markejackson02 Posted February 4, 2016 Report Posted February 4, 2016 I had an Aspen in the old M20C and it was awesome. Attitude, altitude, airspeed, vsi all in one glance. Coupled to a 430W, it made approaches ridiculously easy. It was expensive, but I loved it. 1 Quote
PR474 Posted February 4, 2016 Report Posted February 4, 2016 +1 for Bob Bramble (Aerolab Aviation) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
flyboy0681 Posted February 21, 2016 Report Posted February 21, 2016 I flew for the first time today with the Bramble overhauled HSI and gyro. The units are like brand new and are spot on. 1 Quote
LANCECASPER Posted February 21, 2016 Report Posted February 21, 2016 Jerry at Porter Strait in Tulsa is also a good choice. I asked them to do an "Inspect and Repair as Necessary" on the KG-102A Gyro. It needed one capacitor and the optical switch needed to be re-calibrated. It cost $320 plus shipping. If it had needed a complete overhaul it would have been $1595. Quote
chrisk Posted February 22, 2016 Report Posted February 22, 2016 3 minutes ago, IrishTiger said: I've had my fair share of KI256 overhauls. I hate that instrument so much I could just break it off in Pat Epps' ass. If I would have known I was going to shell out 12K for repeated overhauls I would have an Aspen right now!!! I'm going to get around to replacing my 256 (that lets me fly crooked!!!) to an Aspen style unit. I was looking forward to the KI300, but I don't like the idea of putting another B/K product in, and they keep delaying the production. I got rid of my KI256 2 years ago and replaced it with an Aspen. After reading your note, I am glad I did. Quote
Marauder Posted February 23, 2016 Report Posted February 23, 2016 4 hours ago, chrisk said: I got rid of my KI256 2 years ago and replaced it with an Aspen. After reading your note, I am glad I did. Well I also got shafted BAD by Epps Aviation here in Atlanta at PDK. I let them repair it the first time, they SAID they sent it out (I really don't know if they did or not), and 2 weeks later it went tango uniform. The second time they did the same thing, and when I got the airplane back I was flying it to Chattanooga for dinner. I engaged the A/P (I was climbing in V/S mode and I think I was still on a heading) and the A/P slowed the rate of climb and then began a shallow descent. Just when I was about to click off the A/P the airplane began climbing but this time at a steep rate. Had I not disengaged the A/P I was headed straight vertical. So they take it out again and were going to send it back in for more repairs.... all the while they had a "good" 256 on the shelf in their avionics room. Even though the part was under warranty, I was still paying for R&R and labor. They told me they'd install the good 256 as a loaner instrument, and send mine off again. Well, that loaner became permanent and they never got the other one back. No one knows what happened to it. So now this one works okay - but say I'm shooting an ILS approach, I'll usually be lined up with the left runway lights instead of the centerline. From what I understand, Epps never calibrated the A/P to the newer 256 that's in my aircraft now. I also know that my HSI will need to be overhauled at some point and time, so having that right below my 256, it's a perfect place for an Aspen!!! It makes me sick to think that I could have already paid for one with all the money I spent at Epps. Needless to say - I never let Epps touch my airplane again, and I moved from their tie down to Signature (which is great for me because my company is one of Signatures biggest customers, and I get a ton of TailWins points every time we fill up with Jet A). I left my airline and went to a 135 operator and I'm currently flying a Hawker 400XP (or a rebranded BeechJet if you will). So I get to keep all the points from filling up and services. But I can't say enough bad things about Epps. They're just awful, and they really screwed up my airplane. They even put wrong brake pads and the wrong O-Ring in the brake caliper causing me to lose the entire right brake one day. Unfortunately everyone of us has some maintenance nightmare we lived through (and some of us a few more). One of mine was the KT-76 transponder I had. Went to the shop 4 times in a little over 2 years. Should have just dumped it before throwing more money at it. As for the HSI, I was in a different place with my plane when it came to an HSI. I never owned a mechanical one although I entertained installing one several times over the years. When I did make the move to install one, I bought the Aspen. I never regretted making the purchase. With Sun N Fun coming up and Oshkosh around the corner, I would wait to see what shows up in this year's releases. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
gsengle Posted February 23, 2016 Report Posted February 23, 2016 I would consider aspen if certified as a primary. But otherwise don't see the point... Still have to keep the vacuum system and King gyros and still have to keep em working to dispatch... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
Guest Mike261 Posted March 3, 2016 Report Posted March 3, 2016 so i sent my gyro to bob bramble...turns out its a kg model...no command bars, i dont have a flight director so i dont know why i confused them... 1900 and change for a complete overhaul, it was past the point of IRAN. sent the kap 150 down with it so he can mate the two together, if they line up after the overhaul he ships it out. if they dont play nice there will be an addittional charge for calibration. seems like a fair deal to me. i will have pireps when its up and running. thanks for the help oh mighty forum. mike Quote
flyboy0681 Posted March 3, 2016 Report Posted March 3, 2016 Just now, Mike261 said: so i sent my gyro to bob bramble...turns out its a kg model...no command bars, i dont have a flight director so i dont know why i confused them... After flying 15 hours with the Bramble overhauled gyro and HSI, I couldn't be more pleased. The compass, A/P heading bug and glideslope bars are right on the money. Quote
jlunseth Posted March 3, 2016 Report Posted March 3, 2016 I am going to be the contrarian. Having flown with no electrical, it is an interesting experience to switch the Master off and find that indeed, the engine still operates the way they taught you it would when you took your Private ground school. Batteries, on the other hand, rarely do. You will find that the battery in the rear of your aircraft, which supposedly should last a half hour or 45 minutes, will find a way to continue to discharge even with the Master off, and you won't have much if any capacity when you get to your destination. The backup batteries in all the AI's I have looked at are rated for a half hour or 45 minutes. But that is when they are new. Typically, you find you need that backup battery several years after you got the AI, and by then the backup gives you little or no time to safely find the ground. I have an iPad and a Stratus 2, which could be used as a backup AI if the panel goes dead, but it is disconcerting to me how often the suction cup fails and the unit falls off the window. I would not want to rely on it, even as a backup, in any kind of turbulence, and IMC is very often turbulent. If you are in IMC when a failure happens, and at cruising altitude, a half hour backup (if you get that much) may not be enough to make a descent and fly an approach to a safe landing. The conclusion I reached is that unless your aircraft is or can be equipped with dual batteries (28V) and dual alternators, you probably want to stay with vacuum. Better to install a backup electronic AI, and/or backup vacuum pump, and/or a wet pump, which is much more durable than dry. Quote
LANCECASPER Posted March 5, 2016 Report Posted March 5, 2016 On 2/22/2016 at 1:18 PM, IrishTiger said: I've had my fair share of KI256 overhauls. I hate that instrument so much I could just break it off in Pat Epps' ass. Don't hold back Ryan . . tell us how you really feel . . lol 2 Quote
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