Heated Pitot Tube Pix?

jFanjoy said:
I've been silently lurking and watching your progress, i want to IFR my decathlon as well. If a "known process" becomes apparent in 2026, I'd like to know about it, and would even be willing to pitch in with some sort of crowdfunding or financial support to see that happen. So count me in.
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I'm hoping to submit my STC application by this time next week. It should take 4-6 weeks before the iteration cycle completes the first orbit, that is, before I can expect comments from the FAA. I might get lucky and receive an invitation to talk to a real, live carbon-based unit before then.
 
This has all been very interesting to watch Bruce, I hope they move it along and get it all wrapped up and approved soon!
 
Bartman said:
This has all been very interesting to watch Bruce, I hope they move it along and get it all wrapped up and approved soon!
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It was thrilling to make practice approaches under VFR last week ("return to service flight checks"). The weather here (north of Seattle) makes me wish I had the approval to operate in IFR conditions, not merely on a clearance.
 
I submitted this morning an application for a "One-Only" STC for SuperD N26BY, which has been equipped for IFR flight to operate in instrument conditions. I'm hoping to hear from the FAA West Certification Branch (WCB) that they have received the application. I used the e-mail submission process provided by the Seattle FSDO for the application, which comprised a cover letter, form 8110-12, a Project Specific Certification Plan, and a data package of enclosures. Four e-mail messages were required to keep under the 25 MB per message attachment size limit.

There's a small group of Decathlon owners whom I've been keeping apprised about progress and...challenges...during the process. Let me know if you'd like to be added to the group that receives my e-mail updates. I don't post as often on this forum or on the FB group.

I'll consider myself lucky if the STC is approved by mid-May and I can afford the costs of the DERs and (I hope to avoid) DAR.

Buon Natale!
 
I am hopeful that you will succeed, and of course even more hopeful that your buddy can get a salable STC that does not restrict the aircraft to one specific suite of avionics. I will just watch here - I am trying to keep my e-mail in box at a dull roar.
 
Not sure if Ken Bowersox was mentioned: are people aware he's done this in the past? I.E. - he's obtained a single plane STC for his 8KCAB for IFR. Below is an excerpt from a Facebook discussion from 2022. There was NO requirement for a test pilot.


"As a further reference, there is an 8KCAB Super Decathlon owner named Ken Bowersox, (retired astronaut, nice guy) who got his airplane IFR certified with an ACO. I chatted with him and here’s what he had to say about it:
I applied for a single aircraft STC with the closest FAA Aircraft Certification Office – not a FSDO…
Helps to call them first and that can take a little time before you get one of their engineers on the phone.
Once you’re application is in the system, the ACO will assign a rep to your case.
The ACO rep has a lot of flexibility in what they can approve. My rep required equipment that was beyond the equipment for an IFR 7GCBC – which can be factory certified.
In addition to pitot heat, gyros, lights and IFR instrumentation, was required to do the following:
Add a standby static source
Add a second attitude reference
Install new limitations decals that included IFR flight
Test the current draw of all the electrical equipment, and verify the installed battery could power the systems for the required amount of time in an emergency.
Assemble a flight manual supplement which listed minimum required equipment for the STC and new operating limitations, which included IFR operations.
Once the rep had a chance to inspect my airplane and sign off on all the paperwork, the FAA granted an STC which modified the operating limitations from the original type certificate to allow IFR flight."
 
First 2026 Update:

I submitted on 15 Dec my STC application, comprising a short "here it is" cover letter, an FAA form 8110-12 application, a Project Specific Certification Plan, and an updated data package based on the field approval application I submitted last August. The West Certification Branch accepted it and has assigned a project number and project team. I'm hoping/expecting to meet with the team before the end of January.

The airplane is flying great; we've made acro flights and instrument approaches in simulated instrument conditions.

Our Annual is scheduled for the first week of February, but other than a few deferred items that will be corrected I'm not expecting any surprises given the time the airplane spent at the repair station during the IFR upgrade.
 
Is there a way to get / reference the previous STC(s) that were done? Over the last 6 years, I've seen a couple that had it done. You would think the FAA would be able to look up and access previous documentation on this, and just follow suit.
 
Not enough interest to get the factory to do it? Just transfer the data from the 8GCBC? Save us the expense of a massive avionics upgrade? Dual attitude indicators?

And worse - when Garmin stops supporting your avionics and you have a failure, will you have to get a new ACO approval?

I am getting ready to find out how expensive this can get. One of our GTR-200s appears to be failing in the transmit section. Who fixes these things now?
 
Well my wonderful IFR 7ECA is now gone - traded for a Decathlon :-) To be honest, the 7ECA made more sense to be IFR, but I would certainly love to make my Decathlon IFR capable.
 
I personally believe the Decathlon is every bit as good an instrument platform as any of the 7 series Champs. It is only because of the certification basis that it is not allowed IFR.
Note that if you build an experimental you are legal IFR with only the equipment specified in the FARs. Indeed my J3 is legal if I equip it. So if safety of the system is the issue, the Decathlon is far safer than a lot of slower aircraft would be. Even somewhat safer than a 7ECA.
 
And this is a valuable thread. Let Bart change your title for you - or I think you can do it.
 
The Citabria's, with their dihedral wings, are more stable in the clouds. I could fly extended stints, in turbulence, in the clouds, hands off with the Citabria. Plus I had 6 hours of fuel + reserve and 628 lbs of useful load. So it depends what kind of IFR flying one is talking about, although in reality I only shot an approach once in IMC with the Citabria, most of the other times were benign IFR en route. The increased useful load of the newer Super D's is useful. I agree there's no reason the Decathlon series shouldn't be made allowable for IFR.
 
mamontb said:
First 2026 Update:

I submitted on 15 Dec my STC application, comprising a short "here it is" cover letter, an FAA form 8110-12 application, a Project Specific Certification Plan, and an updated data package based on the field approval application I submitted last August. The West Certification Branch accepted it and has assigned a project number and project team. I'm hoping/expecting to meet with the team before the end of January.

The airplane is flying great; we've made acro flights and instrument approaches in simulated instrument conditions.

Our Annual is scheduled for the first week of February, but other than a few deferred items that will be corrected I'm not expecting any surprises given the time the airplane spent at the repair station during the IFR upgrade.
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A West Certification Branch project team was assigned in January, comprising (mostly) flight test guys.

The Project Specific Certification Plan was accepted by the West Cert Branch project team. The approved my request for "full delegation" to the two DERs named in the PSCP. They are working on the ground and flight test plan, which I expect will be ready the week of 9 March.
The airplane started its Annual inspection on 2 Feb, during which the prop hub was found to need the special attention of NW Propeller. The prop is undergoing an overhaul which could be completed by the end of this week, an event date (26/03/13) which I'm hoping will not validate the superstitious. I hope to pick up the prop early the week of 16 March. If so, the airplane will be ready for formal flight testing (after "return to service flight checks") around 23 March.

We're coordinating with the Cert Branch STC project team on whether a Type Inspection Authorization will be required. A TIA is needed before flight test, so the expectation is that the TIA scope could be significantly limited. We're not breaking new ground: a Part 145 repair station installed (mostly Garmin) avionics included in Approved Model List STCs into a certified airplane in accordance with an American Champion tech drawing that the Scout AFM cites as authorizing IFR flight. Given that the Scout and Decathlon are on the same Type Certificate, it seems reasonable to me that one of the DERs could verify "conformance" of the installations by the repair station.
 
That would be awesome Bruce if it got done that quickly based on reason and common sense! Good luck
 
Bartman said:
That would be awesome Bruce if it got done that quickly based on reason and common sense! Good luck
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I feel very lucky at this stage of the STC process. Let me explain. After the installation of all the components needed for Parts 91 and 23 flight in instrument conditions I hired a company that measures airspeed indication accuracy. The Part 145 repair shop/Garmin dealer that performed the installations could perform IFR tests of the pitot/static system but not validate ASI indication for the Sigma Tek analog ASI or the Garmin GI-275s. The FSDO told me (in the "seek a field approval" stage of this project) that replacing the unheated pitot tube (just literally a tube) with a heated pitot tube would require testing to demonstrate airspeed accuracy. In the course of scheduling the testing I described my need to the company that had the right equipment. At that point I knew that I would need a "One-Only" STC and DER(s). They recommended that I engage a local Flight Test Pilot DER. He fliles a T-6 and an L-19 and is a retired Navy and Boeing test pilot. The Cert Branch picked a project lead who has a similar love of small airplanes (he flies a J-3). My impression so far is that common sense will always get a vote in the decision making process.

Having said that I recall someone mentioning it might take 8 months for the approval of flight in instrument conditions. I think I'm approaching my one year anniversary of the start of my effort. If I receive approval in mid-April (which may be optimistic) it will have been 11 months since my first contact with the FAA. And to think I was skeptical about that timeline!
 
Yeah. It takes me an average of eight months for a simple field approval. Getting their attention is the critical step, and you seem to have done that.
I have one submitted right now, and as of the two week point it has not been assigned to an inspector. I have all the time in the world for this one - it is just making legal an existing (26 years) alteration.

It is possible that the process is more important than the result.
 
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