How very true! It does seem that most (not all, but most), new products are designed with built-in obsolesence and entropy in mind for the purposes of maintaining a market. Of course, that's "progress" right?
I once flew an old Air Force version of the Cessna 172 on a C.A.P. "Form 5" Checkride. It's engine was old, but still chugged smoothly (if a bit underpowered), and the instruments and control yoke were old, but it flew wonderfully. To give you an idea, the Heading Indicator, or as us "old timers" that learned to fly in the mid-1980's remember it, the Directional Gyro, on this plane was actually a moving horizontal tape visible through a rectangular window. No circular card... just a bigger, stabilized version of a mag compass. The Attitude Indicator, aka Artificial Horizon Gauge, markings were old, but surprisingly easier to read as it appeared less cluttery than the ones today (finer graphics lines on the facings). The control yoke was the old "figure 8" on it's side style that was popular for a long time in Beach's and Cessna's in the 1950's.
My only regret was that I only got 1.5 hours in that machine
Of course, my flight in a Ford Tri-Motor that I got to fly as S.I.C. was quite an experience too! I learned a lot about old aircraft that day too.
Oldies... but goodies
