The high cost of ANYTHING flight related (long)
- Thread starter CharlieD3
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CharlieD3
En-Route
$15.00+- +shipping and tax.
Not too expensive, right? I decided to frame it.
The cost of having it framed @ 40"h, 60"w, would have been outrageous. So, I decided to frame it myself.
$20.00 for 1x6 poplar 6' long.
About the same for 1/4" plywood backing and $12.00 for foam board to mont it on.
Spray mount, another $5. Brass corners $2.00, 'cause the large diameter frame wouldn't stay glued at corners without support.
So let's say $100 for a freaking map, that will be obsolete in a few months (but I won't replace), just to stick pins in it to show where I flew.
Bah! Just ranting.
Not too expensive, right? I decided to frame it.
The cost of having it framed @ 40"h, 60"w, would have been outrageous. So, I decided to frame it myself.
$20.00 for 1x6 poplar 6' long.
About the same for 1/4" plywood backing and $12.00 for foam board to mont it on.
Spray mount, another $5. Brass corners $2.00, 'cause the large diameter frame wouldn't stay glued at corners without support.
So let's say $100 for a freaking map, that will be obsolete in a few months (but I won't replace), just to stick pins in it to show where I flew.
Bah! Just ranting.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
You could have mounted it on a corkboard, big ones are pretty cheap. Or mounted it with magnets on a whiteboard. Then you could put pins or magnets on the airports you've visited. Yes, having artwork framed is very expensive, since it's quite labor intensive.
CharlieD3
En-Route
Odd size... Amazon no go... Magnetic interesting thought... Should have consulted here first...
Oh well, it's done...
Tantalum
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If you're handy and tech savvy you could probably make one yourself.. use the same map.. find some LEDs, and with an arduino or RaspberryPi I bet you can plug into an API somewhere and have it change LEDs from green/red or whatever you want
This is a longer term goal of mine to build
smv
Pattern Altitude
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smv
Yah. Cheap thay are not. It is pretty cool to watch weather systems march across the country.
Tantalum
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San_Diego_Pilot
You find this everywhere with aviation
The thing that really is downright crazy to me are
(A) the absurd prices of towbars.. I'm not sure why more people don't just make they're own
(B) those BeKool coolers that are HUNDREDS of dollars for an ugly cooler with a piece of dryer vent ducting and a $4 PC fan
PilotMall has the audacity to ask $329 for that thing.. you can buy a $25 Coleman cooler at Walmart and order a 3 pack of PC fans from Amazon for $12..
INSANITY.
But pilots are rich, right? So might as well price gouge and extort as much money as possible from them.
CharlieD3
En-Route
Exactly!
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
I did! about 7-8 ft long With a 1-7/8 trailer hitch on one end, and a ball mounted to an electric shop cart.
Of course if I didn't have a welder I could use, buying the towbar is cheaper than buying the materials AND a welder.
Tantalum
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I guess that's true. People are used to learning in a Skyhawk or Archer and used to going with your instructor and full tanks and always having 4 to 5 hours of gas
Salty
Touchdown! Greaser!
They are actually a little more sophisticated than that. They have a water pump and heat exchanger and associated plumbing as well.
Tantalum
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For the amount of money someone is paying though it still looks cheap.. for the amount of money they're charging they could jazz up the aesthetic of it somewhat
Timbeck2
Final Approach
I doubt pc fans will help all that much. I used a 12v fan from Walmart and there was a bit of radio noise when I used the cooler. Now I just don’t fly when it’s over 100 out
denverpilot
Tied Down
That’s how they started. Quite a few open source projects out there to make one. The commercial ones are mostly just people doing “final assembly” of those software packages and a single board computer and all the physical layout and testing junk.
Labor intensive, tiny market... yeah, gonna be non-cheap. DIY is more of a time problem. Many hours.
benyflyguy
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Ghery
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That's why we specify prices in AMUs. Keeps the numbers smaller. 
MooneyDriver78
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Tom
Definitely the tugs are rip-offs, I can buy a new lawnmower and fabricate a tow bar for less than what they want for them.
CharlieD3
En-Route
So, here it is mounted and hung.
The second shot covers "all the myriad of places I've flown," and my home bases...
Care to guess how far it is from the big circle in the midwest to the smaller circle in the southeast?
I dunno either, but it must be a long way... Took me 23 years to get there. My last hiatus from flying lasted 23 Years... That's why I'm proud enough to mount a map showing my new beginnings here in Tennessee airspace and surrounds....
The second shot covers "all the myriad of places I've flown," and my home bases...
Care to guess how far it is from the big circle in the midwest to the smaller circle in the southeast?
I dunno either, but it must be a long way... Took me 23 years to get there. My last hiatus from flying lasted 23 Years... That's why I'm proud enough to mount a map showing my new beginnings here in Tennessee airspace and surrounds....
Piper18O
Pre-takeoff checklist
Where did you get the map?
CharlieD3
En-Route
https://www.mypilotstore.com
VFR flight planning chart contains all airports 4000' runways and longer. Shipped rolled not folded.
60” (5feet+- ) x 44" (nearly 4 feet).
A bear to mount.
Tough to frame.
$20 free shipping
Piper18O
Pre-takeoff checklist
I have been looking for one that has more airports on it. Many of the airports I have landed on are shorter than 4000 ft. I haven't been able to find one like I want. I was going to cover a wall in my office with it, so I could go larger, maybe up to 8' by 6' or so.
CharlieD3
En-Route
Good luck...
You might be able to do it by download from FAA in pdf format... Or "stitch" pdf sectional charts together and then take to a large format printer...
I had to extrapolate my home bases,grass strips... Not on the chart.
schmookeeg
En-Route
Based on how many fugly airplanes I see flying around, I think Bob and B-Kool nailed his target market just fine. Function over form and frippery.
Ask him to Vajazzle one for your cirrus
Might only be a few extra hundo.
CharlieD3
En-Route
Yeah, but that was the prototype, Tom. You'd expect to pay pennies on the dollar for the first of a new concept, with a wheel duct taped on the wrong end...
MuseChaser
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Hadn't heard of a METARMap until you mentioned it. Then I searched for them. Now I can't disregard them. VERY cool... and I have a huge wall where one would look great... but not for $2500 for the three panel version covering the entire US. Time to start another DIY project, I guess, now that my annual, interior replacement, and intercom installation is finished and I'm flying again...
CharlieD3
En-Route
Yeah, my spouse wanted me to do that... "Nobody but you is gonna see it anyway," she said...
Not the way I work... I wanted something decent for flight central.
I am jealous of all your pins compared to mine, though.
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Velocity173
I’ve spent a fortune on frames through the years. Unfortunately a lot of prints come in nonstandard sizes so customized frames are necessary.
smv
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smv
This one covers the entire lower-48 in a single panel. Not a very good picture, there were lots of light sources making reflections.
MuseChaser
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Exactly what I'd love to buy or build...for significantly less than 2.5 AMU. More info?
smv
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smv
Not sure where you are seeing it for 2.5 AMU. From the source it is 0.51 AMU.
https://metarmaps.com/shop/usa
The one I pictured above is not mine, it is at the airport where I instruct. I spent some time getting it to work. Turns out Linux is a bit particular about the characters it allows to be used in an SSID.
MuseChaser
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I didn't see the single panel full usa version on their site...just this....
https://metarmaps.com/shop/usa-3p
Thanks for pointing it out. I've built a bunch of Pi based stuff,mostly media boxes and Stratux boxes,and dabbled in Linux and ssh...would love to build a single panel version about 5' x 3', but could use some serious guidance...I'm not versed in coding at all.
https://metarmaps.com/shop/usa-3p
Thanks for pointing it out. I've built a bunch of Pi based stuff,mostly media boxes and Stratux boxes,and dabbled in Linux and ssh...would love to build a single panel version about 5' x 3', but could use some serious guidance...I'm not versed in coding at all.
smv
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smv
That is a pretty nice one and if you go cheap with the trimming features, you can get it down to 1.9 AMU. Being three pieces likely means three different Pis. NO idea how expensive those are nor do I have any Linux experience beyond running scripted command lines during LED video board comissionings.
It uses a USB port for power and (I think) an HDMI port to run the LEDs... Might be a DP. Do not recall for sure. No idea how it all works,
Richard Freilich
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First I'd like to thank all here who have admired the functional art known as METARmaps.
In answer to the comments about price gouging. If you've ever paid to have something large framed in profiled aluminum and covered in 1/8" non-glare plexi, you'll remember it as extremely painful in the wallet (but the wife was happy - so priceless, right?).
To that amount, add for electronics, power supply, and 250 LEDs (for the single-panel USA map) and you'll conclude fairly quickly that there isn't a great amount left on the table for labor and profit. I should know since I'm the head elf at METARmaps.com.
In answer to the comments about price gouging. If you've ever paid to have something large framed in profiled aluminum and covered in 1/8" non-glare plexi, you'll remember it as extremely painful in the wallet (but the wife was happy - so priceless, right?).
To that amount, add for electronics, power supply, and 250 LEDs (for the single-panel USA map) and you'll conclude fairly quickly that there isn't a great amount left on the table for labor and profit. I should know since I'm the head elf at METARmaps.com.
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smv
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smv
And a mighty helpful Head Elf at that, Richard. I do not think anyone was implying price gouging. I certainly have not seen anyone saying that. Only commenting on the cost. Thank you for piping up in this thread. You do know what is the cheapest part on an aircraft, dontcha? It's the owner.
MuseChaser
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Just another note to add that my comments weren't based upon the value of the product... Just my ability to pay for it. If I didn't admire it so much, I wouldn't be willing to put in the considerable time myself to make something that won't be half as nice. I admire Lancairs very much too,... But I own a '65 PA28A and do most of my own work. Same reason. Thanks for making a great, beautiful piece of functional art.