Waypoints

Editor in Chief Thomas B. Haines has been flying and evaluating airplanes and aviation gear for more than 20 years.

Because of the price of the equipment that we operate, the term value probably has a greater relevance for pilots than it does for general consumers. And what does the word value mean anyhow?

I know people who will drive five miles out of their way to save 5 cents a gallon on gasoline. To them, the cheaper gas has value — never mind the time and the wear and tear on their vehicle for driving those extra miles to save what will probably amount to about a dollar on a typical fill-up. Others buy into the discount-store notion that "the more you buy, the more you save!" As if you can somehow spend your way to savings.

When it comes to modification and maintenance of our airplanes, we need to carefully consider the value of the products we use. Since most pilots are not also A&P technicians, we generally pay between $40 and $70 an hour for service, depending on whether it's for the airframe, engine, or avionics. Those labor charges are the same whether you're installing a cheap part or an expensive one. An expensive part isn't always better, but if it lasts longer and needs less service, it can easily become a better value than the cheaper part.

A case in point: tires.

I stepped through the aircraft broker's office door into the hangar. There, backlit by the bright sunlight from outside was the beautiful outline of a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. (Music swells, fireworks go off.) Like a groom reaching for his bride, I stepped forward to examine the lovely airplane. She looked great. Polished, spiffed, and coiffed. From the spinner to the tail, from the antennas right down to the fresh black tires — immaculate. I was hooked. Call the bank. Get out the checkbook.

I've learned a lot owning the airplane, but one of the clearest lessons is don't buy cheap tires — unless you're a broker wanting to put the best face on an airplane in your inventory.

The annual inspection came due a year after I bought the airplane. I was amazed when there on the shop's squawk list was the notation: Needs new main landing gear tires. Couldn't be. They're just a year old. Sure enough, the cheap tires were well worn and needed replacing. The technician recommended a pair of Goodyears. I checked a couple of catalogs to compare prices and found the Goodyears to be more expensive than some of the off-brand tires. "You'll get better wear from the better tires," the technician recommended. So I agreed.

Fast-forward a year. Annual number two is due. In the intervening year I had flown the airplane almost exactly the same number of hours as I had the first year and about the same number of takeoffs and landings. The tires still looked nearly new with almost no sign of wear.

I'd like to think that my landings have improved that significantly, but it's not the case. Nor was I a rookie at landing Bonanzas when I bought the airplane. In fact, I had several hundred hours of Bonanza time when I purchased this one. Now, 18 months after the installation, the tires still look fine. The cheap nose gear tire put on by the broker was replaced at the second annual because it had become severely worn. You can bet I didn't hesitate to put on the better tire.

The labor to install the cheap tire was the same as that to install the quality tire. Yet the better tires have lasted nearly twice as long and are still looking good.

Some value equations aren't so easy to compute. Shortly after I bought the airplane, I had a J.P. Instruments EDM-800 engine analyzer with fuel computer installed. In some ways, the EDM-800's "value" is less tangible than the better-quality tires. I find it reassuring on takeoff to see all of those exhaust gas and cylinder head temperature bars moving smartly and evenly up the scale. What's that comforting feeling worth? Hard to say on a day-to-day basis, but on a recent takeoff the display was invaluable.

Right after takeoff, the airplane seemed lethargic. I had four adults and two kids on board, so we were heavy, but still probably 100 pounds below maximum gross takeoff weight. Still, it was a cool day and the airplane should have been performing more strongly. And did the engine feel a little rough? A glance at the EDM-800 showed that the number-four cylinder was cold. No EGT or CHT registered. Well, there's an answer. I immediately began to think how I was going to get the airplane around the pattern for a landing. About then, the temperatures on the number-four cylinder started coming up. They soon stabilized in line with the others. The engine smoothed out and up we went, but I stayed close to the airport to make sure everything was OK.

The next day I downloaded the data from the EDM-800's built-in recorder. It's a simple matter to plug a personal digital assistant (PDA) into the panel. Seconds later the data file is on the handheld, ready to be ported to a desktop computer for analysis in a spreadsheet. The analysis showed that the cylinder did go cold, but then quickly returned to normal and stayed there during the rest of the short flight. Aside from a couple of dirty injectors, nothing untoward was found in the engine. The data also showed that a couple of cylinders cooled quickly at lower rpms — a sign of ring wear. That didn't contribute to the cold cylinder, but you can believe it made me more in tune with the airplane on subsequent flights. Valuable? You bet. Worth the couple of thousand dollars to purchase and install the system? In my mind, yes. Especially when you consider the rest of the system.

The fuel computer portion of the engine analyzer has helped me save fuel and time. The most dangerous portions of a flight are the takeoff and landing, so if you can skip a planned fuel stop en route, you've not only saved time, but increased safety as well. We all know you should never trust the ship's fuel gauges. Using the EDM-800's fuel computer I can know within half a gallon how much fuel is on board — assuming I have remembered to set it properly at the last fueling.

During one flight in particular I could see the value in having the EDM-800. I left Frederick, Maryland, for Orlando, Florida, fully expecting to make a fuel stop. The winds turned out to be more northerly than expected, providing a nice tailwind. The fuel computer, married to the Garmin GNS 530 GPS/moving map, showed I would land at my planned fuel stop in South Carolina with loads of fuel. I quickly changed the destination on the GPS to Orlando's Executive Airport. The fuel remaining at destination came out to be just less than an hour. My personal minimums are to land after an IFR flight with at least an hour of fuel, instead of the FAA's 45 minutes. This was a severe clear day and I could have gone VFR, meaning even less reserve was necessary. But I was on an IFR flight plan and wasn't about to bend the rules.

The winds picked up further and I dialed the power back just a little. The groundspeed continued to increase and soon the reserve ticked up to an hour and 15 minutes. Bingo. I called ATC and changed my destination from the fuel stop to Orlando. We landed with an hour and five minutes of fuel. A valuable demonstration.

Not all valuable equipment need cost thousands of dollars. I've been flying with an Altitude Reminder from Sporty's Pilot Shop. This $11.95 device is stuck to the panel with Velcro. You dial in your assigned altitude or, on an approach, the minimum altitude as a reminder. That's it. No beeping or chirping when you reach the altitude or fly right through it. You'll need to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for that information. But it's been a great aid in the cockpit — a good value.

As you can see, the aviation value equation has a lot of different answers.

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