Services
“Jim, the LED wingtip lights you replaced on my G5 SR22 are amazing—it made the night turn to day!! The Wig-Wag function is great for recognition in flight as well. You and your guys did a meticulous job on this project, and the attention to detail is refreshing in today’s environment! Also, the dynamic balance and door adjustments you did made a huge difference as well. I have had my G5 into the Cirrus Service Center three times, and all times, they tried to fix the door noise and couldn’t do it. You fixed that in twenty minutes! All I can say is you really know your stuff when it comes to these planes! Thanks again.” Jeff Hensley, N250JH
“Thank you. I have my airplane back! Finally, after two years of dealing with this (at other shops), it is operating correctly again! It was flawless on the trip home yesterday. I am so grateful to your business and hospitality this week, I do not know what to say other than ‘Thank you’!” Murf McKinney, Cirrus SR22
“All I can way is “Wow!” I am extremely pleased with the results, and even my parents commented on the smoothness of the aircraft. The plane is running much better and cooler than any Cirrus I have flown in. It was a pleasure working with you, and I was extremely impressed by the professionalism of everyone in your shop. I look forward to working with you again in the future whether it be in a Pilatus or a Cirrus.” Jules Baretta, Cirrus SR22 TN
“I know his reputation precedes him, but I have to write. Jim Barker stopped in at Pompano Air Park to balance my prop. When I bought the plane with 770 hours, it had some vibration. I bought the anti-vibration mats from Jim and that helped a lot. The previous owner had the prop done around 450 hours, so as I am almost at 900, I decided to have it done while Jim was in town. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I didn’t even realize there had been so much buzzing until I flew it the next time! He also changes the little springs and cleaned my plugs, and did like 4 or 5 other “little things” he found while lurking under the hood. Great experience and great guy to be around. Highly recommended.” Steve Greenberg, Cirrus SR22
“I can certainly attest to Jim’s great work. Jim not only smoothed my plane, he found a couple of problems, including a broken airbox. My only regret is that I was not in town to help! I highly recommend having Jim do the prop balance and look at your plane.” Tony Pfaff, Cirrus SR22GTS
“Thanks so much for smoothing out the plane. The difference is amazing! If anyone else is wondering if this is useful–go for it! Jim knows the airplane backwards and forwards and is a great teacher.” Dana Braner, Cirrus SR22GTS
Excerpt taken from AOPAOnline article on AOPA’s Win-A-Twin:
After AirVenture, I flew N204WT to Aviation Resources at its location on the Cumberland, Wisconsin, airport (UBE). There, Jim Barker and his team set to work balancing our/your propellers. Using dynamic prop balancing procedures, it was learned that the left propeller was out of balance by a factor of .315 inches per second (IPS). In other words, the prop disc was wobbling about its axis at a rate of about a third of an inch. That’s not much, but it’s enough to make the engine and prop vibrate and set up unhealthy stress paths in the propeller blades and engine crankshaft. Abnormally high vibrations can also cause horsepower-robbing friction and abnormal component wear especially of the alternator mounting brackets and exhaust stacks.
By bolting 29.6 grams of nuts, bolts, and washers to a strategic spot on the crankshaft’s flywheel, the vibration level was reduced to .003 IPS. That’s a 10-times reduction in vibration levels. Barker took about three hours to do the work, using a special tachometer and vibration sensor, plus proprietary computing equipment.
Then it was on to the right engine, and that’s where the value of prop balancing kicked in to the max. Barker saw a .539 IPS out-of-balance condition indicating unusually rough vibrations. And in fact, you could see the out-of-balance prop by looking at the spinner as the engine ran. The spinner tip wobbled as it spun around at 2,100 rpm during the ground runs used for balancing trials.
Barker’s computer said to place a whopping (a relative term in prop balancing) 96.78 grams of weight to correct for the imbalance. From experience, Barker knew that such a large weight recommendation meant that the odds were that the prop would never balance properly. Something was wrong with the right engine’s prop setup. Barker found out, and you won’t believe what it was.
The prop was installed incorrectly. It was mounted 90 degrees from its proper location. Turns out, you don’t just bolt a prop any old place on the crankshaft flange. You use a reference, or index, bushing to align the blades. In this case, the index bushing was aligned with the top dead center mark on the flange.
The prop was removed, reinstalled in the correct position, then dynamically balanced after three ground runs. All went well, and the right prop’s final vibration reading was .040 IPS not bad at all.
Aviation Resources also addressed some other maintenance issues tightening the right engine’s alternator belt and number-two cylinder’s upper spark plug and replacing exhaust gaskets on the right engine. The oil was changed on both engines as well.
In all, it turned out to be a great maintenance stop. It was the first time in 45 hours that the cowlings had been removed and the new powerplants and props had been inspected. Guess 50-hour inspections really are good ideas.
And I could tell the vibration levels were way down on the four-hour, 30-minute nonstop flight back home to Frederick, Maryland. For the trivia-minded, I averaged true airspeeds in the 174-knot range at my 9,000-foot cruising altitude, saw sustained groundspeeds at 190 knots, burned 81.9 gallons, and logged 45 minutes of actual in some of the bumpiest clouds I’ve ever encountered cumulus leavings of an aggressive cold front that pushed through the Midwest the day before. Tom Horne, AOPA Win-a-Twin project coordinator
Products
Dual Exhaust Clean Kit (D.E.C.K):
“Our group has owned and flown N203RF (G1) since it was new in 2003, and have over 2300 wonderful hours on the Hobbs. No matter the season, cleaning the belly has been the least desirable and most time-consuming task that none of us wanted to do. Now, we have significantly cut down on our maintenance labor with our new exhaust tips!” Dave Schwietert
Single Exhaust Tip:
“Exhaust stains that required scrubbing with bleach have been eliminated, as have concerns about heat damage. Should be a Cirrus Service Bulletin–a definite fix!” Ted Brys, N675N
“If you have a G1 single exhaust, this is “the deal.” I would consider it a “must-have.” I can report that exhaust staining on my bird has been reduced to what I would call minimal to none. Cleaning the belly now takes about 5 minutes versus the 30 minutes it used to take.” Scott Hallock N224HF
“The Barker Extension should be a mandatory upgrade for all G1 single exhaust Cirrus aircraft.” Jerry Seckler, N1970
External Camera Mount:
“Jim, I used your GoPro camera mount, and found it to be the most substantial and easy to use camera mount yet. Once again, your insight into aviation pays dividends.” Mark Glovis, N1423C
Northern Lights Recognition Lights:
“Jim, the LED wingtip lights you replaced on my G5 SR22 are amazing—it made the night turn to day!! The Wig-Wag function is great for recognition in flight as well. You and your guys did a meticulous job on this project, and the attention to detail is refreshing in today’s environment!” Jeff Hensley, N250JH