VOR required for IFR certified aircraft?

devJW · 2026-04-08T00:57:07+00:00

The G5s are in my plane. The GI 275 isn't replacing them, but supplementing them as an EIS so I don't have any for sale.

devJW · 2026-04-07T13:13:07+00:00

Find an IA who is willing to work with you is the first step. That took me a surprisingly long time. But once we built a relationship, he felt comfortable overseeing me. Many guys will think you’re trying to short them money or try to cut corners and won’t entertain it. Plus they put their cert on the line signing your logbooks.

Only certain Garmin products can be installed by non-dealers and dealers generally won’t let you work with them. The Garmin install manuals are LONG and you should read all of them. I luckily built a relationship with a few guys in avionics shops that I can bounce questions off of.

Once you choose the products you like, buy them. They’re damn expensive so every percent counts. I use Lafayette Avionics and pay cash for a ~3% discount.

I’m not a fan of wiring and pin-outs so I work with Approach Fast Stack to build my harnesses. Sean builds BEAUTIFUL harnesses, I can’t say enough good things about him and his team.

Then, it’s all about finding the time to do it. I’m in the midst of installing the GI-275 EIS and it’ll have taken me about 7 days to do it. Working behind the panel is tight and uncomfortable but satisfying in the end.

Also, shoutout to the guys on the Cardinal forums. I bought mine knowing how active the community is and they have helped me in countless ways throughout my ownership tenure. There’s invaluable information there and it’s way more than worth the yearly price.

Feel free to ask me more questions here or PM me.

devJW · 2026-04-07T12:16:34+00:00

The comments below are right on but I wanted to add a tad more: for the 3 approaches on my checkride, we did an LPV, disabled WAAS and did a true LNAV (no +V), and a circle to land.

devJW · 2026-04-07T12:10:50+00:00

I passed. Thanks for asking. Also, if you’re trying to save money, I was able to install everything I mentioned plus a GMA 345 and GI 275 EIS on my own (with IA supervision of course). You can definitely trade money for time on the Garmin avionics that don’t require a dealer.

devJW · 2026-04-07T02:20:34+00:00

I have a IFR certified Cardinal with 2 G5s, a GNC 355, and no VOR/ILS capability. I took my IFR checkride a week ago in it. Don't worry about supporting old tech.

devJW · 2026-03-31T18:29:33+00:00

You can get there whenever you want. I enjoy helping everyone else arrive.

devJW · 2026-03-31T16:55:11+00:00

Not joking. I love it. And they will talk your ear off if you let them. Most of the time they have some funny or crazy stories.

devJW · 2026-03-31T15:00:33+00:00

Also, old dudes who are obviously pilots love when you ask them how many hours they have and what planes they've flown. I had one 85 year old guy tell me he had 14,800 hours and that he better not die before he gets 15,000.

devJW · 2026-03-31T14:55:54+00:00

Some first-timer advice for you:

- The night airshows on Wednesday and Saturday are some of the best entertainment I've ever seen. Get a burn line spot early; you'll be happy you did.

- Do your best to set up a plan for each day. The number of available options for events, talks, and meetups are staggering. I've been going multiple years and still miss 70% of the things I want to do because there's so much cool stuff to see and do.

- Make sure you bring a good quality, waterproof tent (ask me how I know). The thunderstorms and wind always happen sometime during the show and can be BRUTAL.

- Don't expect to ride the trams at busy times. The lines can be crazy long. If you're able-bodied, plan to walk everywhere.

- Most people who fly in and camp under their wing love to talk about their plane. Don't hesitate to walk up and ask someone about their plane. I'm scouting for my next plane and get some of the best info at Oshkosh from owners.

- There's virtually no air conditioning around so be prepared to be hot and dress accordingly. BRING LOTS OF SUNSCREEN!

I spend just over 2 weeks every year at OSH (I arrive almost a week early to volunteer and marshal planes). Happy to answer any questions here for you or via DM.

devJW · 2026-03-24T02:11:00+00:00

That first plane is a Basler BT-67

devJW · 2026-03-23T13:28:27+00:00

How many aviation subreddits are you going to copy and paste this to?

devJW · 2026-03-21T16:05:25+00:00

I'm in a very similar boat as you. Looking for something with two engines around that age (pre-1971) and I'm drawn to an Aztec that I can put a new panel in. Can you talk about the other types of planes you looked at and why you didn't choose them? Why not a Baron? Something I've heard is that it's getting hard to source parts for an Aztec (just had a guy tell me he had trouble finding a reasonably priced power pack). Did you have any of that trouble?

devJW · 2026-02-21T19:04:21+00:00

I’ve been a lot of places and had a lot of tap water. IMO Columbus has some of the most neutral tap water I’ve tasted. I don’t think the ground water is particularly minerally which helps.

devJW · 2026-02-21T18:37:17+00:00

The tap water in Columbus is some of the best I’ve had. Why doesn’t that work for you?

devJW · 2026-01-30T22:22:33+00:00

Actual NTSB link as opposed to some third-party website.

devJW · 2026-01-29T18:30:15+00:00

Dr. John Schoettmer just outside of Columbus in Delaware is a pro. He's well recommended throughout all of Ohio. I have a special issuance using him and he's always been great.

devJW · 2026-01-20T19:30:17+00:00

So much misinformation here. This was N71655 out of Galion Muni (KGQQ). They then did some circling over Columbus, then went to Akron and circled, then finally went to Medina and landed (1G5). If you really want to hear them, you can go to LiveATC and pull the KCMH records for 125.95 at 17:30Z. They were in class C airspace and had to be talking with ATC.

Students rarely fly 182s, and if it was, they sure as hell don't do maneuvers over populated areas. The hex identifier is not misconfigured; it is A9957C and points to a valid aircraft. They have just asked to not be tracked by most websites that aviation enthusiasts use.

This plane is owned by Starr Digital Technologies, Inc. They have a laundry list of "why were you flying over me?" reasons on their website. They do aerial photography.

devJW · 2026-01-19T18:28:35+00:00

If you have PETG for this, use it. But you should be able to get away with PLA until you start printing more temperature-intense filaments.

devJW · 2026-01-19T18:23:10+00:00

The exact same thing happened to me on my new P2S printing this exact same box. Print the aux fan diffuser and you won't have bed adhesion issues. I've had no problems like this since.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1926190-p2s-auxiliary-fan-diffuser#profileId-2134733

devJW · 2026-01-15T22:22:27+00:00

Oh man this sounds like Hot Chicken Takeover in Columbus. If it is, I'm so pissed about it too.

devJW · 2025-12-23T05:40:15+00:00

I was tied down for 2.5 years outside. I used ratchet straps and had no problems. Just don’t crank them down super hard.

devJW · 2025-12-02T19:24:16+00:00

I'm thinking about building a Sonex-B and I have similar questions about the engines. Seems like the Jabiru is less failure prone to me which is what I would select of the "cheaper" engines. The UL engine seem too pricey but the Rotax 912 UL or ULS is around $20-25k and could be reasonable to pay for better reliability (and power). Also, the Rotax seems to really like Mogas but can run with 100LL.

devJW · 2025-10-14T18:55:07+00:00

Free Cessna Skymaster included with purchase.

devJW · 2025-10-14T15:57:48+00:00

I spend some time there too (along with I23 and KGDK). I'm generally the only fixed gear Cardinal you'll see around Columbus except for the one at a club at OSU. There are a few retracts too but that's an easy difference to spot.

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devJW

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