TRANSPONDER REPAIRS    
            

                              FLIGHT CONTROL SERVICES FAA CRS#OFHR414L 

                        USE THE ORDER FORM LINK ABOVE TO ORDER SERVICE

 Updated DEC 2023

IF THE ORDER FORM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY TRY A SCREEN PRINT, OR JUST WRITE DOWN THE PERTINENT INFORMATION AND ATTACH IT TO THE TRANSPONDER

YES THERE IS A LIVE PERSON AT THE NUMBER BELOW. WE PREFER EMAIL BUT IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY BERTA ANSWERS THE PHONE.

OUR INTERNET BASED SYSTEM IS STRUCTURED TO MINIMIZE ROUTINE CONTACT AND PAPERWORK SO WE CAN PROVIDE FASTER SERVICE AT A BETTER VALUE.

FAQ ANSWERS: 

WE ARE UNABLE TO TROUBLESHOOT A DEFECTIVE TRANSPONDER OVER THE TELEPHONE. USE TO HELP NARROW DOWN THE PROBLEM.

"AFTER THE SERVICE" TECH SUPPORT IS CHEERFULLY AVAILABLE BY PHONE IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH YOUR RECENTLY REPAIRED (BY US) TRANSPONDER.

YES YOUR TRANSPONDER IS WORTH REPAIRING UNLESS IT REQUIRES EXPENSIVE PARTS (WHICH DOES NOT HAPPEN OFTEN). 

YES WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF AN EXPENSIVE PART IS REQUIRED. OUR MAXIMUM LABOR FLAT RATE IS NEVER MORE THAN $289.

OUR ASSESSMENT FEE FOR A "BEYOND ECONOMICAL REPAIR" UNIT IS $75 (INCLUDES RETURN SHIPPING), OR NOTHING IF YOU LEAVE THE UN-REPAIRABLE UNIT WITH US (FOR PARTS).

MOST OF OUR REPAIRS ARE $170 ($135 ALIGNMENT PLUS $35 S/H).  MOST CUSTOMERS INCLUDE A CHECK FOR $170 WITH THEIR TRANSPONDER, HOWEVER THIS IS OPTIONAL.  YOU MAY PAY US AFTER YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE REPAIR BUT PLEASE DO SO WITHIN 30 DAYS.

SORRY WE CAN NOT NOT SELL PARTS OR RELEASE COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS TO OTHER THAN PROPERLY CERTIFIED AGENCIES.

WE PROVIDE TECH SUPPORT ON OUR PRODUCT, WHICH IS REPAIR SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS.  PLEASE CONTACT YOUR PRODUCT'S MANUFACTURER FOR ALL OTHER DATA.

FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: SOME TRADE RESTRICTIONS APPLY TO CERTAIN REGIONS. IF IN DOUBT CONTACT US FIRST. PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SHIPPING AND INSURANCE. WE CHARGE ACTUAL SHIPPING FEES PLUS AN EXTRA $40 USD FOR THE ADDED CUSTOMS PAPERWORK.  WE DECLARE ONLY THE VALUE OF THE REPAIR FOR CUSTOMS AND PROVIDE A COPY OF YOUR EXPORT DOCUMENT AS PROOF OF ORIGIN. YOUR SHIPPING CHARGES ARE BASED ON THE ACTUAL RATE WE ARE CHARGED. WE WILL BE HAPPY TO USE YOUR PREPRINTED/PREPAID SHIPPING LABEL IF YOU SEND OR EMAIL IT TO US. WE PROVIDE AN FAA FORM 8130-3 MAINTENANCE RELEASE. WE RELEASE YOUR ITEM AFTER CREDIT CARD PAYMENT.

THE BEST APPROACH IS TO START WITH OUR INTERACTIVE HELP . YOU MAY USE THIS AS A TOOL TO DETERMINE WHAT SORT OF MAINTENANCE IS REQUIRED, AND HOW IT SHOULD BE PERFORMED. THIS IS YOUR RIGHT AND ULTIMATELY YOUR DECISION.

PLEASE USE THE ORDER FORM TO ORDER SERVICE.  THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO PRINT OUT A SERVICE REQUEST (THE CORE OF OUR RECEIVING INSPECTION) SAVING US TIME AND YOU MONEY. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

ROBERTA FRENCH, ACCOUNTABLE MANAGER               
DAN FRENCH, CHIEF INSPECTOR

SHIPPING/BILLING ADDRESS:

FLIGHT CONTROL SERVICES
1467 SANIBEL LANE
GULF BREEZE, FL 32563

PHONE: (850) 665-2130 OR 776-0369

EMAIL: flightcontrolserv@gmail.com

DAN FRENCH STARTED HIS AVIONICS CAREER IN NOVEMBER 1976 AT NAV COM AVIONICS IN LAVERNE CALIFORNIA AS A REPAIR TECHNICIAN AND LATER AS AN INSTALLER.

ON MY 12TH BIRTHDAY I RECEIVED MY FIRST AIRPLANE RIDE IN A CESSNA 172 AS A GIFT. A YEAR LATER I PASSED MY FIRST FCC NOVICE AMATEUR RADIO EXAM AND RECEIVED MY FIRST HAM LICENSE. AT 15 I PASSED MY GENERAL LICENSE EXAM. I FIRST HEARD ABOUT AVIONICS AS A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE. I APPLIED FOR A JOB, WAS HIRED ON THE SPOT, DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE AND NEVER LOOKED BACK. TO ME AVIONICS IS MORE THAN JUST A CAREER, IT'S LIKE COMBINING TWO HOBBIES INTO A LIFE STYLE. THIS IS THE ONLY JOB I'VE EVER HAD BESIDES MOWING LAWNS AND BABYSITTING AS A KID. WORKED FOR DIFFERENT RADIO SHOPS OR YEARS IN CALIFORNIA AND ATLANTA, GOT MARRIED, MOVED TO FLORIDA AND BECAME A DAD. MY AIR AGENCY PART 145 CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER 12 1991 AND WE ARE AMONG THE OLDEST OPERATORS IN OUR STATE. I RESPECT MY OBLIGATION TOWARDS THE FAA AND ITS MISSION TO KEEP OUR SKIES SAFE. IN MY LIFETIME I'VE SEEN TUBES AND CRYSTALS GIVE WAY TO TRANSISTORS TO CHIPS TO MICROPROCESSORS. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW AROUND THE CORNER. I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING MORE EXCITING.

MY FIRST JOB WAS AS A BENCH TECH REPAIRING TUBE RADIOS. NOT TOO MANY GUYS CAN SAY THAT. I HAD MY OWN TUBE TESTER AND A SIMPSON 260 VOLT METER. OUR SHOP TEST EQUIPMENT ALSO HAD TUBES. WE USED AN HP601 SIGNAL GENERATOR WITH A CRYSTAL OVEN THAT ALWAYS STAYED ON AND A TIC TEST SET TO GENERATE THE VOR/LOC SIGNALS WE USED TO CALIBRATE THE INDICATORS. 

1976, FOR THOSE WHO STILL REMEMBER, WAS A VERY INTERESTING PERIOD IN THE FIELD OF AVIONICS. TRANSISTORIZED RADIOS SUCH AS THE ORIGINAL KING KX-170 WERE JUST BEGINNING TO OUTNUMBER THE OLDER STANDARD OF TUBE RADIOS SUCH AS THE NARCO MARK 12B. SOME EARLY INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (CHIPS) WERE BEING INTRODUCED TO THE EARLIER TRANSPONDERS SUCH AS THE NARCO AT50. CMOS TECHNOLOGY WAS IN IT'S INFANCY AND CPUs AS WE KNOW THEM TODAY WERE A FAR AWAY DREAM. IN 1976 NARCO AND KING WERE CONSIDERED THE MARKET LEADERS, FOLLOWED BY OTHERS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF: BENDIX, ARC, GENAVE, EDO AIRE, RADAIR, AEROMECH, AEROSONIC, KOLLSMAN, RCA, WILCOX AND LATER: COLLINS, SIGTRONICS, TERRA, VAL, DELCOM, FLITECOM, FAIRCHILD, NORTHSTAR, ICARUS, TRANSCAL, ACK, ICOM, STEC, APOLLO AND MANY OTHERS. MOST OF THESE COMPANIES HAVE EITHER CLOSED DOWN OR SOLD OUT. TODAY MUCH OF THE TECHNOLOGY IS THE SAME BUT THE PARTS ARE DIFFERENT, SMALLER, LIGHTER WITH NEW FEATURES SUCH AS GPS, ADS-B, WX AND TRAFFIC, COLOR SCREENS AND BLUETOOTH. VHF COMMUNICATIONS, NAVIGATION, INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEMS AND COM PANELS HAVE REMAINED MORE OR LESS THE SAME.

REPAIRING RADIOS WAS NOT AS INTERESTING AS WORKING ON AND INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT SO I TRAINED TO BECOME AN INSTALLER RUNNING WIRES FOR DIFFERENT SHOPS MOSTLY IN CALIFORNIA, GEORGIA AND FLORIDA. WORKED ON (AND FLEW) A FEW CLASSICS LIKE THE DC-3s, DC-4s, BEECH 18s, LOCKHEEDs, JETSTARS, LEARs, CITATIONS, ETC, BEFORE I OBTAINED MY AIR AGENCY CERTIFICATE IN 1991. I OPENED MY FIRST SHOP IN ST PETERSBURG'S ALBERT WHITTED AIRPORT INSTALLING NORTHSTAR AND APOLLO LORANS. I HAD TWO REPAIR BENCHES AND 2 INSTALLERS. WHEN GARMIN ENTERED THE MARKET WE HAD ONE OF THE ORIGINAL DEALERSHIPS AND SOLD $500K THE FIRST YEAR OF THE GNS 530/430. BY AUGUST OF 2004 WE MOVED UP TO PENSACOLA FLORIDA AND OPENED A SHOP IN MILTON 2R4. THAT IS WHEN WE STARTED TRANSPONDERREPAIR.COM AND RETURNED TO BENCH REPAIRS. HOWEVER MY LOGIC WAS DIFFERENT. GETTING OLDER MAKES IT HARDER TO CRAWL UNDER TIGHT SPACES AND I'VE ALWAYS HAD AT LEAST 2 REPAIR BENCHES. I STILL BUILD WIRING HARNESSES AND HAND THEM OFF TO THE YOUNGER GUYS TO INTERFACE THEM. I REPAIR BETWEEN 5 TO 10 TRANSPONDERS A WEEK USUALLY ON SATURDAYS AND WE NOW HAVE 2 FAA CERTIFIED FIXED BASED LOCATIONS.

WE WILL ONE DAY RETIRE AND SELL OUR BUSINESS. I DO PLAN TO CONTINUE TO REPAIR TRANSPONDERS ON THE SIDE JUST TO STAY BUSY BUT I WILL BE SLOWING DOWN EVENTUALLY. BERTA AND I STARTED THIS AS A SIDE BUSINESS IN 2005 AND WE HAVE MET AND WORKED WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE.

I HOPE WE WERE ABLE TO SATISFY ALL YOUR TRANSPONDER NEEDS.