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Ron Galbraith asks:

<<I too flew on the demo flight with Brent in his IVP, and I think I can get
over the fact that one of the displays quit before we could take off  >>
Snip << why did you reboot the system about 4 times before we took off?>>

That is an easy one. Because we weren't getting a GPS signal and I couldn't
think of why. My luck was running bad that day so "reboot the entire
airplane" was my first reaction. Didn't work so I tried again. Still didn't
work so I demated-remated the connector to the GPS and tried again. I had
become so used to the GPS acquiring a signal within the 75 seconds it takes
the EFIS to complete it's self test that "thought" there was a problem when
there wasn't any.  I finally pulled my head out of the cockpit and looked
around and noted all those nice metal hangers on either side and thought
"Why don't you just taxi out and be patient". As you may recall, by the time
we were to the runup area we had a signal. You may also recall that while we
didn't have a GPS signal, the IDU was still accurately displaying our
position and heading. This is because the inertial system was "filling in"
for the GPS. Next time I hear hoof beats I'll think "horses" and not
"zebras". Occam was right.

Regarding the IDU failure, the one that failed was coincidentally one of the
ones that we had been using in the lab for shock, vibration and stress
testing. It is also one of the first beta systems. When it went Tango
Uniform so completely I reasoned that it was the power supply, which, in
that particular unit was an older revision than the production systems.
Well, as I posted earlier, I was right and wrong. It was a power supply
problem but not the one I thought. It was a new, previously unknown problem,
which has been corrected. We beat the C**P out of the systems in the lab,
and in my plane and the Sierra 210, to try to get them to fail. It worked.

I apologize that your demo flight wasn't long enough , you should have said
something. I would have been happy to fly around until everyone had had
their fill, Wx permitting. I would also be happy to give any Lancair
pilot/builder visiting north Idaho a demo flight.

IMHO there are only two reasons not to put a SFS system in your airplane;
you can't afford it, or you you haven't looked hard enough.

So Ron, what additional questions do you need answered to help you make the
right choice?

Regards
Brent Regan

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