|
|
|
|
Building N530JY
|
Date: 8-4-2020
|
Number of Hours: 0.00
|
Manual Reference:
|
Brief Description: Why an RV-10? part 4
|
|
(continued from previous)
aircraft at will, including installation of non-STC’d components. In today’s world it is common for experimental aircraft have better instrumentation than their certified counterparts because experimental can incorporate new technology much more rapidly than is possible through the STC process. It also means that builders can substitute parts that meet industry standards rather than being limited to aircraft parts produced by manufacturers with parts manufacturing authorization (PMA, a requirement for sourcing parts on certified aircraft). In many cases, it allows owners to install “experimental” avionics that are exact copies of certified avionics but haven’t gone through the expensive STC or PMA process. The difference in cost and hassle can be astounding.
As one example, the certified GPS COMM/NAV unit in our Piper Lance was installed by an avionics shop (“certified repair station”) under an STC in 2015 as part of a $35,000 avionics upgrade. It’s a GTN-650, manufactured by Garmin. The version of the device for installation in experimental aircraft is exactly the same but costs about a quarter of what ours cost. To add insult to injury, whenever Garmin updates the software for the device, I am required to take the certified unit to an avionics shop and pay them $100/hour to put an SD card in it, push a button to load the software, then update the paperwork. Experimental owners can legally download the exact same software for free from Garmin’s website and accomplish this intricate operation on their own.
So why build an RV-10? Easy. My wife wants air conditioning. I want to update my own avionics. I might want to install an AOA indicator. I want to bleed my own brakes. You name it. For the type of flying we do, the experimental world removes a layer of useless bureaucracy that is more hinderance than help.
And please don’t get me started on the regulatory hypocrisy of the FAA certifying the 737 MAX but not allowing me to update my own GPS software.
|
|
Flying along the Chicago skyline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2001-2024 Matronics. All Rights Reserved.
|
