Great customer service

[Ken Ibold]

The last couple of times I've flown, ATC has complained about my mode C readout being waaaaaaay off. Last flight I was in the pattern at 950 feet when the tower said I was squawking 3,400 feet. So today it was off to Bragg Aviation Electronics at my base field in Jacksonville to have things checked out. First we pulled the encoder, and they bench checked it. Meanwhile the tech, learning my airplane is on an experimental certificate, explained to me how to adjust the altimeter (the front one has been reading about 200 feet low; the back one used for solo flight is better) and gave me a primer on why certain errors show up in altitude squawks, including wiring problems.

The encoder checked good, so back to the airplane and the tech supervised me reinstalling it, except we plugged the static line into a tester instead of the airplane. The transponder was acting hinky, so we pulled that and put it on the bench. Another tech went through all of the tests with me, going so far as to hook up a known good transponder and showing me how mine was supposed to look and how it was looking on the various test gear.

Being a Terra, it has to go to Lakeland for repair. So the owner of the shop called them for the address, found a box, tagged and wrapped my unit, wrote out an address label, gave me directions to the post office and then even offered to drive me there. Meanwhile, he gave me instructions on how to reinstall it after it's repaired and told me to come back and ask if I needed help. Total bill was not worth mentioning.

This family-owned shop has been in business for 43 years. Treating people like that, I can see why!!

 

[Anthony]

Being a Terra

Its a piece of junk and should be put in the box with your old Loran, ADF and POH from your Mooney.

Trust me, I know from experience.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Its a piece of junk.

Yeah, I know. I'm mentally prepared to have to buy new gear. Darn it!

 

[Anthony]

Yeah, I know. I'm mentally prepared to have to buy new gear. Darn it!

I've got the 760 Com and 760 Nav with that Tri/Video glideslope. "Just follow the arrows". Yeah right into the ground.

 

[gismo]

Yeah, I know. I'm mentally prepared to have to buy new gear. Darn it!

I'd look at this as an opportune time for a new (used) Garmin transponder.

 

[bbchien]

Well, I'm down. On the return trip for OKC the left engine began to miss- the TIT went about 200 cold, and power on the left side went down a tad. Single mag check- no change. Then it went away.

#6 was cool. This cylinder has 97 hours on it. Tore that thing apart- replaced a spark plug wire, new plugs- the upper one look like it never fired. Finally found crap in the spider line, blew it out with air, ran it up. Still rough. Now #1 is cold.

Two weeks ago I had the shop replace my inline low boost electric fuel pump ($1,000 when done). My theory is that the pump or the mech introuced crap into the line or the pump is doing that. No reason for multiple ones to go cold at random times.

The mags looked good. No carbon misfiring. I've got $1,000 of labor into this and no solution.

I'm thinking of dropping a reman (1187 on this engine) as my hourly costs for the remaining 600 hours are just skyrocketing. Sigh.

At this rate I will be DRIVING to Gaston's. Boo hoo.

 

[Ken Ibold]

I'd look at this as an opportune time for a new (used) Garmin transponder.

Yeah, the 320A is a candidate. I'll have to build a new radio box, since the Terra is a round-hole unit, but if I gotta, I gotta...

 

[Diana]

I'm thinking of dropping a reman (1187 on this engine) as my hourly costs for the remaining 600 hours are just skyrocketing. Sigh.

Ouch.

At this rate I will be DRIVING to Gaston's. Boo hoo.

Well, my Citabria won't be done in time. I hope Chip will let me borrow his for a day or two.

 

[SCCutler]

All this, and I keep saying I WANT to own an airplane?

 

[ScottM]

All this, and I keep saying I WANT to own an airplane?

Of course you do. 'A complaining airplane owner is a happy airplane owner'!

Once you own you can kavetch over all these littel things too. YOu also get the benefits of owning such as going when you want, for as long as you want, to wherever you want.

 

[Bill]

All this, and I keep saying I WANT to own an airplane?

I hear ya, Spile. I'm on the fence as well. Another 6 months, and I could be green light if I want, but don't know if I want. I'm really getting quite spoiled flying our almost new club planes with spiffy GPS's and coupled autopilots. Quite spoiled.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'm really getting quite spoiled flying our almost new club planes with spiffy GPS's and coupled autopilots. Quite spoiled.

I love my club too, for the same reasons. Well, except that new plane thing. We're trying to pretend our 182 is new! It has a G430 and S-TEC 2-axis autopilot, interior was done 3 years ago and paint was done last year.

The big advantage of a club is, it's like owning but you get to share the fixed costs with a bunch of other people.

The biggest disadvantage for me is that I can't leave the cockpit set up. Every time I'm done flying I have to take my QuickClamp off, pack up my headset, etc.

Someday, when I'm really rich... Or at least rich enough to drop a couple hundred thou on an airplane and another couple thou a month on the fixed costs...

 

[bbchien]

Mech called at the end of the day. There are two mechs on the field- a very capable 42 y.o. guy and an older nice guy who isn't too efficient. The verdict- bad valve spring on the #2, not the #5. It runs well. Now it just needs a load of mineral oil......

 

[Ken Ibold]

ARGH! So my old Terra transponder arrived at Gulf Coast Avionics, and I am promptly informed there is a SIX WEEK backlog to get it looked at. Unless, of course, I want to pay a $200 aircraft on the ground fee to have it expedited. Looks like I now must choose between a Becker transponder or a Garmin 320A plus the associated metalwork to make a new box to mount it in. Anyone have experience with Becker gear?

 

[Dave Siciliano]

Sorry to hear 'bout this stuff guys!

You could have had my A-36 which I have not laid eyes on since December 1. Glenn Biggs called me today and said the rudder has been replaced and now he's doing the touch up paint. Heck, I may flying it again in June a bit before doing the new avionics work!!

Best,

Dave

 

[gismo]

ARGH! So my old Terra transponder arrived at Gulf Coast Avionics, and I am promptly informed there is a SIX WEEK backlog to get it looked at. Unless, of course, I want to pay a $200 aircraft on the ground fee to have it expedited. Looks like I now must choose between a Becker transponder or a Garmin 320A plus the associated metalwork to make a new box to mount it in. Anyone have experience with Becker gear?

Becker's OK but somewhat unusual in power planes. I'd go with the Garmin just because they are a familar item. I'd bet you could fabricate the requied metal with a shear and a brake in an hour or two.

 

[bbchien]

ARGH! So my old Terra transponder arrived at Gulf Coast Avionics, and I am promptly informed there is a SIX WEEK backlog to get it looked at. Unless, of course, I want to pay a $200 aircraft on the ground fee to have it expedited. Looks like I now must choose between a Becker transponder or a Garmin 320A plus the associated metalwork to make a new box to mount it in. Anyone have experience with Becker gear?

Ken, no way wil you have the bird ready for Gastons short of an inside line to an avionics guy.

Flew the Seneca today, it's fine cost about $2,200 I think....but I think I'll be seeing you in STL on Saturday.....sigh.

 

[mikea]

Ken, this is gonna sound half-a???ed....but I lucked out and found a great avionics guy named Jerry about 6 years ago who worked in a shop space at Kenosha Aero. He showed me how the encoder link to the transponder worked. (The cable is simply a TTL bus of the 4 x 3 bit signal.) When I mentioned it he also found my aggravating problem with my radios was due to the intercom having two diodes in series on the PTT line. He guessed that based on previous experience, saving me years of grief. We drew the voltage down and reproduced the issue right on his benchWe hung out in the hangar late into a Saturday night when I flew home. He put in a new encoder for me and as I recall made about $100-$200 over the cost of the hardware for all the time he spent with me. He was a dream.

The disappointment for me was when I went back and wanted him to fix all of my avionics and they said he left and moved with is girlfriend to.... FLORIDA!

You might call Kenosha Aero to see if they know where he went. I can look up his repair station ID in my logs next week. He was old enough that he may not even still be alive.

Sorry about not beinng to helppful, but if you can find Jerry, he'd have a transponder working for you in a few days.

I just remembered another one of the things he showed me was how he personally got approval from the FSDO of his method of WELDING the equipment cages together for strength.