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HERE TO FIND US!
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To view our website, click on the link below
and check out our online store, by clicking on the link below
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Avionics to the Max!
Come and see us at our state of the art facility, where our friendly staff are here to help with your needs!
250-18799 Airport Way
Pitt Meadows Airport (CYPK)
Pitt Meadows, BC,
V3Y 2B4
604-465-3080
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WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT?
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AEA Canada
Aircraft Electronics Association
August 28-29, 2012
Calgary, Alberta
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AVIATION HUMOUR
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A No-Frills Airline
1. They don’t sell tickets, they sell chances.
2. All the insurance machines in the terminal are sold out.
3. Before the flight, the passengers get together and elect a pilot.
4. If you kiss the wing for luck before boarding, it kisses you back.
5. You cannot board the plane unless you have the exact change.
6. Before you took off, the stewardess tells you to fasten your Velcro.
7. The Captain asks all the passengers to chip in a little for gas.
8. When they pull the steps away, the plane starts rocking.
9. The Captain yells at the ground crew to get the cows off the runway.
10. You ask the Captain how often their planes crash and he sez, “Just once.”
11. No movie. Don’t need one.
12. Your life keeps flashing before your eyes.
13. You see a man with a gun, but he’s demanding to be let off the plane.
14. All the planes have both a bathroom and a chapel.
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REBATES
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Lightspeed
Summer Promo!
$100 instant savings on the purchase of a
Zulu 2 Headset
Valid from
Aug. 16 – Oct 8. 2012
Aspen
Helicopter promotion
Rebate promotion on the Evolution EFD1000H Pro system.
Purchase an EFD1000H during this period and receive a $1,000 rebate!
Valid from
Aug. 3 – Aug. 31, 2012
SPOT
Sale & Rebate!
Purchase a SPOT at the new low price of $149 and receive a
$50 mail in rebate
Valid from
Apr. 15/12 – Sept. 30/12
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COMIN’ UP
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Garmin Open House in Oregon
 This is the 2nd Annual Open House/Seminar and BBQ at:
Garmin AT Facility 2345 Turner Rd, SE Salem
August 16, 2012
4-7pm
Take a tour, attend an operational seminar, meet the engineering wizards and much, much more!
Fly or drive in!
RSVP Wayne McGhee
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LET US KNOW
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Have a joke you would like to share?
Send us an email and we will feature your joke in the upcoming newsletters.
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New Products
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Cobham announced the following:
N301A 
Cobham’s N301A single-user audio controller now has a removable legend panel that enables installers to change control names on the N301A-3xx without removing it from the cockpit panel or returning to an authorized dealership. Available with multiple text options, including international languages, legends are customizable to suit any operator specification.
RT-5000P Transceiver 
Cobham’s RT-5000P Transceiver is capable of communicating P-25 on ALL frequency bands. It’s the only radio
that covers frequencies 29.7 through 960 MHz, and it supports AM/FM/P25.
The RT-5000P Transceiver incorporates a scanning function, allowing users to listen to their primary channel while at the same time monitoring up to 10 other channels via the dual-priority SCAN function. Scan groups, up to 50 total, may be created in-flight using the simple front panel programming capability – no computer necessary.
Features:
* All-band P-25 Common Air Interface (CAI) on ALL public service frequencies: 138 – 174 MHz; 380 – 512 MHz; 760 – 870 MHz
* Existing RT-5000 models may be upgraded without wiring, antenna, or part number changes
* AES encryption, 16 encryption keys
* OTAR – Over The Air Rekey
* Scans ANY frequency, from 29.7 – 960 MHz
C-5000 Control Head 
The C-5000 Control Head controls both analog and digital radios for maximum operator flexibility. Its simplified user interface ensures ease-of use.
Aspen Avionics – CG100 Connected Pilot
Aspen Avionics has received
FAA AML-STC approval for the Connected Pilot/ CG100 wireless gateway. This is a remote mounted LRU that provides wireless connectivity (WiFi) and is configured and maintained via Aspen’s Flight Connect iPad app which is available via the iTunes store.
The Connected Pilot can be integrated with Aspen 1500, 2000 or 2500 systems (requiring at least one MFD) and synchronizes aviation data from portable devices with the certified avionics installed in an aircraft’s panel.
Quote from Maxcraft’s Director of Business Development, Steve Nunn “we think this is just the start of tighter integration from the industry between the instrument panel and portable devices”.
Avidyne Corporation
Avidyne Corporation, a leading provider of integrated avionics and safety systems for general aviation aircraft, today introduced the IFD440 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM system with Hybrid Touch user interface, adding to their full line of plug-and-play avionics.
As a plug-and-play replacement for legacy GNS430-series navigators, the IFD440 can reduce installation cost and downtime for customers looking to add touch screen, or who are upgrading their aircraft to meet the higher-precision requirements for Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems/Localizer Performance Vertical Guidance (SBAS/LPV) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).
Avidyne previously announced a full stack of plug-and-play panel-mounted avionics including the larger-screen IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM, the AMX240 Audio Panel, the AXP340 Mode S ADS-B Transponder, and the DFC90 digital Autopilot with Envelope Protection (EP™) and Envelope Alerting (EA™).
The IFD440 is scheduled for initial deliveries in late 2013, and the IFD540 will be available early next year.
Bendix/King
Bendix/King used the 60th annual EAA AirVenture tradeshow in Oshkosh, Wis., to announce its first new product since it became an independent operation within Honeywell Aerospace.
The new KMA 30 is a Bluetooth-enabled audio panel that improves pilots’ flexibility and control of radio and audio systems in the cockpit. By providing a single, easy-to-use interface, the KMA 30 simplifies the use and delegation of aircraft radios, entertainment audio and cell phone communications while de-cluttering the cockpit with wireless interfaces for portable electronics.
Now headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M., Bendix/King’s focus is on designing, building and supporting the best-performing, most innovative and cost-effective avionics products available for general aviation.
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| In the hangar |
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The Archer
After much deliberation, the Abbotsford Flying Club decided that their 1977 Piper Cherokee Archer II was due for an upgrade and major restoration.
Off to Maxcraft they flew with lots of ideas, which lead to the following avionics installations; GMA35 audio system, GTN750, SL40 radio system, a new “MaxPanel” (instrument panel with the “Maxcraft Duracoat Finish”, complete new paint job, new engine, new leather seats, and new glass and more. Abbotsford Flying Club asked Maxcraft to manage the project and provide a turnkey solution. We recommended the best outside contractors to fill our customer needs and the project was a great success!
Trevor Batstone, a member from the Abbotsford Flying Club, took various photos documenting the whole project. You can read more about this project and see his pictures here at The Archer
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Technical Side…
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Old Autopilots
Many general aviation aircraft are equipped with autopilot systems that were designed and built in the 1970s. I would hazard a guess that many of these systems are no longer working properly or they may not be working at all.
Neglected Autopilot maintenance
Autopilot systems are often neglected when it comes to maintenance. Possible reasons for this neglect:
– Most aircraft owners are not proactive with autopilot maintenance. They tend to seek help only after an obvious hard failure and they may not have noticed a gradual deterioration in system performance.
– Most aircraft mechanics don’t have the training, technical information or test equipment necessary to properly diagnose an autopilot problem.
– Aircraft owners may not know where to take their aircraft for competent autopilot work.
We routinely encounter aircraft which have been in operation for many years with little or no maintenance done to their autopilot systems.
Incorrect Autopilot Maintenance
When autopilot maintenance is done incorrectly, it is even worse than neglected maintenance. The following are examples of incorrect autopilot maintenance we encountered.
– Wrong part number servo installed in aircraft
– Wrong part number circuit cards installed in computer
– Wrong tilt angle attitude reference gyro installed
– Wrong torque setting on autopilot servo override clutch
– Incorrectly routed bridal cables
– Wrong part number control panel installed
– Control motion transducer rigged 180 degrees out of phase
– Incorrect interface to upgraded avionics systems
Each of the above examples was a serious and potentially dangerous error.
Autopilot Repairs and/or Replace with New
In order to test, troubleshoot and repair autopilot systems, an avionics shop will need:
– Current system specific service manuals
– Appropriate specialized equipment
– A suitably trained and experienced technician.
Old autopilots can be expensive to troubleshoot and repair especially if they have been neglected for some years. If an additional system discrepancy is discovered during testing, it usually must be rectified before carrying on with system troubleshooting due to the interactive nature of autopilot systems. A complex autopilot system that has been neglected could have half dozen discrepancies which can seriously complicate the troubleshooting process.
Some legacy autopilot systems (Bendix/King KFC200 for example) are very capable and well worth spending money to repair while some other legacy systems may no longer be maintainable.
For most aircraft there are only a limited number of new autopilot choices and in some cases they have no more capability than the legacy autopilot being replaced. The main advantage with a new system is reliability and maintainability.
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Vendor Profile
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Cobham 
Anyone working in the defense industry recognizes Cobham as a global leader in the development, delivery, and support of leading-edge systems technology, but did you know they’re equally as prominent in the civilian/commercial aviation sector? Cobham has pulled together – and Maxcraft Avionics represents – technologies from some of the most distinguished names in fixed- and rotor-wing avionics, including:
Cobham Aerospace Communications, Prescott, Arizona: NAT (analog/digital audio, PA systems, loudhailers), and Wulfsberg Electronics (AM/FM radio systems, Nav/Com systems).
Cobham Commercial Systems, Mineral Wells, Texas: Chelton Flight Systems (3D synthetic vision EFIS); S-TEC (analog/digital autopilots).
 In business for over 75 years, Cobham also designs, deploys, and supports components and systems in the areas of antennas, video downlink, lighting, clocks, information management, and sensors. If you need it, chances are they make it. Employing more than 10,000 people on five continents, Cobham has customers and partners in over 100 countries around the world.”
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| Who’s Who at Maxcraft? |
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Who is Trevor? 
Our featured employee this month is Trevor. Trevor is a junior Avionics Technician who assists with installations of new electrical systems, radios and many other technical aspects of aviation. Trevor is also our Homebuilt Aircraft Specialist. Currently a homebuilt owner himself, he has the most experience in this area, and can talk to customers about some of the unique avionics available to the homebuilt market.
Trevor went to BCIT for 2 ½ years to train as an avionics maintenance engineer and joined Maxcraft where he has been for 2 years. Trevor got interested in working with avionics because he always liked working with his hands and being so passionate about aviation, he thought it would be the right path to follow.
Ask him about his favorite thing about avionics? No day is ever the same as the previous. Every project is different and everyday he learns something new.
Trevor is a pilot and is now building his own RV-7 aircraft. With the training and knowledge of building his own aircraft at home, he brings that little extra amount of expertise to Maxcraft.
Trevor currently resides with his 155 pound dog, Jackson in Maple Ridge, a nice short commute to work. He likes to fish, camp and fly. Trevor had the pleasure of back packing around Australia for a year and recently got to fly Gary Wards MX2 aerobatic aircraft doing stunts. A thrill of a lifetime!
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