New Garmin 330 and funny story

[drgwentzel]

I thought I’d share a funny story with the group that is somewhat aviation related.

To set the story up there are a few things you need to know first:

• <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>I just up graded my transponder to the new Garmin GTX330 a week ago <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>I hear thru the grapevine that there was a break in at my airport a few days prior in which several radios and a transponder was stolen out of a C172R. Stabbed with fear for my new 3,300.00 transponder and my natural paranoia, a Garmin 696 on the yoke, 2 Bose X headsets sitting on the rear seat and 2 Zulu headsets on the front seats, I decide it would be a superior idea to repair my broken hangar door lock <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>The transponder stolen was a Bendix/King KT 76C, the exact make and model I replaced! <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>As an aside, my son totals his car and I lend him my old van to drive <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>Next he blows the whole electrical system of my van killing it completely by trying to jump it and crossing the terminals <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>Then he borrows his girlfriend's car and cracks it up rendering it unusable <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal>After weeks of him walking around the planet inconveniencing everyone for rides and lifts I offer to fly him to Atlantic City to get a car I have there to use…or Total...which he seems to be quite good at. We, of course, have to watch the Phillies game first which doesn’t end until near midnight IIRC and we fly off to ACY.
• We test drive the car and I fly back while he drives. I don't land at my airport (N14 – The Flying W) until after 2 AM

....OK....

Now I'm coming out of the gate at the W fiddling with my cell phone's car charger, driving with my knee, and having no success in getting the little widget plug into the do-hicky. I suddenly look up and see headlights coming right at me and I quickly throw the cell phone on the passenger seat and grab the wheel to avoid hitting the approaching car. A little embarrassed I step on it to get out of the way when a spotlight shines on my face and I come to realize that it's a Lumberton Police Cruiser!

Putting on my most innocent face I just drive off like nothing is out of the ordinary. Of course the officer thinking differently spun around and tracked me down like a wounded prey and pulled me over. Already in my head I'm adding up all the points against me: There was a theft at the airport, I'm coming out of the gate at 2 am, I run like a startled deer, I have the exact same radio on eBay for sale that was stolen, I have two Bose X headsets and a 3,500 dollar GPS on the back seat, in the &^%$ trunk are my tools that I used to fix the hangar door and to make matters worse...so is my flightbag which just so happens to have my wallet in it, which we all know he's gonna want to see!!

As he's approaching the car, all I can think of is how fast I'm gonna go down for this and how many years in Attica I'm gonna get. I will never be able to explain it! Oh...BTW did I mention I was wearing a new set of lighted gloves I just bought further making me look like a midnight radio thief. www.glovelite.com Handy in a dark cockpit...not so handy when you're trying to explain why you're coming out of a crime scene at 2 AM with flashlight gloves, a box of tools and expensive avionics laying on your backseat.

Let's just say the officer saw everything I just told you about and wasn't convinced I was on a personal flight from ACY at 2 AM. He wrote down my information and told me to have a nice night. I'm sure my criminal background check was run as soon as he got back. I will keep everyone advised of the status my planetary freedom.

Gene

BTW - the Garmin 330 is awesome...I love the traffic on the 696!

 

[wsuffa]

Another reason to always file/fly IFR

 

[EdFred]

Another reason to always file/fly IFR

I fail to see how filing IFR would have done any good.

 

[wsuffa]

I fail to see how filing IFR would have done any good.

Government record that the plane (with you as listed pilot) made the trip arriving at that hour. An alibi, so to speak.

 

[EdFred]

Government record that the plane (with you as listed pilot) made the trip arriving at that hour. An alibi, so to speak.

Yeah, I have this thing in my plane called the registration, and oddly enough the information on it matches the address on my drivers license and my pilot certificate.

 

[AdamZ]

Another reason to always file/fly IFR

The act of actually fliling IFR from Flying W to ACY would take about twice as long as the flight.

 

[Ted]

I don't see how going IFR proves anything other than your plane made that trip with someone claiming to be you. No point in filing for a trip like that unless necessary.

Annoying situation, Gene. Did he take down the serial numbers as well? That would prove that the units were, in fact, yours. Sounds like your son needs to learn how to not blow up vehicles.

 

[wsuffa]

Annoying situation, Gene. Did he take down the serial numbers as well?

Not necessarily.

Not only is there a chance that the serial numbers are not in the records he has, but it's also possible that someone swapped the units at some time in the past and didn't update the plane's records. I learned that the hard way with mine - and only because the remote gyro needed repair (the SN that went in for repair did not match the one in the logs). We did run a check and determined that it was not reported as thieved.

If a dishonest mechanic or radio man had swapped one of those pieces of gear with a thieved unit at sometime in the past (year ago, perhaps), then he would be in an even worse world of hurt. The cost of the transponder would be cheap compared to the cost of an attorney to defend him.