Avionics News January 2014 - 27

Demo panels for homebuilt aircraft are
on display in Aerotronics' show room,
when they are not attracting customers
at air shows across the nation.

experimental division on the second floor: "This area not part of
Repair Station NH2R031L."
While general aviation and experimental aircraft both employ TSO'd avionics, their installation requirements are quite
different, especially when connected to equipment designed
and built expressly for homebuilt aircraft. Although the shops
are separate, Smith emphasized that both of them use aviationcertified wire, cables and hardware. To preclude confusion of
use, Aerotronics logs every component into its tracking system
when it arrives and affixes to it a decal with its serial number,
work order number and the customer's name.
General aviation equipment upgrades must work within the
framework imposed by supplemental type certificates and the
compatibility of system components. "A lot of owners come
through the door with an idea about what they'd like to do with
their airplane," Vold said. "Some are very confident about what
they want to do because they have a lot of experience." And
thanks to the Internet, they are already educated about the capabilities of their desired upgrade. "But it has to relate to what's
already in the airplane, or what would be the better interface."
Since avionics entered the digital era, sales would be better
defined as education and consultation, Vold said. A good example is someone who wants to install a Garmin G500. That
owner may not know or understand how it interfaces with
peripheral components and how they may "change the atmo-

sphere of what's happening to the airplane." As pilots who use
the equipment, Aerotronics' three general aviation salespersons
know their products intimately on both sides of the panel and
can translate the lexicon of electronics to that of aviators.
General aviation work can take from one day to three months,
depending on what the owner desires, Vold said. A project usually begins with a phone call and a discussion of the pilot's "flying style, experience, what he's going to do with the airplane
and its primary use, and how long he plans to keep it." Then
they start discussing the equipment options that will safely and
economically meet those needs.
Predictability is another trait that separates the general aviation and experimental markets, to a degree. Store-bought airplanes may leave the factory with a consistent configuration, but
upgrades made over the decades can introduce some surprises.
To avoid them, "we like to see a lot of photos and, if possible,
get our hands on the airplane before we actually start work."
Once work begins, the salesman is the project's manager, but
the technician doing the work has a direct line to the customer,
as well. The same is true for everyone who works at Aerotronics
"because they promote themselves and our company through
their interaction," Vold said. Customers like it, for example,
when the technician emails a solution to an unforeseen chalContinued on following page
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Avionics News January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2014