Rod Vivian

On shut down the Aspen reports 30min left on battery, so I don't think that's the problem. Thanks for ideas. The unit does get pretty hot to touch during normal operation, but it's never shut down before.

Thanks for info. I do have a avionics master, but the Aspen has its own switch on bus bar. For now on I'll leave it off till after engine start.

I spoke too soon, 3 hours later, on return flight, Aspen started fight up. So, is there a self resetting breaker/ fuse internally. Whatever, I'm releaved. Somewhere I read Aspen's flat rate or repair is $2000?

On startup today, as my Aspen EFD was booting up, I started the engine. The Aspen went blank, reset breaker x several, nothing. I was told by installer that the Aspen could be left on during startup? Never problem before x 6 years. Any ideas?

I have flown my '68 C in and out of 1D2 for more than 20 years. Never thought 2500 ft was an issue. If you are not safe with 2500, you're not safe with 10,000 ft. You should be able to land in a predicable fashion. One time at 1D2 was interesting with 25 kt crosswind, rain and at night. Running out of runway was not an issue. Staying on the runway had my attention.

2 months into my C it needed a new prop. Buying a plane is like adopting a child and then finding out you have to put him/her through Harvard. I feel that it there are 3 parts to ownership- owner, plane, and mechanic. My mechanic is almost part if our family. I've owned it now for 21 years. My wife and I have built our expenses around it, plane ownership is similar to a vacation home. I wonder what, " the hourly costs of having a child is?" Looking over that time it has brought my family a great deal of pleasure. Through the airplane we have seen places and have had experiences that have been the high points of life. We live in Cincinnati and have been to Jackson Hole, Nassau, Bar Harbor, Sedona. We have family in Fort Worth and Phiily and the plane allows 2-3 visits a year. Grandchildren in Detroit and Columbus--- the plane cuts travel from 2hrs to 40 mins and is more fun. I work hard and work long hours. Getting away is difficult. Having the plane enables me to maximize my time off. My youngest daughter just graduated from college and got a teaching job in Mesa, Az. Wife, 20 year old son and I just flew back from there yesterday. Going out we spent 2 days in Santa Fe. Flying into and out of Phoenix was amazing. Those aren't hills, they look like," plane traps". My wife laughed, " it felt like the home stretch over the Texas pan handle". 10 hours of headwind going and 8 returning, how does that happen? A trip is an existential experience. We go for how long the weather lasts, we don't fight it, but stop and drop. I wonder if the plane enabled my daughter's choice to move 2000 miles away, she didn't even ask my opinion? Nearly all of my friends I have met through aviation. We have landed at so many places where people have gone out of thier way to be helpful. The word," community" comes to mind. Cross country flying is nearly the last place in our culture where you can have adventure. Blue water sailing is similar. There is expense, training, and risk but incredible satisfaction of mastery and seeing new places and meeting new people. As we get older, it's easy to play it safe and let the world shrink around us, the comfort zone gets smaller. It was found that as people face death the concern they have is not about worries over past mistakes, but guilt over not taken advantage of opportunities due to fear. Plane ownership will never be logical, but it can almost define how you live and who you are.

High temps and gross weight turns a Mooney into a different animal! There is not much lift over a hot runway.

My worst was when my mechanic called me saying, " are you sitting down?" I did and things only got worse from there, oh well. I really hate, " we found metal in the filter, fly another 10 hours and we will check it again. " that has never worked out. It has always turned out that the worst possible outcome became THE outcome. Never a problem money can't fix as long as it's on the ground. But I keep at it because it's worth it, I think.

Do you have cards for the Apollo /UPS GX 60?

Currently I have just sealed off the sump because it leaked, the valve works fine. My mechanic wants to replace the assembly, is that necessary? I don't want to get it all apart and get stuck.

I need one, what do you want? Rod Vivian rpilot1032@aol.com