Dumbest airplane accessory

mikea said:
...and the you smoosh it and force zip it closed and the silly zipper breaks! Cheap crap! :D






Hi. I'm Mike. I'm a zipper killer.
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The zipper held up fine! Only the fabric tied to the zipper failed.

Hence, I'm not a zipper killer. :)

I was thinking the other day... with all the problems I have Motorola phones and Nextel cell service... I am so very happy they do not build avionics!!!
 
KennyFlys said:
The zipper held up fine! Only the fabric tied to the zipper failed.

Hence, I'm not a zipper killer. :)

I was thinking the other day... with all the problems I have Motorola phones and Nextel cell service... I am so very happy they do not build avionics!!!
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Me, too. If the zipper doesn't jam. I count having the fabric break as killing the zipper. I also have a lot of the zipper handles break off.

I need a new laptop backpack. The one I have is (a Chinese company bought the name) Samsonite that was only like $25.00 and held up really well. ...but it has 2 headless zippers now.

I destroyed two flight bags into threads around the zipper and I've only been flying about 10 years. Now that I think about it both bags had a lifetime warranty. I gotta around tuit and get the one replaced. Cencal went out of business, teh other one came from an online shop that will replace it. They don't promise a lifetime any more.
 
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just saying...
 

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mikea said:
Me, too. If the zipper doesn't jam. I count having the fabric break as killing the zipper. I also have a lot of the zipper handles break off.

I need a new laptop backpack. The one I have is Samsonite that was only liek $25.00 and held up really well. ...but it has 2 headless zippers now.

I destroyed two flight bags into threads around the zipper and I've only been flying about 10 years. Now that I think about it both bags had a lifetime warranty. I gotta around tuit and get the one replaced. Cencal went out of business, teh other one came from an online shop that will replace it. They don't promise a lifetime any more.
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I've got a Tumi rollaboard that has about 2 million miles on it, and the zipper pulls are gone. Other minor things, but I have to use a zipper lock as the pull. Still has taken quite a beating over the years.
 
Frank Browne said:
ADF in anything?
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How about flip flop ADF? Our club 172 has an ADF that has two sets of manual levers to set the frequency, and a little 1/2 flip flop lever to choose which one.

I've never seen an NDB plate that required two NDF freqs, but who knows.
 
Bill Jennings said:
How about flip flop ADF? Our club 172 has an ADF that has two sets of manual levers to set the frequency, and a little 1/2 flip flop lever to choose which one.

I've never seen an NDB plate that required two NDF freqs, but who knows.
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There are/were some NDB ariways down in Florida.
 
Ken Ibold said:
What's the dumbest thing you've ever seen installed on an airplane -- taking type into account, of course.
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Floats on a Cherokee!

Piper actually built a few, thinking they'd compete with Cessna in the bush plane market. There's a picture, along with some other strange concoctions here.

Regards,
Joe
 
Joe B said:
Floats on a Cherokee!

Piper actually built a few, thinking they'd compete with Cessna in the bush plane market. There's a picture, along with some other strange concoctions here.

Regards,
Joe
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Is there something in particular that makes that a dumb idea?

You could get out and walk to the dock without risking falling in the water, right? ;) (If you could walk on the whole length of the wing...)
 
mikea said:
Is there something in particular that makes that a dumb idea?
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Docking (especially on the left side) on a breezy day with no one on shore to assist. No, thanks.

At least the Aztec Nomad seaplane conversions have a small door cut into the left side for the pilot to get out, but the wing is still in the way. Tall pier pilings can be a problem, too.

-- Pilawt
 
mikea said:
Is there something in particular that makes that a dumb idea?
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Low-wing seaplanes have a couple of practical problems. First, as Pilawt pointed out, the dock pretty much has to be clear of all obstructions when the plane is arriving/departing. People, gear, storage boxes, etc. will all get in the way of the wing. Second, unless you have a *very* wide dock, once the plane is tied up there is no way to get past the airplane on the dock because the wing blocks you. Then, with the Cherokees you've got only one door and it's on the side away from the pilot. You'd *have* to come into the dock from a certain direction - wind and currents might not always be agreeable with that however. All in all, if you're going to dock this puppy it must be out at the end of the dock, pointing a certain way, and you'll need some luck because you can't see what you're doing. That may work for one plane but a fleet of them would be useless.

The dumbness is compounded by Piper's notion to compete against Cessna in the bush plane market. Out there you need wings that are up high to clear the, well, bush. Low wings are restricted to well-cleared runways which limits the market.

Regards,
Joe
 
Those little toilet-seat-looking things that cover the mic and phone jacks on the late 90's / early 00's Cessnas. Plugging in a headset shouldn't require two hands. And they're a pain to remove/install during avionics work.
 
gibbons said:
Back in the dark ages when I learned to fly in a C150, it had a mirror. If I remember correctly my instructor expected me to use it to stay on the runway centerline as I departed. I don't recall this actually working very well.
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I learned with the same equipment and expectations. Didn't work for me either.
 
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