Dumbest Aviation "Products"

denverpilot

denverpilot

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DenverPilot
I thought I'd start a thread on those products we've all seen that are just overpriced and useless, but someone is trying to sell "to pilots" because we supposedly have deep pockets, and few brain cells.

Besides buying an airplane... what are some of the silliest things you've seen for sale as "aviation" products?

I'll start... this thing...

"Lighter Log" - it appears that it just has a clock inside, a little bit of flash memory, and logs when the device receives 12/24 VDC from the aircraft cigar plug, and when it stops. I love the Marketing... "Automate your club logging!"

Yeah, right... So everyone goes out beyond the 30 nm Mode-C veil and shuts the Master off. LOL...

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/lighterlog.php

Others? What have you seen that you find silly?
 
At one time in my life I was sufficiently naive so as to believe that a pump-up door seal would significantly quieten the cabin of a T-210 with a 300 hp engine running about 4 feet away from my ears. I even bought the deluxe version with the electric pump.



denverpilot said:
I thought I'd start a thread on those products we've all seen that are just overpriced and useless, but someone is trying to sell "to pilots" because we supposedly have deep pockets, and few brain cells.

Besides buying an airplane... what are some of the silliest things you've seen for sale as "aviation" products?

I'll start... this thing...

"Lighter Log" - it appears that it just has a clock inside, a little bit of flash memory, and logs when the device receives 12/24 VDC from the aircraft cigar plug, and when it stops. I love the Marketing... "Automate your club logging!"

Yeah, right... So everyone goes out beyond the 30 nm Mode-C veil and shuts the Master off. LOL...

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/lighterlog.php

Others? What have you seen that you find silly?
Click to expand...
 
wabower said:
At one time in my life I was sufficiently naive so as to believe that a pump-up door seal would significantly quieten the cabin of a T-210 with a 300 hp engine running about 4 feet away from my ears. I even bought the deluxe version with the electric pump.
Click to expand...

I saw a plane advertised for sale with one of those.:rofl:




How about those vision pills that help you at your AME visit.
 
Anything offered in the Fly Market at AirVenture. Or is that too easy?

From a 2005 article I wrote when I was an ANN stringer and OSH newbie: "One vendor advertises the "Ultimate Ladder--- 17 ladders in one!" alongside a promotional video that states it is merely 8 ladders in one."
 
Sporty's electronic E-6B.

My mother once bought me one for Christmas one year. I certain I never used it. Never had the heart to tell her.
 
I posted about "Pilot Chew" everyone said it was a gimmick so I never tried it.
 
Sporty's sight level.
 

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The soft-side cooler was one of my all-time best buys. The show-special Honda generators weren't bad either.

QUOTE=flightwriter;954853]Anything offered in the Fly Market at AirVenture. Or is that too easy?

From a 2005 article I wrote when I was an ANN stringer and OSH newbie: "One vendor advertises the "Ultimate Ladder--- 17 ladders in one!" alongside a promotional video that states it is merely 8 ladders in one."[/QUOTE]
 
Saw these in our arctic trip...someone had to buy them. They tasted like dirt and were as hard as a brick.

WabtL.jpg
 
The aviation timer. It's a generic wallyworld $2 kitchen timer with either "aviation" or "airplane" on it. I don't know about now however in the 1980's it had a $60 price tag attached to it. And it came with velcro to mount on the panel...just like the velcro that attaches the $2 version to the kitchen wall.

Then there's the pattern computer that shows the headings by spinning the dial to the runway numbers.
I remember looking through the sportys catalog at one point and there was about a dozen individual spendy mechanical dial contraptions that if you put them all onto one device, it would be a E-6B with half the capability missing.
 
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Pilot biscuits? :rofl::rofl: :confused::lol: :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Like a box of granola bars is out of reason for an emergency snack? :dunno:

No wonder Henning stays so slim and trim! :rofl:

We have a winner! :rofl:
 
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flightwriter said:
Anything offered in the Fly Market at AirVenture. Or is that too easy?

From a 2005 article I wrote when I was an ANN stringer and OSH newbie: "One vendor advertises the "Ultimate Ladder--- 17 ladders in one!" alongside a promotional video that states it is merely 8 ladders in one."
Click to expand...

C'Mon! There are 8 ladders to go up, 8 ladders to go down and one ladder for dropping onto the top step. 17 ladders in one! :wink2:
 
fgcason said:
...Then there's the pattern computer that shows the headings by spinning the dial to the runway numbers.
I remember looking through the sportys catalog at one point and there was about a dozen individual spendy mechanical dial contraptions that if you put them all onto one device, it would be a E-6B with half the capability missing.
Click to expand...

HEY! I have two versions of that! The biggest problem is the thing works backwards so you really need to dial in 27 for runway 9.

You should see how long it takes me to work what's where otherwise. I always start with which side New York in on vs. LA.

As a "rich" student I bought a lot of the silly gimmicks fromt he Sporty's catalog.

The tape marked off in NM you stick on the chart to plot your course doesn't stick.

I spent a lot of time prowling office supply and hardware stores for more useful stuff to put in the plane. Big clips and pen holders, etc.
 
Skip Miller said:
Sporty's sight level.
Click to expand...

I have a similar version and found it to be quite handy. I used it to determine whether I will be able to overfly the cloud tops 30 nm ahead or do I need to deviate around. Specially useful when the horizon cannot be determined. It helps you on planning for weather deviation before you get too close.

José
 
With my monarch tanks that wouldn't be a bad method..

denverpilot said:
I saw those at OSH...

Some guy at their table was asking them, "So you have different ones calibrated for different aircraft?"

"No... we give you directions on how to calibrate it yourself."

Fail.
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nddons said:
Sporty's "Little John.". Nothing says "I'm a pilot" like walking into an FBO carrying your own big red can 'o pee.

http://www.sportys.com/source/images/jQzoom/13087.jpg

But let's not forget the ladies with their "Lady Jay" adapter!

http://www.sportys.com/source/images/jQzoom/13088.jpg
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ALL the "potty" products are worthless (for men at least). I've found that nothing works better than a 1L wide mouth water/drink bottle.

Then you can walk into the FBO with a yellow bottle of pee!
 
timwinters said:
ALL the "potty" products are worthless (for men at least). I've found that nothing works better than a 1L wide mouth water/drink bottle.

Then you can walk into the FBO with a yellow bottle of pee!
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Never drink the lemon gatoraid!
 
Somewhere in my collection of junk is a little whiz wheel that you dial the runway heading in and it reads out the headings for the various legs of the pattern. I can't even begin to imagine why that is necessary.
 
flyingron said:
Somewhere in my collection of junk is a little whiz wheel that you dial the runway heading in and it reads out the headings for the various legs of the pattern. I can't even begin to imagine why that is necessary.
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I agree. I've seen that one for years and wondered how many students were suckered into buying one.
 
write-stuff said:
I agree. I've seen that one for years and wondered how many students were suckered into buying one.
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Yea, I wonder how many were suckered? :redface:

I bought it for my solo XCs back in the day, until I realized that I had this thing called a "heading bug" that would really do the work for me! :goofy::D
 
Not to mention ... ok the runway heading is 10. So downwind, on the DG 10 will be at the bottom. Crosswind / base, 10 will be at the left or right. Final, 10 will be in front of me.

I don't need to know what my heading is. I only need to know what runway I'm landing on (calm wind only of course).
 
Rosen Sun Visors: planes for sale in controller specifically mention they the have sun visors! They must be so special.

Garmin or any other handheld VFR gps with their subscriptions: Just Overpriced and not so good graphical user interface and totally unnecesary for flying a spam can in VMC.
 
denverpilot said:
I saw those at OSH...

Some guy at their table was asking them, "So you have different ones calibrated for different aircraft?"

"No... we give you directions on how to calibrate it yourself."

Fail.
Click to expand...

They had some for common airplanes and seem to have the pdf's on their site for some of those also. It is a very simple device though and gives you both gallons and pounds.
 
cirrusmx said:
Rosen Sun Visors: planes for sale in controller specifically mention they the have sun visors! They must be so special.
Click to expand...
While they may not seem to be technological marvels, the Rosen visors are nice and a whole lot better than the stock ones on most aircraft and my aircraft didn't come with any visors and I love my Rosen's.
 
On the Rosen visors... Those are GOOD things. Much better than stock on airplanes that had visors.
 
EppyGA said:
You all can judge this one. I thought it might be more useful for high wing folks.

http://www.fuelstik.com
Click to expand...

Before I flew a high wing airplane, I would have agreed that these were useless.

But beyond me being wrong before, I really like these. I like knowing that I've got 18 gallons in that tank and not just "somewhere above half". Besides, I can't get up there well enough to actually look down into the tank, so using the stik is a necessity.
 
Any kind of 'pilot watch'.
 
Missa said:
Never drink the lemon gatoraid!
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I never let my guys put any lemon gatorade in my gun truck for this exact reason! :rofl:

edit: ...back when I was .mil, of course :yesnod:
 
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a few years ago there were miniature magnifying glasses that glued onto your altimeter so that old guys could read the altimeter setting. I think you were supposed to send them your altimeter so they could glue it on.
 
My Rosens did a great job of keeping the sun off of my iPad :)
 
Ah, memories of the pee thread.

Bought this from powder puff (girl pilot site) and have never used it. No longer in my flight bag and I'm not even sure where it is in my apartment:

goGirl_prodShot3_hp.jpg
 
It's in front of your computer gaming console. Where else would it be? :)

I always thought Depends would work a whole lot better. Even better is to land and actually take a pee break (that takes care of the risk of deep vein thrombosis as well).
 
cirrusmx said:
Rosen Sun Visors: planes for sale in controller specifically mention they the have sun visors! They must be so special.

Garmin or any other handheld VFR gps with their subscriptions: Just Overpriced and not so good graphical user interface and totally unnecesary for flying a spam can in VMC.
Click to expand...

The rosens are by far the best mod on my airplane
 
tonycondon said:
a few years ago there were miniature magnifying glasses that glued onto your altimeter so that old guys could read the altimeter setting. I think you were supposed to send them your altimeter so they could glue it on.
Click to expand...

The "cole clarifier" I remember those:rofl:
 
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