cnoe

I wasn't a math major but dividing TSMO by years SMO I come up with ~43 hours per year. By my standards that's not a lot of flying. IMO you should buy the "most complete" plane you can get for your budget including reserves. E, F, J; all great planes. FWIW I partnered in a solid E for a year but fell in love with the J. I wouldn't sweat any perceived/anticipated speed difference 'cause it's not much if any. But there are differences. I use/need the added baggage room and appreciate the added vertical stability of the medium-body airframe. My back seat is frequently occupied by our 95# pooch so I can't put bags there. Engine cooling is superior on the J, and I personally prefer the electric gear and flaps (though many here are devout about the manual systems). My wife, pooch, and I can stuff the baggage compartment to the ceiling, fill the stock tanks and fly 6 hours non-stop (900 nm) with an hour fuel reserve. I'm hoping to keep this plane another 25 years or so. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Still, as was mentioned earlier as a Part 91 operator I'm looking for an engine TBO of ~3,000+ hours. Fly frequently, keep the CHTs low, change oil regularly, borescope during those (oil changes), and keep the prop out of the dirt. That's my basic plan. I know it could all go to hell mañana but if well maintained I see no need for arbitrary overhauls. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Crappy product or not, they'd have sold a ton of these things if priced at $35K-$65K as originally projected. In January 2012 Cessna raised the Skycatcher's price to $149,900! We all know what $150AMU will buy in the used market, perhaps a pristine M20J with G500/GTN750/STEC55 or similar. You'd have to be crazy to choose the LSA at that price. I'm not sure about that; it looks to me like the engines, etc. are still in place.

Are you saying it read 66 minutes or it read 1.06 hours? My understanding is that the electronic tachs are simply timers without regard for RPMs (I cannot verify this though). But if your tach is showing 66 minutes when it should read 50 (or less) that's costing you big $ in depreciation/market-value. Your tach will show the engine at TBO (2,000) when it's actually only run for 1,515 hours! At typical engine-reserves that's over $7,000! I'd replace that thing yesterday. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

At the risk of sounding like an idiot let me say that... "I just LOVE shiny things!" What a beautiful engine; dude needs a CLEAR cowling. P.S. Three years later and my (your) new baffle seals (in blue) are working very well. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not sure about the NE but something I learned in last week's 3-hour Tracon tour here in Houston is that Approach owns the airspace above our Bravo all the way up to 16,000'. Even if you're VFR at 11,000' (here) you're still in their airspace and they would prefer to be controlling you (either IFR or FF). Houston Center owns the airspace above 16K. It's just an observation that I was previously unaware of. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That plus it's the position source for your ADS-B Out; the 300XL doesn't do that. If the 300XL has resale value, plus it's no longer being supported by Garmin, sell it then take the money and run (if you're buying a 430W/530W). The SL30 and indicator are your backup. And an iPad for triple (uncertified) redundancy. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We all agree about misinformation; it looks like VORs will still be around for a long while. If the OP doesn't give a hoot about the thousands of new LPV approaches, or VNAV at all then there are cheaper ways to achieve ADS-B compliance. I'm only suggesting to beware of purchasing used avionics whose support has already been abandoned. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We've noticed that before.[emoji846] Thanks for the insight. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Maybe $4000. ~$6000 for a GNS430W. If it has a problem the repair cost is $900 for the 430; are the 400s even supported (they're not shown on Garmin repair list). I love LPV approaches but not sure I'd buy a 400. 430W/530W are great as a budget buy though.

Looks like a nice deal on paper. Shame about the 52 gals. usable. Bladders cost 12 gals.? And 927# UL in an early J? If it's truly in good shape it's a classic example of upgrade costs grossly exceeding the added value. Shame it hasn't flown more lately. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm just keeping lean so that someday I might be able to accommodate one of Marauder's lovely ladies.

The seats aren't too bad but a new interior is on my 5-year list. At a whopping 135# it's more likely that my skinny ass needs additional padding! In any case a 5-hour haul is a pretty long time.

Absurd indeed, but no more so than a $1,000 gear-actuator spring, or a $1,000 LED PAR46 landing light. At the end of a 5-hour leg it's my "butt" that hurts; never my "head".

Oops! Sorry. But dogs need headsets too. I'll jump on the Bose A20 bandwagon. I bought my first set in 2011 and they work great, are super comfortable, and have held up well. My LEMO to GA adapter developed some static last year and Bose sent me out a new replacement adapter at no cost (without even having to return the bad one). That's good customer service in my book. I made the mistake of letting my wife use them once instead of the Sennheisers she originally had. Needless to say she got her own pair shortly thereafter. The Sennheisers are now a passenger headset. David Clark's are rock solid, but I don't think you can compare them from a "comfort" standpoint, at least with the more traditional lineup. But like others said, it's a very personal decision. Go to a big fly-in sometime and try them ALL.

When/where to pick up a clearance has a lot to do with your airspace. I spent 3 hours with senior controllers in our Bravo TRACON last Tuesday on a tour/Q&A. Launching here they greatly prefer you to pick up your clearance on the ground. Outside their airspace not so much. After seeing their internal departure/arrival corridors I now understand why. Departing D/E airspace I certainly understand the preference for departing VFR. Last time I departed KDRO we waited a full 20 minutes for release while a friggin' Embraer flew an entire procedure. We needed the clearance to get on top legally. Once you get the clearance it's sorta hard to say "nevermind, I'm departing VFR" while waiting for your release. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/muttMuffs.php Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yeah Eli's got ~175 hours now and with Mutt Muffs usually sleeps like a baby. We keep him below 10K if at all possible (Colorado MEAs not-withstanding). He's never been above 12K. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I believe so. He can probably hear sounds from the valve train that would scare the hell outta me.[emoji51] Can hear him now... woof woof woof (translation: I think your #3 exhaust tappet has excessive lash). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm curious about this. My wife's been asking me to swap out Eli's Mutt Muffs with a true headset so that she can talk to him while we're flying. It complicates matters a bit that I don't want him to be subjected to all the radio chatter. I guess we could switch between "Pilot Isolation" and "Crew Isolation " modes on the audio panel when she needs to converse with him. I'd likely remove (or not plug in) the mic as his input is neither wanted nor necessary. Any advice? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

With the older Century trim switches I believe the correct answer is to either replace the "assembly" with new from Century or "repair" your existing one by replacing the 3 individual micro-switches (which is a delicate and somewhat difficult procedure). The switches used in my '78J are Honeywell 21SX39-T units available at Mouser for $10.51 each + shipping. Again, replacing these is not a job for most hangar elves/fairies. It requires more skill than simply soldering the wires and bolting it in place; delicate adjustments may also be necessary. The consequences of screwing up the job are serious. I'd suggest just ponying up the money for the whole assembly from Century. But... if you have a qualified repair-person (a somewhat lost art) then the switches are not expensive nor hard to source.

So... did they by chance leave the boxes stacked up by the door of your hangar like they do with my home deliveries? I could be there in less than 60 minutes flight time which would make yours a very SAD Christmas instead. Sounds awesome Paul but you still aren't allowed to use the AP on formation flights!

I love this thread but it's gotten WAY above my pay grade. Evolutions, TBMs, Meridians, hell even SR22s and Ovations don't fit my retirement budget! On slow business days I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have bought a modded F instead of my J. It all makes me feel a little less sorry for those complaining about their $10 AMU maintenance bills.[emoji846] I don't begrudge you at all and consider myself blessed for simply being able to "slip the surly bonds of earth" on a whim. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes, they do sell the Air Boss harness and reconditioned cap for $450 with exchange. Their price on the M2916 is $610. Either should work. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Okay, following up on this... My J's autopilot and electric trim systems were both installed when the plane was delivered new in 1978. Testing yesterday confirms that the electric trim is not interconnected with the AP system. You can pull the AP breaker out and the ET still works fine. In the event of a runaway ET the only way to disconnect the ET is to turn off the Klixon switch/circuit-breaker on the panel. OTOH, the Altitude Hold system (which was added more than a decade later) has an interconnect and will not engage without a reference signal from the AP. So, in my plane a trim malfunction first requires overcoming the control forces then immediately turning off the Klixon switch just above the throttle. Yours may differ.