Carl Forman has graciously allowed me to help him with the wiring in his RV9. He’s opted for a glass panel with many extra’s including an autopilot. I have to say that I’m quite enjoying the opportunity to get my hands on some very fancy electronics. It is giving me ideas for future changes to my plane.

Since I purchased my Zenair 250 a few years ago I’ve done some upgrades to add some things that I thought I really needed. Some of these I could do without, others have turned out to be incredibly valuable. Here’s a list of some of the changes I’ve made and my opinion of them.

1. New prop – I’ve gone through three props on my plane trying to find one that gave me the best overall performance. At 3500 feet and with only 2000 feet of runway Kirkby field is challenging for an airplane with short wings. With my 69×69 cruise prop I could easily reach 180 mph but takeoff with two people at any temperature above zero was questionable. I finally found a Colin Walker 72 X 66 wood prop that gave me good speed and takeoff performance with the Lycoming O-320-E3D engine. It was tedious and somewhat expensive to find the right combination, but it made my airplane much more fun to fly in all conditions. I would definitely spend the time to get my prop adjusted for optimal performance on my next plane.
   
2. I got a great deal on a full, 1992 Terra D series radio stack from someone who had the full panel but never opened the boxes. Since I needed a new radio, anyway, getting the whole stack for the same price worked out really well. What I really like is having dual COMM radios, they’re invaluable anytime you’re in controlled airspace or if you happen to be flying with the dragonflies on 123.7. I occasionally patch my handheld into my intercom as COMM 3 if I’m flying into large centres like Vancouver.
   
3. Last summer I flew up into the arctic, so I had lots of opportunities to use my dual NAV and ADF. Due to weather, I ended up flying most of the trip in valleys, rarely getting high enough to fly over the peaks. The VOR and ADF reception was obviously poor, and I ended up using maps and my handheld GPS for navigation. I had hoped the ADF would be more useful up north, but I was disappointed. Having VOR + ILS is very handy when flying into unfamiliar airports as it helps ensure I line up with the runway and not the taxiway. Nice to have but nowhere near as useful as my $200 handheld GPS. I wouldn’t spend the money or panel space to put these in another airplane unless I needed them for IFR.
   
4. Cell phone / MP3 interface. Although I have a mono audio panel and intercom, I added a Cell/MP3 interface which provides a stereo signal to the headsets. This was a $200 component but well worth it. Both my passenger and I get the benefit of what’s on the iPod but both of us can talk on the phone. The only problem I’ve had is since I went from my Telus cell to a Rogers blackberry I no longer get good cell reception outside of urban areas. This will definitely go in my next airplane.
   
5. Zaon PCAS. This is probably the most important thing I’ve added to my plane. For my next airplane it will be the second thing I purchase after a COMM radio. I’m not only surprised by the amount of traffic that I was missing but also the number of times where I spot one plane, but the PCAS indicates two or more. It’s not perfect but it’s far better than my eyes will ever be.
   
6. A GRT engine monitor was also included in my panel overhaul. I realize now that the gauges I had in my plane were pretty much useless. Seeing EGT, CHT, fuel burn and many other readings off the engine has allowed me to tune the mixture for optimal performance without stressing the engine. It’s already paid for itself in fuel savings.
   
7. I added a VANS crossover exhaust after my original mufflers developed more cracks than I could repair. What I’ve found is that my static RPM increased from 2300 to 2420, and I now pull 26″ of MP after takeoff. At more than $1000 it’s not going to pay for itself but since I had to replace the exhaust system, I was going to spend a lot of money anyway. I would highly recommend this setup for anyone with an O-320 or O-360.
   
8. I put on a new pair of Slick magnetos. I could tell mine were wearing out, and one was a very old unsupported serial number. I had put 400 hours on them, and they were probably used when they went on the engine. I went with a package deal of magnetos, wires and plugs with a core trade in. The new magnetos definitely made the engine run better and since they have to be overhauled at 500 hours, I was definitely due. The core trade in was a mistake that I highly regret. Since I purchased the full package, I was required to return both magnetos and my old wires. It turned out the old wires were in good condition. Only one of the magnetos actually qualified for the core charge but I ended up with nothing, and I’ve since found out that the chances of Slick ever making good on the core charge is pretty low. I could take them to small claims court, but I would also have to sue Stauffer Aero who I bought them from. Stauffer has been great to deal with and very helpful, so I don’t want to drag them into this mess.
   
   Lesson learned. If I was going to do this again I would buy new Bendix magnetos at a slightly higher cost, and keep the used slick magnetos and wires just so I could take them apart and have something to practice maintenance on. I definitely won’t say anything positive about Slick to anyone who asks.
   
9. The last thing I’ve added is a SPOT. While it doesn’t seem to do much except flash a green LED it does give me peace of mind. I pay for the snail trail tracking so when I’m away people can see where I’ve been, or if people ask me at work what I was doing I can show them where I was. There’s been a few occasions where it drops off and has left a gap for more than a half hour, but it still works quite well and worked flawlessly when I flew to the Arctic last summer. My family enjoyed going online to see where I was and what I was seeing each day.

There’s certainly no end of toys you can buy for your plane, and I’ve already made a new shopping list for my next plane.