Testing the Hardware After a USM Retrofit

A Cessna 172 takes its first flight after an avionics panel upgrade with used-serviceable material (USM).

Richard Scarbrough

Thursday, April 04, 2024 at 11:32 AM ET

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A Cessna 172 avionics panel upgrade with used-serviceable material (USM). [Credit: Elijah Lisyany]

Key Takeaways:

Corey Sampson successfully retrofitted his Cessna 172 with used-serviceable avionics, leveraging components from a Piper Saratoga's upgrade, a process he largely completed himself as an A&P.
The project emphasized meticulous planning, a clean workspace, proper tooling, and technical data as crucial elements for complex avionics installations using used materials.
After a five-week installation and a week for pitot-static recertification, the aircraft underwent thorough functional checks, including programming Garmin G5 EFIs, and completed a successful test flight.
The article touches on continued airworthiness, clarifying that Service Advisories, like Garmin's SA 23018 Rev B regarding GNS 430 display repairs, are advisory and not mandatory like Airworthiness Directives.

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It is springtime, and that means a return to the skies.

Recently, we cheered on Stephen Mercer as Gardner Lowe Aviation Services in Peachtree City, Georgia, put the finishing touches on his family’s 1982 Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga. Now, it is time for the pull-offs from that job to find a new life in Corey Sampson’s Cessna 172. We have been tracking this story from the beginning with Sampson’s decision to incorporate used-serviceable material (USM) in his retrofit.