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“Bringing you knowledge of the latest in avionics technology”
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Nov. 4 – 6, 2014
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Association of Canada
Nov. 7 – 9, 2014
Montreal, Quebec
Air Transport Association of Canada
Nov. 17 – 19, 2014
The Westin, Vancouver
Northwest Aviation Conference and Tradeshow
Feb. 21 – 22, 2015
Puyallup, Washington
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Customer Comments
I thought that I’d drop you a line regarding my Maxcraft experiences over the last couple of years.
I’ve owned NTI for more than 20 years and have tried to make incremental improvements every year. A couple of years ago, I started looking at a partial glass panel up-grade and discussed my options at length with Steve. It was soon obvious that between the Garmin 500 and the Aspen Pro, the Aspen was the only one that would be viable. Maxcraft installed it in May/June of last year and it’s quite a step-up from the previous King KI-55 slaved HIS (that I thought was really great!). You also did the WAAS upgrade at the same time. A couple of months after it was installed, I had a total Aspen failure (i.e., it went black!) as I was returning from Portland; luckily I was in VFR conditions over an undercast and Pitt Meadows was clear.
I contacted Steve or Daryl first thing Monday morning; you removed it immediately and I was back flying by that Friday. Great service!
I should also mention the fast service that you provided me on two other occasions last year, once when the VOR half of the Garmin 430W stopped working and the very quick diagnosis and replacement of my main comm. Antenna.
That last major improvement to NTI took place this year when you took out the Century 1 autopilot and installed an S-tech 50 that is coupled to the Aspen, with the GPS steering. I can’t tell you how happy I am with it; as my wife commented this is just like an airliner.
The combination of the two (Aspen + S-tec) has made a world of difference to the airplane and made my flying so much easier and more enjoyable.
Once again thanks to the Maxcraft team; I would have no hesitation recommending Maxcraft for avionics and auto-pilot work.
All the best to Daryl and his team,
Rick Johnson
Read more about his aircraft project here
More successes here!
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A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport.
After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles.
The weather ahead is good and therefore we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax — OH MY GOD!”
Silence followed and after a few minutes, the Captain came back on the intercom and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m so sorry if I scared you earlier, but while I was talking, the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and spilt it in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!
A passenger in Coach said, “That’s nothing, he should see the back of mine!”
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CGR 30, Aspen PFD, MidContinent, The Duke, and our newest employee, Ben
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Greetings,
Fall has arrived with a brand new issue of MaxNews! Check out new products including the CGR-30 from EI, the new Aspen PFD for VFR pilots, and the MD93 series from MidContinent. Read about our featured vendor, Electronic International, or a technical article on engine failure. Featured employee is always a good read too!
Thank you,
From all of us at Maxcraft Avionics
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In The News
New Flight Deck Avionics Suite Unveiled by Universal Avionics
The first peek of Universal Avionics’ newest avionics suite – the feature-rich InSight Integrated Flight Deck was introduced at NBAA2014.
The highlight of the system is the embedded next generation Synthetic Vision System (SVS) with advanced mapping capability and intuitive system-wide Graphical Pilot Interface.
Primary hardware components of the InSight Integrated Flight Deck include a 10.4″ EFI-1040 Display acting as PFD and/or MFD, Electronic Control Display Unit (ECDU), Alphanumeric Keyboard (ANK) and Data Concentrator Unit (DCU) II. The InSight display system is designed as an integrated flight deck solution, featuring an embedded SVS with advanced mapping capability, electronic charts, radio control, broadcast weather support and graphical flight planning. The first installation is on the company’s Cessna Citation VII with the STC expected in the second quarter of 2015. The InSight system is also ideal for forward-fit applications.
CGR-30 from Electronic International
The CGR-30P was designed to replace your aircraft’s tachometer and many of your other primary existing instruments. Replace your Tachometer with EI’s CGR-30P, and bring glass panel technology to your aircraft today, without breaking the bank. The CGR-30P is a TSO’d, STC’d Primary Replacement engine instrument. What can it replace? The answer: most of the aircraft’s primary engine functions.
The beauty of the CGR-30P is that you get to choose many of the functions the CGR-30P replaces. Designed as a Cluster Gauge Replacement (CGR), the CGR will replace your Tachometer, Manifold Pressure, Fuel Flow Totalizer, EGT/CHT Bar Graph Analyzer, and more!
New Aspen PFD Designed for VFR Pilots Released 
Aspen Avionics is pleased to inform customers that they have received FAA certification for their Evolution 1000 VFR PFD. It is the industry’s first certified glass panel display designed specifically for pilots flying in the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) environment.
The key differences between the Pro PFD and VFR PFD is the significant price reduction to $4,995. USD. Options offered with the display includes TAS, XM weather, Stormscope Lightning, Synthetic vision (once upgraded) and ADS-B. Installation procedures are basically the same as the Pro PFD.
The lower cost of this product makes it the best solution for pilots for VFR pilots with the option to convert to IFR through a simple software upgrade. Call or visit our Maxcraft team for more information.
Accurate time keeping by MidContinent Instruments
The MD93 Series is a highly-accurate digital clock with the added value of a dual USB charging port. Compact 2 inch size, 6 digit 7 segment LED clock and USB charger. Compatible with Apple and other USB devices and featuring intuitive operation with four modes: local time, universal time, flight timer and stopwatch.
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In the Hangar:
Cessna 340
After living through an incident in which a G600 with synthetic vision saved quite literally saved his life, the experienced owner and veteran pilot of this Cessna 340 was motivated to accelerate plans for further upgrades to his panel, including a long list of sixty-four tweaks, alterations and changes he wanted made to the layout of his panel.
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In the Hangar:
A Beechcraft Duke is one of the nicest pressurized turbo twins around. Coincidentally, what you’re looking at here is one of nicest panels that the Maxcraft team has ever put together for a GA aircraft. At the behest of our clients, special care was put into the symmetry of the layout. This, combined with the complete removal of all vacuum gyros and round dials results in an exceptionally uncluttered and efficient presentation of information. Read more about this project here.
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3D SVT display showing mountains and ocean.
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Technology Saves the Day!
If you’re a regular reader you’ll note that we often write on technology in the cockpit and the value it brings with respect to safety. On our project showcase page specifically, we often refer to the enhanced situational awareness that Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) provides the IFR pilot.
I can think of no better example than our friend and repeated customer, Mr. Don Wightman’s triple emergency. Don experienced an engine failure in his Cessna 340 over the mountains at 17,000 ft. south of Terrace enroute to Pitt Meadows.
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Emergency diversion over mountainous terrain.
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To make matters worse, a failed check valve caused loss of cabin pressurization necessitating a descent which brought some very unwelcome ice. Worse, the de-ice boots were no longer functional due to the related pressurization problem. The C340 was now rapidly descending at 600 fpm with full power and one engine. Thatwould be a bad day over prairies, but over mountains it’s life threatening. Don handled the situation like the professional he is, but ATC became very concerned when they lost radar coverage and ultimately voice communication. Don had no choice but to hand fly through the mountains weaving through terrain and aiming for an inlet using the 3D Synthetic Vision on his Garmin G600 glass flight display. He ultimately broke out over the ocean shedding his ice and safely landing in Port Hardy.
Now this may all sound made up by a Garmin marketing writer, but rest assured it is real. The Cessna Twin Flyer wrote a great article on it in their July issue here (post link). I spoke with Don shortly after the incident and he unequivocally stated to me that the SVT on the G600 quite literally saved his life. I might add that Don’s considerable experience, simulator training, and calm manner dictated the successful outcome of this incident.
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A view none of us want to see of ice just beginning to form on the dead engine!
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The point of this article is that technology can be a great asset when things start going sideways. We get to see which products really work well, and we pass that knowledge on to pilots; this is one of the main reasons we publish MaxNews. Be it synthetic vision, flight tracking, GPS moving map, user intuitive GPS/Nav/Com radios, you as a pilot and/or operator should decide which tools you want in your pocket when the situation turns dire.
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Did you know?
Maxcraft Blog 
The Maxcraft Blog did a little something different to a project this time round. We decided to follow a project on a weekly basis with pictures, updates and the team effort that was involved with this progress. If you are interested in reading about the project on a step by step process, click here to read about “the Duke” here.
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Vendor Profile: Electronic International Inc.
Electronics International was founded nearly 35 years ago by Maryann and Ron Roberts. Since the introduction of one of the industry’s first digital instrument, the E-1 EGT monitor, the family-owned company has grown to their product line to include some of the most advanced engine and systems monitoring equipment available.
It is no surprise Electronics International offers pilots such awesome functionality for pilots. Ron has been flying aircraft for over 40 years, and he and his design team always strive to dream up and create products that any pilot would love to have in their cockpit. The hallmark of Electronics International’s products is a combination of advanced features, coupled with an uncommonly easy-to-use interface. Customers often remark at how powerful and intuitive the company’s engine analyzers are.
Not only are the products some of the easiest to use technology in the cockpit, they are rugged. Reliability is essential when dealing with aircraft, which is why all of the products manufactured by Electronics International are tested to TSO standards and beyond. In fact many products manufactured by Electronics International not only hold TSO and PMA certification, but are STC’d for Primary installation in hundreds of aircraft.
If you are interested in checking out the latest and greatest products offered by Electronics International, look at their MVP and CGR glass panel instruments. These glass-paneled dynamos provide pilots with Primary Replacement engine and systems instruments, along with data recording, fuel management, and the most advanced engine analyzing available in the industry.
For more information on Electronics International products call us at 604-465-3080.
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Who works here at Maxcraft?
Get to know the employee….Who is Ben Otten?
Our featured employee this month is Ben Otten. Ben is a Senior Avionics Technician whose role it is to restore and/or refurbish avionics components to airworthy condition through bench repair, inspection and testing. Ben works in the Avionics department of our building alongside Sehmi and Igor as part of our component shop team. Ben began working on avionics bench repairs with Canadian Airlines in 1997, after about 15 years of experience as an electronics and radio technician outside the aviation industry. Ben actually dislikes flying but got interested in working with avionics once he realized that avionics repair closely matched his experience and training in electronics. Many of the components he works on today were designed and developed during the time Ben studied electronics technology in the 1970’s. Ben thrives on the challenge of efficiently troubleshooting and repairing a wide variety of aircraft-related electronic components.
Ben studied electronics technology at the Burnaby campus of BCIT. He graduated from the two year electronics technology program in 1978. Since entering the avionics field in 1997, he has completed dozens of additional courses provided by manufacturers (such as Rockwell Collins) on avionics bench repair of a wide range of avionics components.
Prior to joining us at Maxcraft in May, Ben worked at a local avionics shop as an avionics bench repair technician and lead technician for eleven years. Before that, he worked for Air Canada/Canadian Airlines for six years as an avionics bench repair technician and a part time technical trainer. He also spent six years with Trans World Radio in the Caribbean and southern Africa as a shortwave transmitter engineer/operator. The rest of his career has been in electronics with local companies including Anatek Electronics, National Electrolab/Tele-Radio Systems and Xantrex Technology.
Ben has been happily married for 28 years, and has two sons.
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Rebates for your favorite products
Avidyne is having an amazing offer. Buy an IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM and get an AXP340 Mode S transponder w/ ADS-B Out FREE! This offer is available until Oct. 31, 2014.
The SKY497 system (no display) is on a super sale until Dec.30, 2014.Call our sales team for pricing. Skywatch is having a super SALE up to 50% off!
Save up to $100 on select Garmin Portables between now and Dec. 26th, 2014.
Maxcraft Avionics offers specials too! Go to our webstore for specials and check the website for our used/reconditioned avionics list – updated monthly on items we have.
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Contact Us
250 – 18799 Airport Way, Pitt Meadows Airport (CYPK), Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2B4
YVR Office – 4360 Agar Drive, Richmond BC V7B 1A4
  
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