Tommy

Case and point - and this is not to take anything away from Sully's heroic effort and brilliant airmanship - if AI was used to fly the plane and to coordinate the airspace. 1 second is merely all it would take for the decisions of turning back to be made and the stricken plane was capable of landing on 3 different La Guardia runways. The whole event would be a non-event news-wise. The pax would be re-booked on a different flight later of that day. And the insurance cost to the industry will be two brand new engines. Here is the provocative question: If you were a stakeholder in this scenario, who (or what) would you choose to fly the plane? Sully or Georgina?

I know this is going to piss off many of you guys out there but I don't think normal style of flying is any more difficult than driving. In fact it's EASIER *gasp* and that's why automation was easily adopted many decades back but the car industry is only very recently embracing the technology with faster sensor and computing power. The key, however, is not automation, is A.I. The ability to learn, analyse, and make decisions like a seasoned pilot especially in emergencies. As much as we like to pride our self as superior aviators, George has and will always be a better pilot than all of us. But comes the day when Georgina - the one with the brain and a sexy voice - is able to tell George how to fly right in 99% of the time... Read the recent Plane&Pilot article on Intelligent Autopilot System and you know it's not a question of if but when. I, for one, has started counting the number of days I have as a pilot.

Posting for a syndicate in Sydney Looks like a hangar queen with original avionics. Not sure where and how the top over haul was done. Needs new transponder and a WASS source to be ADSB compliant by 2020. Mission: syndicate. IFR. http://www.douglasaircraftsales.com/product/mooney-ovation-1997/ Price : 180K USD Diamond in the rough or a money pit? Tom ps. I always believe syndicating a Mooney is a bad idea to start with...

Just planning ahead. I have a pretty stock standard 1981 J with FD + HSI + KFC 200 + KTX 175BE If I get a dual G5 + GAD29B to talk to my KFC 200. What functionalit(ies) will I loose? And if I spend big and install a GTN 650. How much hands-off flying can I do with this setup? And what would be a competitive rival setup and what sort of pricing difference am I looking at here? Thanks guys! Tom

Learning new things every day! Sounds like a "well it seemed like a good idea at the time" sort of design. Time for a cup of tea and some crumbles for us who fly a Lycoming! Earl "grey" anyone?

Pardon my ignorance. Is this something that can be inspected easily (cowls off and a good torch)? If so, can someone share a photo of where this bit sits? Thanks!

There is no such thing as a young bold pilot. Regardless the cause, celebrity pilots had been a double-edged sword for general aviation. Great to have them as spokesperson but when they crash (or land on the taxiway).... No sympathy for ICON as a company though. Instead of promoting aviation safety, it taunts it, paying its marketing strategy with people's life including its chief engineering pilot and now Roy.

Is it just the vibration that matters? Or are there other concerns to speak of?

Stupid questions: can this thing be fitted to a J? And how much extra fuel can you carry in this thing?

Nice strawman you set up there, @201er Not only your post served no purpose whatsoever in this instance, it actually distracted the whole discussion. Now people are talking about CHTs instead. Hate to be some sort of forum police but may I suggest that if you had nothing to contribute to the actual discussion please show some courtesy and take your personal vendetta else where. Really appreciate it. Personally I also disagree with what @jetdrivenis saying but I think our difference of opinion lies in the fact that there is a distinctive lack of firm definition of the term "continuously." Is it 2 minutes? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? or 60 minutes? Now if anyone can present a case of failure due to short continuous operation - say 5 minutes - then our ears will all perk up.

So what happened after 24-1030?

One can easily ponder whether the outcome will be different if it's during the day. For one the trees will be right in the view before the roll and the upslope will also be much more obvious. There might be gaps in the trees where Patrick can manoeuvre to soften the blow or avoid clipping the trees all together. Would a working landing light vs a non working one make any difference? Well, if it's a high power one, maybe. The bottom line is that it's hard to make decisions when you can't see where you are going. So do everything to "see" and "be seen" including a working landing light. Flying at night is risky enough - again statistics will back me up on this - why compound the problem? ps. so far the "go-for-it" camp still hasn't given any explanation on why the landing light is a legal requirement when the plane is for hire? Does the risk profile change when the plane is for hire?

The vibration and the noise mean that many J drivers including myself know instinctively when we are in the yellow arc and had been flying some sort of chop and drop method during the base to final leg. But on the very short final just before the fence, I much rather stay on the slope even if it means operating between the arc especially if it's windy or the runway is short.

Or maybe just being able to read and understand the terms like "discussion" or "online forum"?

Perhaps it's only readable to those who have some modicum of personal humility?

Oh I am sorry but last time I read the description of this online forum it makes no mention of an orgy sanctuary for those who are maritally challenged...

Read my statement closely, I said there is no specific evidence to say anti-collison light prevented any collisions and it's simply a common sense thing as a response to your statement that there is no specific evidence of taking off without landing lights caused any accidents. It's just a common sense NOT to introduce another hole in your swiss cheese.

Honestly I am not sure what's wrong with you guys can't take a heated discussion on the internet? Why is it so butt hurt for you guys to be questioned, challenged, or even insulted ONLINE? "Ashamed of yourself?" Get a grip on life, bud. Gosh, I am reluctant to imagine what you guys are like taking criticisms in real life. Now tell me why is it that landing light is a legal requirement when the aircraft is for hire? Why the Moon shines brighter when a rental plane is flying?

When you disengage A/P (specifically KFC 200), does it stop the servos from running? I was told that they kept spinning regardless. If that's the case then I might as well use it instead of trying to preserve the servos during turbulent flight.

Did you even read the article that I had referenced? Why is it difficult? Gosh, where do I start? Visibility? Fatigue? Somatographical disorienation? Higher risk of inadvertent IMC? Lack of options with catastrophic emergencies? The list goes on and on... If it's not difficult, why do we need another rating to fly at night (some countries even asks for IR)? Why the statistics (The EVIDENCE you asked for)? I don't have specific evidence re: landing lights but neither do you have any evidence to say that, for example, anti-collision lights actually prevented collisions at night but it's a reuqirement based on common sense. What I lack in specific evidence, I made it up in overall evidence - there are more accidents in night relatively speaking. You, on the other hand, don't have anything to argue otherwise so please shut up about "flying at night is not difficult" crap as if you are the night owl hot shot. And tell me why is it that it's a legal requirement when the aircraft is for hire? Why the Moon shines brighter when a rental plane is flying?

Turning off autopilot in moderate turbulent condition in order to preserve the servos? Urban legend or some element of truth in it?

How bad do they need to be before needing replacement (ie. How much time do I have, Doc)? Is this a normal aging process of a plexiglass? And is there any way of slowing the process down or even repair it? Thanks Clarence

Err...I think you already answered your own question. Why is night flying difficult? Because it's risky. Why is it risky? Many reasons and the stats proves it. Risky operation is just another way of saying it's a difficult operation. There is no straw man here. Just simple logics. A straw man would be to insinuate that indiviudal who doesn't advocate flying in night without a working landing light is simply not good enough of a pilot ("what is it you have trouble with night flying?") It's precisely this kind of thinking that gets pilots killed.

Tiny specks on the windshield visible only when sun is shining at a particular angle. What are they? Cheers Tom