Page 24 - October21T_REV

Components Installed
• Garmin TXi PFD
• Garmin GFC 600 Autopilot
• Garmin EIS TXi Engine Monitor
• Garmin GWX 75 Weather Radar
• Artex ELT 345
Other Key Add-Ons
• Internally Lit or Augmented Ring Illumination
• Custom LED Annunciator Switches & Panel
• (2) USB Power Outlets
• LED Lighting on Bottom of Pedestal
• Carbon Fiber Relief Tube Enclosure
• CiES Fuel Qty Sensors
• Envision Avionics Panel
John W. Tucker is an aerospace marketing and communica- tions professional with nearly 15 years in the business aviation industry. John calls San Luis Obispo, California, his home and ACI Jet his home away from home.
Brian Ford is ACI Jet’s Avionics Manager and Technical Sales Director. Brian has more than 15 years of aviation maintenance experience and has held positions as a technician, instructor and department manager.
conditions. It was truly a team effort, and the end product shows just how big and capable that team was.
The project also proved that refurbishment isn’t just for business jets. Bill’s Cessna 340A features a feel of flying nearly identical to any new piston aircraft, yet on an air- frame born when he was. With the new interior scheduled for next year, which will be modeled after business jet interiors designed by his company, it’ll feel like a brand new aircraft in the back, too.
This model applies to all kinds of aircraft, and in an era defined by the pursuit of sustainability and good steward- ship, it’s worth it for every owner to explore incremental upgrades before airframe replacements. Garmin Aviation has a new suite of avionics that integrates well into many piston aircraft, and their entry into the Citation
business jet scene has been disruptive, to say the least. A lean investment by bizjet standards can yield big dividends in-flight data, efficiency, safety and resale value.
Light aircraft like Bill’s 340A proved over the last year that business and general aviation serve
a critical role in our world. When the aviation infrastructure softens, private flying can keep the economy on track. It’s not just the large-cabin business jets either, though their contribution to flying during the COVID-era can’t be understated. From single-engine Cessnas and helicopters to twins and turbines, GA picked up the slack when the commercial airlines began to falter.
When we finished the installation of Bill’s new Garmin panel and the host of other upgrades, fixes, tweaks and even a few surprises, we felt it deserved to be commemorated. We have a tradition in the ACI Jet MRO: mission patches. When we finish a major project like our installation of the first JetWave internet system on a Challenger 604 or there’s a
major company milestone like our selection as a Bombardier Authorized Service Facility (ASF), we create a patch for the whole
maintenance team.
This patch was special and fea-
tures our mantra by the time we completed the project: “We might as well have sent the aircraft to outer space.” It features Bill’s Cessna 340A atop a liquid fuel tank, complete with solid rocket boosters, on its way to space. The stars in the sky represent the 12 technicians of our more than 40 who worked directly on the project for more than 100 hours each. Audible from the flight deck: “Is it ready yet?” While always respectful in his delivery, it’s a phrase we heard quite a bit from Bill throughout the process as he was eager to get his prized
aircraft back where it belonged.
22 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2021