A headset will still work, even though the speakers won't.
You'll have to set volume controls.


wrote in message
ups.com...
| Well, I haven't posted here in quite awhile. I'm an
IFR-rated PP with
| about 400 hours currently. Lately flying about 8 hours a
month on
| average.
|
| Had an interesting experience yesterday: a "hard" avionics
failure
| complete with something popping/blowing/burning. Flying a
very nice,
| new (2000) rented 172SP, there was a pop, the audio panel
went dead,
| and then an acrid odor in the cabin.
|
| After the couple seconds of stark surprise I flipped the
avionics
| master off. When it appeared there was no real smoke and
the smell
| disappated I tried cycling the master. Nothing bad, but
no audio panel
| (completely dead) and thus no radios.
|
| I had just traversed a class C area and was still on with
approach when
| losing the stack. I also happened to be damned near over
an
| uncontrolled field (a generally busy one though approach
had called out
| no traffic and none was visible in the pattern 1000' or so
below me).
| I decided that I should really land there and pulled the
throttle out.
| #1, home field is controlled and I had no radios. #2,
since something
| had definitely 'burned' under that panel, I wanted the
airplane on the
| ground.
|
| Of course I couldn't get the WX there with no radios.
Airport has a
| 4/22 and 14/32. Local winds were generally N-NW. After a
slow 180 to
| lose alt I was more or less lined up with 4 and decided
that would
| work. However, on short final I noted that I was crabbing
a good 30d
| and was high as well, though I could have lost the
remaining alt with a
| slip and full flaps easily enough. However, since though
I was now
| NORDO it was not an emergency situation, I decided to do a
climing 270
| turn into 32, which I did, and was on the ground pretty
quickly, all
| the while looking around everywhere for traffic (none).
|
| Taxied to the FBO and grabbed a car back to home airport
(45 minute
| drive - was on local sightseeing flight with a coworker
and
| girlfriend).
|
| Overall, in retrospect, I was largely happy with my
performance as I
| didn't panic or anything of that sort (inexcusable) and
got the
| aircraft on the ground pretty quickly. However, I should
have done at
| least one thing differently: I should have either left the
avionics
| master off or, if leaving it on as I did once determining
there was no
| danger, I should have squawked 7600. I never changed my
squawk. I
| elected to leave the panel on mainly to give ATC the
benefit of my
| return, being right on the border of their airspace, and
didn't change
| the squawk because I didn't really think of it. Priority
was landing
| and getting out of the airplane.
|
| Oh, I'd also verified the extinguisher on board and had it
at the
| ready.
|
| Haven't heard back from the owner yet (local FBO) but I'd
imagine a
| resistor or cap in the audio panel itself went. No
breaker had popped
| (the audio panel doesn't have its own breaker).
|
| Lessons learned:
|
| 1) ALWAYS have handheld with me. I own one - I'd left it
in my own
| 152, which is what I usually fly. Nothing but laziness in
not taking
| it with me. (What could go wrong on a short, local
flight, after
| all?!)
|
| 2) Take a bit of time to think about a squawk in any
lost-comm
| situation. Really, it would have taken 5s to change the
squawk and I
| had plenty of time.
|
| Would welcome any comments on the experience.
|