Dropped $260 on a 'TSO'd' pitot cover that doesn't even fit my tube
Bought it at the AeroMart booth in Wichita last spring and the elastic gave out after two weeks on the ramp. Anybody got a brand that actually survives a Kansas winter?
It's the same story with half the "aviation grade" stuff out there. You pay a premium for three letters on the label and get the same cheap elastic you'd find on a two dollar shower cap. I've noticed this pattern everywhere, not just plane parts, where a fancy sticker makes people charge double for junk. My last pitot cover lasted one good gust before the cord snapped, so now I just check the stitching in person before I hand over any money. A good cover should feel heavy and the elastic should snap back hard when you stretch it, that's really the whole test.