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The days are longer, the skies are blue, and endless adventures await general aviation pilots — it’s officially summer flying season! As you spend more time with your airplane, you might be dreaming of your next modification to squeeze even more performance and safety out of your investment.
Here’s a look at three types of upgrades that can bring more fun and freedom to every flight:
Investing in safety feature modifications for your aircraft can provide priceless peace of mind. Interior and exterior LED lights are one example of an easy-to-install mod that adds instant safety. Brighter LED landing/taxi lights can greatly improve the visibility of your aircraft to other pilots in the daytime, and pulsing landing lights can significantly reduce bird strikes compared to static landing lights.
If you have an older aircraft, it may be limited to single-belt restraint systems, since General Aviation manufacturers weren’t required by the FAA to install shoulder harnesses on all seats until 1986. Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to retrofit your aircraft with shoulder harnesses, which have been shown to reduce major injuries in small aircraft accidents by 88 percent and reduce fatalities by 20 percent.
A powerplant upgrade is one of the most popular general aviation modifications, and for good reason. An engine and aircraft propeller conversion can deliver dramatic power and performance gains, without the need to upgrade your current aircraft.
Hartzell Propeller offers performance-enhancing propeller conversions for the top aircraft models through our Top Prop propeller STC program. We also partner with several aircraft modifiers offering engine and aircraft propeller STC conversion kits, such as Raisbeck Engineering and Wipaire. Whether you’re an aerobatic pilot, a cross-country flier, or a backcountry adventurer, we have an airplane propeller upgrade to match your mission!
Modifications are all about making your aircraft work better for you. Sometimes that includes increasing your airplane’s capacity for cargo and/or fuel. Installing a lightweight cargo pod can turn your airplane into a workhorse, giving you more storage space for passenger luggage, or camping, fishing, or hunting gear for your next adventure.
If you primarily use your airplane to travel, extending the range with auxiliary fuel tanks may be worth considering. Depending on the design of your aircraft, fuel tanks can be added to the wing tips or aft baggage area. In some cases, installing auxiliary fuel tanks can allow for a gross weight increase of your aircraft.
