What did you buy for your 170 today?

[bsdunek]

Got a new clock. A Wakeman 8 day. $30 and looks and runs great. Just got to put it in. If it lasts a year, still cheaper than an overhaul.

[GAHorn]

I can’t believe I did it...(but last night’s landing out here in the dark pushed me over the edge... the Flood lamps are a wide, rectangular beam and are much better for taxi.... we’ll see how the spot/landing lamps do.) :
Flood/Taxi:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4 ... UTF8&psc=1


And also, Spot/Landing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076C ... UTF8&psc=1

[cessna170bdriver]

I use the AUKEY brand flush dual port USB charger and have no audio issues while simultaneously charging an iPad mini 4 and and a Stratus receiver. Cheap enough that I bought three; one in the car, one plugged into the cigar lighter in the airplane, a d one in he glovebox for a spare (which I’ve never had to use in the last 3-1/2 years).

[dstates]

I use the AUKEY brand flush dual port USB charger and have no audio issues while simultaneously charging an iPad mini 4 and and a Stratus receiver. Cheap enough that I bought three; one in the car, one plugged into the cigar lighter in the airplane, a d one in he glovebox for a spare (which I’ve never had to use in the last 3-1/2 years).

I had a nice 12V socket USB charger that also shows bus voltage that worked great. No noise or interference at all. I decided to switch to a charger that had CO detection instead of showing the bus voltage. I was hoping to get the benefit of an electronic CO detector without having one that looked like a house smoke detector.

[dstates]

By the way, I also ordered shoulder harnesses and pull handles from BAS today. I was hoping they had a TIC170A discount, but they do not. FYI... she also mentioned that AM SAFE will be raising the prices to BAS in January.

[4583C]

A cheap bottle jack about the same $ in steel and several hours labor. Wheels are what I found in my junk.
This is revision 3.1

[brianm]

An AV-30C attitude indicator, PM3000 intercom, and a new floating panel.

I actually bought most of this stuff a while ago but finally got it all put in the airplane. The AV-30C lets me delete the venturis and a whole lot of plumbing. It also puts an attitude indicator in a position where it's actually useful (the vacuum-driven AI was where the intercom is now, for some reason). The intercom was free from a friend who upgraded. I had been using a portable and while it worked fine the mess of cables was annoying. While I had the panel apart I also installed Nulites, had the remaining instruments overhauled, and replaced the light holders and bulbs for the lower instruments. I have a little tidying up to do and it should be ready to annual when my mechanic gets back from his extended Christmas break.

[DaveF]

A Ballymore 318P rolling step. Perfect height for engine work and cleaning the wing leading edges. Very comfortable to stand on. No more kitchen stepstools!
https://northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200827453_200827453

[GAHorn]

A Ballymore 318P rolling step. Perfect height for engine work and cleaning the wing leading edges. Very comfortable to stand on. No more kitchen stepstools!
https://northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200827453_200827453

06D390AF-4AF3-4DDA-8A31-7E2138795442.jpeg

Relocating that bottom crossbar looks like the key to making it into a great re-fueling-step also!

[DaveF]

This one isn’t high enough to use for checking the fuel, but the four-step model might be. I have stepladders for the high work and wanted a step just high enough and close to the airplane. Why didn’t Cessna put the tank necks outboard, instead of over the gear legs?

[GAHorn]

... Why didn’t Cessna put the tank necks outboard, instead of over the gear legs?

So when you had no ladder you could place a foot on the gear leg for support? Perhaps to keep you away from the pitot....?

Perhaps because they expected owners to always have some lineman with a ladder do all the re-fueling... since owners and their petite ladies always wore their Sunday Best when they went flying..??


The real answer: To force you to use a proper ladder in an effort to delay implementation of OSHA as long as possible.

[hilltop170]

After 20+ years trying to throw out my back by lifting the middle door of my Port-A-Port hangar, I finally figured out a way of installing an electric garage door opener to do the lifting for me. I can’t believe I waited this long except opening that middle door was part of my physical fitness program because it was such a workout.

1/2 hp chain drive electric garage door opener on Port-A-Port middle door

[GAHorn]

I’ve forgotten what that middle door looks like from outside and how much it weighs.... but what Brand and HP door opener did you select? (Looks like a good install... but that’s what we’re accustomed to seeing with your stuff Richard!)

[hilltop170]

Thanks George, it was not too hard to install once I figured out how to make it work. There isn’t enough headroom to put the opener above the door like on a normal garage door so I had to put it back behind the door and fab a push-pull linkage rod between the chain drive slider and the door. I just happened to have a length of structural “T” shape iron in the garage (can’t remember why it was there) that worked perfectly. Hanging the opener from the roof was fairly straightforward and I added a couple of safety brackets to catch any of the parts that might fall off and hit the plane. The upper door rollers travel horizontally in a track so the door opener either pushes or pulls inline with the door tracks. That was a handy coincidence that made things easier.

The opener is a $100 1/2hp Chamberlain bare-bones chain drive model from Lowes with a single remote and single wall button. I ran the power cord down to a wall outlet so I can unplug it when I’m gone so nothing can make it open accidentally. I left the mechanical disconnect in place so the door can still be opened by hand (and back!) if the door opener doesn’t work for any reason. I also shortened the drive section since the door top rollers only move 5-1/2 feet where a normal garage door moves about 7’. All I had to do was leave out one 18” section of the opener bar and cut the chain down to the appropriate length. All in all it took about 20hours to install with a few trips back to Lowes. Can’t believe I waited this long to install one!

The middle door has adjustable counterbalance springs that assist opening and closing but it’s still a back-wrenching affair to throw it open, closing is much easier.

Typical Port-A-Port hangars

[4583C]

Like that picture Richard!!