Who: Peninsula Avionics

Where: Located at the Palo Alto Airport 1901 Embarcadero Road, #112 Palo Alto, CA. 94303 (650) 858-2000 www.peninsula-avionics.com

When: Normal business hours M - F 8:00am-6:00pm Sat/Sun by appt or as needed plus 24-hour support by phone

What: avionics sales, installs, and service.

Interview by PAAA Features Correspondent: Julie Delany

Entrance

Located in a large hanger, situated next to West Valley Flying Club, is the business of Art Vartanian, Peninsula Avionics. A general aviation enthusiast, it is his "love for aviation and avionics" that inspired Art to invest more time and energy in this, once former hobby, business.

Art in his office

A hobby turned serious as he found more free time while employed as a test engineer, on the swing shift, at Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto. Prior to his employment at Loral, this college educated engineer began his aviation/avionics career as an aircraft engineer at United Airlines. Art was a staff engineer for 10 years with United working on all things avionics, navigation, and satellite communication related. He even has a picture on the wall above his desk revealing a younger man seated with a team of engineers in front of a 747 jetliner.

After leaving Space Systems/Loral, Mr. Vartanian was able to focus entirely on his favorite pastime. Art made avionics a bigger part of his life. "My heart is not anywhere other than this. I do what I do because I love it and quality shows in the end."

Workbenches

Providing quality work can include trouble-shooting some very unusual problems. As a technician in the 80's, Art recalls several unusual stories. One story in particular was about a customer's VOR. The customer had complained about his VOR indicating a few degrees off. So Art began his usual trouble-shooting exercises and analyzed that in fact it was "off but very symmetrically off. There was no error at 0, 90, 180, 270, however there were errors in-between." After a period of agonizing over this unusual problem, Art realized the face plate on the VOR was at issue. The usually linear markings on the VOR face plate were, well, non-linear for this face plate; they were unevenly spread. Apparently, the customer had a repair done on his instrument panel a few years back and the factory had installed an incorrect face plate for the VOR. Hopefully, you'll not have a problem as obscure as this - but it does go to show the extent at which Art will work to solve any problem you might have.

Library

Quality avionics repairs and more are offered under one roof at Peninsula Avionics. When asked about what he offers, Art enthusiastically responded that he is a Garmin dealership authorized sales and service (overhaul, repair, the works), a fully certified FAA Repair Station (can perform bi-annual transponder and pitot static tests), and will fix anything that has to do with the plane's electrical system, including instruments, instrument panels, fuel flow systems, and eventually auto-pilots. Art mentioned associated businesses include upholstery, sales, and airframe services. Not surprisingly, he is a member of the Aircraft Electronics Association, has an FCC License w/radar endorsement, and an Air Agency Certificate. Truly an inclusive repair and service center under one roof.

Here is a sample of Art's work. As you can see from the before and after images, not only can he replace instruments but he can remodel the entire front panel if required.

Before

After

As a plane owner, I asked Art for some general advice on avionics. He recommends that every 5 years you should have your avionics serviced. At first I thought, how does one service avionics? But Art reminded me that avionics manufacturers issue service bulletins and modern avionics often require software upgrades. On a physical basis avionics require cleaning, checking of connections, and confirming they still perform within specifications. In other words, be pro-active about avionics maintenance, and be safe!

Art explains his passion for excellence shows in his work; as he says, "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well" and this brings customers back. He stresses that this business is "not just making a living" but is truly a passion for him. He loves being around airplanes, they make him happy, and it shows.

Next time you have an avionics need, why not give Art a call? Here is a tip, if you have an avionics problem, call on your cell phone when you have access to your instruments. You will be surprised at how much he can diagnose over the phone.

PALO ALTO AIRPORT ASSOCIATION
PO Box 60275
Palo Alto, CA 94306