Turning to Bart Jones, who was sitting beside me in the cockpit as we flew over the Florida coast, I told him the battery wasn’t working in my headset. The whomp that active noise reduction creates when the power’s going made for quite a distraction. After a beat, and with a nonchalant shrug, he took off his headset. I did the same. It was actually quieter in the cockpit without my headset than with it, and we could hear each other just fine. We shared a laugh and looked out over the Atlantic Ocean spread before us. After a moment of companionable space, and listening to ATC on the speaker, he said, “Maybe we’d better replace the batteries and put them back on.”
We Fly: Piper Archer DX
Key Takeaways:
- The Piper Archer DX is a modern training aircraft powered by a Continental CD-155 diesel engine, capable of running on jet-A or diesel, which significantly enhances fuel efficiency and extends flight endurance.
- It features a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system with a single power lever, simplifying engine management and startup procedures for pilots.
- Developed in response to customer demand, especially from international operators facing avgas limitations and high-volume flight schools seeking cost savings, the DX offers economic benefits and a "greener" operational footprint, while maintaining familiar handling characteristics and modern avionics.
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