Have you created anything "home-made" for your plane? (or a low cost alternative?)

I'll have to start saving scraps of plywood. For long term use, marine
plyw$$d is great! For one week at OSH ...we'll see what I find.

Cost? Free.


Montblack
Dibs on the first pair! Um...along with assorted camping gear. No
lumpy pillows please? Does the plywood come with N-numbers stenciled
on? In matching colors? Remember, no lumpy pillows. :-)


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-Instrument Airplane
Arrow N2104T

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

IFR practice hood.
Use your old ball cap ( worn with the bill forward for you modern guys) use
the shirt cardboard insert from your laundry, glue on to bill of ball cap,
bend each side down and voila a great hood .

"Andy" wrote in message
ups.com...
As a new pilot and new owner of a cessna 172, I've noticed the
seeimingly unlimited amount of accessories available for my plane. Most
seem to have one thing in common - a high price tag.

I was wondering if anyone reading this thread would share information
on any devices that are perhaps homemade or are low cost alternatives
to items available in aviation catalogs.

I guess this would include anything from pilot -assist devices to low
cost alternatives to lighting, interior upholstery, and the like.

Thanks in advance for any input you may offer.

Andy.

I'll have to start saving scraps of plywood. For long term use, marine
plyw$$d is great! For one week at OSH ...we'll see what I find.

Dibs on the first pair! Um...along with assorted camping gear. No
lumpy pillows please? Does the plywood come with N-numbers stenciled
on? In matching colors? Remember, no lumpy pillows. :-)

Us too, us too!

Well, skip the pillows -- those we've got. But plywood is something
you could sell in the North 40 for a tidy little profit... EVERYONE
forgets to bring it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Anybody have any ideas on this one?

I fought this battle, too. Started with a $7.00 (that's not a typo)
used headset that my CFI (also an A&P, also an avionics tech) had
repaired. They were better than nothing, which is what I was wearing
before.

After suffering with those for a year, I bought a pair of Flightcom
Eclipse. Reasonably priced, very comfortable, almost NO noise
attenuation at all.

After suffering with headaches for a year, I bought a pair of Flightcom
DX5s (or whatever they were called). Excellent noise attenuation, but
they clamped your head like Dave Clarks. (They were basically DC
knock-offs) Hurt like hell after an hour.

After suffering with those for a year, I finally broke down and bought
a pair of early LightSpeeds. Excellent comfort, excellent noise
attenuation, and ZERO durability. You could almost literally watch
them break while hanging on the yoke. They were back to LightSpeed
multiple times.

This has gone on for 11 years. I'm finally satisified with my
Lightspeed Twenty 3Gs. They are excellent, comfortable, and durable.
They have a cell phone attachment, auto-shut-off, bass and treble
controls. Battery life is good.

Bottom line: If I had bought the stupid Bose back at the start, I'd be
money ahead. But who knew?

Good luck with building your own -- but I think you'll find that you'll
eventually have to bite the bullet and buy "real" ones...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In the early days before rental aircraft had intercoms, I would wear
(David Clark) hearing protectors for the flight and would still be able
to hear the instructor (who didn't have to scream any louder, since
background noise is attenuated along with his voice), and put a Lafyette
speaker in the earpiece (remember Lafyettes?). With an adaptor, I had
an instant half headset. It made a whole lot of difference (though I
still had to use the mike, that was no big deal)

I also had (inhereted) the most comfortable hood, made of a sheet of
plastic folded three ways and imprinted with the Jeppesen logo. Alas
that was stolen along with my logbook and flight stuff years ago. So I
made another out of shirt cardboard, and it is still the most
comfortable and effective hood I've ever worn. Total cost, about two cents.

The only disadvantage is that now that I have a real headset, I can't
just "slip it on" - I have to remove the headset first. (I don't
remember how I did it when I had the fake headset).

Jose
--
Nothing takes longer than a shortcut.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I've done some thinking along similiar lines (homemade headset). Y'see,
in my setup, I just connect the radio output directly to my cochlear
implant processor, I don't need the headphones.
What I need is something to hold the microphone in place.
I did ask a couple of manfacturers of those new lightweight headsets
about it. One wouldn't do it, and one misunderstood the setup I wanted
and qouted me for the volume control (which I don't need) and the cord
that connects from the radio to the processor (which I don't need). He
didn't respond.

Anyway, I thought about using one of those computer headset, but I kinda
doubt the mike would be resistant to the noise of an airplane.

I had the idea of getting a good aviation headset and using the mike
from that to craft my own headset...maybe merge with a computer headset
for the boom arm and headband.

Instead of aluminum, use PVC water pipe. It's lighter yet and can be worked
with simple tools.

Jim



"Al Gilson" wrote in message
. ..


Instead of angle "iron" use aluminum. It's lighter.

Instead of angle "iron" use aluminum. It's lighter.

Instead of aluminum, use PVC water pipe. It's lighter yet and can be worked
with simple tools.

Jim, does the PVC provide any/sufficient friction to prevent the wheels
from rolling on a slope?

("Jack Allison" wrote)
Dibs on the first pair! Um...along with assorted camping gear. No lumpy
pillows please? Does the plywood come with N-numbers stenciled on? In
matching colors? Remember, no lumpy pillows. :-)


First set (Beta!!) goes to Jack.

By 2.0 we'll have figured out it's a good thing to pound down the nails in
the old pallets. By 3.0 we'll have figured out not to use old pallets. :-)

I'm heading down to the theater shop on Monday. I've called dibbs on all of
the 18" stock. 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, plywood, etc. All the leftover pieces.


Montblack
Camping gear is a go.

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
.. .
The skunk works here is toying with a microphone-less headset based on the
principle that your voice box is inherently interconnected with your
eardrum. Sort of a God-designed sidetone, if you will.

Earphone in one earcup, microphone in the other earcup. Nothing sticking
out front, and no fiddling with that "magic spot" that isn't too weak or
overmodulated.

The space program has had those for ages. The propellant handlers that have
to work in SCAPE (Self Contained Atmospheric Pressure Ensemble) suits used
one for their intercom connection. It was a single in the ear combined mic
and earpiece. "Look ma, I'm talking thru my ear!"

The one thing that I remember was that they had custom molded earpieces.
Supposedly for two reasons. First, to make sure it stayed put. Second, to
get solid contact for better audio transmission in the high noise
environment.

Good luck with the project.

Gerry