Avionics News June 2012 - 62
SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
Continued from page 61
probably best to yank it out and get new stuff in there.” Without a doubt, the biggest challenge in warbird avionics work is drawing the fine line between a stock cockpit and modern capabilities. “Some owners don’t care about the original look,” Wright said. “They just want the best, most reliable equipment available. That’s easy for me to work with, because they really don’t care what I do with an old panel. But, the guys who want to keep the old look usually end up with bare minimum VFR avionics: comm, transponder and maybe a handheld GPS.” What warbird owners fly does not predict their desires for authenticity. “If an owner wants a G600 in a T-34, L-39 or whatever type of airplane it is, we can probably make it fit,” he said, adding that some require a substantial amount of work. Where to mount things is a particular problem, especially when trying to maintain a stock appearance. Standard 6.25-inch GA avionics do not fit in the Dzus rail mounts that hold military-issue avionics on the right sidewall of single-seat and tandem warbirds. And, if you put a Garmin 430 there, “you lose more than half its func-
tions, like the moving map,” Wright explained. “So, we have to reconstruct the whole panel to accept the newer avionics.” In the T-28, with every square inch of panel space spoken for, “we put a lot of them on top of the glare shield; made a little hood for it and put it right in front of their eyes.” Fortunately, most warbirds fly in the experimental exhibition category, which makes the installation approvals a lot easier. In many cases, it’s the application of best practices and a logbook entry. Ingenuity is another requirement. “There’s a lot of vibration in these things, so we have to make sure things are mounted good and solid,” Wright said. “A lot of them aren’t sealed up real well, either, so we have to make sure water stays out. The systems are pretty basic in a lot of these trainers, so we’ll go ahead and strip all the old stuff and just start from scratch.” Autopilots are the most technically challenging installations because S-TEC, for example, doesn’t make one for the L-39, Wright said. Without an easy way to adjust the component gains, Wright connected a “decade box” in place of a component and went flying. If the jet started wing-rocking or porpoising, he’d
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avionics news
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http://www.matrixaviation.com
Avionics News June 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News June 2012
Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View From Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Taking Back Our Industry
New Avionics Products Highlighted by Flexibility, Connectivity and Capability
Industry Profile
Member Profile
Aspen & Avidyne
Seizing Opportunity
A Conversation With...
What's Up With Backup Instruments?
Theory & Practice
Pro-to-col
Business Basics
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2012 - Cover1
Avionics News June 2012 - Cover2
Avionics News June 2012 - 1
Avionics News June 2012 - 2
Avionics News June 2012 - 3
Avionics News June 2012 - Point of Communication
Avionics News June 2012 - 5
Avionics News June 2012 - AEA Now
Avionics News June 2012 - 7
Avionics News June 2012 - 8
Avionics News June 2012 - 9
Avionics News June 2012 - 10
Avionics News June 2012 - 11
Avionics News June 2012 - 12
Avionics News June 2012 - 13
Avionics News June 2012 - The View From Washington
Avionics News June 2012 - 15
Avionics News June 2012 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News June 2012 - 17
Avionics News June 2012 - 18
Avionics News June 2012 - 19
Avionics News June 2012 - Taking Back Our Industry
Avionics News June 2012 - 21
Avionics News June 2012 - 22
Avionics News June 2012 - 23
Avionics News June 2012 - 24
Avionics News June 2012 - 25
Avionics News June 2012 - 26
Avionics News June 2012 - 27
Avionics News June 2012 - 28
Avionics News June 2012 - 29
Avionics News June 2012 - New Avionics Products Highlighted by Flexibility, Connectivity and Capability
Avionics News June 2012 - 31
Avionics News June 2012 - 32
Avionics News June 2012 - 33
Avionics News June 2012 - 34
Avionics News June 2012 - 35
Avionics News June 2012 - 36
Avionics News June 2012 - 37
Avionics News June 2012 - 38
Avionics News June 2012 - 39
Avionics News June 2012 - 40
Avionics News June 2012 - 41
Avionics News June 2012 - 42
Avionics News June 2012 - 43
Avionics News June 2012 - 44
Avionics News June 2012 - 45
Avionics News June 2012 - Industry Profile
Avionics News June 2012 - 47
Avionics News June 2012 - 48
Avionics News June 2012 - 49
Avionics News June 2012 - Member Profile
Avionics News June 2012 - 51
Avionics News June 2012 - 52
Avionics News June 2012 - 53
Avionics News June 2012 - Aspen & Avidyne
Avionics News June 2012 - 55
Avionics News June 2012 - 56
Avionics News June 2012 - 57
Avionics News June 2012 - 58
Avionics News June 2012 - 59
Avionics News June 2012 - Seizing Opportunity
Avionics News June 2012 - 61
Avionics News June 2012 - 62
Avionics News June 2012 - 63
Avionics News June 2012 - 64
Avionics News June 2012 - 65
Avionics News June 2012 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News June 2012 - 67
Avionics News June 2012 - What's Up With Backup Instruments?
Avionics News June 2012 - 69
Avionics News June 2012 - 70
Avionics News June 2012 - 71
Avionics News June 2012 - 72
Avionics News June 2012 - 73
Avionics News June 2012 - Theory & Practice
Avionics News June 2012 - 75
Avionics News June 2012 - Pro-to-col
Avionics News June 2012 - 77
Avionics News June 2012 - Business Basics
Avionics News June 2012 - 79
Avionics News June 2012 - 80
Avionics News June 2012 - 81
Avionics News June 2012 - What's New
Avionics News June 2012 - 83
Avionics News June 2012 - 84
Avionics News June 2012 - 85
Avionics News June 2012 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2012 - 87
Avionics News June 2012 - 88
Avionics News June 2012 - Cover3
Avionics News June 2012 - Cover4
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