SportPilot wrote:If I was going to purchase an LSA, I would want little more than a comm radio, transponder, and ADS-B out plus needle, ball, and airspeed. All the other stuff does NOTHING to increase the utility of the LSA and adds weight. After all, useful load is the limitation of LSA. That and airspeed. I would also what extra fuel capacity for when I'm flying alone and have useful load available for more fuel and/or baggage.
I sort of agree...but while extra instrumentation and avionics does not increase the *base* utility of the airplane, I would argue it *does* enhance the utility. My CTSW has a Dynon D-100 EFIS, a Garmin radio, transponder, and 496 GPS, and a TruTrak autopilot. Could I make flights that are just as complex without all that stuff and just basic flight and engine instruments? Of course. But the workload is literally orders of magnitude higher if you do everything manually, and the chance for errors (and thus running afoul of regulations) is much greater.
If I need to know the density altitude, I don't have to do any math, I look at the Dynon and it's right there, taken from the OAT sensor, the altimeter, and the barometric pressure setting. Trying doing that math while trying to hold an airplane steady in bumpy air and follow a course on a paper sectional by alternately looking at your finger on the chart and outside for landmarks... Can it be done? YES! But why make it hard on yourself?
I recently found a feature that I didn't know I had: On my 496, I can hit the "nearest" button and get a list of nearby airports. If I select one, and then go to "comms" and select one of the airport frequencies, the frequency is automatically loaded into the alternate frequency on the SL40 radio. I hit the "flip-flop" button and I'm ready to talk. I can do all of this while largely looking outside and just making quick glances in the cockpit. I could do it by looking up freqs on a sectional or AFD and putting it in manually, but that would take a lot longer and take more attention away from flying. Twice this feature has helped me enormously when I needed to divert for weather and get to the nearest airport (once in a completely unfamiliar area of the country where I didn't even know the airport names) RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW.
It really depends on what kind of flying you want to do. Cubs and Champs have flown for generations with little more than airspeed, altitude, and an oil temp gauge and done fine. If that kind of flying appeals to you, and you want mostly local flying and/or you really like the challenge of doing things "old school", then don't let anybody talk you out of it. But all the new autopilots, glass panels, GPS moving maps and other gadgets have their place for those who want to travel far and wide with the most safety and convenience, and the least chance of busting airspace or violating other regulations.
EDIT: One other thing...all the gadgets are not really all that heavy. My autopilot weights 6lb, that is with both servos, head unit, and wiring (I know because I added it later). Even with all the gadgets I mentioned, my CTSW still has a 575lb useful load, which is me, the wife, 26 gallons of fuel, and 60lb of baggage. If you start with a light airplane you still do quite well on weight.
