (other than the 400-HP ver- In this market, $60,000 can buy a efficiency, another company has sion) offers great transportation val- lot of airplane. The examples in the done well with laminar flow wings: ue. The Arrow, on the other hand, table below represent the most-recent Piper’s Comanche had them, along is still in production. For less than vintage of the models we explored with a wider cabin and more engine $60,000, you can get into a 1979 and, according to the Bluebook, are choices. In fact, the 180-HP Coman- T-tailed Arrow IV (although we’d try available at that average price. Craft che is a worthy competitor to an to stick with the normal-tail/tapered with better-than-average equipment, M20C Mooney in many categories. wing Arrow III, and maybe save a a low-time engine, and/or fresh paint Alas, a 1972 flood at Piper’s Lock few thou). For a lot less than $60K, and interior may command more. Haven, Pennsylvania, plant ended you can get an earlier Arrow II, Run-out examples will go for less, Comanche production and forced with a slightly stretched cabin and and you’ll have the privilege of sink- the company to consolidate its man- the older wing. Either way, you’ll ing into it money for improvements ufacturing in Florida. The Cherokee end up with a basic, retractable you simply won’t be able to get out Arrow was already certified and— PA-28 with very few ADs, one of Ly- of it later. though it didn’t perform as well— coming’s more-bulletproof engines Why not a Bonanza, Mooney or Piper’s single-engine retractable (the IO-360, with a 2000-hour TBO) Centurion, instead of an Arrow? marketing shifted to it. and an airframe for which there Age, mainly. Sixty-thousand-dollar Which is a shame, since the are a wide variety of clean-up mods Bonanzas and Centurions can be Comanche usually is thought of as available. It’s comfortable, handles excellent aircraft for your mission, a better airplane. In addition to the well, mechanics are familiar with and the chances of finding a good wing’s design—laminar flow gen- it and parts are readily available. one for that price remain high. But erally results in reduced drag—its Plus, its 72-gallon fuel capacity—22 you should be able to find a much cabin is wider than the PA-28 series more than earlier Arrows and their younger Arrow—or even a long-body and it has relatively simple systems. Hershey-bar wings—affords good Mooney—for the same money. The only real problem with Coman- full-tanks range and full-seats If airframe and engine times, and ches is—like so many of the types loading options. For 60 grand and a avionics are equal, we would go with discussed in this roundup—they’re thorough pre-purchase inspection, the younger airframe. For $60,000, getting old. it’d be hard to go wrong. That’s why it’s hard to beat a well-maintained Ar- If that doesn’t bother you—or it’s our bargain retractable. row that’s “only” slightly more than perhaps your favorite mechanic 30 years old.

BARGAIN (UNDER $60K) SOURCE: Aircraft Bluebook RETRACTABLES Price Digest, Fall 2009 AVERAGE STANDARD STANDARD TBO AVERAGE MAX UAG MODEL YEAR PRICE TREND RETAIL ENGINE HP (HOURS) OVERHAUL SEATS ISSUE TCM IO- JUL. BEECH BONANZA S35 1964-1965 $57-60,000 DOWN 285 1700 $30,000 5 520-B/BA 1999 JAN. BEECH DEBONAIR B33 1963-1964 $54-57,000 STABLE TCM IO-470-K 225 1500 $30,000 5 2009 LYC IO- MAY BEECH SIERRA C24R 1983 $45,000 STABLE 200 2000 $30,000 6 360-A1B6 2009 LYC O-360- JAN. CESSNA CUTLASS 172RG 1985 $56,000 STABLE 180 2000 $19,000 4 F1A6 2009 LYC IO-360- JAN. CESSNA CARDINAL 177RG 1978 $47,000 STABLE 200 2000 $22,000 4 A1B60 2006 TCM IO- JUN. CESSNA CENTURION 210J 1969 $57,000 STABLE 285 1400 $35,000 6 520-H 2009 LYC IO- DEC. COMMANDER 112 1977 $51,000 STABLE 200 2000 $21,000 4 360-C1D6 2009 LYC O- JULY MOONEY M20C RANGER 1978 $59,000 STABLE 180 2000 $21,000 4 360-A1D 2006 MOONEY M20F LYC IO- JULY 1977 $54,000 STABLE 200 2000 $19,000 4 EXECUTIVE 21 360-A1A 2006 LYC IO-540- APR. PIPER COMANCHE 260 1966 $59,000 DOWN 260 2000 $19,800 D4A5 2009 LYC IO- JAN. PIPER ARROW IV 1979 $56,000 STABLE 200 2000 $22,000 4 360-C1C6 2008

April 2010 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 31 FEEDBACK WANTED AERONCA CHAMP

For the July 2010 issue of Aviation Consumer, our Used Aircraft Guide will be on the Aeronca Champ, a classic taildragger. We want to know what it’s like to own these verner- for a simple moving map showing able classics, how much they cost EFB Flyoff the location of the nearest runway to operate, maintain and insure (complete with runway number) and and what they’re like to fly. If you’d (continued from page 7) critical data for that airport. like your airplane to appear in the We also liked the simplicity and utility of the nearest function which magazine, send us any photographs RMS VISTA EFB displays nearest airport, VOR, inter- you’d care to share. We accept dig- As with our review of Flight Plan- section and NDB first and then lets ital photos e-mailed to the address ners, the EFB from RMS Flitesoft you tap to see more of any of those below. We welcome information took the bronze medal, but the gap items, including bearing and dis- on mods, support organizations between it and the leaders wasn’t so tance. Like Skypad, it automatically or any other pertinent comments. large this time. shows an airport at startup or after Please send correspondence on the The in-flight program is called landing. Vista can display multiple Champs by May 1, 2010, to: Vista and it gets good marks for sim- maps and screens at once in separate plicity. Buttons across the top switch windows, for an equivalent to the Aviation Consumer between scanned sectionals, en route split screens on other platforms. 7820 Holiday Drive South charts, selecting an approach plate In the negatives column, subtle Suite 315 and the VFR and IFR vector charts. but important things are lacking in Sarasota, FL 34231 Want an approach? Tap the approach comparison to other units, such as (preferred) e-mail at: button and you can choose from a nearest airports being highlighted [email protected] list of specific approaches for many on the moving map as you explore nearby airports. We liked the clear them in the nearest list (as Chart- course line on the airplane icon, and Case does) or seamless integration MORE TO CHOOSE FROM the fact that terrain and obstacle of weather or flight plan editing (as Another contender in this showdown status appear regardless of what page Voyager does). You also can’t easily should be the AnywhereMap Duo, you’re viewing. view the flight plan directly in Vista. but the company could not get us Vista works a bit differently for You must switch to Flitesoft, which one for testing by our deadline. We’ll tapping on the map as it matters is not optimized for the touchscreen. try and look at it in an upcoming which tool you have selected. While You can, however, create a new route issue. We’ll also take a look at the not a real problem, you’ll sometimes in Vista from the moving map or Jeppesen EFB in a future article. The will tap in vain until you realize the direct-to button.There were also rumored adding of sectional charts you have the wrong tool selected. some oddities such as an obstacle to AV8OR Ace makes it a contender, Vista is also the least optimized for warning we got while dead center on and the advent of the Apple iPad and control via fingers. You can still do a glidepath GPS approach. similar Android-based tablets are sure everything, but some scroll boxes The Flitesoft EFB uses the Asus to shake up this market as well. and such were hard for us to manip- T91 Tablet for its hardware. This unit Our takeaway from this all is that ulate. Some functions require calling is lighter than the 2Go, but it was if your back is already sore from the windows menus which takes an noticeably slower in switching views. hauling around three cubic feet of exact touch or the stylus. The screen also has significant glare approach plates and charts, one of Vista has a unique trick called the in bright sunlight. The EFB is $1200 these solutions may be just the ticket Flight Panel. This window shows a for Flitesoft Pro (piston, low-altitude) for you. However, if your current terrain map, profile view and relative and $1500 for Flitesoft Commercial chart and GPS solutions are function- bearing to several key waypoints. It (turbine, high-altitude). A USB GPS al, however, we think future offerings proved handy when calling for flight is included. It’s an extra $50 for from these companies and others will following or watching for terrain Bluetooth. XM weather is $595 via be the ones that finally deliver on the on the missed approach. Similar is Bluetooth. Data updates are $238/ EFB promise that has so far proven so the one-click emergency window year and $338/year, respectively. elusive.

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