Aviation Consumer

Like the other Belvior aviation publications, this is one you should certainly consider subscribing to. Its heart is in the right place as it tries well, but because aviators aren't as unbiased and ubiquitous as those who buy small kitchen appliances, the results are worth only a few grains of salt.

[For an opinion on their airplane reviews, please see my review of their book publication.]

In an older article, they took on the challenge of a vendor who claimed their oil additive would make an engine last longer. (This is the aviator's equivalent of: "Lose 30lbs in one month ask me how!") The article was hilarious in its razor-sharp dicing of the claims and vendor's avoidance of an unbiased test.

This is where AC really shines.

On the other hand, a lot of what they try to do is hurt by the sample size available. For example, in a recent issue they considered the merits of overhauling an engine at a big name shop (Mattituck, Victor, Penn Yan, etc) versus versus local shop. With only a few dozen responses -overhauling an engine is something few pilots are familiar with -the confidence interval on the big names was extremely wide.

In the article, it was noted that one particular big name shop that fared poorly in previous surveys did much better this time around, it was suggested, because it made some of its happier customers aware of the survey. (In other words, ballot stuffing.)

The results would be even wilder for your local shop, thus their advice that you ask around locally if that's the option you want to pursue.

At its best, Aviation Consumer is a tool for considering planes and equipment and learning some of the general nuances. Once you've narrowed your choice down, get the full monty from a local user's group or someone who'se owned it for a while.