REFLECTOR: Avionics Shops

Epstein Lawrence Jay via Reflector reflector at tvbf.org
Sat Jul 5 14:54:12 CDT 2014


Apparently, I missed an e-mail stream where someone related a very positive experience with Gulf Coast Avionics.

Mine has not been positive.

Oshkosh will be exactly 2 years since I paid 50% down on my instrument panel. Still not done. I must admit, I said I didn’t need it in a hurry. “Not until Jan-Feb (2013)"

In early 2013 I began calling daily to speak to Andy Smith. Mostly got voice mail. No response to e-mails. Sometime in the spring of 2013 we had spoken enough to know that they were “working on it”. 

July 2012 Scott Baker & I drove to Gulf Coast and took the “finished panel”. (No labels. About 1/2 the switch covers, bulbs missing/out in switches). No documentation. Received originals of install manuals with pencil in margins to annotate connections/cabling. No effort to connect Grand Rapids correctly. Connected all avionics with analogue connections and basic connection to GRT (all had to be re-wired). Turns out that they didn’t have the Trig Transponder in stock. It “hadn’t come in yet” (at that point, 50 weeks after the order was placed). They hadn’t ordered it until 2 weeks prior. We finally got the Transponder months later. It had been on the shelf the whole time.

Came with harness from firewall sensors & panel to VPX that was ~15 feet too long. (Finally spent hours trimming and re-pinning connector).

We still don’t know how the dimmers are wired.
We are still waiting for labels (Using labels from Brother labeler)
Still waiting for LED lamps for switches
Still waiting for a momentary 3 position rocker switch for speed brake. 

Been dealing with Ricky for the past few months. He at least pretends to respond (“Yes, I am (re)placing the order as we speak”). He sent us some switch covers. Another few weeks have passed and still no labels, no switch, no answer.

They are very pleasant. They are a bunch of blithering idiots.

Just a different experience.

Larry Epstein
N58LV


More information about the Reflector mailing list