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That GPS antenna swap turned into a 11 hour nightmare on a King Air
Everyone talks about how simple GPS antenna swaps are, but I just spent 11 hours on a King Air 200 last week and I'm still annoyed about it. The online forums and my lead tech all said it's a 2 hour job max, pull the old one, clean the area, drop the new one, done. But nobody mentions that when the old antenna has been sitting there for 15 years, the sealant is basically concrete and you have to scrape it off in tiny chunks without damaging the skin. Then the new antenna's connector didn't quite match the existing cable length, so I had to re-terminate the coax which added another hour. I get that experience makes it faster but come on, 2 hours is a straight up lie for anyone who hasn't done it before. Has anyone else run into hidden time sinks on jobs that are supposed to be quick? I'm wondering if I'm missing a trick or if the timelines are just fantasy.
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the_nina1mo ago
Honestly sounds like you're making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. Sealant takes a while but 11 hours seems like you were overthinking every little step.
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the_rowan1mo ago
Used to be on your side with this one @the_nina, honestly. Seemed like a straightforward enough job. But then I tried sealing this old deck of mine, just a basic one, and it took me close to nine hours with all the waiting and reapplying. Eleven hours sounds about right if you're doing it right, especially if the wood is thirsty or the weather isn't perfect. Made me realize there's more to it than just slapping on a coat and walking away. You really have to respect the process, or it'll look patchy in a month.
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