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ADL / Golze satellite weather system

What are you connecting it to (apart from power, which is just a CB)?

FAA accepts the EASA-1 form directly and always has done; same with the JAR-1 form before that. But that covers only installation legality (on a certified aircraft), not anything to do with functionality.

Also, an N-reg does not need an 8130-3 anyway. Only evidence of traceability is needed. For example most stuff sold by Aircraft Spruce is not supplied with an 8130-3 and in fact last time I looked they charged a lot extra for it.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Have you spoken to Sebastian? He will I am sure be able to advise.

EGTK Oxford

FAA 8130-3, Form 1, dual release are about traceability and have nothing to do with the legality of installation. For an N-reg if you are integrating it into the aircraft avionics I would think you would need an STC to accompany a form 337 (i.e. a Major Alteration)….but I could be wrong!

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

So long as it is removable by the pilot without tools I would have thought you were ok. car lighter adapter for power and removable plug for the rs232.

EGTK Oxford

The first Q is whether there is a meaningful interconnection to any panel mount avionics. I looked into this in the past (in a different context) and found the protocols used for wx and traffic display are proprietary and available only under an NDA. Also a lot of it is ARINC429, not RS232.

An STC is not generally required but having one sidesteps the need for a Field Approval (hard to do from Europe) IF this is deemed to be a Major Alteration. Consequently a lot of people in the business tell you that you need an STC because that is the “lazy CYA route”. There are other expensive routes which are popular with some shops in Europe e.g. a DER 8110… An STC is required for specific stuff e.g. EFIS and autopilots.

However in most cases it would not be a Major Alteration to make a connection which is shown in the IM for the panel mounted item in question. The problem I see is that the ADL is not a certified (TSOd) product AFAIK and is highly unlikely to feature in the IM for anything panel mounted.

The normal solution is to do anything like this off the books

The provision of aircraft power is just a CB and some wiring. If the power comes out at a connector, the installer is not concerned with what you plug into it so his legality concern is limited to that.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

My ADL120 was connected to the #1 Navigator to automatically get the flight plan from the GNS430 on the iPad, but it is not connected to the electrical system of the airplane, only by the 12V outlet in the center console. This was only a minor change.

I would like to fit it permanently to the aircraft and connect it to the IFD540 GPS/NAV/COM for RS232 data.

An STC would be required to do this, I believe. Having temporary connections like a cigarette lighter and/or other means is not the way to go (although it would be an easy solution).

Any N Reg owners had this situation?

I will be contacting Sebastian but wanted to get the views/experiences of other owners.

EGLK, United Kingdom

If you don’t like the 12 v cigarette lighter why don’t you use a more solid conector? I put a XM connector in my Warrior for an external GPS, and that works just as well as a permanent connecion, with the advantage you could take the ADL out much easier.

I agree one should not bodge the wiring just to use the poor quality cigar lighter connector, but I would like to know who said an STC is required and where is the reference.

To me this smells of a particular type of avionics shop… an STC for everything.

There is also a practical (not necessarily legal) difference between connecting something to receive data and connecting something which sends data to certified avionics.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

I agree one should not bodge the wiring just to use the poor quality cigar lighter connector, but I would like to know who said an STC is required and where is the reference.
To me this smells of a particular type of avionics shop… an STC for everything.
There is also a practical (not necessarily legal) difference between connecting something to receive data and connecting something which sends data to certified avionics.

Part43 App A:

(4) Appliance major alterations. Alterations of the basic design not made in accordance with recommendations of the appliance manufacturer or in accordance with an FAA Airworthiness Directive are appliance major alterations. In addition, changes in the basic design of radio communication and navigation equipment approved under type certification or a Technical Standard Order that have an effect on frequency stability, noise level, sensitivity, selectivity, distortion, spurious radiation, AVC characteristics, or ability to meet environmental test conditions and other changes that have an effect on the performance of the equipment are also major alterations.

It could be (frequently is) that connecting something to the aircraft wiring and especially to an avionics connector, has a potential “on, changes in the basic design of radio communication and navigation equipment approved under type certification or a Technical Standard Order that have an effect on frequency stability, noise level, sensitivity, selectivity, distortion, spurious radiation, AVC characteristics…etc.” which qualifies such an installation as a Major Alteration. An STC is by definition Approved Data which can be attached to a form 337 for filing, but as you also mentioned, Approved Data can also be generated by an FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the purposes of obtaining a one-off Field Approval. Interestingly, Approved Data may also be in the form of the appliance manufacturer’s manuals, whatever that means….probably requires the appliance to conform to a TSO in any case.

Of course, you could just do it all “off the books” I suppose….but I wouldn’t… I would just get the portable unit, plugged into the cigarette lighter and use an iPad…

YPJT, United Arab Emirates
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