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***Warning: Proud Parent Moment Follows this Disclaimer*** So she was 20 months before we got to take actually take her up for her first flight, but after 30mins of playing with her ipad, and being bounced around in moderate turbulence at 5500' she dozed off and slept through remaining 15 minutes of the flight, the three point crosswind landing, me pushing the plane back in the hangar, putting her in Mommy's arms while I moved her carseat from the plane back to the Rover, then all the way home ( a 30 minute ride). Now I know you don't know my daughter that well, but she's much like me in that she is somewhat reluctant to sleep because she's afraid of missing something. So her sleeping while in flight, and all the way back to the house in the middle of the day is a huge compliment! I cannot wait to keep her sitting behind that big fan, and even more excited about getting her in the right seat when she's old enough to understand it :-). **End Proud Parent Moment** Abe L. Harper, Jr.

I went through this period with my 2 kids and an F model. What I found was as the kids got older, there were less and less family vacations by plane. When we did decide to fly for our vacation and the kids were older, I would rent something with more hauling capability. For the rest, the F was fine (day trips to the beach or the Poconos). Fast forward, my son is a few months away from going to college and the daughter has moved out. The F has become the perfect plane for empty nesters. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was asked by a few folks what the weight gain or loss was for my new interior. I had the whole thing redone, including panels, carpet, yolks etc. the overall difference in weight was +5 lbs. I would say that was pretty darn good! In other words negligible to my weight carrying capacity from my original interior. I will get the 5 lbs back when I go to a lighter and better battery in the future when my current one kicks the bucket. Overall Aerocomfort was fabulous to work with, on time, and the job was as good or better than my German engineering toy at home. Cheers, Loogie

Learn to pack/travel much lighter, or ship a load of stuff ahead of time to your destination... it will a be much cheaper than buying into a 1500+ lb useful load class airplane. The ultimate single engine piston is a mid 70's A36 Bonanza with the Tornado Alley Turbo conversion and tip tanks. That will get you very efficient travel capability with 1400-1600 lb useful load, and a bit more more to carry 4 + bags. I'd choose one of those over a twin perhaps 9 times out of 10. It will cost much more than any twin to buy today, but cost a lot less to run. I grew up traveling in the back seat of an M20C with my parents and younger brother. Somehow we carried luggage for 4 for a week+ trip in that thing, and my parents were/are fat. I've carried 4 non-fat adults on a weekend trip (500 NM) in my J with weekend bags and it was not difficult to do. (I'll need to lose 25-30 lbs myself now to do it again, though!) You should really check your budget before thinking about such a move... it will be a lot bigger than one with a Mooney.

Hello. This is Dan Howard, First of all, "fantom", I do know better. However, I wish you would have obtained the facts about what happened here in an unbiased fashion prior to making such a derogatory statement about me, because you've done so in error. I have been out of town the past week, picking up two aircraft, and I just returned yesterday. Today, yes, today, was the very first day I have heard anything about this situation. Mr. Wilson never tried to contact me, never left a message for me to contact him, to attempted to resolve the situation. I can understand him being upset about his perception of the condition of the aircraft, if it did not meet his expectations, but, his statements about the annual inspection due dates are incorrect, and his insinuation that we misled him intentionally are absolutely false. We very recently listed this aircraft, the more recent set of logbooks are still with the airplane in California, and the owner is currently in Washington state and has been unable to coordinate getting log copies of the current logs to us. We are scheduled to go pick up the aircraft sometime in the next two weeks. Matter of fact, we were supposed to go get the aircraft a couple weeks ago but the owner decided to have the annual inspection and some needed repairs prior to us picking it up so we would not need to make a 1,300 mile trip on a ferry permit. Thus, this has delayed us getting the records. When we get those logs here we plan to thoroughly review them, make adjustments were necessary in the ad, and be able to provide scanned copies of the entire logs to anyone interested. Mr. Wilson was advised that we have not seen this aircraft yet, that we have just listed it, yet he chose to go ahead and go see the aircraft right away. Our specifications always state that verification of all the times and equipment are the responsibility of the buyer upon inspection. That is the industry standard in this business because there are so many variables that come into play. Some of them are subjective, some of them are objective. We always list damage history, any damage history that we are aware of. We listed all damage history that the owner told us about. Many many times we run across owners that have an aircraft that has damage history that they are unaware of, or the owner has been dishonest with us, or failed to disclose that information to us. But, we normally find it ourselves once we get our hands on the logs and the aircraft and can do our in-depth research. I have been doing this for 18 years and we are 10 planes away from reaching our 1,000th aircraft sold. We routinely have very good working relationships and rapports with our customers. However, there are times when customers have misttreated my employees. When that occurs, it is hard for me to find much sympathy with that customer. My employees have been with me for many years, they are very valuable assets to my company, and I've come to rely on them and I have a lot of confidence in them. So, I'm going to defend them when I feel they're being mistreated. Also, when an employee tells me that a customer states that he/she is a police officer and then demands to be wife reimbursed for his travel expenses, and that customer has never reached out to me, I tend to not have a very good taste in my mouth. I also am a retired state police officer, a former state police pilot ias well, and I run my business with good ethics and I try my best to see that my customers are treated well and satisfied. But, that is very difficult to do when someone does not afford me the courtesy of requesting that I contact them and subsequently give me an opportunity of knowing that they have a problem. It is very hard to handle situations when they arise if one isn't made aware of the fact. I am an old-school kind of man, if I have a problem I go directly to that person and I try to resolve said situation with them one-on-one. I have good people skills and strive to excel in conflict resolution if given the chance. That did not happen here, and I'm really disappointed in that. If any of you gentlemen are seekers of the full facts, and would like to discuss this with me and get more details, you're welcome to give me a call during the week at my office and I will gladly discuss this with you. And I will be glad to relay to you gentlemen what I actually do discover once I get to go pick up this aircraft and get to physically inspect it and the entire logbooks. Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. Respectfully, Dan W. Howard (President) Dan Howard Aircraft Sales, LLC Tulsa, OK

For any Mooniacs planning on attending the Salinas CA AOPA Fly-In, please be sure to check out the arrival information video and download the pilot info packet. Hope to see you there! Salinas Arrival Video Pilot Information Packet and NOTAM

Went up to Mammoth this weekend to catch the last bit of snow of this season and grabbed a little video on our way out. I might be a little weird though, cause I'm far more entertained by the shadow after takeoff than the mountains.

If you're coming from Vegas, you'll pretty much be above, in, or near Class C airspace from the Cajon Pass to KSNA. Call SoCal Approach when you get in the pass even if you're above the top of the Charlie airspace...and you'll be in radar control all the way to KSNA. Be prepared for frequent frequency changes, possible sequencing into KSNA, or be assigned 20L after being vectored south of the airport for a left pattern entry. Go to Atlantic. Lots of air traffic in Socal...keep an eye out all the time and do not rely on ATC for separation. Go IFR if you can...

Just had my KG-258 overhauled by Bob Bramble at AeroLab Aviation in Florida. Turnaround was a week and it works better than it ever had before. http://www.aerolabaviation.com/ José said it right - rebuild rather than buy (unless you are putting the money towards a piece of glass). John

I never go there VFR. if you can go IFR I'd do it. The airspace over there is crazy. When IFR it all goes away.

I have fixed my thread response to reflect this. Thanks for pointing out the correct information. -Seth

I'm going through that, too. By the time they get "adult" sized til the time they leave for college, you're only looking at a handful of years. Right now, the C is perfect for the wife and me. I can still take my son, but I have to leave some fuel behind.

For a useful load like that the only planes that fit the bill or even come close are the PA 32s, particularly the vintage ones, and the big cessnas(206, 207, and 210). All great planes. I have a fixed gear 82 Toga and love it. My wife likes it better than the Mooney because she can sit in back and comfortably work when we are traveling. As I have said before, mooneys, even the long bodies, are two persons and luggage aircraft. Of course, IMO the Mooney is the way to go when it is just you or have one passenger.

What if your wife got her cert, then you could buy another mooney and you could race on your xcountrys and you guys could have four more kids till you out grow that idea..... This idea provided by a non married child free pilot.....

I just about covered my monitor in milk. There used to be my grandpa's F on the field at 24J until it crashed in 03. I don't think there is another in any of the hangars. I do see some transients at Lake City and Cannon Creek (KLCQ and 15FL) from time to time. They ALWAYS catch my eye and I try to make contact with the pilot. I haven't sat in a Mooney in about 12 years. I would LOVE to get some stick time in one.

Yesterday, Yves and I flew to Kingston from Ottawa for dinner at a little place they know. Nice place. But the best part was the formation flying from Rockcliffe to Kingston. C-FQKM +1 departed Rockcliffe at 5:30 pm local and landed in Kingston at 6:10 pm local, after doing the overhead break and landing in trail. Runway 25 was not wide enough for even a two ship element to land. We wanted runway 19, but it was not the active. At first Yves did the lead job, then we switched about 20 minutes into the flight, then back to him for the landing. After dinner, it was a beautiful night flight home. Ute took the pictures. I was kinda busy. Here are the pics. Today, I will register for the Caravan.

Not technically in CA, but still very close is Minden, NV - which has the fantastic little "Taildragger Cafe" that you can pull right up to! Epic views of the Eastern Sierra's. South Lake Tahoe has a little cafe as well, but I don't like it as much as Minden. I second Little River. I flew in there a few months back... Great little (often forgotten) airport with super easy access to Little River (city) and Mendocino! Watch out for the marine layer. Auburn's cafe is great, but also don't forget about Knee Deep Brewing Co. which is right on the airport - easy to fill up some growlers!!

www.brittainautopilots.com/ Brittain Industries, Inc. 3266 N. Sheridan Road Tulsa, OK 74115 Voice: (918)836-7701 Fax: (918)836-7703 E-Mail: brittainind@sbcglobal.net

Which ever makes you happier [emoji2]

Are you calling me fat? Or that I land crooked?

These folks are just a constant reminder where I was headed.

http://www.amazon.com/Tinted-Clear-Acrylic-Plexiglas-Smoked/dp/B00N58O9K6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430653460&sr=8-2&keywords=tinted+acrylic+sheet 2 inch blue tape clamp the old one on top trace it out with the old one marking the holes cut it out Sand the edges reinstall if you buy a big enough sheet you could make 2 and have a spare

They are working on the restaurant at Lampson as soon as it opens I will do a test flight and report. Sadly things happen real slow here in Lake County

There is no AD for moisture under them. The AD is for moisture in them. They now require foam under them to force water to the drain.

It'll buff out nicely and Loran is coming back....I'm sure!

no flight plan filed

It even looks like it helps you fly upside down! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not to undermine the Bose performance but for less than $3 and your regular headsets you get the same performance with these: http://www.galeton.com/moldex-reg-rocket-reusable-earplugs-corded-with-case/95106405-product/?adpos=1o5&creative=48667975597&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CPGB9LicncUCFQiQaQodhGMA1Q I did the comparison in-flight with the Bose and plugs and found the plugs to be actually quieter. You have to set the volume a little louder on the regular headsets. For $3 is worth trying them. Do not use the foam type, they are not as good.

Your airport's in a much higher tax bracket... And for what it's worth... that's number 400 for me.

I hate FSDOs that make up their own rules.

Just purchased a set of pre 66 Mooney cowlings for future mod work. I'll look to buy more for different years and models as they become available or as I need them. It's going to take time, but there will be cowling mod options for most of the vintage Mooneys in the future. Thanks, David

So all of this begs the question: Did they put all five of them in the helicopter?

Sure there is. Just grease down their hips and throw a twinky in the Mooney.

eBay those puppies! Pick up a lightly used pair for 800 bucks and sell your X's for 450... That REALLY takes the sting out of the upgrade (and it is an upgrade... The X's were uncomfortable to me... The A20s are much nicer.). Then again, I still fly with my 20 year old Bose Series II's... Love those silicon ear seals!!!!

All knots. KIAS is indicated air speed in knots, KTAS is true air speed in knots. Both are displayed on the Aspen. (My "old" E has about every mod available. I would expect performance should be about as good as a J. Perhaps better since power to weight ratio is higher.)

My 17 year old son is working this summer and has saved up about $2k and should have about $3 by the end of the month. He is visually challenged and has a limited drivers license and probably will never pass a 3rd class medical. Saving his money for glider lessons. Quit playing flight simulator years ago because it was boring and nothing like "real" flying. He is going to study to be an engineer.. My daughter only uses has her iPhone in the plane to take pictures of "cool stuff" that she sends to her friends when back on earth. I still think there is a lot of hope for the future of America and aviation. I don't believe the left or the right and prefer to build my own future the way I like it.

As a Financial Advisor it seems to me that the interest rate cycle was extended for 30 years. Interest and mortgage rates fell consistently from 1983 until 2013. The resulting rise in real estate wealth (the largest portion of American wealth) created a bubble in real estate and Americans borrowed and built. That bubble has popped and interest rates can't go below zero. Americans lived beyond their means borrowing to buy everything from imported cars to bigger homes and even private airplanes, coupled with the sudden loss of jobs in the housing industry, plus the loss of jobs producing every product that goes into a new house, the result is the structural slow down we now face. I don't believe liberal politics is the major reason for the housing bubble, but government housing subsidies played a roll. Back in the 1960's people were just learning about credit cards. The words "home equity loan" were never heard back in the "good ol' days".