AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2016 - 93

A&P/IA GEOFF PETERSON installs a FreeFlight UAT and its
Wi-Fi adapter in the tail of a Cessna 172 during its annual
(left). FreeFlight's control head, which is not always
required, does add to installation complexity (above).

declined the project before we found
Geoff Peterson's Rising Phoenix Aviation
in Manassas, Virginia-which, like Bill
Boege's Propellerhead, had both avionics
experience and the necessary equipment.
"Learning the new technology and
working my way through a very expansive
installation manual was the most difficult
part of the installation," said Peterson, who
would have appreciated a quick-reference
installation guide. "I was going through
that manual, to make certain I understand
how it all works. Getting my head around
the strategic purpose of how it all works
was 80 percent of my time."
Peterson used screws in Rivnuts-
internally threaded rivets, allowing easy
removal-to attach the UAT and Wi-Fi
module, instead of rivets. "This takes a little bit longer, but if another mechanic ever
has to remove one of these for service, he'll
thank me."
Peterson found two discrepancies in
the manual's wiring charts, and was able

to resolve them. He said FreeFlight's
customer support was very helpful, and
candid. (The company was aware of the
errors and has updated the manual.) As a
pilot and CFI, he especially likes the Wi-Fi
capability "This is an inexpensive way to
get ADS-B In."
This airplane's existing encoder did not
have an available RS-232 output to provide
required data to the UAT-a common issue
during ADS-B Out installations, because
the data bus increasingly is in demand
for transmitting altitude data to other
avionics. The original encoder provided
only analog gray code, and a new, smaller
encoder was a better choice than an external gray-code converter. So $387 plus tax
and shipping later, N163ME has a new
encoder, with an additional RS-232 port
available for future use. The new encoder
requires a new FAR 91.411/91.413 certification, which Peterson coordinated with an
avionics shop. (A UAT also must acquire
the transponder's squawk code, but in the

CHANGES IN CHECKING YOUR SYSTEM
The FAA has changed the name of the service that an aircraft owner can use to verify
the correct operation of his or her ADS-B Out equipment ("P&E: ADS-B A-OK?" April
2016 AOPA Pilot). It's now called the ADS-B Performance Monitor.
Operation remains the same-for now. Simply send an email to 9-AWA-AFS300-ADSB-AvionicsCheck@faa.gov with a request for an ADS-B Aircraft Operation
Compliance Report. The message should include the aircraft registration number,
make and model of your ADS-B Out equipment, and the make and model of the GPS
receiver that's providing your ADS-B location. Also include the location, date, and
approximate local time of a recent flight. Make the request after the test flight has
taken place; no preflight coordination is required.
Later this year, the FAA is expected to transition the Performance Monitor to a
browser-based online interface.
-MPC

case of both Skyhawks, that was accomplished digitally.)
"This is going to intimidate the average A&P mechanic," noted Peterson, who
believes a mechanic with some avionics
experience can install a UAT. He also wonders if customers will pay for the required
learning time-about a day. The ability to
go to an avionics manufacturer's website
and input wiring specifications, like PS
Engineering offers for its audio panels, to
order a completed wiring harness-at extra
cost-"would make it [a] whole heck of a lot
easier," he said.
CONSIDERATIONS

Last month Ric Peri, the Aircraft Electronics
Association's vice president for government and industry affairs, suggested that
A&Ps partner with an avionics shop on
ADS-B installations rather than go it alone.
Lancaster Avionics' manager, Todd Adams,
already is doing this. He said he has established relationships with several area A&Ps,
provided them with some installation training, and sends them the equipment for
installation and wiring. Then they fly the
airplane to Lancaster for inspection and
testing, and the avionics shop signs off the
return to service. "They all know that if I
inspect it and there's something I don't like,
I'm not going to sign it off," Adams said. "It's
never been an issue."
Mechanics can do a lot of avionics work
if they educate themselves. "It's the old Clint
Eastwood line: 'A man's got to know his
limitations,'" said Adams, who said he has
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2016