Two Cessnas 172 with the New equipment

Despite the still prevailing pandemic situation in our country, this period is a time of hard work for both our Part-145 Service Organization and the Part-21 Design Organization. This time, our specialists received two Cessna 172s: SP-CES (Cessna 172P) and SP-TAM (Cessna 172S).

CESSNA 172P MODERNIZATION

The first of these aircraft belongs to the Airport Biernat company, with which we had the pleasure to cooperate for the first time. The four-person Cessna that we undertook to modernize is intended at for training and tourist flights. It is perfect fit for traveling around the country or sightseeing flights.

Airport Biernat company deals with, among others organization of such flights, especially tourist flights, aimed at whole families, groups of friends, co-workers, etc. It also offers training for the PPL (A) tourist pilot license, both theoretical and practical. The company holds the AMO Technical Maintenance Organization certificate, issued in accordance with the Part-145 regulations, under which it offers its services to all aircraft owners.

It specializes in comprehensive servicing of Cessna 100 series and Aviat Husky aircraft, performing all types of inspections (periodic, special, structural), repair and installation of various modifications. With the improvement of the safety of the flights themselves and the pilot's situational awareness, Airport Biernat focused on the modernization of the avionic equipment of the already mentioned Cessna 172 P.

The existing pilot instruments were retained during this modernization. Two Bendix King KX 155 radios and GPSMAP 296 navigation receiver were replaced with: Garmin GTN650Xi NAV / COM / GPS system and Garmin GNC 255A NAV / COM radio, respectively. The first system works with the existing

Bendix King KI 525A navigation indicator and the second with the Bendix King KI 204 indicator. Since no pilot or engine instruments were replaced, there was no need to replace the instrument panels. However, we repaired the existing S-TEC System 50 autopilot, which was then coupled to the Garmin GTN 650Xi and finally tested in flight. The works were confirmed with appropriate entries in the aircraft documentation.

CESSNA 172S MODERNIZATION

The second Cessna that we have modernized is owned by the PLANE4YOU company, which deals with the comprehensive sale of aircraft - from preparing offers in Polish and English, making a professional photo session, searching for customers, publishing announcements, presenting the aircraft to customers, conducting correspondence with interested parties, preparation of contracts, finalization of transactions until the aircraft is removed from registry and transferred to a new owner. Contrary to the previous one, the Cessna 172 S required more "mechanical" work, because virtually all analog pilot and navigation equipment was removed.

The old mechanical flight instruments have been replaced with the Garmin G500TXi integrated flight and navigation system with the GDU 1060 display, the GDC air data unit, installed on the back of the display and the GMU 44 magnetometer.

The Bendix King KT 76C transponder, which does not meet the current requirements for devices of this class, was replaced with a modern device Garmin GTX 335, compliant with the latest ADS-B Out standard. Similarly, the outdated Bendix King KX 165 radio and Bendix King KLN 94 GPS receiver, as well as the KMD 550 map display were replaced by the Garmin GTN 650Xi NAV / COM / GPS system.

These devices are complemented by two spare Garmin G5 pilot and navigational instruments. The engine monitoring instruments were also removed and replaced with a modern Garmin GEA 110 system. The aircraft equipped in this way meets the latest LNAV / VNAV navigation requirements; it can also perform LPV approaches.

The modernization of this Cessna was made on the basis of the Approved Model List for Supplementary Type Certificate (AML STC), issued by the manufacturer of the devices, Garmin, which significantly simplified the entire project from the "documentation and paperwork" side. However, it does not mean a lower level of safety. After its installation, ground tests were carried out, during which the operation of individual devices and cooperation between them within the entire avionics system were checked. These activities were repeated during a control flight. Similarly, the aircraft documentation (including the Flight Manual) has been updated in the manner prescribed by the relevant regulations.

Our Design Organization Part-21 also actively participated in this modernization. The works included the design of new instrument panels and supports for mounting auxiliary avionic devices - the aforementioned magnetometer, which must be mounted in a specific place of the airframe, as well as "smaller" but no less important elements, such as signal splitters, etc.

The Part-21 organization prepared appropriate executive files for CNC devices, thanks to which new mechanical elements were made quickly, precisely and at an acceptable price. In addition, we have prepared appropriate calculations of the electrical load analysis of the aircraft electrical system after the installation of new equipment, which showed that it will not overload the installation over the limit.

The above-described modernization of Cessna aircraft is an example of a constant trend among the owners of civil aircraft in Poland, who more and more often decide to replace old avionic equipment with modern ones. In addition to meeting the latest flight regulations, they also significantly increase the safety of flight operations and crew situational awareness.

Thanks to qualified, very experienced and well-coordinated engineering and technical staff, our company successfully performs such modernizations (described in the current and in the previous issues), significantly extending the life of slightly older aircraft and helicopters and, most importantly, enabling their safe use in a dynamically changing airspace.