jasona900

Here is the story on the F-14.... flew in for firefighter training as suspected. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=14568

Aircraft has been sold.

Agreed! And I have a Sensorcon already. I usually attach it with Velcro to the blanked off instrument cover. But working on a better, more permanent attachment.

Honestly couldn't have said it better myself. I have found the GNS-480 paired with the STEC-55x to be incredibly functional and reliable. Shortly after takeoff I can engage GPSS steering, dial in a vertical speed until I hit and select my cruising altitude... and then not touch the controls until the DH, all within .02 NM of course centerline. It still amazes me every time.

Price lowered to $90k

A great airplane that is not getting flown as much as it should. Based at Gillespie (KSEE) in San Diego. Plenty more pics and complete logs. $90k. '78 M20J 201 TTAF: 3904 TSMO: 1882. Annual due March 2020. Nicely equipped with a Garmin GNS-480 and STEC-55X autopilot. ADS-B out compliant with a Garmin GTX 330ES transponder. PMA-450A (four place)intercom, EI UBG-16 engine monitor, Shadin Miniflo-L fuel flow. IFR inspection completed in March 2019.

This works really well for me: At shutdown, throttle to 1200 RPM. Then slowly bring mixture to cutoff. The engine will sputter and then shutdown. Leave the throttle where it is at. Should have no problem starting 4hrs later... just like any other hot start.

Check the antenna connection on the back of the mounting bracket. Mine comes loose every now and then due to vibration.. a quick wiggle and problem solved.

I think this is an excellent video with several lessons learned...and for now, putting aside anything they could have caught during preflight due to fuel contamination. Obviously he executed a perfect water ditch, and since it was captured on video, we are lucky we can learn from that. It is really hard to see people in the water, unless you are right on top of them. One of the best signaling devices you can own is a mirror to reflect the sun during the day, and a strobe during the night. Google "survival mirror" and you can get one from REI for less than $5. Simply waving at your rescue will not do. They will not see you. Chances are, they will fly right past you (assuming like in this case, there are no other debris in the water). Assuming a calm sea state like the one they were in, they could have splashed the water to make them stand out a little more. Not so much of course in rough seas with white caps all around. Reflective tape goes a long way if you have a raft. Had their friend not been orbiting overhead, I bet the Coast Guard would have had a really tough time finding them. Even worse if there was a strong current. It took the Coast Guard about 45mins to get to them. With a good current, you can drift a long way from where you ditched in that amount of time, and drastically expanding the search area for your rescue. They were lucky they were still within cellphone range. Put the water temperature into your flight planning calculus (altitude/glide range) when you are going to transit over a large body of water. They were showing signs of hypothermia after 30 mins. Imagine if it was winter...or they were in the PNW.

Sent you a PM

I have slipped my J many times.. was a reason given why you cannot?

That's a good idea! I'm going to start doing that..

Thank you for reminding me to update my profile! We moved to San Diego last week.. now based at Gillespie. So I guess I did fly in from Nebraska, with a two month hiatus enroute

Awesome! Count me in.

I have a Bruce cover on it now.. so that helps.