Ragsf15e

Ahh yes, that’s more difficult. I didn’t like doing it at 1000rpm with chocks and my wife on the brakes! I was able to check it at my power conditioner on the firewall through the oil dipstick door.

Showoff. I bet she’s still making 65% power too!

Supposedly the only way to get roller lifters is a factory new or rebuilt. You can get DLC coated lifters though and those are supposed to remedy the cam spalling issue just as well.

I recently had some low voltage issues and eventually traced it to a slightly worn/corroded connection from the battery to the bus. Easiest way for me to trace it was to take a voltmeter and work my way back from the alternator running at 14V to the power conditioner, to the alternator circuit breaker, to the bus, to the battery connection at the bus. Solid 14v all the way until the battery wire connection at the bus. Sanded it, reattached, problem solved. Be careful checking alternator output because the engine is running! Use some wire clips to stand safely away. Zeft

Yes, one electronic SF mag is approved on certified airplanes. The other mag remains the same. If you had complete electrical failure, the SF won’t work, and you’ll be on the single remaining traditional mag. Even with just one SF, there is a noticeable difference in starting, LOP cruise, and preventative maintenance (no 500 hr inspection). However, the differences are small, so don’t buy one expecting your F model to turn into an Ovation.

I’d say cost and fitting legacy panel space. If you want to remove a vacuum ADI and DG, and just pop in 2xGI275s, boom! You’ve got awesome, current avionics in the exact same holes. (It does take some integration wiring for autopilot, gps, etc). If you’re cutting a whole new panel, the G3x is an awesome option with lots of possibilities... built in engine monitor, pfd/mfd capability, integrated traffic and weather, bigger screen, etc.

I have a SF. It starts super easy, runs smooth, should last 2000 hrs. It is really nice for LOP if that’s your thing. Not different than a traditional mag ROP in cruise. Running a wire from the battery is a little pain if your battery is in the tail.

There really isn’t one. The SF requires power. Minimal power, but power. If you lose the alternator, it runs off the battery. Draw is minimal but I don’t have it in front of me. If the battery and the alternator dies, you’re left with the other mag.

Yes I definitely agree.

We’re getting in the “power curve” here. You can be “behind the power curve” and not stalled. In that case it actually takes more power to go slower (think slow flight). Theoretically, it will take less power to go faster but you have to get there first! In slow flight you have extra power available and can accelerate. At cruise you’re already at full. Assuming you are already at full power, you will not accelerate, you will have to descend to accelerate and then possibly to climb higher. I definitely wouldn’t think cruising less than Vy is gonna be very successful?

Nope, you can do the work but it needs signed off by an A&P.

I fly an F in Washington state and down through Idaho, Nevada, Utah a lot. It will get up to the mid teens but it’s not really happy up there if it’s warm and/or you’re loaded anywhere near gross. Clearly you can get the airplane higher (see the post about going to FL220), but comfortable cruising ended for me through about 14,500 on a warm day (DA may have been much higher). Your engine is getting pretty close to about 50% power... 100hp! As @TTaylorsaid, somewhere around 9gph and 140kts is all you’ll see up there. Up that high, rich of peak and 2600+ rpm are your friends! Additio

While it’s down, here’s something that takes some time but you can do yourself if you want... pull the elevator and rudder control rods, sand off any corrosion, prime, paint. Same thing with main gear wells. Scotch bright and prime/paint. Easier if you take the gear off. Not engine specific, but those are common areas with corrosion.

It’s a good option, just factor in keeping or adding an appropriate AI backup like a gi275 or G5. By the time you add the backup and install, the g3x solution is definitely more than fitting 2xgi275s. Cutting the panel for the g3x is likely significant...

Imo, having two gps units is overkill. They are very reliable. If you lose one you’ll have to tell atc anyway (that’s a good thing) and they will help you get where you need to go. You should probably have some type of approach capability on your #2 radio like vor or ils. Realistically, you’ll probably have 3+ GPSs in the cockpit in order to navigate (ipads, phones, stratus, etc.). None of it legal, but it’ll get you home. Still want a backup approach though. I personally wouldn’t have counted my stratus as a backup AI. I did have it set up before I went with dual G5s and it could be