toto

Good luck!

Definitely disappointing. Even though this always seemed like an awkward setup (where you get the upgrade to one product with the purchase of another product, and the renewal dates aren’t aligned), I have mentally discounted the price of the OnePak by the value of the GP premium upgrade. Back to buying GP from Aircraft Spruce for me

I don’t think I’ve ever actually turned the key with chocks in place, but I’ve made a passenger get out so I could verify chocks removed several times in my flying career.

Jerry Chen hasn’t been CEO in more than ten years. This feels like a 2013ish article that someone slapped a “2026” on.

Nice. I think that all authorized Starlink retailers have these for 229 now - I got one at Home Depot and Best Buy also has them for 229. You can get direct from Starlink for the same price, but Starlink charges shipping.

There’s an MSC in Kansas City (below), but it sounds like he has an existing relationship with a mechanic in Camdenton? R&D American Aviation LLC 2751 NE Douglas STE B Lee's Summit, Missouri 64064 United States Phone: 816.588.2807

Similar to others above, my ac came only with strobes, and they’re on from engine start to engine shutdown. (Tbh I just keep them on all the time, so if the master switch is on then the strobes are on.)

Oh interesting. I’ve never even sat in a vintage Mooney so I have no idea

I always thought that was the purpose of connecting the cowl plugs with a strap?

I was surprised at how much room there is on the glare shield even with the Starlink sitting there. In my Piper, there’s about half as much space to fit a Mini -

I don’t own a pitot cover, so it’s not often an issue for my ac, but I have a very ingrained habit to confirm and call out “airspeed alive” on takeoff roll. There’s no obvious equivalent check for fuel vent covers, but whatever RBF solution you implement would ideally be visible from the cockpit with a red flag or something. I’ve seen lots of different RBF concepts with little flag poles on them so you can do a visual check from the cockpit before engine start. I suppose you could even make a generic RBF flag that you stick on your propeller that says “fuel vent covers removed” or something - you grab that one last

Seems like the MS crowd is about 50/50 between back window mounts and glareshield mounts. I haven’t tried the back window, but the main downside aiui is that you will need to shift it to the more northward facing window depending on your route of flight. The glareshield you basically just toss it up there and turn it on.

Don has some nice docs on his website - look at “Precision Flying With Don Kaye” for the numbers you mentioned. https://donkaye.com/useful-aviation-articles

Also watching closely and interested to know more.

I’m just trying to educate myself. The Mini says it takes 60w max and the Starlink power supply outputs 60w. But they say a USB source must output 100w. I’m just curious why that might be. As far as I can tell, the only aircraft USB jack that will support the Mini is the True Blue Max, and it’s also the only one that seems to go above 60w. So I think if you’re going USB, it’s academic. ETA: According to this Reddit thread, it’s because the USB PD spec requires 20v output for a 100w port. Anything less than 100w and there’s no guarantee (per the spec) that the port can support 20v. The Mini doesn’t require 100w, but it does require 20v. So this is a way to ensure that whatever USB source you’re using can supply 20v. https://old.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/1fxlupm/mini_powered_by_60w_usbc_port/

Right, I know - that’s why I was asking if this is unique to a USB power source. The power supply that comes from Starlink uses their 1/4” plug on both ends, no USB.

Is this something unique to a USB power source? The Starlink-provided power supply outputs 60w and the Mini accepts 60w max (according to the printed guidance on the devices). https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49675-cigarette-lighter-socket-as-usb-power-source/page/3/#findComment-929252

There’s also speculation that Amazon Leo will be launching soon with very aggressive pricing on both hardware and subscriptions.

They really are pretty small. I have mine in a small backpack too. ETA: I use this little Timbuk2 backpack (pictured with the Starlink inside - it takes up very little room).

They’re on the field at my home drone. If you don’t hear something in the next couple of days, I’m happy to go knock on the door.

For those who are going the dedicated circuit route - it looks like this True Blue Max may be the only USB jack with adequate output power for the Mini? https://www.mcico.com/truebluepower/resource-center/articles/true-blue-power-usb-chargers-the-only-100-watt-solution-compatible-with-starlink-mini I’m still not sure where all the 100-watt references are coming from. I haven’t seen anything from Starlink that says 100 watts is required, and the unit itself says 60w max. https://mooneyspace.com/topic/49675-cigarette-lighter-socket-as-usb-power-source/page/3/#findComment-929252

Nice, I’ll do that - thanks!

Fwiw I flew with my Mini for the first time this past weekend, and used a cigar lighter cable (linked below). No problems so far. I still haven’t fully decided whether the cable or battery approach is better for the long term, but the cable worked fine for my <90 minute hop. https://a.co/d/7l5qiNw

You’re right about the cost. A Starlink Mini in standby mode is only $5/month, and all of the things you want to do you’ll be able to do at 500kbps. The setup for Starlink is more fiddly and probably a bit less reliable than XM or ADS-B. I have a GDL 52, and you basically just toss it on the glareshield and it always works. The Starlink is much larger, and requires a bit more attention to proper placement etc. It’s not really an “always on” solution. I’ve only flown with my Mini once, so I’m far from an expert. From a cost perspective, the Starlink wins. But it’s probably not as reliable or “set and forget” as XM. Ymmv

Flew with my Starlink Mini today. It’s pretty idiot-proof. Saw something like 80mb down and about 8-10mb up, and the satellite connectivity was maintained flying on every cardinal heading. Based on this very rudimentary test, I’m optimistic that it will be a reliable source of internet connectivity if needed in the future. I don’t expect to use the Starlink much when airborne - ultimately this is for the few times a year that we vacation miles away from a cellular signal, as well as a backup for our normal home internet. But it’s so easy to use that I absolutely can see the value in having this available for nervous passengers. For certain flights on certain days, nothing will calm a passenger down like being able to doomscroll their favorite feed.