Aerodon

So I have a Super Cub project. It has 5000TT and at least 3 accidents listed on the NTSB and if you page through the logbooks there are numerous repairs documented with 337's. So it has a lot of accidents and damage history. However on this reassembly, there is not a single repair, only replacement with either good used parts or brand new. There is not a whole lot of difference in replacing an oil filter, engine or wing. All parts have numbers (PN's) and some have serial numbers (SN's), like the wings, fuselage, engine and prop. So I can advertise the plane as fully refurbished, and technically it has damage history. Practically it has none. I will make full disclosure and a serious prospective buyer should understand the situation. The same logic can be applied to a Cessna or Mooney. If it was taxied into a fuel truck, the wing could be 'replaced' or repaired according to the Cessna/Mooney maintenance manual. Either way, it's damage, should be reported as such and the replacement or repair documented. Then the buyer should make an assessment of the repair, replacement and possible further damage which is hidden or not yet repaired - say wing attachment points. If it concerns you, there are plenty more nice airplanes to look at. If it was many years ago, and the plane has undergone a Cessna SIDs inspection, I'd be less concerned. I have travelled commercially to see a plane, which the advertiser had not disclosed in the advert but the logbooks documented a wheels up repair. I was pretty annoyed. But I had not got to a deposit / pre-purchase / contract stage. In todays digital age, its not unreasonable to ask for a digital image of the entire logbook(s). How much can it cost to go to Staples and get a kid to scan every page if you are too lazy? Page through and make a decision if you want to proceed. It might also help you write up a contract - if any repairs are discovered that have not been disclosed in the logbooks, I would say you should be entitled to an 'out', but probably not costs, unless you can prove the seller knew about it? Almost every plane I have ever purchased has had original paint and interior - a lot harder to sugar coat anything. I'd much rather buy a plane with tired paint, engine etc. and see what I am getting. Then I can control the painting process, quality etc. Unfortunately most of the time planes needing work are overpriced, and conversely planes with good paint, engine, avionics, interior are generally more expensive, but underpriced compared with what you are getting. Aerodon

Mike, nice panel. I know its hard to draw the line where to stop when doing upgrades. Now that the OEM gauges are gone, it would be nice to move the flight instruments up and centred to where they belong? Have a look at this C172 panel I am making - using KG258 gyro and Sandel SN3500. The Sandel gets rid of the HSI slaving accessory (one less thing to install), includes the stormscope, displays both nav, GPS and ADF with separate annunciators. An EDM900 and SN3308 or SN3500 adds some 'glass' and a lot of functionality without a huge capital outlay. It helps having a CNC router - I can cut and recut a panel in 30 minutes until I am happy. If anyone wants to work through the process for a Mooney I would be happy to help. Its a hobby for me, so might be a little slow. Don

ZW, that combo should be rock solid. Find an install manual and calibrate the SL30 to the GI106. The SL30 has some unique antenna splitter and combiner issues. A traditional radio may have a combined VOR/ILS antenna with a splitter to provide signals to the VOR and ILS inputs on the radio. Sometimes this splitter can have as many as 4 outputs, two ILS and two VOR. However the SL30 has only one input and has an internal splitter. You cannot use a standard VOR/ILS splitter, as this filters out one or other of the frequency ranges. If you are getting less than stellar performance from your SL30, check your antennas, cables and splitters very carefully. don

Want a kln94? Aerodon supercub180@gmail.com

John I've done an FS450 and EDM700 to an EDM730 in 4 hours. It involved re-pinning the FF wires into the EDM700 harness, then plugging the existing 3 harnesses into the 730. But no panel alterations were required and no new transducers installed. At the right opportunity we will install the MP, RPM sensor and Oil P to turn it into an 830. Note that the 830 harness comes with a 20Ga power and ground vs. the 22Ga in the EDM700. It also has a choke on the power / ground and no data cable. Other than that, the harnesses and probes are the same. EDM900's are a different story and I've seen the debate about whether you can 'upgrade' or whether you have to replace everything. My opinion is that if the EDM700 was properly installed and the wires and probes are in good condition - use them. Go through the parts list carefully, and if the old / new part number matches, then re-use. If not, replace. Or use the opportunity to start again and recoup some of your costs by selling the old units as a system. You have a relatively newer plane, I would be tempted to keep the OEM gauges and install an 830. Will keep your costs down and reduce rearranging the panel. If I had an older plane, the 900 is a great opportunity to get rid of unreliable tachs, etc. and free up some panel space. Don (And full disclosure, I sell JPI's but I am not biased between and of their models)

I like routing the wires on the inside of the exhaust an inlet manifolds - difficult to do but it prevents the probes getting bumped and the wires frayed. Never had a problem with the braided or 'yellow plastic' insulation melting. Use adel clamps and zipties. Don

JPI rebates are on again, have a look at their webpage, contact me for trade ins and best pricing. Don. supercub180@gmail.com

I have one for you, send me an email. Supercub180@gmail.com, don

Rick, I have a couple of KI256's for you to choose from, Don

Oshkosh rebate is over, but I still have one new one in stock at rebate pricing for 4/6 or 8 cylinder. Looking for EDM700's with FF in trade. Don

I did spinning training for my private and commercial in a Tomahawk. Really used to spin compared with a C150 / C172 / PA28. Used to climb to 8000 AGL and regularly used 3-4000 ft. Sometimes it would take 2 or 3 turns to recover. Exciting. My instructor always used to say 'stall, spin, crash, burn' in quick succession every time I got too slow or too steep in any manoeuvre until it was drilled into me. Years later I saw this video: It is disturbing so don't watch if it is likely to upset you. I've seen too many accidents where the pilot tries to turn back, stretch the glide, or stalls 50 feet above the ground with a bad engine. Conversely I've seen accidents where the pilot flies the plane all the way into the trees or very inhospitable terrain and survives a totally wrecked plane. Its very counterintuitive to purposely avoid the stall and file into something bad. Just like its counterintuitive to do a spin recovery. I can say that after a few spins, spin recovery becomes automatic enough that I think I'll manage. But realistically if you do the stall/spin on base leg you are toast, so find some method that works for you to stay well away from the limit. My takeoff routine is to reaffirm that I'm not turning back, and where my 'fields' are. Hope it works if I ever need it. Don

There are different ways to connect the TIT 1) standalone separate probe 2) piggy back onto the factory probe at the probe 3) piggy back onto the factory probe at the gauge Plenty of places to look for a bad or broken connection. Finally, the TIT is connected to P1 (power and options), not P2 (EGT &CHT). So don't go replacing the expensive one. Send me an email if you need a replacement wire. And if you think its the instrument, I'll take it in trade for a nice EDM800 - add MP, RPM, FF, OAT eye and get % power. Don supercub180@gmail.com

Here are some ideas: 1) The 14V adapter is often power via a fuse directly from the battery, maybe even a fuse after a CB 2) There is often a large resistor in 28V planes so that a 14V lighter works - but this does not work with most 14 accessories or converters because the voltage drop across the resistor is not balanced for the load. 3) use converters / adaptors that are rated for 28V, and even then a lot of them make electrical noise, enough to mess up GPS signals 4) newer Cessnas use voltage converters to reduce from 28V to 14V just for the adaptor, Don

I got crooked with a Turbo Arrow IV 30 years ago. Seller said 550 SMOH, turned out it was 550 STOH. But best school fees ever, never had a problem since. But s few basic rules: 1) never buy a plane without original paint - then its real hard to hide damage etc. If the plane still looks good after 20/30/40 years then the rest of it follows suit. 2) buy a plane with a nice new engine, or a tired old engine and budget accordingly 3) be ruthless, know the book value, know how to adjust for TT and engine time and be prepared to pay for it. Same with avionics etc. Add up what you want to install too. My direct experience several times over: a low TT airplane with good engine / propeller / avionics is likely to pencil out 25% more than average, but the seller will probably end up accepting 15% more than average. Nice deal for buyer, and over time, sometimes a very short time, you will get your moneys worth. The converse applies - a plane with tired paint, avionics engine etc could be worth 30% less than average, but try get a seller to see that. Impossible. Don

Yes Main Turbo in California

BK lost me forever when the wanted to charge $3500 to fix a KX155A which is freely available on the used market for less than $2000. Buying avionics have three parts to the equation, just like buying a car: 1) purchase price 2) operating costs (repairs and databases) 3) resale value (in or out of your plane) Some companies (PS Engineering come to mind) truly do repair their 10 year old equipment at a realistic price. Others have these outrageous flat rate repairs - L3 comes to mind, not happy paying $1100 and reading 'connector changed'. Have you seen what they charge for a TRC899 flat rate repair? Garmin also have a fixed price policy, G430's have to be upgraded to 430W's before you can do the flat rate repair (please tell me it isn't true). It would seem to me that Avidyne have got 'critical mass' and I'm pleased that there is a viable alternative. Personally, I don't think there is room for three, and you run a high risk that the product never gets traction. So why take the risk? It takes 20 years to build a market brand, only a year or two to loose it. BK would have to do something special to win me back. Ironically some of their older stuff is still first class - I would not hesitate to install a good 20 year old KX165 as a second com. Audio quality, reliability and repair costs are excellent. I would not install a KX165A. Aerodon

I'm busy with upgrading my C172, and thought I would post some pictures here because it really is an avionics package that belongs in a Mooney. The GNS480 is still a very capable WAAS GPS for future ADSB and has tons of serial and Arinc ports to communicate with all sorts of devices like ELT, transponder, ADSB, HSI, and more. The Sandel is a great way to save panel space - combine DG, ILS, ADF and much more into one locate without spending 10AMU's on hardware. Keep the KR87 ADF, but get rid of the indicator. Integrate your DME. Get rid of your stormscope and replace with remote WX500. Replace transponder with remote SL70R or new GTX32/33 I used a 3" JPI engine monitor with fuel flow just so it matches, looks great. SN3500 shown in the panel, but thats for my other plane. Hole is for a KI258, same as KI256 without the FD bars. Panel is cut from 0.090 2024-T3 on my AXYZ CNC router. Still learning, will have to cut a couple more times. (You can't rely on the manufacturer's cutout dimensions, they suck). Apollo GPS MAP is just for show. I think I should put the ADF and ILS indicator down at the bottom, and move the JPI up? Don