Sport Pilot Talk

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SportPilot wrote:I'm thinking if you lose your G300 heading indications it's going to be because of a total system failure or total electrical system failure. To me, more important than a backup compass would be a tablet with a good navigation app. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't have both.

Yeah, you can certainly have both. I just remember a compass becoming an expensive PITA.

Yeah, total electrical system failure is the situation I was thinking of.

I have an iPad with Foreflight. However, I don't often bring it in the 162 for local flights; I'm usually using the G300, and have paper charts for backup.

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Now that I think about it a little more, I *do* almost always have the iPad when I'm flying in conditions where an electrical system failure would mean trouble.
I take it on all longer XC flights (for flight planning, weather, etc.) and that's the only time I would be flying at night (outside of the local area) or VFR over-the-top.

The wet compass would provide further redundancy, but I don't think I'd fork over thousands of dollars for a permanent installation.

Flocker wrote:

MrMorden wrote:All I know is this:

When the Chinese hordes attack with high altitude EMP bursts, my Dynon display goes dark, and the GPS satellites are raining down in fiery wreckage, my trusty whiskey compass and I will be safely navigating our way to the remote mountain bunker we have prepared for just such an event. Plenty of food, water, and extra compass fluid stockpiled there.

Just me, and my whiskey compass...my preciousss...

LOL. Please post a link to where we can buy compass fluid. Wally world was sold out.

A Youtube "installation" video would be helpful as well.

I actually did not make that up:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/i ... kkey=12465

FastEddieB wrote:
Though I've met Andy and he does have a bit more hair.

But not much more.

MrMorden wrote:

FastEddieB wrote:
Though I've met Andy and he does have a bit more hair.

But not much more.

Sorry, I should have been clearer.

I meant facial hair.

My bad.

VL, it sounds as though you priced out an STCd, TSOd, IFR approved compass. Remember, none of that is required in an SLSA, merely an LoA. And, if you convert to ELSA, not even that is required. You could use a $50 SIRS and install it yourself.

drseti wrote:And, if you convert to ELSA, not even that is required. You could use a $50 SIRS and install it yourself.

The freedom of ELSA is intoxicating.

My Sky Arrow shipped without an OAT gauge. For a while I had a Scott analog gauge installed in a window vent.

Now this:



$26.45 from Amazon. Probe is where the old, unused battery vent used to be.

drseti wrote:VL, it sounds as though you priced out an STCd, TSOd, IFR approved compass. Remember, none of that is required in an SLSA, merely an LoA. And, if you convert to ELSA, not even that is required. You could use a $50 SIRS and install it yourself.

Since the FAA quickly changed the Private Pilot PTS back to what it was so that a magnetic compass wouldn't be required for a practical, I never got as far as requesting an LOA. However, I had requested an LOA to use a different brand of tire and that was denied . The aircraft is a rental so I won't be converting to ELSA anytime soon. In 2020 maybe, depending on how things pan out with ADBS.

Even if I could I inexpensively instal a compass, I don't think I would for just VFR. You can pull a smart phone out of your pocket and get a compass heading from that if need be. But I will admit I have an old artillery hand compass in the airplane. I tried it out one time in flight with all the avionics on and it was accurate to within 5 degrees, which would be good enough to keep me heading in the general direction desired.

Edit : just to clarify, what I priced out was the compass kit Cessna said I would have to use. Never got to the LOA stage since it became a non issue. Would Cessna issue an LOA for a less expensive compass? I really don't know.

FastEddieB wrote:

MrMorden wrote:

FastEddieB wrote:
Though I've met Andy and he does have a bit more hair.

But not much more.

Sorry, I should have been clearer.

I meant facial hair.

My bad.

VL Roberts wrote: I do remember cursing the bills my compass generated on my old 172. It used to be that if you had a leaky compass or whatever, the A&P would order and install a kit to fix it. But then the FAA declared that any work on a compass had to be performed by an Avionics shop and things got real expensive.

This is not exactly correct. A A&P was never allowed to install a kit in the compass per part 43, but it was common practice to do it any way. The other thing is that you don't have to go to a avionics shop for the repair. Any repair station could add compass repair to the list of approved thing that they can do. I was told by the FAA that a person could establish a repair station just for compasses if they wanted.

SportPilot wrote:the FBO does not pay to keep the G300 database updated and current.

Any idea on why this is? I had to specifically request an update when they changed the Bravo airspace over ATL. They complied but that was the last update.