cnoe

These numbers will never be approved by the CB Club review board. The avionics reserve may be reasonable for your beautiful panel, but mine's well under $10/hr. And upgrades are discretionary spending that I keep independent of hourly costs. When I fly somewhere with a buddy who insists on sharing costs I quote $75/hr in my J. Averaging ~175 hrs a year helps keep that number low. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

WAAS gives you a glideslope to follow on GPS instrument approaches and minimums that are essentially the same as an ILS. With the hundreds of LPV approaches now available, and far fewer ILS approaches a WAAS GPS gives good added function. Plus it makes ADS-B compliance much cheaper. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yep, his 4.6 nmpg shocked me too until I ran the numbers and realized that my J only gets 5.6 nmpg against a 100 knot headwind. For only 1 more nmpg he's making 4X the groundspeed (and is actually getting somewhere). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm prepping for a trip next Thursday and may delay fueling until Tuesday due to weather and other issues. If so I might be able to meet you at KGLS for a quick demo flight in my J if you're interested. Of course you'd be obligated to be my safety pilot for an IFR practice approach or two. We could touch base late Monday if things go that direction. I'd also love to see your new bird sometime. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We need a "Don't Like " button. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Where's the beach house? Perhaps I could fly over and waggle my wings at you when I'm warming up my oil and topping the tanks this weekend.[emoji14] It's only 19 nm (7 minutes Mooney time) from my home base KLBX to San Luis Pass (west Galveston). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

As I understand it converting a GTX330 to a GTX330-ES is not merely a software upgrade. The unit must be shipped to Garmin for installation of the 1090 transmitter components among other changes. I did this in 2014, long before the rebate, but I'd submit the application if I were you and make them deny it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

FWIW, being of small stature when I was still flying an E I'd usually do the Mooney-wave on departure which makes gear retraction a breeze. Simply unload the wing for a brief moment* as you unlock and swing the bar. It lessens the required force considerably. * Note that this doesn't mean "dive the plane". Just a quick little push is all it takes with NO altitude loss. It's the next best thing to an electric gear.[emoji14] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Being based on the Gulf Coast my heater rarely gets used but it's always functioned well. In fact I can't imagine how anybody could ever need more hot air than this thing pumps out when fully open; it is overwhelming at any temperature above freezing. Even with the "cabin vent" fully open it only takes a small amount of "cabin heat" to warm things up when south of the Mason-Dixon line. And then... On my recent trip into Colorado I penetrated a cold-air mass enroute that had me grasping for the "cabin heat" knob only to find that it was stuck firmly shut. I pulled harder and harder but didn't want to break anything. Particularly I didn't want to pull it wide-open and be unable to close it again. Eventually I managed to feel a little "give" in the knob/cable and started feeling some warm air flowing from the vent. After getting just enough air to stay comfortable I left it alone for the duration of my trip modulating the temperature by opening and closing the "cabin vent" instead (and stayed plenty warm). So you ask "where's this going CNOE?" Here... I finally got a chance to investigate the issue and wanted to share my findings/observations to aid others who may need to service their own plane with this issue. On my J ('78) the heater control valve is a very simple flapper-type valve located on the right firewall. It resides inside the oddly-shaped box where the scat-hose connects between the exhaust muff and the firewall. Servicing it was quite straightforward but I'll remove a bit of the mystery about what's inside this box. I apologize for not taking more pictures. In order to lubricate the flapper-valve assembly, spring (yes, spring), and heater-control-cable you should remove the outer box (shroud) for complete access to the inner workings. It's also advantageous to have the cable completely free in order to properly lubricate it. To do this first remove the scat hose from the box and tuck it out of the way. Next, loosen the control cable nuts and slide both the nuts and washers from the threaded sleeve (this will allow you to clean up the threads completely before re-installation). You'll also need to remove the retainer screw that clamps onto the cable. If your cable is curled into a "U" at the end as mine was don't fret; there's an easy way to remove it from the retainer nut. To do this simply position the retainer/are as far to the end of the cable as you can and then wiggle-and-rotate the retainer so that the hole slowly makes its way around the cable's U-shaped end. It's not obvious upon first-look but as you spin/turn the retainer it will allow you to remove the cable entirely. Once that's free you can slide the cable out of the attachment and move it out of the way. Now all you have to do is remove the shroud from the assembly (which will remain fixed to the firewall). The shroud is connected to the valve-assembly by four machine screws (essentially one at each corner). These are not the four screws attached to the firewall (see photo). Oddly 3 of the 4 screws were secured into fixed nut-plates on the back of the valve's outer flange, but the remaining screw (on the lower right side) passed through the flange and was secured with a free-floating locknut. This nut required a 11/32" backup wrench for removal and this was complicated in my application by the adjacent Oil-Separator (which thankfully I did not have to remove). Also note that this lower-right screw is slightly up/under the angled deflector (see photo) so you cannot get directly inline with your #2 phillips screwdriver. Make sure that your screwdriver tip is in good shape or you may have trouble removing this screw at the small angle required. The other 3 screws are fairly easy to remove. All 4 screws have a flat-washer under their phillips heads. Once the screws are out the shroud slides straight forward and off of the flapper-valve. The valve is a simple square flat plate attached with a long shaft through 2 pivot points. You'll also find a small pivot spring on the shaft that is designed to keep the valve fully closed when not held open by the control cable. The plate seats against a robust tubular structure passing through the firewall. There isn't a rubber seal or similar but the flapper (plate) has a circular bead of hardened sealant on its surface that mates with the adjacent tube (do not remove/clean this material). Lubricate this entire assembly generously while swinging the flapper plate open and closed repeatedly. I would also recommend brushing/moving the spring independently of the flapper to clean it up as well. You may also want to use a brass brush or similar to gently clean the entire assembly. Oh yeah, don't forget to put a rag under the area before doing all this, and a shop vac comes in handy as well. Once the valve is cleaned up and thoroughly lubricated it should easily swing open and closed with the spring capable of closing it on its own. Next is the cable lubrication step. I don't have any fancy methods of doing this so I simply wrap a rag around the end of the cable sheath and start pumping oil into the end while an assistant repeatedly moves the cable knob in and out from the cockpit. Also have the assistant put some oil on the control rod in the cabin. Once you get some lubricant inside the cable sheath it should start moving easily. Now all there's left to do is re-assemble everything just the opposite of how you removed it. Putting the screws back in place was easier than I expected though starting the one locknut took a bit of patience. Also, don't forget to put the cable-nuts in place before you re-install the retainer at the end. When it's all back together make sure that everything is moving smoothly and adjust the nuts in/out so the the valve is fully closed with the control knob not-quite all the way in (you want to leave just a little "push") like on the other controls. That's it! There's nothing too difficult about it and those of you with good mechanical skills will scoff at the need for this write-up. But if it helps anybody de-mystify things then my time writing it wasn't wasted.

Thanks for the comments Bart and Robert. And Anthony. FWIW there was an overcast then broken layer at 14,000' that ended several miles prior to reaching this mountain ridge. At the crossing there were no cap, lenticular, or roll clouds visible but as you know that doesn't mean there's no turbulence or waves. Even though the sink rate exceeded my available rate-of-climb there was no noticeable sensation of dropping like you feel in a strong downdraft. Because of my generous altitude it didn't feel threatening and instead was a quite interesting experience. I'd recently completed a paid course of study on aviation weather in which mountain waves were discussed in some detail. I was previously unaware of the importance of a higher stable air mass to reflect the rising air. A SkewT-LogP graph can sometimes help identify conditions ripe for wave formation. And amazingly the waves sometimes appear as lines of clouds on a high resolution satellite image. I will never understand it all but I'm attempting to learn as much as my pea-brain will allow. That and a little luck as well. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

FYI I just entered "LOGEN V222 SUG" into Foreflight as a route and it shows all 9 waypoints in the NavLog (and on the map route). When you send it to the ICAO flight plan for filing it simply says "Departure - LOGEN, Enroute - V222, Destingation - SUG". Flyq-EFB should do this as well. I'd contact them for sure.

There's some fairly good information here: http://www.pilotfriend.com/safe/safety/mountain_wave.htm Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I appreciate your comments and the lively discussion. I'm certainly no expert on the subject of mountain flying but am instead a perpetual student. This was my 4th trip into the area in the past 3 years but I still realize I'm not yet ready to venture somewhere like Leadville or the high ranges of central Colorado. I'm a firm believer in progressive experience. With that being said I still believe that I was well prepared and prudent in my planning for this particular flight. The climb-out at Durango was much more concerning to me than the ridge crossing due to icing concerns. I approached the ridge at a 45 degree angle making an escape turn quite feasible, and I crossed in an area where my AGL was at least 7,000' the entire time. Even traversing the highest peak I'd have had ~5,000' of ground clearance. If I'd been flying 3,000'-5,000' lower I would certainly have deviated around the area. While mountain waves can provide great lift and sink rates they are often smooth when encountered at sufficient altitude. Rotors on the other hand can be a beast but typically reside at the ridge height or lower and rarely exceed 2,000'-3,000' above that height. With 7,000' of ridge clearance I didn't feel in danger of a rotor incursion. And at 15,000' I was well above the conservative recommendation of 50% higher than the ridge for wave activity. You are correct that I could have been carried higher by wave action but the biggest danger is being too low. I was already on O2 and regularly checking my O2 saturation. Had I not been on an IFR altitude assignment I would have been better off riding the wave "up" on the windward side but the altitude-hold had no problem maintaining altitude on the windward side. I DID have to hand fly the first lee-side wave to avoid a low-airspeed issue and that was a lesson not just for me but for anyone else reading this thread. As far as the "engine-out" scenario you suggested, that's a total non-issue in my opinion. If I venture high enough that my engine will no longer run I'll simply pitch for best-glide and take her back down to an altitude where she lights up again. I encourage everyone to get comfortable with managing an engine-out. Running a tank dry, or pulling the mixture to idle-cutoff at altitude is truly a non-issue in these planes. So in answer to your question... no, I think I was well-prepared rather than lucky in this instance. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Of course that may be it entirely. As a pup Eli got sick in the car a couple of times after exhibiting the open-mouth/tongue look but quickly acclimated to the plane once he was a bit older. I imagine Strava will turn into a great co-pilot soon! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm no expert but in my experience when their tongue hangs out like that it's a good indicator of motion sickness. Be sure to withhold food and water for a few hours prior to departure, and benadryl might also help with anxiety and/or motion-sickness. Check out this article for more info: http://akc.org/content/health/articles/benadryl-for-dogs/?utm_source=enewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20170227-yourakc Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Shame on you! ... but secretly, very secretly, I'm laughing my arse off.[emoji57] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

And at $10.25 each you stand to make a healthy profit as well!

My apologies Dan; I meant no offense. I typically find the CR123A batteries to have an outstanding shelf life and fairly good performance while in use. I'm hopeful that the short useful life you experienced in this case was an anomaly and that the figure quoted by the manufacturer is more normal. If this is not the case I hope others will post their experiences here. Certainly if I had to replace my CO Detector's battery 12-15 times a year at a cost of ~$10 each time I'd be dis-pleased as well. I typically purchase these online where one can get a 10-pack of Duracells for less than $2 each with free shipping. I only meant to inform others on this thread that these batteries aren't "necessarily" expensive. I've edited my previous post.

Between Austin and Houston area our arrival fixes are named after highly-regarded "beers" such as SHYNR and BOKKE. Near Norman, OK they're named after past OU basket greats like TSDEL and WAYMN. FAA ain't ALL bad.

The Sensorcon uses common CR123A batteries which aren't "necessarily" all that expensive. I keep extras already in my flight bag for my Streamlight cockpit flashlight. The battery life "according to Sensorcon" is like 2 years, plus they're user replaceable. $6.51 for a 2-pack on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-CR123A-Lithium-Photo-Batteries/dp/B01B3EQR8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488900564&sr=8-1&keywords=panasonic+cr123a . P.S. Mine is velcro'd to the lower console as well.

It looks like the airport near Olathe (Garmin), KS got hit pretty hard last night. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm so sorry to hear that. We were really hopeful you would be "pleased" with the results. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

IMHO I'd rather have a bright white RELIABLE low-current led that I can leave on continually than an unreliable halogen current-hog that's rarely illuminated. This one is currently used by hundreds of pilots with great utility and is effectively identical to the Whelen Parmethius. https://www.amazon.com/Whelen-PAR-46-Super-LED-Steady-8-DEGREE/dp/B009LQG64S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1488850901&sr=8-2&keywords=Whelen+par46+led Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm with you brother! I scrubbed my flight into the area on Thursday the 23rd as the winds were already 50 knots across the ridges and 70 knots at 12,000' near Albuquerque. At safe altitudes I'd have been bucking 100+ knot headwinds and it still would have been a VERY rough ride. One day later on the 24th I only took about 25 knots on the nose for the duration of the 850 nm flight as I was able to stay lower. Sometimes the best move is to simply not fly.

Yep, when you're making 168 knots true airspeed at 15,000' in a J showing ~0 fpm on the VSI (as I was doing on approach to the ridge) it's a pretty good sign that you're in "glider heaven" and are about to be in "single-engine hell" once you cross the ridge.