SAS Instruments, LLC

05/15/2018

Evening Aviators!! Hope you have had a Great Week so far!
I had the pleasure of getting in the Ford Tri Motor this past weekend to check out the instruments used and yes they are antiques!! Told the pilot and mechanic I would repair them for cost of parts if needed. Gave them a business card and they said they would be in touch!

I will not be in the office on Monday, 05/21 but will be the rest of the week. Looking forward to Memorial Day Weekend and relaxing. I've been working my ole butt off to get things done so I can enjoy it but I have made some promises I will do my best to keep for customers. Long term projects with multiple instruments to repair/overhaul and just haven't had time to get to most of them because of mail in or walk in stuff. Seems like there is not enough hours in a day. I'll "Get're Done" as Larry the Cable Guy says!
Of course we will be closed on 05/28 in remembrance of all our Fallen Soldiers and Airmen from the past and may they ALL Rest in Heavenly Peace!
God Bless America!!

05/07/2018

Good Morning Aviators and hope all is well with all of you!
Well, Summer is upon us and we hope you get to enjoy good weather and lots of time in the air!!

Things are moving along here for me and been busy which is a good thing!! We are finally nailing down the move down to the avionics shop and hope to get that done in the next thirty days.
If you don't know where the avionics shop is, it's at the end of 23 or approach end of 05 in hanger 18. I will be located in the small hanger next to them and it will make it better for me and also help them out being right next to them. We'll keep you informed on the finish as I still have to lay it out for my FAA Inspector to approve the move.

Hope everyone has a Great Summer and Happy Landings until next time I get off this ole butt and make another post, LOL!

04/02/2018

Will be in and out of the shop until next week but will answer the phone anytime. Just relaxing after these kidney stones. Thanks for understanding!

03/29/2018

Morning everyone! I will be out until Tuesday as I need to finish these meds up and get this ole body back to normal. Little R&R and then back to hit it with gusto.
Text or call me if you need anything.
501-358-2103

03/19/2018

Update on this ole man's lil problem.
So far I have passed three kidney stones and I go back to the Doc in the morning for tests for the infection. The drug he gave me must be powerful as it makes me very drowsy but they seem to be working, I hope. Next will be a CT to scan for any kidney damage, if any.(keeping fingers crossed on this one)
Anyway, was at the shop for about 6 hours today and got to the point to where I was making some simple mistakes so I gave it up and went home.
I should be back to normal very soon but if you need anything, I'm available via a phone call or come by the shop before noon for the next 5 to 7 days.
Coming soon will be an announcement about shop and the move to avionics.

03/15/2018

Morning Gang! I will be in and out of the shop for the next few days as I have been very sick with something. I'm going to doc this morning to see if they can figure out what it is and get some meds to get me back to somewhat normal.
If you need anything go ahead and call as I will have my phone on 24/7
Thanks y'all and will let you know when I'm better!

02/21/2018

Afternoon Aviators and I hope you have your boats handy as we may need them after all the rain we are having! Not much flying going on, that's for sure!

As of right now, we will be closed March 2 and again March 5 as I need a few days to just relax as I have been at it for 6 days a week now for the past 8 weeks. I will be available if you need to ask anything or if you want to schedule something in for repair so give me a call as I will answer and help.

I am still kicking the idea around of moving down to my local avionics shop and discussions are on going and we're getting closer to a decision. I will let you know what and when if it takes place.

On a side note, I did get my indicator back from Metro Aircraft Instruments that was "hostage" since their shut down and hope to get my customer's customer back in the air very soon. It's really out of my hands right now but my customer is keeping me up to date!

Anything anyone might need, just give me a call and until them,
BLUE SKIES!!

01/25/2018

I'd like to pass along some info I found out today about one of the well known Instrument Shops I occasionally use for thing I don't have capabilities on.

Metro Aircraft Instruments has been "Temporary Closed" and as of today I don't know if they will reopen or not.
I've had an indicator there since 12/12/17 for an STC Mod and as of today I have no idea if I will get it back or not. Nobody from Metro called or sent me an email stating they were closing and the indicator I have there is the ONLY thing holding up delivery of an aircraft at one of my customers. Needless to say, they are livid and their customer is going out of his mind! Hope to know more on Friday about getting my indicator back!

If you have something that needs work, please call me and if I can't work on it, I will give you a place to send it.

Blue Skies and Happy Landings!

01/20/2018

Morning Aviators and it's been a few days since the last post. I apologize for not keeping up to date but been fairly busy over the past few weeks. Gyros have been the biggest thing I have been doing as the cold weather has kicked their asses, not starting, rotors failing and not erecting. Lots of parts having to be purchased for them but most of them are now back to customer. I'm here this morning finishing two more for one of my long time customers in Searcy, Arkansas.

Hope all has been well with everyone and between the bad weather(cold and ice) you have gotten a few hours in the air.
Hope all has been working in your aircraft and if you have any problems I hope you get in touch.

No plans on being out of the shop for a while but one can never say never!

Take Care and Blue Skies!!

12/17/2017

As we move into Christmas and the New Year, Susie and I want to wish ALL our friends of SAS Instruments a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year 2018!! It's been a good year for us and we Thank each of you for all the support you have shown!

Our holiday schedule is going to be a little different this year as we will be Closed from Dec 25 to Jan 2. Not much goes on during this time and I won't be getting any rest as I have to finish my two special projects up and also a project on a friend's T28 in Switzerland. I will be in shop during the week but I must finish these things as I have not had much time to work on them over the past two months due to instruments sent in for repairs.

If something is AOG and you need it ASAP, call by all means and I will work it in during this time and get you back in the air!!

Thanks again and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

The Shepards

11/22/2017

We want to wish ALL our friends a Very Happy Thanksgiving and we hope if you are traveling by air or car, please be careful!!
We have been truly Blessed and Thankful for all of you!

I will be in the shop all day tomorrow(Wednesday) closed on Thursday and I'll be in the shop but closed Friday, as I have to try to catch up a little on my special projects some.
It's been a pretty busy past three weeks and got behind on them!

Happy Thanksgiving and Blue Skies!!

11/02/2017

Morning Folks!! Hope all is well in your part of the aviation world!

I'm sure some might have a question or two about instruments and if you do, please post them here or give me a call and I'll be glad to help if I can!

Things are fairly busy in my ole world and I'm keeping busy with the Special Projects for restorations projects and looking to get them finished in the next week. Let me say some of the old instruments have really been a challenge but as one of the "Old" techs still doing these ole instruments, I'll "Get're Done".

Hope everyone has a Great Day and the weather clears up some so you can get some air time!!

10/27/2017

Good Evening to All.
Hope all is well and you have been able to get some hours over the past week.
It looks like the cold weather is upon us and if your AI or DG seems to be sluggish or precessing a little more than usual, it due to the cold and bearings being stiff. Horizon gyros will get lazy coming up straight and level and DGs will precess more until the are warmed by cabin heat. Not much you can do but have either have it fixed or hope it doesn't quit at the wrong time.
If you need it repaired/overhauled, give me a call and we can go from there. Usually I can get it done in a couple of days and get you back in the air.
Another thing that might happen when it turns cold is altimeters and airspeeds will get sluggish or have excessive friction and you bet that is due to pivots being dirty, A good cleaning of the mechanism will cure that and it's really not expensive. After all, your life and your family's life depend on your instruments working properly.
This time of year for me at the shop usually gets pretty busy when the weather changes from fall to winter so give me a call if you need and schedule anything to be done so I can work it in.
I'm still doing a couple of "Special Projects" for restoration as I now have a helicopter bunch in Florida restoring UH1 Hueys for air shows. They have sent a lot of instruments in to the shop and I am working them between the instruments brought or sent in for repair and this is the reason to call for scheduling.
Please be careful and Blue Skies and Happy Landings!!

10/07/2017

Good Evening Folks and hope everyone is enjoying the weather we have been having and getting some air time in!! Little windy but give y'all some good crosswind practice!
I will be in the office all day Monday, out part of the day on Tuesday afternoon, out part of the day Wednesday morning and out all Day Thursday and Friday. I have bank business on Tuesday and pick our new camper up Wednesday morning from 10am to 1pm. Should be back in the office after on both days.
Thursday, we are going to go break in our new camper to see if it is what we think its going to be. Be back in Monday and back at it!!
I will be available on my cell phone so call if you need anytime.
501-358-2103

It's been slow in the shop for the past couple of months but I look forward for it to pick up over the cooler and winter months so if you need anything repaired, now is the time.
Blue Skies and Happy Landings!

09/28/2017

Good Morning Aviators and we hope all is well with everyone.
We will be out of the office Thursday and Friday and will reopen on Monday, Oct 02.

I will be available via my phone if you need to call and schedule something for repair or to discuss a problem. 501-358-2103

09/26/2017

Visitor in Hot Springs!!

09/12/2017

I got a New Listing from Bendix/King and I now have repair again of the KI525A HSI. That's the whole system back again so I guess King decided they didn't have time to do them in a timely manner!
If you have been putting off getting something done, now is a very good time to send them in as it is slow in the shop but I expect it to start getting a little more busy as the cooler weather sets in and really get busy when it does finally turn cold. It's that time of year again for me.
We want to Thank all who have supported SAS Instruments and we look forward to helping all of you for a long time to come.
Blue Skies!!

09/05/2017

Good Morning and hope all is well with all of you fellow aviators!!

Just want to let everyone know we will be closed Sept 7 & 8 for a couple of days. Probably going to be the last time we have to get to the lake camping for the year. We'll be back and open on Monday, Sept 11.

For those who have maybe donated time to fly supplies into Houston for Hurricane Relief, THANK YOU as I'm sure they are in need of everything they are receiving. Please remember our friends out West dealing with the fires that are so widespread in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Not forgetting thiose in California either!

I am keeping my hopes up that Hurricane Irma will make the turn to the north and spare Florida and the East Coast from damage and flooding.

Please fly safe and keep the wings level!! Blue Skies!

08/20/2017

Good Morning Aviators and hope all have been well and you are getting some flying time in between all the rain we have had this summer! I've never seen it rain so much as it has this summer but I guess it has been needed.
I'm about to finish up a project soon for the restoration of a C-53, Skywarrior for a group of people in Pennsylvania who have been at it for a long 4 years. They are just days away from returning the engines in running condition and I completed all the engine instruments for them about two weeks ago. I volunteered my services to them and we agreed they would pay for any parts needed. They were very happy with the appearance of them and have started to install them in the new panels they have made for the aircraft. This included having some dials rescreened and new range markings and functional checks and calibration of them.
I am now doing the flight instruments and they are coming along and hope to finish them within a couple of weeks if not sooner.
If you would like to see the aircraft and some photos of it, go to www,vintagewingsinc.com

Give me a call if you have any instruments needs as this time of year is slow but it will pick up in the coming days as the cooler weather sets in.
Blue Skies!!

08/11/2017

Okay Grumps, get your grump on with a paid trip to Switzerland, housing paid, food paid and round trip flight paid and some time off to look around.
I have a friend in Switzerland who is restoring to flying condition a T-28 and is looking for a highly experienced aircraft electrician/avionics installer to help finish the project.
Probably take a couple of months,
He was an Instructor Pilot and he and I were stationed in Thailand in the early '70s together in the same outfit and he is now a Pilot for a major Swiss Airline.
Get in touch with me via PM or call me at 501-358-2103 and I will put you in touch with him.
This is for real and I would go but I can't close my shop for that long.

08/01/2017

As we begin our 5th year of operation we want to Thank ALL the folks who have allowed me to service their Instrument needs for their aircraft. Over the past 5 years it has not been all roses for us but we have managed to keep things going and are here for everyone when they need something.

There are still big plans in the making and we are hoping it will all come together by the end of the year and it will not only benefit you but us as well.

With all the new electronic displays, ie; G5 from Garmin and Aspen EFIS, it still has not stopped us from taking care of the folks who have not upgraded. Things here at KHOT and all over the US have been good and many maintenance shop and avionic shops are still sending things to us. We Thank them for your trust and hope we can remain as your "Go to Instrument Shop"!

Thank You Aviators for your confidence and support over the past 5 years and we will continue to provide you with the best service we can.

07/17/2017

Good Morning Everyone!! Hope all is well and you are getting lots of flying time with the good weather we are having!!

Just want to let you know we will be Closed July 20th and 21st for some time off as we have not had our vacation this year. We usually take it over the 4th of July week but weather didn't cooperate this year to spend it on the lake. The outlook for this weekend is NO RAIN, hot and NICE so we are going to take advantage of it!! Haven't had the pontoon on the water since I replaced the floor and carpet. We also want to see how our new pup likes the boat, camping and water.

As always, I will be on call out if needed by calling my cel, 501-358-2103.

Have a Great Week and keep'em flying!!!!

07/14/2017

I would like folks to post pics of their aircraft so I can use them on the background pic!

07/14/2017

I found out today that King has revised the list again for what can be worked on in the field.
Guess they are realizing it was a bad idea to cut things off and they can't handle the increased workload!!

07/14/2017

Good Morning Aviators!! I've finally gotten control over the page again and I apologize for not being able to post anything for a while.
Some GOOD new finally. King has recended the list of things their dealers could not work on and I can continue working on and certifying KI256 Flight Directors and also the KG102A Remote Gyros for the KCS55 System. There is an Aviation God after all!!
Things have been good with us here and right now things have slowed down some. Guess that is a good thing as it is giving me a little more time to work on a Restoration Project for some folks in Pennsylvania restoring to flyable condition a C-53 Skytrooper. I am donating my time to clean and repair most all instruments for them and replacing some of them as needed. So far, things are looking pretty good and only had to replace two of them out of maybe 25 instruments. It's been a long road for them and many people are volunteering their time to restore this old bird.

I am also working on a gun sight for an old T-28 for a friend in Switzerland who is restoring a T 28 he purchased a few year a ago. He flew them in Thailand when he and I were in a Special
Operations Wings there back in the early 70s. I've already done some work for him and hope to be able to help more. Btw, he told me yesterday, he may want to fly, house and supply the food for a couple of techs to fly to Switzerland and stay a few months to complete the rewiring and rewiring of avionics to completion. Any Volunteers?? He will supply the round trip tickets, housing and meals while there. Good time for a couple of guys to finish it and then vacation for a while if they choose.
Let me know if you are interested!!

Stay safe my Friends!

07/13/2017

07/13/2017

Hopefully I am back and able to do some things with the FB Page. I made a good friend of mine the Admin and me the Editor and there are things I can do and one thing I can't do is change the cover photo ! Still pi**es me off as FB won't help at all!! They are WORTHLESS!!!!

07/13/2017

Is this working now????

06/02/2017

Dear God, more "bad" news and it is now from Honeywell. They are taking repair capabilities away from "Dealers" on many items and after talking with my local Avionics Shop, looks like they are going to stop selling parts for many of the items I currently overhaul, ie: KG102As and KI525As. We are waiting to see if they change their manuals before we stop doing them and if the manuals are not changed, I will keep doing them.
YOU people who have these instruments in your aircraft are the ONLY ones who can stop Honeywell from doing this as you will be offered an exchange unit WELL about the repair/overhaul cost. As most of you already know my prices are approximately HALF of what the "Big Boy Shops" are charging and I use the same parts and use equivalent test equipment to check and calibrated them.
This change goes into effect on July 01, 2017 so if you are having any problems with the KI525 or KG102, get it to me and we get it repaired before the deadline.
These people are trying to destroy small instrument shops such as SAS Instruments and as for me, P**S ON THEM, I won't let them close me down as I have as much right to do business as they do. They can't handle it for one and their turn times won't make you folks happy in anyway, not to mention the COST!