Ragsf15e

You should check out the Foreflight website where they have a lot of info on required hardware. I'm actually pretty sure it will work perfectly with a Stratus - the Stratus has a super accurate GPS in it which feeds Foreflight through the wifi. Obviously yours won't work without the Stratus since it doesn't have GPS, but with the Stratus it should be fine. The Foreflight customer service has been pretty responsive to me in the past too...

Yeah, before that screenshot i flew right through all the Nellis Moas too... Right through the middle! It was awesome... Flight following from nellis control and the moas were cold. Ive done a lot of flying in there, but thats probably the first time i had enough time to really look around... 500kts is a bit different than 140! Marauder, im going to get an ipad mini and mount it on the right side of the panel just to display the adi/syn vis and approach plates for ifr flying. Ill still use the regular ipad for maps, planning, etc, but the mini will be almost like a cb club eadi. Its really good!

Bit of a headwind as you can see!

Flew from St George, UT to Minden, NV vfr yesterday. Gererally 4,000' ceilings in the valleys, bases around 9 to 10k msl with all the high mountains obscured and ice in the clouds. Having syn vis was really nice as i crossed some of the lower passes at 1,000' agl to maintan vfr!

Bob - I've got a JPI930 so most of the same data you're talking about. I think sometimes we have "TMI" (too much info!). Here are my responses to your points though and what I see on my A1A engine in the M20F... Oil pressure will go into the upper end of the yellow (I think that's below 60psi) in idle after flight (when the oil is warm and thin). Generally it'll be in the green at idle when it's colder. This is consistent with the manual that gives a different pressure requirement at idle (thus the yellow range). My oil pressure is always solidly in the green at normal flight settings with oil around 180-195 degrees F though. My RPM usually shows 2710 or 2720 on takeoff so it goes red... am I overspeeding the engine every time I takeoff? I think not. If I had a normal analog gauge the needle is probably 50 RPM fat anyway. You can certainly test the RPM, but I suspect it's well withing tolerances and the gauge is just giving us more info than we need. Finally, good question on the CHTs... lots of techniques on these. Most people say to keep them below 380 in cruise / 400 or less in climb or something like that. It will depend on how you lean - i usually cruise around 6 to 10,000 and lean to peak or slightly lean of peak. This winter I've been showing about 1-290, 2-330, 3-330, 4-310. I show more like 380 on #2/#3 in the climb. In the summer I keep them around 380 to 400 in climb and around 350 in cruise. I'd like to know how stable your fuel pressure is during climb immediately after you turn off the electric pump... mine is all over the place. Scared me a few times, but stays in the green although goes right to the bottom of it sometimes. No change in flow and the engine runs perfectly. Rags

That's one fast puppy!

That's actually a really good question. I only have one ASI, so I couldn't really determine (I didn't have it recalibrated after I found the error). Since all your 3 (!?) ASIs agree, I guess you will know it's the pitot system that has the error if you do a groundspeed test, solve backward for IAS and find that it's not what's indicated. Remember, there is an IAS correction in the POH that is supposed to be applied and the faster you go, the more you have subtract from the IAS to get CAS (Calibrated Aspd).

I don't want to be a party pooper on the awesome KIAS you guys are showing off, but you should really do a 3 or 4 leg speed check to validate them. Last summer I used my IAS, temp, pressure alt, etc to compute my TAS. Funny though, when i compared it to my ground speed, I was "always getting a headwind"... when I did the GPS 3 (or 4) way speed checks, I found a 6 knot error in the IAS at cruise speed - it was showing 6 knots fast! My POH does show a ASI correction chart, but not 6 knots. Anyway, I'd highly recommend doing the GS check to figure out what you really have... or leave well enough alone and just enjoy it? If you do the speed check, you can figure out your real TAS and then work backward to IAS and see how far your IAS is off which might be nice to know.

Highly recommend flying over the Grand Canyon using the Special Rules VFR chart (it's on Foreflight too if you download it and then zoom in enough). it was easy and you can keep Flight Following (radar advisories) from LA Center while you do it if you're worried about traffic. I had the SR Freq in one radio and Center on the other. They did ask "4044N, are you familiar with the Grand Canyon SFRVFR Area?" I said yes and pressed on through. it's a heck of a view! Mesquite NV is a good stop if you want to stay outside Vegas - the airport is small, but decent fuel prices and the Casino will come pick you up and has cheap/nice rooms and good food. St. George Utah is also close and is a beautiful new airport. An O2 system would be nice for this trip... you'll want to be at 11,500 or 12,500 for much of your time out there and my wife an I were wore out each evening without O2! I'm getting O2 for the next trip that way. The MOAs and restricted areas will be hot if you go through them on a weekday, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Much less likely to be hot on the weekend, but there are a lot of Air National Guard units in AZ that may use them on the weekend. Again, doesn't hurt to ask and you can go through the MOA if you need to even if it's hot... it's nice if you warn them first (speaking as a USAF pilot). I agree with the previous guys who suggested KSSF in San Antonio over KSAT. KSAT is nice, but too expensive. Equal distance from the Alamo. Enjoy the trip out west, I did almost the same one for Christmas!

Heck, I can't make it post a link right now... search for "M20F speed checks" and you should find it... someone help me out with a link!

Ross has a fast F, don't listen to him. Mine is a 1968 with a 700 SMOH engine (15 years ago) and minimal antennas. I can get 144 KTAS at about 5,000' if I fly WOT, 2500 RPM, and 100 ROP. Generally I fly higher and at peak or LOP. I'll see around 135 KTAS. You've got to do a GPS based 3 or 4 leg test to figure out your speeds - don't use your airspeed indicator, temp, etc to figure that stuff out - too many errors and unknowns. Go run a 3 or 4 leg test. I'll post a link to a previous thread with lots of speed numbers for F models below. Rags

Thanks for all the great ideas and encouragement guys. Good to see it's possible to keep flying even with very young kids!

Can someone tell me a bit more about actually operating with kids in the plane - what did you use for ear protection? I can see small kids ripping out ear plugs and pushing off headsets. What about altitudes you were comfortable with? Baby at 11.5k good to go? I fly in the Rockies... might need 13.5k! What about strollers... just find a foldable one and shove it in the back? Thanks guys, this is priceless info! Rags

You're right of course. Just being a Smart Ass, sorry. FF Syn Vision is awesome and I can't wait to get it. I can't imagine using that kind of picture shooting an IMC approach or at night. It's like cheating. It's almost a safety issue not to have it!

Bobby - After you put those LEDs in, did you get the "torpedo tube" light assembly to fit all back together? I tried a similar LED light, but it was slightly too big and I couldn't get the light fixture to fit back together. I would be interested in doing this if I could find a bulb that will allow reassembly as originally designed. Thanks, Drew

I've got an F with a similar useful load to JKHirsch - about 1010lbs useful, so about 630lbs with full fuel (64 gallons). Of course that's enough fuel to fly for 6+ hours at 135 knots (LOP, 8,000', ~8.5gph)! You can definitely download some gas, but the backseat isn't that big, and it's difficult to get back there - requires some decent flexibility. I have had adults back there and they are comfortable behind me (I'm 6'3"), but it's tough for them to get in/out. You can get anywhere between 135 knots and 150 knots true depending on your altitude and where you put the mixture. Oh yeah, and how many speed mods you have. I only have the 201 windshield which is nice, but the 201 cowl would be great ($$). There are lots of other speed mods too. I would expect a squawk free annual to be $2500... anyone ever had one of those? Expect $3k+ for a "normal" annual.

Thanks, I'll take a look at the SB.

Should I cut off an inch or so of the flexible tube and pull the metal tube up higher? How much should stick out the bottom of the cowl? Should there be a hole in the back like Bob mentions to prevent blockage? I've heard of that icing as well?

After buying the light kit from Short Wing Piper and then messing around with them this weekend, I would not do that again. They appear to be the exact same lights you can get on Super Bright LEDs website as mentioned earlier and they are $2.95 vs $50. The plastic covers that come with the light kit are not worth $45 and are hard to fit with our headliner as mentioned earlier. The solution Dan came up with is awesome, but I'm trying one with even less work... Took the torpedos apart and the glass and filter were filthy. Not sure how any light got through. Then I bought some super bright red LEDs (70 Lumens vs 30 from the lights in Dan's solution) from the website and will just replace the originals with the new ones. They will be aimed 90 degrees out like the original design, but we'll see how it goes. They were $4.95 each, so not a great loss if the don't work.

Lots (thank god the previous guy did it). Spruce has them for approx $900/wingtip light and $500 for the tail. Ouch.

Ok, I did some measurements, looked at the breather tube and now I have even more questions! I don't think mine has a hole in it at all except where it vents out below the cowl flap. From Bob's picture, it looks like his doesn't even have a metal tube venting it below the bottom of his cowling? I did a picture with the cowl flap open and closed (doesn't close all the way which could be a different problem - thoughts?) and measured it. Drew

Yep, some of our students wish they were on the ground doing these checks instead of 200+kts!! If you memorize them and practice something that works for you, you can do it pretty quick. Especially if "George" is flying the airplane for you while you do them (autopilot).