The Glass Panel Cockpit Seminar

ByHank Gibson

Have you looked longingly at the Aspen PFD or Garmin G500, imagining those beautiful glass panels set in your airplane?  Think it’s too advanced for your flying skills?  Well, think again!  Hank Gibson of Texas Top Aviation will be hosting a seminar at the Redbird Skyport FBO at the San Marcos Airport (KHYI) on Thursday, September 25th  at 7pm to enlighten everyone on all the different glass panel and modern GPS options out there.

Aspen 2500 The Glass Panel Cockpit Seminar

No panel is too complex!  No GPS is too complicated!  Come hear about how you can upgrade your steam gauge airplane to a modern, glass panel cockpit that will be the envy of all your pilot buddies.

The seminar begins at 7pm in the large conference room at the Redbird Skyport.  Come see this beautiful facility which hosted the AOPA Fly In this past April.  There will be two drawings for free flight training in your airplane, so make sure you get your entry in once you arrive.  WINGS credit will also be given.

Redbird welcomes pilots flying in for the event.  If you are flying in, please show your support for Redbird by purchasing fuel!  

Signup is required for the event.  To sign up, please click here.

We hope to see you there!!!

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  • King Schools Updates Check Ride Guidance

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    King Schools LogoMost in the aviation industry are familiar with John and Martha King, the faces of the myriad of Kings Schools aviation training courses.  Thousands of pilots have gone through their ground school courses for a variety of certificates or ratings, taking in the videos on original VHS, DVD, or streaming online depending on what the current technology is.

    With the advent of the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) replacing the Practical Test Standards (PTS) for the private and instrument certificates, King Schools didn’t take long to update their material.

    To help private students prepping for their check ride (and their instructors who aren’t familiar with an ACS check ride yet), John King plays the student pilot in the latest King Schools prep video.  The streaming online video is about 5 hours long, includes the oral portion and the flight portion of the check ride, and runs $139 (you can still get the DVD, too!).

    I have recommended King Schools and their courses to all of my customers.  They have always put out a great product as they reduce the fear felt for a check ride applicant.  If you are prepping for your private pilot check ride, checkout the King Schools video today.

    Most in the aviation industry are familiar with John and Martha King, the faces of the myriad of Kings Schools aviation training courses.  Thousands of pilots have gone through their ground school courses for a variety of certificates or ratings, taking in the videos on original VHS, DVD, or streaming online depending on what the…

  • Avidyne Vantage

    ByHank Gibson

    For years, Cirrus owners who have the Avidyne Entegra PFD and MFD have been clamoring for Avidyne to come up with some sort of upgrade. The Entegra, or EX 5000 system, is late ’90s technology and, though it still works, there will be a certain point in the future when it gives up the ghost. Avidyne still supports the Entegra system, but it’s hard for a Cirrus owner to see all this new technology coming on the market while not being able to upgrade the original Avidyne screens.

    Avidyne gave it a go in the late 2000s with a panel upgrade known as the R9. The R9 was a good system, but Avidyne was very slow on the release (rumors were the company wanted it to be absolutely perfect before releasing it, which frustrated Cirrus, who then switched to the Garmin Perspective panel, leaving Avidyne behind) which led to the R9 only being available as a very expensive retrofit to the Entegra system ($80,000-$90,000 for the system and install). Needless to say, there weren’t that many takers.

    Late in 2020, Garmin announced it had received certification to retrofit Avidyne Entegra equipped Cirrus Aircraft with the company’s G500 TXi displays, which gave new hope to G1, G2, and G3 Cirrus owners. The price tag wasn’t outrageous, coming in at $16,000 apiece for each display. The G500 TXi works with any possible GPS that can be installed in a Cirrus (GNS 430Ws, GTN 650s, GTN750, or the Avidyne IFD 540/440) and with the DFC 90 Autopilot (if the Cirrus is still equipped with an STEC 55x, the Autopilot would need to be changed to either a DFC 90 or a Garmin GFC 500).

    Fast forward to June of 2021 and Avidyne re-enters the game with the Avidyne Vantage. After the R9 debacle, Avidyne has opted this time to go for a more simple approach. The Avidyne Vantage system changes out the Entegra PFD and MFD with bigger screens (12″; Garmin’s TXi units are only 10.6″) with high quality pixelation, synthetic vision, engine gauges, checklists, charts, a hybrid touch interface, and all the other information that was offered on the Entegra system, just all more modern and updated. The best news is that the system provides redundant reversionary mode, which was one of the biggest complaints about the Entegra system.

    The price tag comes in lower than Garmin, with each screen being priced at $12,500. The units will work seamlessly with the Avidyne IFD Series GPS units, though, as of this writing, it isn’t clear if the Avidyne Vantage will work with Garmin GTN 430Ws or the GTN 750/650. I would assume that the integration would be there, but I haven’t found any documentation stating that yet. DFC 90 Autopilot integration would be seamless, but not sure the integration with the STEC 55x or Garmin GFC 500.

    Avidyne says the Vantage will be fully certified in early 2022, but the company is taking orders now. Visit the Avidyne Website for more information.

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  • Cirrus CAPS Saves Lives Again

    ByHank Gibson

    In July, a Cirrus SR22 suffered an engine failure in Houston after departing KIAH.  The CAPS system was deployed and the airplane came to rest in a neighborhood on the north side of Houston.  This makes CAPS save number 53 for Cirrus and no fatalities.  The initial NTSB report is below.

    N422PB CAPS

    14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
    Accident occurred Tuesday, July 07, 2015 in Houston, TX
    Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N422PB
    Injuries: 2 Minor.
    This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

    On July 7, 2015, about 1137 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR-22 single-engine airplane, N422PB, descended under the canopy of the cirrus airframe parachute system (CAPS) and landed in a residential neighborhood at Houston, Texas. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by AIRCCS, LLC; Humble, Texas, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. Day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. The airplane departed George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas, at 1133 and was destined for Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas.

    The pilot reported that during initial climb, he noticed the engine temperatures began increasing and he reduced power in an attempt to lower the engine temperatures. When the airplane was about 900 feet above ground level (agl) the engine began detonating, and soon after there was a complete loss of engine power. With no suitable forced landing areas the pilot deployed the CAPS ballistic parachute system and the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright next to a residence.

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  • Piper PA46 De-Ice Boots Care

    ByHank Gibson

    It’s winter time, which means it’s time to use those Piper PA46 de-ice boots a little more often. Most of us know the winter flying rules, don’t stay in ice, get rid of frost, etc. However, most of us aren’t as familiar with how to maintain those Piper PA46 de-ice boots. The do need some TLC every couple of months to keep them in tip top shape.

    Below is the recommendation from Goodrich (the maker of the boots) on what to use to clean and polish the boots and how often to do it.

    Steps 1-3 below are your twice a year items to make your Piper PA46 de-ice boots last through the lifetime of the aircraft.

    Step 1-ShineMaster Prep

    ShineMaster Prep strips all the dirt, grime, grease, oil, silicone products and old ShineMaster on the Piper PA46 de-ice boots to prep them for Step 2.

    ShineMaster Prep can be found on Goodrich’s website.

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    AgeMaster is your second step the in the Piper PA46 de-ice boot preservation and protectant process. AgeMaster is a rubber preservative that protects against weathering, ozone, and ultraviolet rays.

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    Step 3-ShineMaster

    Step 3 in the Piper PA46 de-ice boot care is ShineMaster. As the name implies, ShineMaster shine’s the boots up after getting rid of all the old gunk & grime with ShineMaster Prep and after AgeMaster is applied. 2-3 coats should be sufficient.

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    ByHank Gibson

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    Austin Temprorary Tower

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  • BendixKing Throws It’s Hat in the Glass Panel Ring

    ByHank Gibson

    Two pilots walk into an FBO.  “Nice airplane,” Pilot 1 says to Pilot 2.  “What kind of panel do you have in it?”

    “I just went all glass,” Pilot 2 says.  “Put in the Garmin G500 TXi, a GTN 750, and upgraded to the GFC 600 Autopilot.  Even put in the Mid-Continent standby instruments.  It’s a pretty sweet set up.  What about you?”

    “Wow, sounds like it!” Pilot 1 responds.  “I went a different route.  I liked all my old BendixKing instruments, so I stuck with the company.  I put in a BendixKing AeroVue Touch panel, a BendixKing KSN 770 touch screen GPS, kept my KFC 225 autopilot, got the ADS-B out compliant BendixKing KT 74 transponder, and finished it off with a King AeroFlight KI 300 Digital Backup instrument.”

    Wait, what?  BendixKing?

    Yes, my friends, BendixKing is still around.

    We are all used to the latest and greatest Garmin products these days.  Don’t get me wrong, Garmin and Aspen make great retro-fit products for your instrument panel, while Garmin and Avidyne are at the top of the touch-screen GPS market, but don’t forget about BendixKing.  They are staying in the game too.

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    Let’s take a look at the unit.

    BendixKing AeroVue Touch

    Now, I have not used the BendixKing AeroVue Touch or the xVue Touch, only read about them.  But, what I’ve read sounds pretty cool.  The display has really good resolution (BendixKing brags it is the highest screen resolution available), synthetic vision that comes standard (Garmin & Aspen charge extra for synthetic vision), plus VFR Sectional Charts & IFR High and Low Enroute charts, making paper charts even more obsolete.

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    BendixKing KSN 770

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    Similar to the AeroVue Touch, BendixKing utilized split screen technology in the KSN 770.  It’s a full WAAS unit that is already certified.  It’s sticker price is $14,200, compared to the Garmin GTN 750 at $17,200 and the Avidyne IFD 540 at $15,000.

    Other BendixKing Gadgets

    Here are some other BendixKing Gadgets both available now and in the works:

    Two pilots walk into an FBO.  “Nice airplane,” Pilot 1 says to Pilot 2.  “What kind of panel do you have in it?” “I just went all glass,” Pilot 2 says.  “Put in the Garmin G500 TXi, a GTN 750, and upgraded to the GFC 600 Autopilot.  Even put in the Mid-Continent standby instruments.  It’s…

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