OKY Panel update

OKY Panel Upgrade Progress

We’ve got some mixed news about OKY:

• Good news: OKY’s weight has been reduced by 16kg!
• Not-so-good news: The aircraft won’t be back in service until January 10th.

Here’s the latest on OKY:

The avionics are fully installed and operating, but the interior fit-out is still in fabrication. Once the interior is reinstalled, we’ll complete a compass swing, calibration, and test flights. Avionics removed from OKY have tested as serviceable, meaning we should receive the full quoted trade-in value.

We’re also applying for the $5k ADS-B In/Out rebate from CASA. As part of the re-fit, we’ve replaced the wingtip strobe/nav lights with LEDs. Parts for the old strobes are almost impossible to find, so this was the perfect opportunity to upgrade. The cost of the LEDs is covered by the maintenance budget, and the new strobes are not only brighter but also draw less current and boast an impressive 10,000-hour MTBF.

Unfortunately, there have been delays with the seat fabrication. Earlier this week, the headrests were found to be defective, so the seats had to be returned to the upholsterer. Without the seats, we couldn’t complete the planned flight testing today. Testing is now scheduled to begin mid-day Friday 20th.

As Avionics 2000 are now closed for the Christmas break and won’t reopen until January 6th, we expect OKY’s return to service to now be January 10th.