Zaon Flight Systems PCAS XRX
With all the head-down equipment found on board general aviation aircraft these days — and the busy traffic patterns and corridors we fly within — you need all the help you can get watching for traffic. One aid to your scan is a recently upgraded portable traffic detector from Zaon Flight Systems, formerly SureCheck Aviation.
The PCAS XRX (the PCAS stands for "portable collision avoidance system") uses signals from transponders from nearby aircraft to locate those aircraft and determine if a conflict exists with your own aircraft (via its transponder). Placed on the glareshield, the XRX works by detecting the transponder replies generated when a transponder is queried or "pinged" by air traffic control radar or the collision avoidance systems on other aircraft. Therefore, the system works best in busy areas near large class C and B airports, and where airline and business jet traffic is prevalent.
The targets are displayed on a small screen on the unit through the use of a directional arrow, distance, and relative altitude. These cues tell you where to look to see the traffic. There are four arrows, pointing to the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions; if an airplane is closer to a 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, or 10:30 position, the two arrows bracketing that position illuminate, effectively giving the display directional fidelity to 45-degree increments. The unit orders multiple traffic targets so that the most threatening traffic (by relative altitude and distance) is shown first, and two other traffic targets can be shown as well.
Understanding the traffic depiction takes some practice, because of some lag between when the device picks up the traffic and when it displays it on the screen. This is most noticeable when traffic is coming from the opposite direction and the closure rate is high. There's not much to it, though; you simply look through a slightly larger cone to acquire traffic. The most lag I saw put the traffic about 30 degrees behind where it actually was — but I still saw the traffic within a few seconds.
While the device is passive, it takes advantage of both ATC interrogations of nearby traffic and those interrogations made by aircraft equipped with a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS). In fact, because Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland sits almost directly below an approach corridor into Washington Dulles International, Washington, D.C., we picked up targets in the air while we sat on the ground, even though Potomac Approach's radar coverage in the area ends at about 1,500 feet agl — all because of TCAS pinging away from the airliners crossing above us.
The XRX can be ordered directly from Zaon Flight Systems, and it comes with a power adapter, carrying case, and audio cable.
Price: $1,795
Contact: 800/496-9430; www.zaonflight.com
Icarus Instruments SAM
Maybe you have joined the masses that have upgraded their panels with a Garmin GNS 430 or 530, or a Bendix/King KLN 94 GPS navigator. With GPS steering (GPSS) or roll steering enabled on newer autopilots such as the Meggitt/S-Tec Fifty Five X, and the nav mode engaged, the autopilot steers you through course changes using a digital output from these GPS units. The roll-steering function also anticipates turns, so that the aircraft more closely adheres to the course. But let's say your 1960s- or 1970s-vintage airplane still has its legacy autopilot, and rather than buying a new autopilot — which can set you back upward of $15,000 installed — you'd probably consider a less expensive way to take full advantage of the GPS. Icarus Instruments now offers the SAM (steering assist module), which does just that.
We flew with the SAM installed in a 1974 Cessna Cardinal RG, with aircraft owner and SAM engineer Jeff Kauffman. The airplane's original autopilot, an ARC 300A Navomatic, is a single-axis autopilot found in many Cessnas of this vintage. The 300A uses roll input from the turn coordinator, and heading or left/right input from a VOR receiver, loran, or GPS, to manipulate the ailerons.
Without roll steering, the pilot has to twist the omni-bearing selector needle to align with the new course each time the GPS course changes track. During the en route phase, this chore isn't so onerous, but on an approach, it can get distracting. We set up the Cardinal's GNS 530 to fly the RNAV 23 approach into Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland, with a transition through the Westminster VOR, about 19 nm away. Even in the midafternoon cumulus-bumpus, the SAM kept our course through the entire procedure, making the proposed 270-degree turn from the en route phase of the flight to the initial approach segment smoothly, with only a minor swing to the north.
The SAM also provides audio alert functions, particularly an altitude alerter, to keep you on your toes. The SAM announces coming waypoints, impending stalls, gear reminders, and a low-vacuum alert — there are eight alerts total. The interface is kept simple, and, as with many cockpit control panels, with simplicity comes a little bit of a learning curve to get to the function you want. But the most common pilot inputs (setting a target altitude and changing the barometric pressure on the unit) are the easiest to access. The unit also has a mute/repeat switch, which does what it advertises — either muting the audio alerts or repeating the last alert. The display itself is the toggle button to switch between roll steering and heading modes.
Supplemental type certificate approval on the SAM was expected by the end of June, with a model list in the 700-model range, according to company officials.
Price: $2,295
Contact: 301/891-0600; www.icarusinstruments.com
The Personal Battery Caddy
When Illinois plastics manufacturer Rick "Tools" Foreman, AOPA 1237669, found himself fumbling for batteries after a nighttime electrical failure in his Cessna 182, inspiration struck.
Foreman invented The Personal Battery Caddy, a line of sturdy plastic holders for different-size batteries powering flashlights, handheld transceivers, GPS units, electronic E6Bs, or any of the other battery-powered gizmos pilots love to carry. It comes in three styles: the Original, which holds 12 AA, four AAA, and two C batteries, and one 9-volt battery; the A9 Pack, which holds eight AA and four AAA batteries, and one 9-volt battery; and the DC Pack, which holds two D and two C batteries. All styles feature one-hand dispensing, terminal protection for batteries, break-resistant plastic, and a unique locking feature that holds batteries securely.
Caddies are available in a variety of colors, including glow-in-the-dark Moonshine, which Foreman says is indispensable for finding emergency batteries quickly on a dark night.— Kevin Murphy
Price: $18 to $24, depending on model
Contact: 866/540-7260; www.toolsaviation.com
Quick Hits
Seattle Avionics has updated its suite of flight-planning and in-flight moving-map programs, Voyager, Smart Plates, and Glass View, to integrate seamlessly and take you from planning a flight to executing the instrument approach at its completion. The program can be built through modules, and packages including tablet PCs are available.
Price: $198 for the Glass View module; others additional
Contact: www.seattleavionics.com
Sandel Avionics introduced a series of new retrofit instruments, including the 4-inch SN4500 EHSI (electronic horizontal situation indicator) and EADI (electronic attitude director indicator), and directional gyros, the SG101, SG102, and SG103. The SN4500s use light-emitting diodes to illuminate the displays rather than incandescent bulbs.
Price: $19,500 for the SN4500 EHSI and EADI; less than $3,500 for the SG102; roughly $4,000 for the SG101 and SG103.
Contact: 760/727-4900; www.sandel.com
A new two-blade Hartzell propeller is available for certain Cessna 210 and 205 models. The new propeller is the same diameter as the original (82 inches), but weight has been cut from 64 to 55 pounds. The kit includes the propeller, polished spinner, and supplemental type certificate paperwork. Time between overhauls is 2,400 hours or six years, and a warranty of three years or 1,000 hours applies.
Price: $6,995
Contact: www.hartzellprop.com
Honeywell has upgraded the display technology on its popular and longevous Bendix/King Silver Crown line of avionics, based on LED (light-emitting diode) and LCD (liquid-crystal display) advances. Improvements to readability and contrast in a range of lighting conditions, as well as better reliability, are expected.
Contact: www.bendixking.com/silvercrown
Blackhawk Modifications offers a supplemental type certificate to upgrade the Beechcraft King Air 200 with factory-new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42 engines. Installation time averages two weeks, and the new engines have a 3,600-hour time between overhauls, an increase from the factory PT6A-41 engines with a 3,000-hour TBO.
Contact: 254/755-6711; www.blackhawk.aero
Engine Components Inc. (ECi) has introduced a new engine for the kit market, the Titan EXP IOX-340 Stroker. The engine features a longer stroke than the similar Lycoming O-320, giving it a larger displacement, and more power, according to the manufacturer.
Contact: 800/324-2359; www.eci2fly.com
Novec Contact Cleaner from 3M Aerospace is a nonflammable, non-ozone-layer-depleting aerosol cleaner to remove grease, oil, silicone, dust, and particulates from electronics and wiring. Get a free sample by going to the 3M Web site.
Contact: www.3m.com/novec
Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot , 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350. Links to all Web sites referenced in this issue can be found on AOPA Online.
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