TTaylor

Mission, 1. 200 to 700 NM, trips from N. UT to western states. 2. Carry family of four, or three plus the 100 pound dog. 3. Avoid driving as often as practical. 4. See family in CA more often. 5. Get out of the winter cold when possible. I fly gliders 100 hours per year so don't need the $200 hamburgers. Our 20F does the mission well, a J would be nice someday.

I figure on 139 knots at 8.4 gph for our 1975 that is stock other than a three blade prop. I hope to do a windshield and cowl mod someday so that I can see closer to 150 knots.

I have an F with electric gear but will still occasionally unlock the belts when making trim adjustments.

Very critical. There should be a log book entry with materials and methods used both to remove the old paint and apply the new paints. There should also be a sign off for total weight changes and that all moments for controls were checked and within standards when the aircraft was returned to flight. The most critical are the W&B and control moments.

If you are using a recording tach that is based on a ratio of rpm then as kmyfm20s said you will get lower hours on engine by nearly 20% at cruise. In addition, overall you are just not turning as many revolutions on all the parts in the engine. There will slight difference in torque so that may all balance out, but that should really only be on the crankshaft and not all the rest of the parts. I am looking forward to trying it on my next flight. I hope Byron will try some more tests as well to explore the earlier results as well. All tests should be at or lean of peak, anything rich of peak would not be a valid comparison as the stoichiometry then allows for fuel to be expelled without burning. I fly in the 9 to 12K range most of the time so it will be interesting to see at those altitudes.

I think the main theory for low RPM is there is less friction so you should be able to put more of the energy (i.e. fuel) into useful work. Essentially it is a simple energy balance equation. I have started flying my 20F at 2400 rather than 2500 rpm for that reason. Same fuel flow should in theory produce slightly more power to the prop, 2000 rpm should be even better. Tim (don't blame me, I only teach thermodynamics ;-))

Hank, I own the hangar and would like to get basic liability and structure coverage. It is only worth about $25,000, so $1,100 per year is crazy and even just liability at $625 is nearly 10x my rental house rate that is worth six times as much. My agent thought they could extend coverage for my house policy but the underwriter refused, said they will not cover property on an airport. They classified it as commercial property as well. What type of dangerous things are we doing in our hangars that no one will cover them at reasonable cost? Thanks, Tim

I have a hangar but am having trouble finding a "reasonable" option to insure it. Liability only is about $625 a year and if I want to cover the structure the total is over $1100. I can cover my second home for $200 per year for both. It appears that we are forced to use only one or two companies as soon as you have a structure on an airport. Any alternatives to the outrageous rates?

It is not fun any more. 1. Make sure you have all the correct paperwork (export docs from Canada) and aircraft documents. 2. Make sure all US AD's have been complied with and documented. 3. Expect to pay $1000 or more to have a US FAA designee check all the paperwork and sign it off. Last few years it has become a considerable amount of work and time to import from Canada or elsewhere. I have seen two ships take over six months to get through the process.

I have been flying with the Nexus 7 2013 version since December. I paid $160 for a 32 Gb version on cyber Monday and have been totally happy with it, you can get them most times for around $220 to $240 on sale. The 7" size fits nicely on a yoke mount, plenty of brightness if needed and uses standard USB plugs for ease of making cables in the plane. I have tried several of the software packages and all work well for basic VFR flight. Nice to have everything at your finger tips. The internal GPS has been rock solid and I love the GPS overlay on airport diagrams in Avare for taxi position (for free). Overall I can't say enough about the Nexus, great tablet at half the price or less of an equivalent iPad.

Approach I have seen is to use a bag with string(s) tied to it. A slender bag (more like a tube) can be tied loosely on one end or with a second string that is designed to pull loose. The main string is firmly attached to pull the bag back in. Allows you to put it out the window intact, release the ashes, and then pull the bag back in once the ashes are gone. Also, remember to do this at minimum maneuvering speeds to reduce the aerodynamic forces.

Logan is a good stop, 80 miles north of SLC. Leading Edge is a good FBO with a fast turn. South of SLC, Provo and Nephi would be options. Nephi is only self serve with minimal facilities but likely cheapest gas.

If you are not familiar with flying mountain wave and what to look for it was a good idea to go around. Friday was a strong wave day on the Sierras. Here is an article with great pictures from Friday. If you don't know which side of a lenticular cloud is going up and down, what a rotor cloud looks like and what the winds will be doing around a foehn gap it is best to stay away from the lee side of the mountains on a strong wind say. I would encourage you to read about mountain wave and how to use it to increase the speed of your plane. Nothing like cruising in the lift along the lee side of ridges and gaining 50 knots of free energy. http://soaringcafe.com/2014/03/cross-country-wave-101-with-gordo/

Was fun watching them do the flight today. They went right over my house about halfway through the flight. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

There was just a thread on that., search forums for door handle or door strap. 1. Aero Comfort, price in threads is about $20. 2. Find someone local to make on from leather. 3. Go to local craft store and make one yourself (I did that). 4. Make it out of aluminum.

There could be several reasons for it not opening fully. There may be something blocking full movement of the gear or the cable could be bent so that you only get a little movement. The wire is very stiff so it would just feel like it stopped. The cable is not firmly attached to the gear, only wrapped around a post. There is also a cable housing holder (clamp) that could have slipped and that would limit movement. It is a little tricky to pull the mechanism out but worth the trouble. Also make sure nothing is blocking the vent itself on the top of the plane. Nice place for nests, etc.

Should open about 2 inches. Just repaired mine. You have to remove the interior roof panels and do micro surgery to remove the gear mechanism. Clean and lube it and the cable. The cable is solid so can get bent and then will jam.

I bought a 9 volt First Alert unit for about $20 and put it in the pocket on the back of the front seats.

Not quite true, the correct answer is it depends. It depends on which mechanical tach you have and how you fly. Mechanical tachs come in many flavors, some are 2300, 2500, or 2566. All record as long as the engine is running. If you want to save on hours you need one with the highest ratio and fly at the lowest rpm. As has been noted already if you have a 2300 rpm model and fly at a higher rpm you are logging extra hours. The electric generally don't record until a specific rpm is held continuously. As stated the E.I. is 1300 rpm. This means most of the time on the ground is not recorded. I fly now at 2400 rpm and I would guess the non-recorded ground time is just about equal to any time saved by a lower rpm on a mechanical tach.

+2 on the E.I. tach. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Should be fine, but why not just use a Milk House Heater with the fan built in?

What model(s) are you looking at? I fly an F out of Logan and I know there are others on the list from SLC area that fly "Modern" models. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Updated the image gallery today with the trim modifications. 1. Cut out the center columns and sanded to shape 2. Laid up glass to cover the opening 3. Several rounds of filler and glass to final shape 4. Painted with SEM paint