Avionics News March 2023 - 26

RIGHT: On a Cessna 150F, the project required the design
and fabrication of a shelf in the fuselage to mount the
ACK E-04 ELT and a BendixKing KN-75 glideslope receiver.
BELOW: On a Beechcraft Bonanza P35, avionics
technician Dennis Pendergast installed an L3 Lynx NGT9000
ADS-B transponder and an Avidyne IFD440 FMS/
GPS nav/comm (both pictured here) in addition to an
Aspen Evolution E5 EFI, Genesys S-Tec 20 autopilot,
PS Engineering PMA8000G audio panel and Electronics
International CGR-30P engine monitor system.
SKY AVIONICS
Continued from page 25
An ideal combination of talents
In school, Pendergast was exceptional at math, had an
awe of electricity and enjoyed building things. It was a
combination that fueled his future in aviation.
" I was always creating inventions as a kid - including
a little steam engine, a little airboat that zipped across our
pool, a giant candle and a firecracker, " he said. " I was very
dangerous. I burned myself like three times. My dad had
to save me from burning down the house twice. I wasn't
being mischievous. I was just curious. I like mechanical
things. I like electricity. I expected I would go on to build
electromechanical devices when I got older. "
At his first job, the commuter in the desert, Pendergast
gravitated toward electrical squawks, enthralled by the
process of troubleshooting and solving the discrepancies.
" In 1992, I became a private pilot and eventually got my
instrument rating, " he said. " It was enlightening. Now I
understood what the gauges and radios did. It spurred me
even more toward avionics. "
In 2000, Pendergast took a detour from maintaining
aircraft in favor of missionary work to build churches in
Mexico. As a pilot, he was able to fly between locations, an
especially valuable ability in remote areas with poor roads.
" Flying IFR showed me the importance of knowing the
radios. I was a pilot with an airplane in another country. I
could handle the mechanical, but what about the radios?
26 avionics news * march 2023
They were still a big mystery to me. I was inspired at
that point to conquer the world of radios, not only for
maintenance but also for ownership purposes. I wanted to
be able to work on the entire aircraft, " said Pendergast, who
purchased his first aircraft, a 1966 Cessna 150, three years
ago. " The 150 was unflyable. I had to disassemble the whole
thing. It took me about nine months to put it back together. "
As an extension of his missionary work, Pendergast
studied ancient languages in pursuit of a master's degree in
biblical literature.
" I really love languages, " he said. " I studied Akkadian,
Aramaic, Ugaritic, Coptic, Hebrew, theological French, Greek,
New Testament Greek and Septuagint Greek. I'm fluent in
Spanish, and when we lived in Paris, I began to learn French. "
Being bilingual in English and Spanish and gifted with
language in general helps not only in missionary work, but
also in owning and operating a business in Florida, where
nearly 20% of the population speaks Spanish.
A bright future
Now, Pendergast focuses on his passion for avionics and
his new mission to grow his business. His immediate goals
are to hire a technician to help with the workload and double
Sky Avionics' revenue.
" I have tons of work now, " said Pendergast, who also
wants to expand into more hangar space and acquire
additional equipment. " I want to be a shop that's known for
integrity and having a good level of capability, experience
and knowledge, and a fair price, of course. " q
Avionics News March 2023

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