steingar

Yipes! I can't blame you. I can't imagine how they'd do that much sanding on a metal airplane, unless it's half filler or they're making fiberglass fairings.

Except that lowering the gear makes huge changes in the airframe's flying characteristics.

I think if you build a fiberglass experimental you get to do lots and lots of sanding. They don't get those glossy finishes by themselves. Spending hours of sanding fiberglass. Doesn't that sound like fun.

I am fairly convinced that the advent of Peak Oil will be the end of civilization as we know it. I just hope I don't live to see it. The petrochemical companies have gotten very good at finding oil in out of the way places, so it sounds like I won't, which suits me just fine.

I suspect you are correct, but the reason is somewhat complex. Many Rotax engines are sitting in front of LSAs. Their light weight combined with the ease of certification in the LSA sector has meant that there are lots of designs flying behind Rotax. LSAs have been an accident hotspot since their inception, but not for the reasons you might think. Originally it was thought that Sport Pilots, with only 20 hours training would crash the things. In fact folks trained under the LSA regs do just fine. The problem lies in pilots who step into the LSAs after flying larger, heavier and faster aircraft. They have a bad habit of being very ham fisted, trying to fly the little airplanes like they did the big ones. And they crash, a lot.

Swing and miss. There are car gas STC'd Bo's, Vikings, Cherokees and some others. I read that Mooneys didn't get it because some some sort of harmonic vibration phenomena that didn't make a lot of sense. Sounded like Mooney didn't pony up enough cash to whoever was doing the STC's, but I admit ignorance in this regard. If Mooney had dusted off the Cadet and powered it with a Rotax I think they'd have had a winner. Helps any aircraft company to have a trainer in the market. And they could have sold it anywhere. Car gas is everywhere. If airports didn't have it and had aircraft that burned it, they'd get it. Isn't rocket surgery.

I can see why they chase diesels, Avgas isn't found in foreign markets. I always thought Mooney horribly short-sighted in this. Avgas may be hard to find in China, but car gas isn't, and our engines will run on it just fine if you take out the booze (actually, Mooneys don't, but lots of others do). Had they dusted off the Type Certificate for the Mooney Cadet and put in a car gas burning engine they could have had a workable airplane they could see anywhere.

There's going to be a whole bunch of Mooneys at this upcoming do in Wisconsin...

The only approach that makes any financial sense is to buy an airplane and fly it until something big breaks. Needs wins sealed, paint or engine. Sell it or scrap it, and buy another.

I no longer count on having a crew car available at the airport, most here haven't go them.

For summer travel I usually want a two-day travel window. Most trips that works out just fine, if you haven't the weather you want on go day you'll get the day before or the day after. Says me if you want to do that trip VFR either be ready for lots of delays or fly United. Just don't bring your guitar.

I like them too. Bit of a story. I think in the Aztec he lost an engine below blue line and had no choice, I think that's the version I heard (this was more than a few years ago, and I had more than a little to drink at the time). I went flying with him (I'd never been in a Twin Comanche, or indeed a twin of any kind), and we were at a 3K strip nestled in the Canaan valley in West Virginia. He came in high and fast, indeed I told him to go around. I felt a bit bad, as I thought he was the far better pilot, but I know a bad approach when I see one. He went ahead with the landing, which was accomplished with lots of braking and some tire smoke. Like I said, he should have gone around. He had to try that again, and on the next landing the tire he had weakened from that first landing gave way. We went off the runway into the weeds. There were a bunch friends there, so we hauled it out of the weeds and into parking. Looked like sudden stoppage on both engines to me, but a mechanic came the next day and put a new tire on it and he flew away.

It should be getting data from the Stratus, itself hooked up to the ADSB transponder. I will check the wifi connection though, it could have gone amiss.

Had a friend awhile back who lost an engine on takeoff in his Aztec. Pulled the good one and crashed straight ahead. Used to money to buy a Twinkie that he crashed with me in it.

Not really. Take your Mooney and put in a a couple hundred grand worth of restoration and improvements. You'll have a heck on an airplane, and it'll probably seem brand new. A new airplane will cost well north of a million dollars. Yes, you'll likely loose your shirt at sale, but if you buy new you'll loose even more to depreciation.

I made the mistake of buying a big iPad wthout the cellular (and good GPS chip). If I takeoff with the thing on and in Foreflight it works great. If I try and turn in on midstream it doesn't work at all.

If I had to shut down at 12K feet I don't think I'd be sweating that hard unless I was over the Atlantic Ocean or the Rocky Mountains. Our Mooneys can really glide. I suspect any of us can make it to either to a usable field or a soft landing spot given that kind of altitude.

Were I in the market and had that level of coin I would certainly consider it. It costs far more than that to upgrade an aircraft to that standard. Bob Belville's aircraft was in that league, and it was an E instead of a C. Still went for 6 figures. That said, I'd be ready to do lots of good old fashioned haggling...

I have a '62 C and I have a very old iPad mini mounted to the yoke. Only one that really fits there in my aircraft. When it dies or can no longer support Foreflight I'll go buy another. I am still blown away that I'm getting near real time weather and traffic from a piece of consumer electronics that costs a few hundred dollars.

If my engine takes a dump over hostile terrain I assume Odin has decided I belong in Valhalla. I get it down with a whole skin I'll chalk that up to my mad piloting skilz.

A good way to get more altitude is to make your wings more efficient. Still, I'm not pointing my nose straight up in an aircraft notorious for engine cooling issues. you do as you like.

Tailwinds Bumper. The day medical issues force me from the cockpit of my beloved Mooney will be a sad one.

Perhaps I'm a dullard, but I have never experienced sink from raising takeoff flaps. I can't see why you would, since the wings go from making more lift to less in an already dynamic environment. Sounds like an old wives tale to me. Might do things different in high DA, but I might do a lot of things different, like only take off first thing in the morning. One thing for certain, I'll know it when I see it.

What do you want to bet he's going to say the thing will be ready in May?