In-car entertainment in a GA aircraft?

[hegemon88]

Hi everyone,

I have recently seen an aircraft advertised for sale and in one of the pictures I could clearly see a... panel-mounted car stereo. I have a few questions:

• Can such a (car) radio be installed in the aircraft without any additional paperwork? Surely it isn't part of the avionics critical for flying and surely Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer will not have STCs for their radios in place?
• Regardless of the above, would it be sensible to install such "touring equipment" in a C172/PA28/Cherokee Six? Is the alternator likely to cope with added electric power demand?

Any thoughts??


/h88

[Johnm]

I have flown with friends who have N reg Cherokee 6 and bonanza fitted with CD players coupled to the intercom audio system so that they get muted correctly when radio traffic takes place. Our Garmin audio box has a music facility.

I have often considered using the panel space occupied by an ADF for something more useful like a CD player.

[hegemon88]

Thank you for your reply, Johnm. I assume as a minimum that a player unit would go through a decent audio panel, able to (a) mute audio during TX/RX, (b) isolate the crew from it at a push of a button. What bugs me most is whether it is legal to fit a thing in and still be able to fly my little EASA aircraft... Please everyone keep these replies coming

[Practice Auto 3,2,1]

I suspect the cost of the mod to make the installation legal would be massively prohibitive.

A few years ago we installed Kenwood CD player/radios to many new Robinson R44 helicopters (all with an EASA Mod of course) They worked ok and operated as already stated by auto muting when any radio transmission was made or received. Towards the end of the new aircraft 'boom' Kenwood discontinued the model of stereo used and as such we had to change the mod. As it happened EASA decided not to allow use of an 'off the shelf' unit in the amendment (to the mod) and insisted that a purpose built 'aircraft certified' radio/CD player was used. It was crap and combined with the reduction in new aircraft being sold, very few were ever installed.

So to answer your questions. Yep it can be done. But you'll need a mod and that may very well be eye wateringly expensive (not been involved in them for ages so things may have changed - become cheaper)

I can't imagine your alternator struggling to run something as simple as a stereo. What might be a cheaper(?) option if you just want music is to get an audio panel with AUX input that you can connect an iPod/MP3 etc player to.

[A and C]

Not quite that simple

Aircraft audio is a bit of a black art as it is not unusual to get the audio signals breaking through into another part of the system.

Having been involved in a number of projects involving aircraft entertainment systems I can recomend the products from PS engineering as being the best in the field.

At this point I should mention that I have no financial interest in PS engineering except as a company that has helped me meet the needs of my customers.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Why? Just why would you want this? As a pilot you should surely be listening to the engine, or don't you mind if there's a misfire or unexplainable change of engine note that you don't hear because you're listening to a CD?

Or is this just for the pax? If not, whither airmanship?

[stickandrudderman]

With ANR headsets you're not likely to hear any change in engine noise, not withstanding that all but the most obvious and probably serious changes in engine note will probably not be noticed by the majority of pilots anyway.
My headset has Bluetooth connectivity to my iPhone so listening to music whilst flying is something I often do without any mods or additional expenses other than the headset purchase.

[Pace]

Why? Just why would you want this? As a pilot you should surely be listening to the engine, or don't you mind if there's a misfire or unexplainable change of engine note that you don't hear because you're listening to a CD?

One of the Seneca Fives I used to fly had a music /radio/CD player fitted just behind and in-between the pilot seats.
I can remember flying to Spain way out to sea over the Bay Of Biscay.
At FL120 autopilot on above well broken cloud it was magic.
I had some really atmospheric music playing which fitted the oceanscape in front of me.
As far as I remember any transmitions by ATC cut the music out

Pace

[englishal]

Our Garmin audio panel has a AUX IN input. Our avionics guy mounted a 3.5mm stereo socket on the panel so we can plug in iPods, iPhones or any other bit of equipment. All legal and the audio panel self mutes as required....

[Bigears]

hegemon88,
Might have been ours you saw- as a Permit aircraft it doesn't need approval.
It came with it when we bought it and I've never used it- IMO there is always something more important to do when flying, and its not the place to relax listening to music (enjoy the flying yes, relax no).

[maxred]

I love flying listening to music. Groove Armada is perfect

I Bluetooth my Lightspeed, to the I phone, and it is perfect as low background music, which mutes as ATC broadcasts.

I flew the ILS recently and I broke cloud to Golden Years by David Bowie. All down the ILS was Cloudbusting by Kate Bush. Quite surreal.

I also make telephone calls in the cruise. The wonder of technology.

[jxk]

Better reinstall that old ADF at least you can tune Radio 4 (+others) and listen to some intellectual programmes - legally!

[Desert185]

I'll second stickandrudderman. Use a headset with a jack for your iWhatever tunes or install a jack on the panel. Mine mutes when ATC, or more importantly, when the wife has something to say. Better yet, we have two Lightspeeds, so the wife can listen to her own tunes, or we can share via the panel jack.

Why install a player when you have iPhone/iPod/MP-3 capability via a nice headset?

[piperboy84]

My PMA audio panel has all the 3.5mm input, "I" this and "I" that with auto muting and a few different choices of crew/pax isolation yada yada yada. Be buggered if I know how to use any of it . Can't be arsed figuring it all out, even the bird complains about the VCR under the Telly that's been flashing "12:00" for the last decade or more.

[stickandrudderman]

Can't be arsed figuring it all out, even the bird complains about the VCR under the Telly that's been flashing "12:00" for the last decade or more.

[hegemon88]

Thanks everyone

I suspect the cost of the mod to make the installation legal would be massively prohibitive

That was my suspicion as well, before I started this thread. Any ideas of what order of magnitude we're talking about? More like £600, £2k or £10k?

I would have thought that once the EASA mod is in place, another installation of the same model in the same model should be much less costly, so perhaps clubbing together is an option? OK, who else would like to install Kenwood DDX6023BT in a Piper Archer II, but one at a time please?

Or is this just for the pax?

'course it is, SSD!

I must have had a fit of daydreaming when I imagined an in-car double-din radio+DVD installed for the benefit of the 3 pax but based on your replies I am more and more inclined to go down the audio-only route and listening through headsets. Well, thanks anyway!


/h88