Has anyone installed an Air Data Computer in their SRxx?
Why do I ask you ask?
It would be nice to have wind direction and speed displayed on a Garmin GPS and to also automate the TAS calculation within the GPS.
Insight has such a product, but it seems that you must also buy their displays as well as the sensor and computer - overkill.
Comments? Suggestions? Wisecracks? Radomsky photographs 
Thanks,
In reply to:
Has anyone installed an Air Data Computer in their SRxx?
The Shadin ADC-200 will fit the bill. I donât know whether anyone has installed one.
I installed a Shadin in my Bonanza and displayed to the Garmin 530 â I was very impressed and pleased with the Shadinâs performance. Constant wind vector with direction and speed present at all times, and always helpful on final
approach.
In reply to:
The Shadin ADC-200 will fit the bill.
Less overkill than the Insight, but it more than fills the bill as it includes fuel-flow (already built into Emax).
Someone hopefully makes a simple Air Data Computer (gee, maybe Garmin should 
Probably my two biggest (cost effective) wish list items for the Cirrus would be the Air Data computer and an Angle of Attack meter. Two highly practical instruments which would really make the cockpit complete.
IMHO, the AOA instrument (Available and relatively cheap) would be the biggest incremental safety improvement in GA today.
Marty
Marty: I looked a while ago at www.angle-of-attack.com. They have a AOA SPORT angle of attack indicator that looks like it might fit the SR2x. 1/2" wide by 1 3/4" high by 1 1/4" deep. $890 list and includes aural warnings. I would be interested to see one in a Cirrus.
As to the ADC, for the existing aircraft (a.k.a. legacy hardware) prior to the new glass cockpit, the Shadin looks like the best bet. It is a little redundant if you have the E-Max engine monitor in place, but I think the install can be done without the fuel function activated. It will display on the Garmin 430 and does not need panel space.
$890 list and includes aural warnings. I would be interested to see one in a Cirrus.<<<
Whoa, hawse! 890 bucks to see your angle of attack, with aural warning??? Now, I admit I drive a plane that doesnât even have an attitude indicator or turn coordinatorâŚBUT, I have perfectly functioning AOA indicator: eight inches of yarn taped to the trailing edge of my wing that costs zip (And I have an aural warning, too; called a stall hornâŚthough I admit Iâve never heard it over the noise of my engine). Do things like this AOA indicator really provide any benefit in a GA plane? Seems kinda silly to meâŚ
David
Dave: The reason for an AOA indicator and for an aural warning is illustrated by the following quote:
"To answer this question, I launched an investigation of spin accidents, beginning with 1994. I chose 1994 as a starting point because the FAA modified stall and spin training requirements in 1993, and I wanted to see if the changes made any difference in the accident record. In addition, accident reports from 1994 on are fairly easy to access, while those in preceding years become more difficult.
There were 11,302 general aviation airplane accidents in the period I studied, 1994 through 2000. When you consider that it requires injuries or Ăâsubstantial damageĂâ for the NTSB to classify an unfortunate event as an official accident, well, thatĂâs a lot of bent airplanes.
During this seven-year period, there were 394 spin accidents on record, or roughly 3.5 percent of the total accidents. Earlier research papers on the topic show that the percentage of spin accidents has certainly subsided from several decades ago.
There were 2,288 fatal accidents in the general aviation airplane population in the timeframe of this study. Of these, 324 (roughly 14 percent) were caused by spins. Again, this is down from earlier years. This is relatively good news.
With 324 of the 394 spin accidents resulting in fatalities, itĂâs clear that this is a dangerous flight regime. Spin training has become popular in some circles, but there remain substantial questions about how effective it is. There are more than 100 pilots in this database who had extensive spin training Ăâ many with outstanding backgrounds Ăâ who still fell into a spin accident.
The ability to perform a spin recovery is often an academic argument, simply because 90 percent of the spins occurred at altitudes that were too low for recovery."
Consider also that you will see an AOA probe on many Cessna Citations or Lears or other of that category of jet. The AOA systems are present on those aircraft for very good reasons.
You may think it is silly, but staying out of the 14 percent of GA accidents that leave a smoking hole in the ground following a low level spin does not strike me as silly.
In reply to:
Whoa, hawse! 890 bucks to see your angle of attack, with aural warning??? Now, I admit I drive a plane that doesnât even have an attitude indicator or turn coordinatorâŚBUT, I have perfectly functioning AOA indicator: eight inches of yarn taped to the trailing edge of my wing that costs zip (And I have an aural warning, too; called a stall hornâŚthough I admit Iâve never heard it over the noise of my engine). Do things like this AOA indicator really provide any benefit in a GA plane? Seems kinda silly to meâŚ
David: I presume that you donât have or use seat belts, airbags or anti-lock brakes? Heck, youâll never have an accident, so I bet you donât have insurance either, eh?
As someone else points out below, most corporate jets have the device and I think all airline jets do too. Why would they if there is no need?
As for your yarn, It probably doesnât help if youâre not looking at it. Does that yarn tell you exactly how close to a stall you are? Will that tape hold on at over 200 mph? Will it notify you on a tight turn to final when your eyes are rapidly moving between the airspeed, TC and runway? Oh, I forgot, you probably fly by the seat of your pants, so you donât look at the instruments. I bet that you even learned that the best way to descend through a cloud deck is to enter a spin and recover when you clear below the clouds (so you donât need an instrument rating either)?
I suppose that since the only stall warning on an old Piper Cub is the top half of the door/window rising (which works great on that plane), that we should all fly with our windows open to use as a stall warning device?
Seriously, if you think $890 is expensive, letâs compare it to the cost and benefit of other safety devices. How many midairs are there each year? Yet, many folks are willing to fork over $25K for the Skywatch or about $5K for the Mode S TIS. There are a lot more stall or stall/spin accidents. So it would seem that any instrument which helps avoid one of the most common causes of fatal accident and costs âonlyâ $890 is a great investment. Well, it is in my book.
Marty
In addition to making flight much safer, AOA indicators make your approaches much more precise. Instead of having to calculate approach speeds based on your current weight and flap configuration, you just fly the target AOA.
-Curt
Marty, there are even more advantages to an AOA indicator, especially if you use short runways or want to avoid excessive float on long ones.
We are taught to approach at 1.3 Vso. Assuming a stall speed in the landing configuration of 60 kias, you would want to approach at 78. Of course Vso in the POH is at maximum gross weight. If you took off at or below gross your landing weight will obviously be less than gross. Considerably less after a long solo cross country. If you use the 78 knots thatâs recommended youâre really way too fast. This increases runway requirements dramatically. An AOA meter allows you to approach at the correct AOA and the airspeed follows that. You in essence have automatic compensation for the weight factor. It should allow much more accurate approaches and minimize float and runway requirements.
Non STCed string canât do that.
Is it worth $890? Depends on what sort of operations the pilot has in mind.
In reply to:
An AOA meter allows you to approach at the correct AOA and the airspeed follows that. You in essence have automatic compensation for the weight factor. It should allow much more accurate approaches and minimize float and runway requirements.
Jerry,
Iâve flown only one airplane with an AoA meter and I found it very difficult to keep it part of my scan. Also, any turbulence made it very difficult to utilize it. Not that you will experience turbulence on every approach, but I know for a fact that most of my practice approaches with a safety pilot end up being bounced around. This makes it hard to learn to use it.
What has your experience been with respect to AoA meters and turbulence?
Scott, my post was theoretical only. I have never personally flown with an AOA indicator.
I wouldnât think the meter would be of much use in IFR ops. My reference was to VFR approaches where all you would need to do is 1) look out the window and 2) maintain the appropriate AOA.
Scott,
There is an AOA on the PC12. It is on the side of the horizon display. The AOA becomes primary during final approach replacing IAS. I havenât had trouble using it in turbulent approaches, as that is when I especially key on to it. The PC12 has a large W&B envelope (think about that big cargo door!) and not worrying about approach speeds is a big plus. But the variation in airspeed is just as large in my SR22 and I recompute approach speeds based on landing weight if I want to nail a short landing. AOA is also great for maximum performance takeoffs for the same reason, as you donât have to recompute Vx and Vy, but just use the appropriate points on the AOA gauge. Other than those times, the AOA isnât part of the scan, as it is pegged to the âFastâ stop anyway.
-Curt