AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2022 - 37

REV IEW /
Rope your airplane
A clever solution to keep your airplane from rolling
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO
ROPE CHOCKS ARE a simple but clever idea. Little more than a
1.5-inch-thick piece of weather- and UV-resistant rope with a
molded plastic endcap containing a hole large enough for the
rope to slide through. Loop the rope on the ground around the
base of an aircraft tire and pull the end of the rope through the
endcap hole and the aircraft will stay put.
A lightweight rope chock from Rope Chocks was easy to use
and not prone to loosening up in winds up to 10 knots (AOPA did
not test the product in stronger winds), although the airplane could
rotate in higher winds if only one rope chock is used. Still, that is
preferable to traditional chocks that can separate and loosen up
in mildly gusty winds.
The $40 price is not inexpensive, but the chocks come with a
convenient carrying bag. At 1.5 pounds, the rope chocks weigh a little
more than we were expecting-about the same as traditional wood
chocks-and take up a little more space than traditional chocks.
However, their one-size-fits-all nature make them handy portable
pilot gear for any small- to medium-size GA airplane you might fly.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org ropechocks.com
Sensorcon AV8
Inspector Pro
This might scare you
BY KOLLIN STAGNITO
THINK THE $4 cardboard carbon monoxide detector stuck on
the instrument panel of the airplane you are flying is sensitive
enough to keep you informed of elevated CO levels in the cockpit?
Think again.
I tested the Sensorcon AV8 Inspector Pro in my 1947 Cessna
140 and was surprised by what I saw. At engine start, the CO level
was very low-three parts per million (PPM). You can view the
real-time CO level on the LCD screen, or you can press a " Max "
button to display the maximum CO level from the time the unit
was turned on. During takeoff and climbout, the reading increased
to 17 PPM. Sounds scary, but the chart at right included with the
instructions indicates this level is still relatively low.
What got my attention
is that the CO
reading in my airplane
hit its highest level-26
PPM-after pulling the
power back for landing.
A slightly higher reading-35
PPM-would
have set off a " low
alarm " visual, audible,
and vibration alert on
the Sensorcon unit.
Was mycabin
heat venting exhaust into the cockpit? Perhaps the
carb heat? The real-time display on the unit enabled
me to turn both systems on and off to see if affected
the CO levels. This kind of troubleshooting is not possible with
an inexpensive cardboard CO detector, which essentially
indicates no CO or too much CO. Viewing real-time and Max
readouts on the Sensorcon unit helps pilots and passengers
understand their current level of exposure and risk before it's
too late. kollin.stagnito@aopa.org sensorcon.com
PRICE: $169 from aircraftspruce.com
AOPA PILOT / March 2022
37
http://www.ropechocks.com http://www.sensorcon.com http://www.aircraftspruce.com
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - March 2022

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