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I can see a benefit from this for beginners but I don't like this whole written set in stone type minimums. It's all relative. For example crosswind... I wouldn't put a specific number on it. It depends on the size of the runway, if it's a steady or gusty crosswind, takeoff or landing? On a short narrow runway, my tolerance for an extreme crosswind is much lower than on a long wide runway. I find ceilings and visibility to be a funny one as well. Depends on the terrain, approaches available. Heck it even depends on each other. Lower ceilings with great visibility is a bit different than somewhat higher ceilings with terrible visibility. Tolerance for turbulence also depends on things like passengers, expected duration, fatigue. There are days when you just aren't up for taking a beating as much as other days. I can definitely say that there have been some brutally difficult "nicer" days and some fairly easy "very low" days. Lately my minimums have been mostly guided by personal condition more than the flying. Too much work/child/family exhaustion makes me less energetic/focused to be taking it to the lower limit. My absolute biggest risk-mitigation tool though is to care less and make loose enough plans that the flying is never mandatory. Things like leave a day early, be ok coming back a day late, or even scrap the trip because there would be too much pressure. The personal minimums go right out the window when get-there-itis takes over. Managing and preventing get-there-itis goes a far longer way than writing down some numbers. If you're not in a hurry to be there, you'll "know" if things are within personal mins or not on a case by case basis.

I applaud the concept of personal minimums. But when I give my students the speech about them, I treat them like grownups, and explain that reality often makes it difficult to employ the concept the way it's written in the books. In fantasy land, one sets personal minimums for weather, pilot rest, and so forth, that start out very conservative, and are gradually stepped down as the pilot gains experience. This fantasy can actually work OK in reality if your life moves slowly, the frequency at which you fly changes smoothly, and the weather where you live is broadly varied. In reality, most of my students experience sporadic patterns. For the pilot, it's common to do a lot of flying in a short time, then have long layoffs when money or life work load gets in the way. Weather-wise, where I live, winds tend to be either mostly calm, or gusting 20+ with shear; and ceilings are either very high or very low. So this idea that you gradually push your minimums down (and up) with experience and currency, just doesn't work out in practice for me and my kin. Two specific examples that are common in my area illustrate the point. First, the idea that you can do something like step up your crosswind tolerance in increments by first flying on a day with 5 knots crosswind, then soon thereafter 7, then soon thereafter 10, and so on, is laughable - that just doesn't happen around here. The reality is that you have to set your sights directly on 15G25, and go out with an instructor on those days until you're willing to accept that level of risk by yourself (and we don't lie to ourselves - a 15G25 crosswind always adds risk to takeoff and landing no matter how comfortable and proficient you are). With regard to IFR minimums, there's very little flyable IMC on the front range of the Rockies where I live. The clouds almost always have ice in the winter, and convective activity in the summer, and they're rarely within 2000' of the ground. So you're not going to "ease down" your approach minimums from 1500' AGL to 1000' to 700' and so on. You practice those ILS/LPV's under the hood to 200' AGL as if your life depended on it (because it does). Then you go out on one of those rare flyable IMC days and shoot a low approach for real. People with real life work/family schedules around here actually get to fly IMC a couple of times a year, if they're lucky. But if you make it work, it becomes reasonable to take that trip to the coast where benign IMC is more common. In the end, I've come to feel the same way as @bigmo about it. I actually care less about the theoretical concept of holistic personal minimums for a complete flight, than I do about "outs". I tell my students it's OK to take off if they judge it reasonable to take off from the airport they're already sitting at, and if they can reasonably expect to return right back to that airport. That keeps them reasonably safe for the first 10 minutes of the flight. Everything after that is dynamic: if you don't like the winds at your destination (maybe the look of them while 100 miles away, or maybe an actual aborted approach when you get there), can you find winds that are less and/or more aligned with a runway somewhere else? Do you have the fuel to get there? If IMC, where is the nearest VFR, or at least the nearest 1000' ceiling? These things need to be re-assessed several times per hour while enroute, and - this is critical - you need to be fully willing to wind up somewhere other than your original destination, even if you have to pee in a bottle on the way there. I've come to feel that some of the most important items in my safety arsenal are a credit card, toothbrush, change of underwear, and my work-over-VPN laptop in my flight bag. Having that stuff with me on every flight makes it much easier to divert somewhere with favorable conditions and wait things out. It turns out to be really rare to actually do this. But it's only once I developed the mindset, that I began to truly feel like I was correctly managing risk while traveling GA.

I recall filling out my personal minimums sheet when I got my instrument. And I do the same if teaching a newly minted instrument pilot - but it's really as a reminder for them to always be thinking about managing risk. IMO there are far too many overlapping factors to just apply a quantitative risk assessment to dispatch. It's really a qualitative process and takes years to find the right solution. I have one rule - always have an out. That can manifest in a number of ways (ie - never taking off at an airport I cannot land at). I'm ok pushing an approach down to mins if I know I have several options 30-45 mins away.

The one thing that bothers the hot moms more than checking them out while they work out, is not checking them out....

My takeaway from this thread: Do NOT screw up your shoulder!

Definitely get up to speed on how the insurance works vs the “self insurance above a certain value”. With an airplane it doesn’t really work that way. Insure for its actual value or they will total it, pay your low $$ and salvage it while making money. Insure too high and they’ll pay to fix what should be totaled and you’ll have a plane with significant damage history. Tread carefully here.

How did you determine the 5%? Little sprinkle with your TLAR gauge?

I do think it’s useful for a newly minted (or less than current) ifr pilot to have some good numbers to assess their plan. It’s harder for them to do the full adm conceptually. But once you’re comfortable looking through all the ins and outs of the adm, personal mins become less helpful. Say 750’/2nm/15kt xw plus not imc for cruise… it’s got to be something that they can actually use until they figure out how to consider the whole picture which is more complicated than PMs can encompass.

Not to worry; Aaviationist is just the local curmudgeon. Don't pay him any attention

I have had procedures performed on both of my shoulders. The left shoulder wasn’t as bad as the right shoulder. I had PRP (platelet rich plasma) performed on the left shoulder and the results have been remarkable. I would say it’s about 99% as good as new based on the way it feels. My right shoulder was much worse, so the Dr performed a stem cell procedure on it. I would say it’s about 97% as good as new based on the way it works and feels. Both procedures are “out patient” and no knives are used. Recovery is a few days and the healing process continues for up to 9 months. Would do either procedure again without reservations. I am thinking about having stem cells done on my knee. If you have a bad shoulder at least check out either of these options before you let them cut on you…..my .02 worth.

Update on the topic of the 'Dukes grease'. I mixed Aeroshell 64 (Aeroshell 7 with 5% Moly) with another 5% of moly. Really, REALLY dark and slippery stuff. Removed the actuator, and when I opened up the gear area, it had a much lighter color, but still 'fresh-ish' grease in there. Cleaned it all out very thoroughly, checked backlash and wear (all good), and then packed with the new mixture. SB completed. Filled up a small grease gun with the new mix, ready for the next year. I really was surprised at how small the gears really are. I expected something a bit more beefy.

Done properly… you can get all the joints working silky smoothly… build some muscle nice and evenly… over time… you can win medals in your age group at any 5K you want to enter… like getting the right Mooney cfi… get the right trainer… if you have extra… some time with their dietician is always fun… eat less starch. Drink less beer… and listen to all the conversations going on around you… mostly wacky ideas being discussed by the young guns… a few will discuss politics… and stock markets… Work on muscle memory… getting full motion… and some strength… Come away feeling better, physically and about yourself… PP thoughts only, not a physical therapist…

This past weekend, I flew my 310HP Ovation from Salem, OR to Roanoke, VA at 15k' in under 11 hours, with one stop. Burned 125 gallons total. (A bit of tailwind helped.) Damn but this plane is efficient; I was LOP burning 11 GPH and truing low/mid 170s. (This was my first transcontinental round trip since selling my 231 years ago, which I used to commute CA<->VA in. It was my 25th transcontinental run overall.) --Up.

Went through somewhat similar issues with KX-165. 1. The kx-155.com guy is not an FAA repair station: https://www.kx-155.com/?page_id=91 -- keep this in mind. 2. As far as my research went, the available display kits at $750 for 165/155 are not FAA approved and the radio would be "illegal" with this upgrade. I also think that PPLs aren't authorized to do radio equipment repairs on certificated/certified aircraft 3. Sent my KX-165 to Bevan/@Jake@BevanAviation and it came back in working order and an 8130. Didn't replace the display, but about 200 capacitors were replaced 4. The price tag is non-trivial, but still lower than other options (new radio + installation). Includes warranty, and bezel cleanup/facelift

Glad it's over! Enjoy the recovery process, and don't skimp on physical therapy. It's not fun, but not doing it will result in years of not fun.

Finally!!! Thanks @JustusSJ - the unobtanium has been obtained! These are going on this week.

You are right. Those are the ones I find as well. I guess if I want most of the pictures available to view, I will have to dig them out and repost them. Thanks for the response.

I actually got an email from their CEO who wants to connect, it went to spam "no pun intended" so trying to connect with him see what's up Gabe

I installed my tips back in the late 90’s I think I still have the drawings, pretty easy to install. I’ll look later when I get home. After my install I did notice a tad more roll response during the landing flare which I like during turbulent landings. They sure look cool, I thought they were worth the purchase.

Always have an out; even on a CAVU day for a $200 burger; the airport may unexpectedly close. It's happened to me; guy geared up on the only runway just before we arrived. Extra time is one of the best 'outs' available; carry plenty of fuel

Quote from AOPA's recent article on Jan 23rd. "Our experience with General Aviation Modifications Inc.’s G100UL has been widely reported and was quite positive overall." No mention of the leaks on the Baron that AOPA used to demonstrate the safety of G100UL. In my view, this is as close as one gets to a one-sided endorsement that conceals a known safety issue.

The following post in January was the most recent statement on their position. "First, AOPA does not support one unleaded fuel over another. The marketplace (pilots) will ultimately determine which fuels are successful and which are not. Second, AOPA has been a strong proponent of a “burn and learn” approach to new FAA-approved unleaded fuels to help accelerate a transition to an unleaded future. As we did with our Beechcraft Baron last year, AOPA will continue to demonstrate new unleaded fuels as they become available, and we’ll provide full transparency on our results." https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2025/january/23/presidents-position-on-unleaded-fuel

What information are you making these assumptions on? I had an extensive prebuy/fresh annual performed and it was not sitting outside. It's a local plane and had spent the last ~30 years stored in a hangar, well cared for, and flown regularly. I'm assuming the old timer I bought it from didn't spend much time out in the rain. We stripped the interior and inspected every inch of the airframe. We missed the fuel filler neck on one side, the other side is fine for now. Any 60 year old aircraft will have a few squawks to deal with. Not sure what you're on about.

I just renewed one airplane with him and bound to move the Mooney. He got me a slight decrease in premium on both (even with me hitting 70), but also 1 million SMOOTH on both airplanes. He even got me non-owners coverage FOR FREE. Another recommendation to NOT under insure. Too many planes get totaled because the value of the plane as salvage is more than the insured value. You have a $200,000 airplane and insure it for $100,000, the insurance company would be HAPPY to pay you $100,000, sell your plane, and pocket $100,000. And people doing avionics upgrades need to pay CLOSE attention to their insured value. Recent high end avionics are worth close to retail and move quickly.

It’s not the only route. I installed new fuel caps and flanges in the 66C I previously owned. My 337 with parts listed is on MS but I’ll look for it and post it here for your info in a day or two, David

I once saw a wing tip mod that looked like a barrel minus the end plates attached to the wing tips of a flat rib end wing. The theory was it reduced wing tip vortex. It was on a low speed small aircraft. Way before Whitcomb. Probably did the same as winglets or tip plates and nothing more in reducing tip drag but at our speeds how much improvement would there be? Kind of like having a Caproni airplane on each wingtip.

If for some reason… it feels like it will take 10 years for the full recovery to happen… just know in 10 years you will still be alive flying a Mooney… knowing it IS worth it… Best regards, -a-

I just used the Delta 2 Max to preheat my Tanis for the first time, and I am pleased to report it worked well. Temps were around 0C overnight and the power center was in the luggage area with a full charge. I turned on the power center the evening before departure, ran a 16ga extension cord out the window under the cover, and set a six hour timer before the Tanis would kick on using a cheap amazon timer here (note this timer has a "countdown to on" feature, not all do). This meant the power center had to idle the inverter for 6.0 hours, then the timer kicked on the load and it preheated for 4.7 hours. This pretty much ate up all the capacity it has (single digit power state remaining). All in all, I'm glad I did 2048Wh, especially with the idle time required if I want to set everything up the night before and time it for an early morning departure. 1024Wh wouldn't have cut it.

Now there's an STC to price out development on!!

I don't know about the rest of you, but in Private Pilot lessons I was taught to always check for traffic on an intersecting runway before crossing, both approach and take-off, even if you are cleared to cross (or think you are cleared to cross).

Pre-buy and Annual were done prior to the purchase as one event. Throughbred Aviation in Lexington. Unfortunately I was not on site when pre-buy was complete and relied on the Broker. Fortunately Sarasota Avionics is doing a once over on the Aircraft while there and the 2025 Annual is scheduled with them.

Remember that the timing table is just a basic Time = Distance/Rate. You could write your own. Since RNAV approaches have distance measurement, there is no timing table. For that matter, there is no timing table for an ILS either since the "MAP" is the DA, not a distance from the FAF.

Another thing to consider is to insure for liability only. Unless you have a lien from financing. I bought my Mooney (first plane), at 67. Talk to Parker, good guy.

How much retractable gear time do you have right now? If you're with the right insurer for this aircraft before age 70, I don't expect that you'd receive a very large premium increase upon reaching age 70. There'd be some increase around that age, but not enough to drive an aircraft purchase decision.

I designed a visor template for my M20E. Figure I would share them here if it is useful to you. You can buy 3mm acrylic glass in any color you want from Amazon. If you have access to a CNC laser cutter and a 3D printer, you can have your self a pair replacement visor in about 20 mintues. DM if you need help locating a place with a laser cutter. The visor clip is designed for visor rod that is 4.7mm. Visor Clip Flat Tight.stl visor.dxf

I ordered a couple radios from https://www.bennettavionics.com/ and had a great experience. They were well packed and received ahead of schedule. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, same. His story is interesting, and his Bonanza content was reliably good. But I never really understood what they were doing with the L-39 business, and the weird Amazon TBM that was supposed to be used for another around-the-world flight has been a head-scratcher. Alpine is a nice airpark, but there’s plenty of other aviation content from there.

Back in my whack-a-mole days when I was trying to keep the old panel working before I threw in the towel and upgraded, I bought several pieces of avionics on eBay with no problems. I just tend to buy from dealers rather than individuals. Many offer a warranty.

I have a bit of experience in this area, as I spent 2003-2015 crewing on numerous aircraft at Reno (including several that won Unlimited Gold) and supplying telemetry systems to them. I also worked as a party to the NTSB investigation to the 2011 Galloping Ghost crash because I built the telemetry system. That aside, ADI was a system adopted for the high power race engines. On the Merlins, the after cooler was removed in favor of a tube induction system after the supercharger. It usually had an automatic system that would come on with a manifold pressure switch and feed the ADI fluid into an area of the supercharger (if I recall correctly). Failure of this at 130” MAP for a carbureted system would result in a pretty instant catastrophic result if not caught quickly. On the other hand, a fuel injected 3350 on a Sea Fury actually would not suffer the same instant fate if the ADI failed and induction temp resultingly increased. I remember we ran a good portion of a lap when the ADI system failed at high power on the Sea Fury. The real time telemetry saved numerous engines because of system failures. I just feel the extra complexity could be an issue for GA because it’s another system to maintain, care, and feed. One needs to carry methanol to mix with water, or have a supply at airports. It’s another preflight item.

Well, it's taken a lot longer than I had hoped, but we have some members and we are closing on a new-to-us M20E! We still have some memberships available so it you want a great deal on a mighty fine plane, come join us. www.BlueSkiesFlying.Club (updated just this month).

PT today is not PT of the old days. You need to push a little bit to get better, but they tend to not push at all. But the goal of PT is to get you functional to get through the things you need to do. Once they cut you loose, then find a gym and a personal trainer with rehab experience. They will get you to the best you can be. I have been through serious PT twice (long term hospital, basically had to learn to walk again). And in both cases PT only got me partially to MY goal. The trainer did the rest (along with a LOT of personal motivation).

Just had my left shoulder rotator cuff repair surgery Feb 12. I’m planning to be out of the airplane for 20 weeks. That is what it was for the other shoulder 12 years ago. I’ll re-emphasize what others have said: 1) find a surgeon who has done thousands of these. in fact, go to large PT center and ask who has had the best outcomes. You’ll likely only hear one name. 2) follow the doc’s PT regimen to the letter 3) do not screw it up; redo has poor success rate. Hopping in the airplane a month or two early does not make sense. You’ll realize after the first two or three months of PT that you for sure don’t want to have to repeat that!!

Those two engines on a Comanche at 11 gallons an hour would have some range. Especially if it’s efficient at 25k plenty of fuel capacity how cool would a turbine twinkie be?

Do the PT but don't push too hard. BTDT Follow the directions and you will do OK Don't think by doing more you will get better quicker. FOLLOW THE PT DIRECTIONS TO THE T and you will be fine. Had a friend rupture his again at 5 weeks by trying to do more than prescribed

Thanks for posting this, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now.

Because he’s holding his beer in his left hand.

Just doing the Math gives this engine a Specific Fuel Consumption of 0.345. That is pretty close to a big Cat diesel. If it sounds too good to be true...

^^^. THIS. ^^^ I figure both back pockets are going to be touching each other if I have an engine failure...No way I'm risking any more of a helmet fire by trying to optimize glide speed based on exact weight and trying to figure out wind speed and direction at several altitudes below me. I've got Foreflight set to 10:1. My biggest fear is going for an airport close to the edge of the glide ring vs. accepting a for-certain makeable off-field site.

I mentioned this somewhere else but in a couple of months there is a utube channel "The Motor Oil Geek" that is going to put out a video or 2 on aviation oils. He is a degreed Lubrication Engineer and has many many videos on car engine oils and additives He does it all from a scientific stand point with nothing to sell You might want to check his channel out I find it very informative.