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We flew from Pell City, Alabama to Fargo ND today. Dropped one kiddo off at Granna's in Huntsville and Lunch with the other in Iowa and in Fargo to watch the other wrestle in a national tourney. The only debate is what to do with our free day - Mt. Rushmore, MSP??? What other machine can change your life like that? Personal flying is not always as practical as you hope but when it works, it sure is great. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1051K

For those that don't know of Paul, he is the owner of LASAR a MSC in Lakeport, CA. He is also the STC holder for many Mooney speed mods and a huge wealth of knowledge about Mooneys. However, this is not the sole reason he is IMO, a true Mooney hero. I am in the middle of my second annual at his facility and the airplane that was pulled out of the hangar to put mine in was "just one of Paul's projects". It's a '65 E just made out of salvage parts. They just finished putting a new wing on (estimate of 100 hours labor) from another airplane. Sort of a Franken plane. Just fixing it and getting it flying isn't enough. They also just installed a 201 windshield mod in it as well as the tail root fairing, cowl closure and flap gap seals. Oh yeah, rebuilt engine and prop too. This is not going to be his personal airplane (he has a fully modded 252 for himself) it will soon be for sale. He pays his employees to work on it when there's nothing else to do. He pays for things like the engine work out of pocket. He will never make his money back in today's market. He will lose money. He knows it. Why in the world does he do it? He loves Mooneys and he gets bored. He also is very concerned about providing employment for his workers and really wants to give back to the community of Lakeport. He has enough money and all he needs. He makes money off of service, parts sales and fabrication. He takes much of that profit and puts it into his workers voluntarily and saves Mooneys from the scrap heap. When this one is done and sold, he'll likely do another. Examples- When MAC was really down and out and people couldn't get ailerons, elevators or flaps, he built jigs to re skin any of those things to factory standards. He reuses and remanufactures to better than new a whole host of Mooney parts. He fabricates new parts for speed mods and instead of outsourcing things like the cutting of metal to a bigger CNC water jet facility, he has his guys do it in jigs the old fashion ways to keep them working. I am impressed with his devotion to Mooneys and the community. So, IMO, if you're considering having some work done, or buying some parts, his shop is worthy of your consideration and your business. P.S.- I got a ride home in the Franken E Mooney because I could not stay for the whole annual this time and that thing flies smooth, straight and honest. Just needs a little avionics work and it badly needs a paint job.

They think they're in the living room

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Are we flying an airplane, or managing a nuclear power plant? Today's avionics are making it possible to downsize. Seeing out the window is a good thing. Looking out is even better.

Does anyone know of a good product to put on gear doors to keep them from chaffing? An A&P by me said he uses Gorilla Tape and cuts it so that it wraps around about 1/4-1/2" on the leading edge of the door. When the doors are closed I wonder if there is a standoff created by the thickness of the tape and if so, if that would be a problem. BTW, funny how products dealing with chaffing are named after primates - Gorilla Tape...Monkey Butt

I'm not sure if the other platforms have this yet or not, but I really like the distance rings that are now available on the maps page!

Here is the stuff I put around where my gear doors lay against the airframe: Anti Chafe Tape

Looks like our boy is 10 minutes from Georgetown, DE...

The Lake is an amazing, unique aircraft. There's nothing else in the certified airframe world like it. I've got about 600h on mine, have flown it throughout Canada's North into some spectacular places only accessible by air, have spent many a happy hour with my wife or with my kids at anchor on some northern lakes and rivers fishing to our hearts content, and I've also taken it into the urban jungles of Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Washington DC, etc like it belonged there. All airplanes are compromises, but the Lake manages to hit a sweet spot for those whose mission profile is getting out of town to a beach or cottage on a lake for a few days, and then back to civilization. Sure, conventional floats are easier to dock than a Buc, but they are kind of ungainly maneuvering on the water under power, especially with a little crosswind. Conventional amphib float-equipped aircraft can land on a strip, but they do it awkwardly and with a significant hit on both payload and performance. In contrast, the Buc lets you operate like a retractable gear aircraft when that's what's required, and like a powerboat when you are on the water. That said, there's a few oddities about the aircraft. It loads through the split windshield which IMHO is an improvement over a single door Mooney, but it's still not a Cessna in that regard. The seating - close to the floor - will be familiar to a Mooney pilot. The pylon engine, pusher arrangement is brilliant and gets you off the water like a charm, but it does add considerable drag to the airframe once you are in the cruise mode of flight. The IO-360 in a Buc gets you about 100 kta on 10-12 gph....much less than what you get in a Mooney with the same engine. In an emergency engine-out situation, the guide ratio is terrible - look down - that's where you're landing, but the amphib capability means that everything is pretty much a runway in a pinch. Some attention is required on and off "the step" during takeoff and landing to ensure that you don't 'porpoise' off the swells, but handling on the water below flying speeds is brilliant - it seriously drives like a boat. Maintenance is a bit expensive if you are operating off strip, where some wear and tear is inevitable. Like Mooney, the Lake factory is in mothballs, but parts supplies are very good and there are a network of 'Lake Masters' who provide excellent factory-trained service, and an excellent on-line community of Lake owners who are free with opinions and advice. Won't ever regret jumpin' in a Lake.