Finally

[judypilot]

Well, following the law of airplane maintenance, my panel upgrade got started late and took 2.5 times as long (at least from drop off to pick up, if not in the actual labor costs) as it was supposed to, but I finally, after a bit more than a month, got to pick up my airplane with its new panel. I got a GNS 430 and a few upgrades (new AI, TC, audio panel, transponder and had a bunch of non- or poorly functional stuff removed). I LOVE the GNS 430 already. What a nice little box! Here's a picture. The GNS 430 is in the lower-left corner. Wasn't sure how that was going to work, but I have an old airplane and rearranging the panel is difficult and expensive. It actually works extremely well, better than I expected.

In a nice little convergence, I got to pick up my airplane on the 16th anniversary of my first solo.

Now I need to get current on instruments again, as I'm, oh, about 3.5 years out of currency. Went with an instructor yesterday and shot a very nice ILS, one that wouldn't have embarrassed me on a checkride, and then a not-so nice VOR approach, but the latter was as much because I managed to distract myself in an unproductive way. I, once again, relearned that distraction is always worse than not doing whatever it is you're trying to do (in this case, waiting too long to set up my second NAV as backup). I was glad not to embarrass myself too much, as I'm a CFII and therefore supposed to be perfect.

I can't TELL you how glad I am to have my airplane back. The last month was h*** at work, and I could have really used the mental health break of flying. I thought I was going to jump off the nearest tall building, quit my job (I actually had a draft of a resignation letter!), or something else rash. Had I been able to fly during that time, I'm sure I wouldn't have been in such bad shape. But all is right with the world again.

Judy

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Very cool Judy!
DT

 

[Bill M.]

I was glad not to embarrass myself too much, as I'm a CFII and therefore supposed to be perfect. Judy

Nice plane!!
I can relate to the above statement. I took a 2yr hiatus from flying a while back, and when I went down to get a IPC, and FR, I didn't tell the CFI that I was a CFI too.
BTW...looking forward to getting out that way this June.
Bill

 

[alaskaflyer]

I was going to ask if it followed the second corollary of the law of airplane maintenance, which is it will cost 2.5 times as much as originally estimated, but it looks like you made out OK in this regard?

I'm always afraid of what they will find once they begin poking around in the panel (oops, this wiring harness is shot, oops that wiring harness is shot...)

 

[etsisk]

I was going to ask if it followed the second corollary of the law of airplane maintenance, which is it will cost 2.5 times as much as originally estimated, but it looks like you made out OK in this regard?

I'm always afraid of what they will find once they begin poking around in the panel (oops, this wiring harness is shot, oops that wiring harness is shot...)

Lord, yes . . . I can see it now - he looks under there for a second, hesitates, looks again and comes back out, saying "Isn't there supposed to be insulation on all this wiring?"

 

[gismo]

Very nice Judy.

 

[silver-eagle]

Lord, yes . . . I can see it now - he looks under there for a second, hesitates, looks again and comes back out, saying "Isn't there supposed to be insulation on all this wiring?"

OR.... I've never seen THAT before.

Nice panel Judy. Get current and get your head in the clouds!

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Judy,

What is that instrument to the right of the T/C and under the Airspeed? I can't zoom the picture and it isn't really clear enough for me to tell.

Greg

 

[judypilot]

Judy,

What is that instrument to the right of the T/C and under the Airspeed? I can't zoom the picture and it isn't really clear enough for me to tell.

Greg

Ho ho! I'm glad you asked. That was the one archaic instrument I couldn't bear to give up because it's so retro it's totally cool. It's called the "Speed Control". It has a needle, and on one side of the dial it says "slow" and on the other it says "fast" and in the middle is a tick mark. That's all.

When I first bought my airplane, I posted a (better) picture of it on the Cessna Pilots Association web forum, and no one, I mean NO ONE, had seen one before, which is pretty remarkable given the 1000s of man-years of experience with Cessnas among the members.

Some enterprising gentleman looked up the company and, lo and behold, it's still in business (Safeflight). I fired off an email and got back a PDF file of a handwritten manual with little cartoons and stuff. I guess the manual was never formally published. Anyway, I had already figured out that it operated by deflection of a little vane on the right wing similar to the stall warning vane, and that it was essentially and angle-of-attack indicator. Turns out it was designed to prevent people from getting too slow (or too fast) on approaches. The corresponding airspeed to the central tick mark changes, unsurprisingly, with the flap setting.

The only problem is that the central tick mark leaves you at an airspeed that really is too fast, so either it's out of calibration or they company was excessively conservative, possibly the latter, since the plane is still landable at the indicated airspeed, but really rather fast unless you know what you're doing.

Don't forget that in 1958, when my airplane was made, Cessna and other small airplane manufacturers had the idea of the family plane like the family car, so this might have been an attempt to foolproof the airplane a little bit. OTOH, maybe it's just out of calibration.

As one friend put it, it's a Jimmy Neutron kind of thing (who's Jimmy Neutron, BTW--is this one of those things that only parents of small children know?). A great conversation starter.

Judy

 

[judypilot]

I was going to ask if it followed the second corollary of the law of airplane maintenance, which is it will cost 2.5 times as much as originally estimated, but it looks like you made out OK in this regard?

I did do well. I was hoping to spend about $20K, but prepared to spend as much as $30K. It came to just under $22K, so I'm pretty happy.

Judy

 

[Greg Bockelman]

Ho ho! I'm glad you asked. That was the one archaic instrument I couldn't bear to give up because it's so retro it's totally cool. It's called the "Speed Control".

So it is basically an angle of attack indicator. I bet you can do some flight testing and calibrate it yourself. Not by adjusting the instrument, but by seeing where the needle is at various airspeeds.

I wonder where it gets its information.

 

[spiderweb]

Very, very cool.

 

[NC Pilot]

Judy,

Looks great!! Can't wait to see it in person this summer.

Next - The Paint Job (not that it needs it mind you) - Longer wait than the panel though.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Good choice, Judy. I did more or less the same thing with the Cherokee. The only original avionics are com 2 (KX155) and the ADF (which actually works). Everthing else is now garmin.

 

[judypilot]

So it is basically an angle of attack indicator. I bet you can do some flight testing and calibrate it yourself. Not by adjusting the instrument, but by seeing where the needle is at various airspeeds.

I wonder where it gets its information.

It gets its information from deflection of a little vane on the right wing. It's mechanical, actually. You can make the needle wiggle by wiggling the vane.

Judy

 

[trombair]

Well, following the law of airplane maintenance, my panel upgrade got started late and took 2.5 times as long (at least from drop off to pick up, if not in the actual labor costs) as it was supposed to,...

judy!

nice panel! you're going to love the gns430. very smart box.

the phenomenon you've discovered is called "The Aviation Rule of Squares". it means that the final amount of time/money for any work on an aircraft will end up being the square of what you originally estimated...even if you try to account for the TARoS effect!

blue skies,

 

[terzap]

Yayy! I'm glad you have your airplane back, and just think...dry season is on the way for the Pacific Northwest, right? (It's been a while since I've been back to my adopted homestate of Oregon)

Have fun!

terry

 

[Bob Bement]

Judy, Very nice, I am a bit envious I want one just like it. Is that a 1958 Cessna 182 that you fly? I have a 59 model. I bet you love to fly that into the back country of Idaho. Don't you love that flap handle instead of electric flaps? I live in Vale or. so we are neighbors.

 

[judypilot]

Judy, Very nice, I am a bit envious I want one just like it. Is that a 1958 Cessna 182 that you fly? I have a 59 model. I bet you love to fly that into the back country of Idaho. Don't you love that flap handle instead of electric flaps? I live in Vale or. so we are neighbors.

A 1958 C182A. I love flying into the back country and, yes, I love the manual flaps. One of these days I must get to Vale. Where is it, anyway (somewhere in Oregon, I know that)?

Judy

 

[judypilot]

judy!

nice panel! you're going to love the gns430. very smart box.

the phenomenon you've discovered is called "The Aviation Rule of Squares". it means that the final amount of time/money for any work on an aircraft will end up being the square of what you originally estimated...even if you try to account for the TARoS effect!

blue skies,

Fortunately, it wasn't squared, just doubled. If it had been squared, it would have been worse! Well, actually, come to think of it, it was squared. 2 is the only number, when squared, also yields its double.

Judy

 

[Bob Bement]

Judy, Vale is only 17 miles from the Idaho boarder, and about 75 miles west of Boise. It is on the highway between Ontario and Burns. Where is Viola? I couldn't find it on the Idaho map. I would love to have you fly over sometime I would like to get a closeur look at that airplane of yours.You can also check the POA map at the start of these threads.

 

[AdamZ]

I LOVE IT! even the yokes are light blue!! Congrats on the new panel.

 

[judypilot]

Judy, Vale is only 17 miles from the Idaho boarder, and about 75 miles west of Boise. It is on the highway between Ontario and Burns. Where is Viola? I couldn't find it on the Idaho map. I would love to have you fly over sometime I would like to get a closeur look at that airplane of yours.You can also check the POA map at the start of these threads.

Viola is 10 miles N of Moscow, which is 20 miles N of Lewiston, but my airplane is at PUW. "Right across the border" doesn't mean much, given the LONG border, and you are at the extreme other end. Having said that, in my airplane, it's only about 1.5 hours, so I will definitely plan to visit.

Judy

 

[judypilot]

I LOVE IT! even the yokes are light blue!! Congrats on the new panel.

They are the original yokes, and in very good shape compared to comparably aged yokes. It's a great airplane.

Judy

 

[Bob Bement]

Viola is 10 miles N of Moscow, which is 20 miles N of Lewiston, but my airplane is at PUW. "Right across the border" doesn't mean much, given the LONG border, and you are at the extreme other end. Having said that, in my airplane, it's only about 1.5 hours, so I will definitely plan to visit.

Judy

Judy, I have flown into PUW a couple of times. That flight from there to Vale takes you over Wallowa Lake and the Eagle cap Mnts. also Hells canyon is slightly off to the right of that course. It is a beautiful flight. Just give me a call, I will drop you an email with my phone number.