ArtVandelay

And if faced with big trees, aim between them, let the wings take the brunt of the first impact.

I’ve tried to find private grass strips I can see on the charts and never could see them. Trying to pick out a grass strip surrounded by green vegetation is very difficult and could have been blocked by his wing in the moment he looked around. I try to find hangars before I look for runways, even with regular airports. Easy to do sitting in your easy chair with google earth looking directly down, but with no engine, mind racing…road probably was easy to spot and inviting, probably line up well before small town and glided further than he wanted.

Put some painters tape over them, this is helpful in the winter when water will freeze. I recommend doing this for those with speed brakes as well.

Yes, I heard Garmin does, and will not allow databases to be updated for stolen units. First thing you ask for pictures of front and back, front to check condition and back to get model/serial numbers. Often for front they will use pictures they downloaded because they don’t even have the unit, always get the pictures of the back end.

My gear warning goes off around 15” manifold pressure, so well before I get close to landing. You can adjust it somewhat, the switch is mounted on the throttle cable just behind the panel.

In a normal “benign” gear up, I would guess the costs run around: $10,000 for new blades/overhaul hub. $10,000 belly repairs including antennas. $30,000 engine tear down and overhaul (4 cylinder Lycoming). Anything else? If above is correct, then it takes 62 customers to pay for 1 gear up.

I have 2 in the battery compartment.

Priorities in order: 1. Inspect for corrosion (main spar, inside below the windows, tail). 2. Inspect the oil for metal (too late now I guess). 3. Fill fuel tanks, check for leaks (preferably a few hours later) And have someone other than the annual mechanic do the inspection. #1 Requires hours of labor removing interior and inspection panels but it’s necessary to do a thorough inspection.

Send here it to be repaired, price will be ~$500. http://aeromotorsllc.com

No. It can’t protect you if you’re flying or doing the maintenance. But it can protect you if your partner is responsible. It can only be pierce if you don’t use due diligence. If your partner is unlicensed, then you be held responsible for example. Always have it worked on by a professional mechanic, not your buddy. All expenses should be paid by corporation, not your personal account. There are rules…your lawyer should go over this. If it gets pierced then you’ve done something wrong. I’m not a lawyer, only relaying information told to me by a lawyer.

Forget the placard. SOP for me is to leave the flaps down, automatically prevents this.

Altitude? I fly higher in summer if possible (>8000’) to get to cooler and smoother air. What’s the 50° placard mean?

It’s not available today, but coming next week.

I’d guess someone yelled at him that he was going the wrong way, then he panicked.

I think that’s called “marketing”. [emoji16]