Dumbest airplane accessory

Ken Ibold

Ken Ibold

Final Approach
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Display name:
Ken Ibold
What's the dumbest thing you've ever seen installed on an airplane -- taking type into account, of course.

HSI in an Extra 300?
Speed brakes on a Cherokee Six?
O2 in a Champ?
 
Artic Air in a Lance.
Sorry Ken, it was there for the taking. :rofl:

I haven't gone upgrade crazy with my Piper.
 
Glass cockpit in the Legend Cub.

I still get a chuckle out of the ol' "Cigar Lighter"
 
i dunno frank, not having an ADF always seemed silly to me. I think its all in the eye of the beholder Ken. Im hoping to install a Dynon 10A in the glider next winter, seems awfully ridiculous to many, but I hope to do some cloud flying and break some state altitude and distance records. It all depends on the mission. If you want to fly your champ in the flight levels, you better have O2...
 
cup holders in the new Cessnas...

I either forget I have my coffee until I land, or spill it all over my shirt in turbulence ...
 
The ADF is one of my favorite pieces of navigational equipment, I like the compass locators, and I seem to find that even GPS doesn't always give me as quick a sense of where I am in relation to the OM as a LOM. Frank, BTW is that scooby dog new in your avatar?

Rearview mirror is one, here's my submission:

Lancer402.jpg
 
Pilawt said:
Factory installed rear-view mirrors in mid-'60s Cessnas ...

-- Pilawt
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That's funny. I just flew a plane with one of these last night. I was wondering what the hell it was for.
 
Danos said:
That's funny. I just flew a plane with one of these last night. I was wondering what the hell it was for.
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In my old C-150 it was for checking on seagulls and hot-air balloons that might be tailgating me. :p (See self-portrait below)

JRitt said:
It's for when you fly a couple who want to join the mile high club. :goofy:
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In a C-150??!! :eek: Never mind.

-- Pilawt
 

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Ashtrays and cigar lighters, although the 60's were a different time. Even Granny smoked cigs on the Beverly Hillbillies.
 
Radios in small planes that fly around Chicago airspace. It is not like anyone in the tracon is going to talk to you so why have them? ;)
 
mikea said:
Ashtrays and cigar lighters, although the 60's were a different time. Even Granny smoked cigs on the Beverly Hillbillies.
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It's a cigar lighter?! All this time I thought that Beech had the foresight back in 1959 to put in a power outlet knowing I'd need it someday in the future for my handheld GPS ... :D

Here's another one. I don't know if it's "dumb"; but it's unusual these days. Look at this photo of a 1947 Bonanza, specifically the three small circles in the fuselage skin just behind the trailing edge of the wing. Those were tubes for releasing parachute flares, used for night emergency landings. Below is an excerpt of the 1958 J35 manual describing how they were used. Wow.

-- Pilawt
 

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Danos said:
That's funny. I just flew a plane with one of these last night. I was wondering what the hell it was for.
Click to expand...

Back in the dark ages when I learned to fly in a C150, it had a mirror. If I remember correctly my instructor expected me to use it to stay on the runway centerline as I departed. I don't recall this actually working very well.
 
Pilawt said:
It'Those were tubes for releasing parachute flares, used for night emergency landings. Below is an excerpt of the 1958 J35 manual describing how they were used. Wow.

-- Pilawt
Click to expand...

"Wow" is right.

BTW I bag my first in-flight viewing of a V-tail Bonanza this week. She was reeeeal pretty.

Last week I bagged some more A-10's (three this time)

Last month I bagged two V-35 (?) Ospreys.

This winter Jean and I were buzzed three times by a B-2 (well not us exactly, we were on runway heading for McDill). It was so close our mast reverberated to the sound and we coud see through the cockpit bubble. COOL! We had tears we were so proud of America seeing that bat-wing bomber so close.
 
Ken Ibold said:
What's the dumbest thing you've ever seen installed on an airplane -- taking type into account, of course.
Click to expand...

The modern Cessna nonsense of multiple instrument panel placards stating "Failure to ____ could/will result in serious injury or death." (IMO there are more labels telling that you will get maimed or die than there are labels telling you how to avoid the situation in the first place. Just leave the panel with useful labels like "master", "starter", "landing light", etc and leave the whiney wordy junk for the sales brochures)

Runner up to the death labels was dual handheld GPS on an ultralight.
 
I think the stupidest accessory possible is the retractable tiedown rings.

Anyone have these where they stay retracted?
 
SkyHog said:
I think the stupidest accessory possible is the retractable tiedown rings.

Anyone have these where they stay retracted?
Click to expand...
If I'm thinking of the same thing you are, on the wing of the 182, yes. "Mine" stay retracted with no problem.
 
Wheel fairings on many fixed-gear singles bug me -- especially the elaborate newer ones from Cessna and Piper that don't allow access to the wheel, brake and tire except through a tiny trap door. Any time those things have ever saved me in flight has been spent many times over in trying to preflight and service the landing gear and/or bandaging scraped fingers. :mad:

-- Pilawt
 
gibbons said:
13 fuel sumps on the new C172's.
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Such as life with a neoprene fuel bladder with multiple low points between ribs and spars. The alternative is a wet wing adding to inspections and potential issues.
 
Jato attach points on the Beech 18 and the t-bone.


James Dean
 
smigaldi said:
Not sure what you are inferring but, FYI, the new 172s are wet wings
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Oops... I was thinking backward. The multiple points are because of fuel between ribs and spars. The alternative would be a fuel bladder. I've seen how much fun it is to inspect those, particularly on large aircraft.

Dang me, dang me... oughta take a rope and... wait, never mind!
 
Pilawt said:
It's a cigar lighter?! All this time I thought that Beech had the foresight back in 1959 to put in a power outlet knowing I'd need it someday in the future for my handheld GPS ... :D

Here's another one. I don't know if it's "dumb"; but it's unusual these days. Look at this photo of a 1947 Bonanza, specifically the three small circles in the fuselage skin just behind the trailing edge of the wing. Those were tubes for releasing parachute flares, used for night emergency landings. Below is an excerpt of the 1958 J35 manual describing how they were used. Wow.

-- Pilawt
Click to expand...

What a great idea! Beats the advice, "If you don't like what you see, turn off the landing light!"
 
KennyFlys said:
Oops... I was thinking backward. The multiple points are because of fuel between ribs and spars. The alternative would be a fuel bladder. I've seen how much fun it is to inspect those, particularly on large aircraft.

Dang me, dang me... oughta take a rope and... wait, never mind!
Click to expand...
The "other" alternative would be a welded separate tank like most airplanes have, with only one low point. :p
 
SkyHog said:
I think the stupidest accessory possible is the retractable tiedown rings.

Anyone have these where they stay retracted?
Click to expand...
Yep. Never had a problem with them.
 
wsuffa said:
Almost anything from Sportys catalog... ;) :p
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I'm just about in agreement. I loved the flight bag I bought there a year ago Christmas until the seam at the top came apart. I don't know why it couldn't hold up to four manuals, PHAK, AFH, FAR/AIM, a half-dozen charts, four flashlights, a dozen batteries, IFR hood, headset and a handheld radio. :dunno:
 
KennyFlys said:
I'm just about in agreement. I loved the flight bag I bought there a year ago Christmas until the seam at the top came apart. I don't know why it couldn't hold up to four manuals, PHAK, AFH, FAR/AIM, a half-dozen charts, four flashlights, a dozen batteries, IFR hood, headset and a handheld radio. :dunno:
Click to expand...

...and the you smoosh it and force zip it closed and the silly zipper breaks! Cheap crap! :D






Hi. I'm Mike. I'm a zipper killer.
 
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