Finally got that LRU swap right on the first try yesterday

I was working a Cessna 172 at the ramp in Phoenix and the transponder was throwing a code 43. Pulled the Garmin GTX 335 out, swapped in a loaner, and it powered up clean with no errors. Usually I forget to reseat the coax or bump the tray pins, but this time everything lined up. Took maybe 20 minutes from pull to power-on test. The customer was happy because they had to get back in the air before the afternoon heat hit. Has anyone else had a day where the job just goes smoother than you expect?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.robert2h ago

Man I gotta admit I was one of those guys who swore by the old KT76A transponders and thought the newer Garmin stuff was overrated. But after helping a buddy swap a GTX 345 in his 182 last month I totally changed my tune. The way those units just talk to each other and boot up clean is night and day compared to the older analog boxes. I used to think the Garmin stuff was just fancy screens for the weekend pilots but now I get why people like them. Your swap going smooth like that is a good reminder that sometimes the tech just works when you let it.

mark61115m ago

My buddy down at the hangar swore by his old Bendix King stuff for years too. He finally broke down and put a GTX 345 in his Cherokee last spring after his old transponder crapped out. He kept complaining about the cost but after the first flight he called me all excited saying he couldn't believe how easy it was to see traffic on the screen and how the auto squawk code thing just worked. He's been telling anyone who'll listen that he should have done it years ago lol. Sometimes you just gotta get your hands on the new stuff to see why it's actually better.