AGAC used a fire retardant on the fabric that was salt based.. This is normaly ok, unless the fabric gets wet, then it's bad news. May 10, 1995 Fletchair published SB-186 to inspect all interior parts that might come in contact with a wet interior. The most common place for corrosion are the front seat pivot points, two years ago I replaced my seats because of this.
Also both fabric holders are corroded.
The fabric holders are easy to remake, but I'm unsure how to repair the side honeycomb. It doesn't seem to be covered in my manual. My repair theories are:
Where should I go from here?
Primarily to enable Tiger N123VB to legally fly those nifty GPS approaches and secondarily enable it to receive in-flight weather updates.
There is alot of talk about precision approaches with the newly enabled WAAS system. But there are no precision approaches in my NOS book. There are three years worth of non precision RNAV and overlays approaches! So adding any TSO C129a, Class A1 (en route, terminal, and approach) GPS opens more airports to Tiger N123VB today.
The WAAS signal is broadcast on the same freq (L1) as a normal GPS satellite (SVC) so another antenna isn't required, (unlike DGPS systems) but the data rate from this geo stationary SVC and how it's applied to the fix solution requires alot more CPU (unlike DGPS and LAAS systems). This means that your GPS will at least require new software but in many cases a hole new processor.
There are three in-flight weather systems: ARNAV has a 8km NEXRAD product using ~40 ground based 9.6kb VHF FM transmitters. King has one of their ground based 56kb VHF PCM VDL mode 2 systems running in test mode. EchoFlight uses the Orbcom SVC system (4.8kb VHF FM world wide downlink) with a 7km NEXRAD product.
It would be nice to rip everything out and replace it with an entire UPS stack, but for space reasons and to maximize the existing hardware, the intercom and audio panel was replaced with a pma4000 where the old CDI was. N123VB lost Marker beacons in this process.
The ADF and #2 nav/com was removed to make room for a gns530. The 530 should have enough cpu for WAAS when the software is available and Garmin expects their EchoFlight input box by years end. This leaves N123VB with two GPS (530 & 195), Loran map, two navs/coms each with GS. Not quite grega@pobox.com minimal panel, but it will hafta do.
Weather last Saturday was so hazy it was hard to see the broken cloud deck around 400 feet. There was no way N123VB was going IMC after it was recently ripped apart. So we spent time checking out all the systems and cleaning the hanger. When a VFR only friend landed and told me the SVFR he got in wasn't "too" bad I decided to go.
With one seat and no side panels in the airplane (and W&B done) we taxied out. Man the 530 looks dark.. and when I turned my head it changes colors! Might it be the polarized sunglasses? Bingo!! but wow, its bright without sunglasses. Get my special VFR and sit inline. Boy its hazy, make a mental note to wiggle the airplane to check gyros as soon as I get off the ground. ok, got clearance, final checklist and lets go.. cool, the airspeed is working.. ok and the VSI too.. good.. and the AI works too.. ok lets get more alt...
cgf: 123vb change to cle and left turn approved for clear of clouds
(noise abatement says climb runway heading to 1900)
3vb: have a good one..
3vb: cle, 3vb with you passing 1200
whoa, these bases are low!! and I can't see any holes right next to
them..
cle: 3vb radar contact fly 180 at or below 2500
3vb: I need to convert this to IFR, 3vb
cle: I can work on that
the clouds are too low, I gata go back and start an aggressive turn from
south back the the airport.
3vb: cle, If unable popup for 3vb will need an immediate
back to cgf and cancel.
cle: naa, I can fit you in, one sec.
oops.. there it is, inadvertent solid IMC... you just can't see clouds
when its super hazy.. ok stop the turn.. level the wings, cross check,
cross check again.. yea everything is working.. I guess I'm going to
live.
cle: 3vb, consider yourself IFR and climb 4000
man, good thing I have a NASA form on me.. something I can fill out
with my burger.. now back to 180.. yup cross check is ok... I'm going
to live.. dumb dumb dumb..
3vb: leaving 1300 for 4000 heading 180 assigned, thanks!, 3vb
cle: 3vb, pick up the MFD 89 radial, track inbound then direct.
3vb: MFD 89, direct, direct, 3vb
I know that controller... gata get his name to thank him sometime.. anyway, the MFD 89 is way south but I can cut 15 or so right.. what's the darn freq for MFD? Hay, I have this cool 530! zip to nrst, and then vor... rats!! its too far away.. oops, fly the plane.. hmm, plugging it into the gps isn't going to help me find a radial.. fly the plane.. oh and spin up the AP while I'm at it.. ok.. MFD freq.. plates.. it would be on the NOS approach plate... fly the plane.. where is the book, now the copilot seat is gone? flight bag.. in the back.. fly the plane.. ok got it... engage heading hold, check it.. retirm for climb... looks good... yea, AP works... find the page.. 108.80 and put it into the 530... now what? its still navigating via GPS!.. man, forget these fancy toys, put it into the kx165 and move the CDI, phew its acting about right, better check the indent just in case, yup.. ok.. cut alittle more right to grab a 45 into MFD's 89... so much for fancy toys.. ahhhh, the tops!! phew.. but man its hazy, and way bright.. where are those sunglasses? I need them more than the 530..
anyway, you get the idea. I didn't know it, but a Cherokee Six killed 4 people around this time. And I now know how to find radials of airports and intersections with the 530 so I'm sure I will worm up to it. The biggest suppress is the 4000. Its active squelch isn't perfect but it works remarkably well. The wiring problem discovered with the old AltAlert is nice to have fixed too.. and in-flight tunes are way cool!
If I had a chance to do it all over again I might not do the 530. The 195 and 295 will map all approaches, unlike the 530 which will only show approaches with overlays. The new hand held EchoFlight map will offer more weather products sooner as its VFR only while the 530's box will need to be certified. So a cheaper M3, GX60, or 420 with a VFR map and weather would offer the same or greater capability while leaving more money in the sf260 fund. But I'll get over the buyers remorse.
LAAS http://gps.faa.gov/Programs/LAAS/laas.htm WAAS http://wwws.raytheontands.com/waas/ DGPS http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/dgps/ UPS http://www.upsat.com/ C129a TSO C129a, Class A1 (en route, terminal, and approach) SVC Satellite ftp://ftp.navcen.uscg.mil/gps/Status.txt NOS Plates http://www.americanflyers.net/ap/newq.asp ARNAV http://www.arnav.com/network.htm NEXRAD http://www.osf.noaa.gov/news.htm Orbcom http://www.orbcomm.com/ EchoFlight http://www.echoflight.com/press/00_7_23.html VHF around 170Mhz AM Ampludude Modulated FM Frequency Modulated PCM Pulse Coded Modulated VDL mode2 http://www.faa.gov/nexcom/ N123VB http://rob.com/rob/images/flycle.jpg Old pannel http://rob.com/rob/images/mypanel.jpg New pannel http://rob.com/rob/530/mypanel2.jpg intercom http://www.sigtronics.com/air/spa400fr.html audio pannel http://www.seaerospace.com/king/kma24.htm pma4000 http://www.ps-engineering.com/pma4000.shtml nav/com http://www.seaerospace.com/king/kx155.htm ADF http://www.seaerospace.com/king/kr87.htm ki227 http://www.seaerospace.com/king/ki227.htm ka44b http://www.seaerospace.com/king/ka44b.htm 530 http://www.garmin.com/products/gns530/ CDI http://www.seaerospace.com/king/ki204.htm HSI http://www.seaerospace.com/king/ki525a.htm 195 http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap195/ 295 http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap295/ GS Glide Slope used with LOC (single radial VOR) VOR Old navagation system Loss http://www.avweb.com/newswire/news0036a.html IMC In the clouds 420 http://www.garmin.com/products/gnc420/ M3 http://www.northstarcmc.com/m3.htm GX60 http://www.upsat.com/gx60des.html sf260 http://www.geocities.com/~sf260w/ NASA form Aviation Safety Reporting System
