Cyril Gibb

A few notes: no ATC differences between US and Canada unless you’re in the flight levels customs sticker is only required for entry into US - US government requirement eAPIS is for exiting or arriving in US - US government requirement ICAO flight plan required for cross-border flights If you file a VFR flight plan in Canada, it is assumed you departed at that time. That’s because of remote locations that wouldn’t have the ability to contact ATC to open. Search and Rescue will be initiated based on that assumed time. If you file a VFR flight plan DO NOT forget to close. Save yourself the aggravation (unless it’s a remote flight) and just ask for flight following. Same as US. Pattern entry is slightly different at uncontrolled airports. Already discussed on MooneySpace.

What is the logic in losing attitude information if the pitot has an issue? What happens if the pitot heat fails? This accident thread hits closer to home than most others. KDKX is one of our favourite stopovers southbound. In the winter it's almost always IMC over those hills, so loss of attitude info would be a challenge. I was about to pop over to Spruce to get a Dynon D3 until I read that it shuts down attitude info 2 minutes after losing a GPS signal. I bought a Stratus 3 instead.

I guess on a positive note, you got yourself on the ground in one piece. A total catastrophic engine failure with no warning is my biggest fear when flying over the frequently inhospitable areas I fly. What happened, and were there any clues that any of us might learn from your unfortunate experience?

How about DigiKey #R1973BBLKRILFF3-ND ?

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I read the summary. What caught my attention was noise reduction mentioned twice. I’ve failed to improve the sound levels despite stripping the interior and using sound proofing. Although the improvement was measurable, it wasn’t enough to be perceptible. Does anyone know specifically what was done?

Hank, why advance the mixture ? I just drop the nose and leave everything alone. The mixture will effectively become more lean during the descent as the air density increases. With the mixture leaning, the power decreases without the need to reduce throttle. My GAMI spread is excellent, so I can usually go very very lean without issues. Occasionally, I might add a touch of mixture only if I get some engine roughness, and then to slow for the pattern.

A true statement that inevitably ends in OWTs. Although our engines have fixed timing BTDC, we can use the mixture and prop to have at least some control over peak ICP and the desired degrees ATDC for the peak. Knowing that mixture burn speed essentially peaks at the ideal stochiometric ratio and the burn slows either rich or lean of that is one control (mixture). Using a higher engine speed to delay the peak or slower engine speed to peak earlier is another (prop).

You might consider the possibility your instructor may be providing incorrect guidance on topics other than just the "squared" nonsense. Perhaps trying a different instructor would be in order.

While you're in there troubleshooting, replace the feeble floor display incandescent bulb with an LED. Much brighter and easy to see even in bright daylight.

My bad. I didn't realise the wire was tweakable. Next time up....

I'll look into the black ones and give them a try.

I finally had a chance to try out the Halo I bought from @yvesg. I've been using Zulu 2s which I'm happy with but thought it would be good to compare. I flew for a while flipping back and forth with the Halo and Zulu 2. Sound: The sound "tone" was only very slightly different between the two, with the Zulu 2 letting in more high frequency stuff such as wind sound and the Halo letting in a little more low frequency engine/prop sound. When I mean very slight, it took a few back and forth episodes to nail it down. Noise cancelling: I'd have to say that noise cancelling was a wash. They both performed very well. Comfort: I've not had a "head clamping" issue with the Zulu 2 and also didn't have a problem with expanding foam ear things on the Halo. I'd say for me a wash. Ease of use: The Zulu 2 is a clear winner for me here. I just pop it on my head and we're good to go. I tried the Halo over the ear but it was awkward to work with glasses. If you don't wear glasses it wouldn't be a problem. I tried it on top of my head, but it wouldn't stay in place. More hair might help. I tried it behind my head, but the mike wouldn't reach close enough to be useful. The halo was also a bit fiddly squeezing the earplugs then inserting with the tubes tangling in my glasses frame. More so when I landed to pick up stuff at Aircraft Spruce. The temp was about -10C. When I got back in the plane the foam was solid. Took another minute to get it warm enough to squeeze. (northern problem) With more practice some of those issues may disappear. Miscellaneous: I often use the Zulu 2 Bluetooth to make phone calls. I missed that on the Halo, but realize you can get a Bluetooth adapter for the Halo. Temporary advantage Zulu. The batteries on the Zulu 2 usually fail at critical times. I carry spare batteries but it's still a pain. Advantage Halo. I can see that getting a Halo on a newbie passenger would be a hassle. Advantage Zulu. Edited to add a Halo advantage. Much more portable with the relatively tiny case they came with. Doesn't make a difference to me but it might for others. I'll continue to use both. Yesterday was a series of short flights, so using the halo might be less cumbersome for long flights and the Zulu when I'm on errands. We'll see long term which I prefer.

I did my IFR mid-sixties after being away from flying for 30 years. For me, getting most of the written studying done before the flying instruction worked best. When we were in the air, it was more implementing what I had already learned rather than learning & implementing at the same time. It has been said, and I confirm, that it's harder to fly a flight simulator than a real plane. I spent some time with x-plane and the Mooney sim. Once I could keep the needles centered with the sim, doing it in the plane was easy. Double benefit was the sim had a GNS430, so I got used to button pushing in a more controlled environment. As with my PPL, I had an experienced old fart instructor that was semi-retired from a previous career. He had the perfect mix of encouragement, humour and discipline to make the time in the plane both fun and beneficial. Finding an instructor that matches your needs may be the most difficult part.

That chart is (at least) incorrect for my IO360-A1A. I use BY plugs. Experience has shown me when I see an error in a document, I question the remainder.

TThe Mooney ads and website targets pilots, or pilot wannabees. Cirrus ads and website are pure lifestyle oriented. If we look at the segment of the population that has the $$ to buy an aircraft, most are interested in an enhanced lifestyle, not in being a pilot. For them becoming a pilot is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The Cirrus website parallels most car websites, with emphasis on non-technical aspects. The Mooney website focuses on technology and performance. If my circle of friends is any indication, they'd be far more concerned about colour palette selection than outright performance. They consider me to be a bit of an odd duck, with my interest in technology. They want simplicity, safety, esthetics (probably not in that order). Money doesn't matter much. Cirrus gives them that. They have a "go pedal" and a "stop pedal" in their cars. I wouldn't even know how to begin explaining throttle, prop, mixture...

Now that I’ve had time to review the TAF, terrain and route of the OPs flight, I would have made the same decision to go. Warm VFR conditions not far below and ample terrain clearance is the obvious out. My only concern would be the hellacious 5 knot crosswind component. /sarc: off

Do you have the liveatc time? Cleared to land... given the go-around... told his gear was down... landed gear up ? Odd sequence.

Leaving aside the discussion re: icing, other than a bumpy headwind what’s the issue with the TAF winds. I wouldn’t do much travelling if that amount of wind was a no-go. You are saying you would scrub a flight on that basis alone?

I’ve used BY plugs since my first annual with no fouling, but I lean aggressively. I think the discussion should be: BY plugs or fine wire plugs. Assuming they’re approved for your engine, can anyone come up with a reason to use non-BY massives? I had a brain fart and dropped a BY plug during my recent annual. It was a $40Cdn mistake vs a $120Cdn mistake. One advantage of fine wires would be less potential to have a carbon bridge short. I had that happen last month.

I've heard great things about Halos and would have bought one to try if they were available. I find it bizarre that the guy would choose to maintain a low "barrier to entry" by limiting volume. In this day and age, I'm surprised that it took so long for a competitive product to arrive. It's a shame, but you'd have to be willfully blind to not expect what happened. This isn't the first, nor will be the last, small business to leave money on the table to their detriment.

Just had a much needed third latte after our annual Robbie Burns party last night (and into this morning). My son surprised me with these mugs he made up. He matched Gladys' trim colours and even duplicated the tail number shadowing.

I drop the gear at glideslope intercept, wherever on the approach that occurs. The prop and mixture are already set for a miss and the throttle is set for the flap/gear speed at level flight. When I drop the gear at intercept the drag is just enough to follow the glideslope down. There's usually no need to adjust anything. Easy. On a miss it’s just throttle to worry about. Arrest the descent, straight ahead, gear up and turn/climb to the MAP. And just as on the approach, usually no need to retrim much if at all. That’s for my F. YMMV.

I can't find an answer to a simple question. I understand the POH says to remove the tiedown rings before flight. Were they really expecting a pilot to clamber under to remove the rings and then crawl (in the rain or snow) to reinstall them every time they tied down again. What is the reason to remove? weight? aerodynamics? rings falling on a person on the ground? structural integrity? aesthetics? mandatory exercise/stretching after a long flight?

I hadn't thought of that, but would there be much chance of oil seeping past the piston/oil control ring/compression rings for just a few minutes at essentially zero pressure?