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Thread: Ain't New Technogy Great, No It Ain't

  1. #1

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    Ain't New Technogy Great, No It Ain't

    Our new airplanes follow the lead of cell phone makers, computer maker and tv makers as well as almost any other gadget you can think of. And in some cases it really seems like a step forward,though in reality it may be a step sideways or backward. For example there are gadgets that allow you to instantly check your stock account. Seems like something to excite most any techno nerd but in fact does it do any good, does it change anything? If you have some China related stock it is likely to be down, and if you have Tesla you got a recent boost. And there may be many people who can work any tech gadget, but it ain't me.
    My young up to date lawyer of a Son finally talked me into getting a wider screen tv. Its about like the tech version of those little flys at the beach called no see ums. a constant pain in the rear. So the local cable company doesn't have any more remotes but gives me a whole new control box, It sat on the shelf 2 months and I finally installed it. Doesn't work, no light at all. I spend hours messing with it on a ladder and finally call the office for service today. Turns out that sense I didn't intall it right away the system may have shut the new box down. I just love tech.
    Best airplane I have ever flown or ridden in has no computers, no tech crap, just what was state of the art in 1936 and still the best. Just costs a lot but it works.
    I was recently in Turkey, the new airport in Istanbul, largest in the world. Its been open 4 months and the computer system still doesn't work full time, lots of knots of 6 people standing around looking dumb founded at a blank or frozen screen.

  2. #2
    Auburntsts's Avatar
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    Meh. I like the tech in my plane (EFIS, GPS, etc) and my tablet EFB. So yeah I do think it's great. YMMV...
    Todd “I drink and know things” Stovall
    PP ASEL - IA
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    All my planes are good planes without needed technology by todays standards. They have the wing they need and the engine they need, the tech stuff would be an extra. Kind of like cars today, a new Chevy is likely not much different than one 10 years ago but now has a top stereo system and gps etc. Even it the car is better, faster for instance, you cant really use that performance on the street. So its less pure car and more gadgets now.
    My friend has a new Cirrus, got synthetic vision and all sorts of gadgets and tv screens. But it sometimes seems too much, when we get to the next airport he has to ask me for the tower radio frequency and for ATIS, which I get from the old fashioned sectional in my lap.
    Wish they could make the techno stuff work and do it simply and logically.

  4. #4
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    And stay off my lawn!

    Ron "Twenty-three skiddoo" Wanttaja

  5. #5
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    My friend has a new Cirrus, got synthetic vision and all sorts of gadgets and tv screens. But it sometimes seems too much, when we get to the next airport he has to ask me for the tower radio frequency and for ATIS, which I get from the old fashioned sectional in my lap.
    I've got a cheap, simple Icom handheld in my panel. Yet once or twice every year, I have to haul out the manual to do some little additional thing...and there's times in flight where I've had to push buttons semi-randomly to do some simple function like switch to manual frequency selection or adjust the squelch.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    Wish they could make the techno stuff work and do it simply and logically.
    Well, they, do, but:

    Sometimes the "simply and logically" is for THEM, not the consumer. Take your problem with the cable box. Very likely, having it "expire" was probably an anti-theft/anti-piracy function. If it wasn't immediately activated, the cable company would presume it was somewhere it wasn't supposed to be.

    Not very convenient for YOU, of course. There was probably some punk-*** kid at a meeting who said something like "Well, they can just call the help number, can't they?"

    Technology evolves, and one of the big aspects of the evolution is improved user interface. One might complain about the EAA Forum user interface, of course, but step into the WAYBAC machine and try to log on in the days of MS-DOS! User interfaces are improving; I think with the voice recognition technology, we are rapidly approaching the era where we just say, "Roscoe, set Comm 1 to Sea-Tac Approach" and it'll do that.

    But there'll be some dead ends and some complaints on the road there.

    I'm sure pilots screamed when VOR stations started to replace the old A-N networks. And that's all a pilot in 1936 had, once the clouds moved in. Brrrr.

    For my kind of operation, I, too, would be satisfied with 1936 technology. Yet most everyone else wants more. Even I throw a GPS in my airplane occasionally. Jet engine reliability is phenomenal compared to the big radials back then, and a lot of times failure resulted in a massive fire. Our radios have hundreds of frequencies vs. two, we're not dependent on low-frequency navigation signals or searchlight beacons, and with ADB-B, you've got inflight weather information as well as traffic alerts. And if you do a forced landing somewhere, you just pluck the phone from your pocket and dial for help.

    Ron "Glad I don't have to listen to Modem tones anymore" Wanttaja

  6. #6
    robert l's Avatar
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    Airport technology can be especially aggravating. My wife flew out of CLT Saturday morning for DEN, only one suitcase arrived, supposedly, all bags were loaded on the same plane but no one could tell her where her bag was. And most of the people she talked to on the phone, had a strong India accent. They finally delivered the bag at 1:30 AM this morning.
    Bob, "I only take carry on"

  7. #7
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    My friend has a new Cirrus, got synthetic vision and all sorts of gadgets and tv screens. But it sometimes seems too much, when we get to the next airport he has to ask me for the tower radio frequency and for ATIS, which I get from the old fashioned sectional in my lap.
    Wish they could make the techno stuff work and do it simply and logically.
    Your friend needs transition training to his new Cirrus. That fancy panel will automatically tune the radios to the airports in the flight plan if you know how to enter the flight plan........don't know about the Cirrus but many fancy panels will also display a sectional.......my $400 iFly GPS will (along with IFR charts, terminal charts, approaches, taxi diagrams, etc).

    Man....if only I had one of those (or an iPad!) when I was chasing VOR and ADF needles during IFR training twenty-five years ago.......
    Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 02-03-2020 at 01:23 PM.
    Sam Buchanan
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    Sam, I have no doubt that the great new technology will work perfectly for some people in some circumstances. And you would think the radio freqs would be right there on the screen as you come to an airport. But we flew into 2 and both times he had to ask me this info. I'm just the passenger, and haven't found my suggestions such as carry a sectional to be warmly received. He does get a lot of moving map stuff on the screen and weather stuff on his I pad.
    Years ago the DEW line early waring system had new computers and sensors installed. lots of big $$$$$$ and hi tech to beat all. They were so proud of it for a week till one night the alarms started going off. Fortunately they didn't launch any atomic missiles, and figured out the boffins had forgot to allow for the rising of the full moon, looked like it was coming from Russia.
    Also recall watching the new hi tech automatic overhead baggage system at DIA opening day on eve tv news as it shredded the bags and dumped the clothes on the floor.
    Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 02-03-2020 at 01:37 PM.

  9. #9
    Auburntsts's Avatar
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    I ditched paper charts back in 2012 and haven't looked back. No way I'd switch back to paper now. Yes there's a learning curve moving from analog to digital for both avionics and EFBs, but it's pretty simple once you understand it. Does it make the plane fly any better or worse --nope. What it does do for me flying IFR X/Cs is give me capabilities and options that makes flights more comfortable and easier to manage which for me translates into a safer operation. I don't need all avionics for local VFR flights but having a tablet with all of the charts and supplements for the entre country in one place that's always up to date is priceless.
    Todd “I drink and know things” Stovall
    PP ASEL - IA
    RV-10 N728TT - Flying
    EAA Lifetime Member
    WAR DAMN EAGLE!

  10. #10
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    Sam, I have no doubt that the great new technology will work perfectly for some people in some circumstances. And you would think the radio freqs would be right there on the screen as you come to an airport. But we flew into 2 and both times he had to ask me this info. I'm just the passenger, and haven't found my suggestions such as carry a sectional to be warmly received. He does get a lot of moving map stuff on the screen and weather stuff on his I pad.
    Years ago the DEW line early waring system had new computers and sensors installed. lots of big $$$$$$ and hi tech to beat all. They were so proud of it for a week till one night the alarms started going off. Fortunately they didn't launch any atomic missiles, and figured out the boffins had forgot to allow for the rising of the full moon, looked like it was coming from Russia.
    Also recall watching the new hi tech automatic overhead baggage system at DIA opening day on eve tv news as it shredded the bags and dumped the clothes on the floor.
    Let's say this again......it really sounds like your friend needs some training on how to use his airplane.

    The other situations you cited have nothing to do with technology in our aircraft that is now over a decade old and proven by hundreds of thousands of flight hours. The major airlines were hesitant to eliminate paper in the cockpit but even they are now paperless. This stuff works.

    Having said that, the Fokker D.VII wannabe can be flown in the local area without any instruments. But if I venture off to another airport my phone has the nifty Avare aviation moving map app running on it.....trying to use a sectional would most likely end up with the chart wrapped around the horizontal stab!
    Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 02-03-2020 at 02:25 PM.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

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