Jamie

Nice. I've been thinking about getting a gopro, but didn't like the weird prop artifacts in every single video on youtube. Any example videos?

One of the few night flights I've ever done was during a full moon and there was snow cover. Felt like cheating.

I've heard that before... "really rusty on VFR rules". I don't have an instrument rating yet So what's different? I mean, other than x-country altitudes and "see and avoid", isn't IFR just a superset of VFR?

other: I'd like to have an instrument rating before doing any night flying away from the airport.

Heh. There's a lesson there alright.. don't get married.

lol. The words of someone who has been there / done that. I wonder what sort of wisdom is passed along to new astronauts that never makes it into published manuals?

How many pilots knowingly marry non-flying spouses? For me that'd be a deal breaker... just like being overweight, smoking, etc.

Sounds like the flying part is covered, more or less. But if you're interested in what to do if you have to land off airport, I can't recommend equipped.com highly enough. It was started to advise pilots on what to carry (and how to use what they carry) to survive an off airport landing. It's NOT a "survivalist" site. You could start by reading the equipment guide: http://equipped.com/toc.htm or register and post on their forums. Great bunch of people.

Instead of lobbying against change, maybe AOPA could just get a "cash for clunkers" plan going to "revitalize the critical general aviation infrastructure" while "helping us transition to a greener more environmentally friendly and sustainable" propulsion system. Gimme money and I'll hang a different engine. It's not like it would cost a lot. Assume 250000 airplanes at an average cost of $60k each, that's $15 billion. Which is 17% of ONE MONTH's federal reserve QE budget.

Wait. You filled three bags. Twice. Single leg (no stops). How'd you empty the bags so you could fill them a second time? Please tell me you had two sets of three bags, cause....

I was going through the paperwork that came with the plane. The trim switch had been replaced. I simply couldn't believe the cost... almost $800. wtf. So I started using the trim wheel instead. I know it's an individual preference kind of thing, but I really like using the wheel over the switch. I feel like it happens faster and with more control.

I may be all turned around on this, but I'm still new to the whole flying thing, so... "You wanna what? No. Not right now. I'm -flying-."

How can you guys sit that long?? I want to fly to Orlando later this year... it's only 3ish hours, and I'm planning a stop on the way. That said, the autopilot is the best thing since sliced bread. It's like putting the video game on pause. Turbulence is the only limit to what you can reasonably eat. This is kind of a cross over between this and a certain other thread, but all I'll say in this one is that I really, really need to quit caffeine again. Then I could eat and drink a lot more than I'm willing to now.

Wow. I really like your paint. At the risk of being all "me too", that's pretty much what I had in mind for when I repaint mine.

It's not #1 I'm worried about... it's an unanticpated, involuntary #2. Those can happen too fast to make landing an option, or getting out an option once you do. Having read an account of one such incident that was both incredibly funny and fairly scary I added a trash bag and a change of clothes to my "stuff to take flying".

This thread and yesteday's trip reminded me to look into O2. I'm not recommending the following, just noting the similarity and the price delta: Aircraft Spruce: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/fingerPulseOximeter.php?clickkey=339969 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Concord-BlackOx-Fingertip-Oximeter-Carrying/dp/B004ICKB0K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1370803797&sr=8-4&keywords=pulse+oximeter They sure look the same to me, good reviews on Amazon, and amazon has it for less than 50% of Aircraft Spruce. At almost $90, I'd wait until I needed it. At $40? Unless someone here has a better recommendation, I think I'll try it.

True, but I have to go to pilotsofamerica.com to get any excitement. Everyone being awesome and agreeing is kind of boring.... LOP is bad, and harmful to your engine. Glass cockpits are less reliable than steam gauges. Stop using ipads. They're for hipsters in skinny jeans, not serious pilots. I never lean when I taxi, why would you? The only constant speed on my prop is "fast". I just set it at 2700rpm and firewall the throttle. Oil additivies are aviation voodoo. You can't shock cool an engine. Mooneys are hard to land. Real pilots don't use speed brakes. Mooneys are easy to land. Mooneys are too small inside. People that replace a wet wing with bladders probably also pee sitting down. Engine analyzers are silly toys, real pilots can lean by ear. ANR headsets are worthless. All you need is the hand mic and the cabin speaker. GPS is a fad. Ok.... Go.

I guess I'm doing it wrong, then. Hank, pushing on the cowl seems like a bad idea to me, but that's only because I can see cracks around the inlets on mine. Obviously, I'm no engineer, but I can't believe the cowl is designed to transmit a force like that to the rest of the airplane. But then, neither is the prop, and that's what I push on. I have the tow bar in my right hand (steering) and push on the prop near the hub with my left. If this is a horrible idea, I need to know, and I need a viable one person alternative. Suggestions?

Interesting topic, but it depends on the mission, obviously. I don't have an instrument rating yet, so a lot of those options are not useful to a daylight only VFR only pilot. Given that, I intend to add a fire extinguisher ASAP. I think followed by a CO detector.

This. For me, the question was "Is GA intrinsically dangerous, or just dangerous if you're stupid?" If you believe the movies, handling old nitroglycerine is intrinsically dangerous. Look at it wrong, *boom*. No amount of smarts will lessen the probability of darwinating. GA, OTOH, rewards careful study and attention to detail. We don't HAVE to run out of fuel, we don't HAVE to fly into bad weather. We don't HAVE to do any of the other top 10 things that kill pilots. Of course, when we do screw up and die it's usually in a way the media can use to sell advertising. I think that changes the risk perceived by the public even if it doesn't actually alter the math.

How safe is it to move the prop? I'd like to, just to make it easier to push into the hangar, but I thought moving the prop was a no-no.

Flying is simply too expensive. And it's getting worse. This alone will kill GA. Don't think so? Run this experiment. I have.... Find someone who likes the idea of flying, but hasn't dreamed about it like you have. Talk it up. Maybe take them flying. -sell- them on it. Then wait till they ask, with some enthusiasm... "Sounds cool. How much does it cost?" "I'm glad you asked! It's only about $6000 to get a pilot's license (40 hours * ($110/hr plane + $40 hr instructor, local verified prices)." "**** me. No way. You'd have to be rich to afford that. How much for my own airplane?" "I'm glad you asked! For about as much as you'd pay for a new car, you can have a 40 year old high time trainer that'll go 100kts." <shows victim a picture of the "bargain"> "Ugh. No thanks. But just because I'm curious, what would something like that cost to own?" "I'm glad you asked! Insurance, hangar rent, property tax, oil and fuel, then there's maintenance and parts and...." Yeah. Right. I've had this conversation a half dozen times. No one... NO ONE has survived beyond this point. It's too expensive. Period. IMHO, any other factor is a distant second. And until the costs come down, nothing will change.

I've just started playing with settings other than "2700rpm 23in" (75%) in cruise, and I like the results so far. "2200rpm, 22in at 8000ft" is my new favorite. I get right around the book values (145-150 kts TAS) at a little over 9 gph. At 2700rpm, 23in, it takes nearly 13gph. Could be I'm not leaning enough, but remember it's an io-390, not an io-360. It takes 12.9 to keep the indicated CHTs at 380F (well, the bar under '400F' on the GEM 600). I'm willing to go 10-15 knots slower for a 30% reduction in fuel used -and- it's a lot quieter. I do NOT understand why there have to be so many published settings. Or maybe it's the table itself. I feel like there's a column missing. I get that there are multiple combinations of (rpm, mp) that will achieve a given % horsepower. What I don't have enough information to do is pick one over another. According to my POH, the following settings give me 55% at 8000ft: 2700, 17.8 mp, 10.1gph 2600, 18.6 mp, 9.8 gph 2400, 19.8 mp, 9.5 gph 2200, 22.0 mp, 9.2 gph For those settings, range and endurance are max at the lowest rpm. That's it... that's all I see to choose one over another. So if all else is equal (and it can't be) why not just list a table of (horsepower, altitude) with the single set of optimal settings for a given horsepower at a given altitude?

*sigh* ok. Thanks. I was "proactive" on the taxes... I called them. So my state is happy, I think. It would be nice to have some confirmation I actually own the thing, though, especially in light of the recent TSA ramp check stuff. If they check the Current FAA N Number Database, I don't own it.

The FAA N number database still shows the previous owner almost 4 months after I supposedly bought my plane. How long does it normally take for it to catch up?