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SPA
There are what some call “quality of life” improvements—such as
the paint job you always wanted.
system and allows his KFC 200 autopilot
(with flight director) to share the pleasure
of flying his Bonanza.
The right side of the panel is anchored
with a Garmin GNS 530W GPS navigator.
The “W” means it’s WAAS (wide area augmentation system) compatible for
approaches that rely on that capability,
which has evolved to become standard
under the FAA’s required navigation performance (RNP) approach criteria. Lorne
included a Garmin GDL 69 satellite
weather receiver for overlaying weather
information on the Garmin’s big screen.
He backs up satellite weather capability
with a WX-500 Stormscope. His primary
transponder is a Mode S capable Garmin
GTX 327, backed up by the aforementioned Bendix/King KT76—both with
altitude encoders.
Topping off the accessories are a
Whelen LED anti-collision beacon and
Alpine Aviation high-intensity LED recognition lights on the tips of both wings.
Remember, Lorne spends a lot of time flying in the congested airspace of the
Northeast—within easy visual range of
New York City.
So what is there for the rest of us to
learn from how the top guy at the
American Bonanza Society treats his
airplane? I think it starts with the layers of
responsibility involved in aircraft owner-
ship. Layer one is—and always must
be—safety. Keep the critical moving parts
spinning or pounding or twisting in the
right direction. It can cut deeply to expend
the lion’s share of the annual maintenance
budget on replacing some part you’ve
never heard of that no one else will ever
see. You’ve got to teach yourself to feel
warm and fuzzy every time you look at the
old part on your desktop—and realize
you’re flying safely because a fresh one is
now bolted to your airplane.
