I have a 2006 SR-20. Lately my Skywatch instrument has failed around the first fifteen minutes of flying, than I pull out the breaker for a few minutes, than push it in and seems to go back working for a little while. It fails again, about the third time I do this it continues to stay working for a couple hours or longer. I’ve had it checked twice, it’s always working when they trouble shoot and can’t find the cause of the failure. Has anyone experienced this?
My 2006 SR22 had exactly the same symptoms.
Some COPA fellows pointed me to the Antenna and thought that the grounding could be bad, but that was not the case with my plane.
We checked the unit and got a “faulty processor” message. We then sent it in to L3 and they told me the unit needed a complete overhaul for 3995 plus 180 for freight.
Then David Featherston from NEXAIR offered me a good and little used Skywatch for 2000. When i told L3 that i did not want to repair the unit they insisted on a 1000 “bench fee”, plus freight. …
I would first check the antenna. If that is not the problem, try to find a used unit! Back then there was a good looking one on ebay too.
Thanks Alexis for your reply.
Here is a link to the member side that has the fix for the skywatch antenna ground issue. You will need to join copa ($65) to see it.
The members on copa figured out how to fix this issue. There are pictures and a how to (you have to read through all the links in the thread). Take this info to an avionics shop or a service center. Or you can do it yourself with mechanic’s oversight.
Be aware that the skywatch will continue to work but will eventually fail. The repair cost is $3100 from L3. Get the antenna ground fixed immediately.
Today my THIRD Skywatch failed … My antenna grounding was always perfect and still the box days after 3-4 years, which seems to be a typical lifespan. The grounding was checked by an avionics technician each time.
I have had a similar problem with my SR22. The cause has been traced to the unit overheating because the little cooling fan isn’t working. Further investigation shows that the fan itself is fine, but the unit is not activating it.
Does anyone have any potential UK repairers or suppliers of used units?