EAA Sport Aviation - September 2010

Solid IFR...

couple years after that first exposure to the sport, I looked back and realized that the poor guy with the Weedhopper was trying to do an impossible juggling act—keep me as a potential customer while not letting me get anywhere near a place where I would see actual ultralights flying. Only his competitors’ machines would be there (which was pretty much exactly what happened).

According to the local ultralight grapevine, there had been no Weedhoppers or Goldwings flying, at that point, around these parts. Well, there had been one Weedhopper around, but its pilot somehow steered it into a tree alongside a grass-strip runway and it lodged there, 20 feet up. He climbed down unharmed, but a cherry picker had to be brought in, leaving tracks across the runway, to pluck the thing out of the tree. The airport manager then banned all ultralights from flying at his airport, using phrases like “bunch of morons” and “never again.” Fortunately, he relented after a year or two, and ultralight and light-sport aircraft are among the most frequent, and welcome, visitors to that airport today.

A fairly straight line, with a few meanderings, leads from that time to this. I soon graduated to a two-seat Quicksilver MX and the instructor’s ticket to go with it, and then a private pilot certificate and ownership of certificated aircraft. I flew everything I could get my hands on, from helicopters to warbirds, and even a B-17G for about 20 glorious minutes. I did some skydiving and even got in some high-g air-combat maneuvering in practice dogfights in high-performance aircraft. It has been a wild ride.

That’s what happens when you leave the nest.

Its not just the crystal clear synthetic vision, the comprehensive autopilot coupling, vertical steering, flight director, or hundreds of other details that makes GRT Avionics the perfect choice for IFR flight. It is the confidence that comes from hundreds of thousands of hours of proven performance. Designed by experienced aerospace engineers. IFR proven. Expect nothing less from GRT.

...with confidence.

Graphical Engine Monitor with EGT history Dual AHRS - Auto-cross check. No degradation with loss of an AHRS; no need to revert to partial panel backup.

Synthetic Approach with highway-in-the-sky to any runway Extensive Lateral and Vertical autopilot coupling expands autopilot functionality.

XM Weather, TIS Traffic, Stormscope, ADS-B, and much more...

8 serial ports in/out, 8/14 analog inputs/outputs, ARINC 429 for today and built-in growth for tomorrow.

Primary Flight Display with synthetic vision Moving Map with shaded relief terrain

Dual AHRS/Air Data Computer

Dave Matheny, EAA 184186, is a private pilot and an FAA ground instructor. He has been flying light aircraft, including ultralights, for almost 30 years. He can be reached at DaveMatheny3000@yahoo.com.