Flash

Don, using FlyQ+ on my iPhone, I can click on the map near the airport, which calls up a screen showing the airspace, the airport, and a nearby LOM. I then click on my airport's name (not on the Direct, +FP, charts, or map icons underneath it), and that takes me to a screen for the airport. That screen allows me to choose Gen, Wx, Proc, A/FD, Notm, Svc, or Near. If I choose A/FD, it shows me an image of the appropriate pages in the A/FD for the airport. If you're trying to get to another section of the A/FD, though, I haven't figured that one out yet.

I resisted any avionics upgrade (other than an ADSB-compliant transponder) for my first 22 1/2 years of ownership and was perfectly happy. But I realized I'd get added performance from a WAAS GPS and decided if I was going to do that I should do some other things at the same time. I really love my IFD 540 and my dual GI-275s. I flew a DME arc on a recent IPC and felt like I was cheating it was so easy, even after I disengaged the autopilot with GPSS. The ability to fly LPV approaches was a real benefit to my upgrade, but it's not so much that I'm able to do more with my plane than I was before, and more about being able to do the same things more easily. Considering my missions can involve long days of flying, I'm probably getting a safety benefit because the flying is less demanding than it used to be. Like you, I thought about buying a faster plane instead of doing an avionics upgrade. I decided I don't need that; my plane gets me where I'm going plenty fast enough. YMMV. Choose additional speed/altitude/engines if that's what floats your boat. If you don't make that choice, an avionics upgrade will definitely make a difference in your flying experience.

En route MMQT-MMOX, I got a couple of shots of Mount Popocatepetl, which is southeast of Mexico City. There was a sigmet for volcanic ash downwind of this; I flew on the upwind side.

The pilot posted a full description on Facebook. He's 19, had a passenger. He has 370 hours, 300 in Mooneys, and used to be a student of Brian "Pinky" Lloyd. He seems to have done almost everything right. Facebook post.

After a presumably weather-related routing change north through Kangerlussuaq and Iqaluit, it looks like Pieter is headed to Montreal before flying home to New Jersey, where he started his round-the-world trip heading westbound on July 22.

Pieter, congratulations on your flight so far! Incredible trip.

Pieter is now in Crete. It looks like he had some weather to cope with between India and UAE. I'm eager to read about his travels once he has the time to update his site (which for now doesn't describe anything post-Japan).

@Beestforwardspeed I was able to get insurance as a first-timer, but that was 21 years ago, so I don't have any useful advice on your main point. However, I do have a routing recommendation. Either (1) land at BGBW and then go to BGJN, or (2) go straight from CYFB to BGJN, which is listed as an international airport. I did (1) because I had no idea about BGJN until I met a Greenland Air pilot at BGBW who told me about it and said I'd be making a huge mistake if I stayed in Kangerlussuaq instead of going to Ilulissat (and now I'm paying it forward). I also spent a night on the east coast of Greenland at BGKK; Kulusuk is a pretty fishing village but not a must-see like the ice fjord at BGJN. The midnight cruise through the ice fjord near BGJN is likely to be the best non-flying part of your trip.

"Clear of the active" presupposes that the listener knows what runway is active (if there is more than one). It also can be replaced by "clear of the runway" if there is only one runway and you have forgotten the number of the runway you just cleared.

Welcome! I hope you've been enjoying your plane, Paul. I wish you many great adventures.

In my case, the 275 gets the GPS signal from an IFD 540. But I would imagine that the KFC150 is oblivious to what GPS is upstream of the 275, and the 275 can take GPS input from (most?) GPS receivers.

Dual GI275s work great with a KFC150. It's like they were made for each other. It's not difficult to operate. You get GPSS by toggling GPSS on and hitting HDG on the KFC150. The KFC150 flies LPV approaches as if they were ILS approaches; it's none the wiser that the glideslope it captures is from a WAAS GPS. That setup doesn't cost anywhere near 70+ AMU.

I have owned my plane for 24 years. I have never had it hangared. It has lived in Mississippi, Georgia, suburban DC, Connecticut, and California, with a cover on it when it's not flying. In 24 years, there are perhaps 15 days where a hangar would have saved me considerable time preheating the engine or defrosting the plane. It also maybe would have prevented birds from making a next in the rear fuselage, which they did once, and deer from chewing off a couple of static wicks. The difference between hangar rental fees and tiedown rental fees is significant ($350/month) at my airport. I'd rather fill my gas tanks to the brim once a month with the money I'm saving. One of the magazines ran an analysis many years ago about the value of a hangar vs. the value of the difference in annual rental fees. Tiedowns won. Back in the days when I owned a car (15 years ago), I parked it outside, too, not in a garage. The car, like the plane, did not rust into oblivion. Don't get me wrong. If you've got a hangar, good for you. Some of my best friends have hangars. But don't be scared to park your plane outside.

Sounds like a great trip, and welcome to California. Oceano is a nice place to fly. Runway isn't long, but it's very doable. Half Moon Bay is fun, with a restaurant on the field but also restaurants (Barbara's Fish Trap is where I go) a short walk through the fence from the south ramp. There are some good aviation museums of varying sizes (Santa Rosa, Chino, San Carlos, Santa Monica, to name a few). The Columbia State Historic Park is a short walk from the Columbia airport. Fun fact: Cinco de Mayo celebrations appear to have begun in Columbia, California. Flying in the Sierras can be fun/scenic, but they're worthy of a pilot's respect. The northern coast has some fun places to fly, including Shelter Cove, which has a lighthouse and a scenic coast, with sea lions on the beach and the occasional whale offshore. Catalina is unique, and its runway is now in good shape.

I have dual GI-275s with an IFD 540, and they play together very well.