AEA Pilot's Guide 2023-2024 - 52

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THE HIGH COST OF CHEAP
Continued from page 51
Schefer thinks changes are needed in the industry. He knows
other good shops are hearing similar stories or seeing similar
results of poor installations. " Unfortunately, I've seen neglect
and poor prior workmanship more often than you'd think, " he
said. " This is true even though aviation is an industry where
there is a very low tolerance for neglect, error or incompetence,
and stories like this do travel among the better shops.
" In my opinion, if we as an industry aren't willing to discuss
our dirty laundry, then how can we effect change? I mean, do
we really believe that every avionics shop out there does an
absolutely spectacular job? "
He said a person driving down the road past a general aviation
airport anywhere in the country may assume that every single
aircraft on the field is airworthy and maintained meticulously and
there is never any neglect, or an aircraft left in poor condition yet
still flying. But it happens a lot, according to Schefer.
It becomes clear when listening to Schefer describe the
disciplined processes used by DeltaFox that it is paying
dividends for its clients. " We are not perfect, but we have a
very good track record of aircraft leaving squawk-free after
any installation we tackle, " Schefer said. " The flight testing is
good for weeding out details that cannot be fully examined
even with the most sophisticated ground test equipment, all
of which we have. "
Schefer prefers to work on an aircraft that has never been
upgraded, but that often isn't possible with older aircraft.
" We find some previous installations have been done well
and some have been done very poorly, " he said. " These
shortcomings have to do with the way the installation was
engineered and integrated; usually it has nothing to do
with the avionics equipment itself. Sometimes, we find the
previous work hasn't even been done by an authorized dealer
of the avionics involved. "
Nine out of 10 aircraft that come in for installations at
DeltaFox do not have engineering or wiring prints for the work
done previously either because they were never done or they
have been lost.
" Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good shops out
there; but there are also shops that do a great job of convincing
people that they are good shops when they're not, " Schefer
said. " When there is a price difference, there is usually a
reason. " q
To learn more about Delta Fox Aviation, visit deltafox.com.
- 52 -
http://www.deltafox.com
AEA Pilot's Guide 2023-2024

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