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Flash

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Flash last won the day on October 21 2018

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  • Location
    KSQL (San Carlos, Calif.)
  • Reg #
    N315L
  • Model
    M20J

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. I have dual GI-275s with an IFD 540, and they play together very well.
  4. Congratulations. You will enjoy the dual 275s.
  5. Those are words to live by. @McMooney you should definitely take the leap and fly internationally this year. Bring some patience and an openminded attitude, and you will open an exciting new chapter in your flying career.
  6. Happy New Year. I have dual GI-275s. I can get into configuration mode on my top GI-275; just hold in the inner knob at start-up, and there I am. For some reason, though, the lower GI-275 (the HSI and backup AI) won't enter configuration mode when I do the exact same thing. That's the one for which I need to launch configuration mode, because that's the one that has a backup battery that needs a capacity test. Any ideas on why the No. 2 GI-275 could be balking on entering configuration mode?
  7. Congratulations on your work so far. Here are some answers, with the caveat that I have bought a plane only once, and it was in 1999. 1. You have to request copies of the logbooks, and then you have to read through them carefully, looking for things like how many hours was the plane flown each year, and how many hours between oil changes (since the last engine overhaul), and what kind of entries do you find that are not typical, and what do they imply happened to the plane? If you like what you see, you should also then check for compliance with airworthiness directives. You can do this yourself or ask an A&P for help. I can't remember if I negotiated price before or after traveling to see the plane. I brought a mechanic I knew to do a prebuy; most people arrange for a shop near where the plane is to do the prebuy. 2. If you're in the DC area, I recommend considering basing at College Park (KCGS), which is where I used to be based. It's a block from the Green Line metro, and it's much less busy than KGAI or KHEF. It is within the FRZ, and that's a bit of a hassle, but only a bit of one. No hangars, but you don't really need one. My plane was tied down there for almost five years (2009-2010, 2012-2016). Runway is short, but it's long enough for an M20J and will prevent you from developing bad habits. 3. There's no time pressure in picking up the plane. You want to use the flight from wherever the plane is to wherever you will be based as a training flight. Having somebody ferry the flight is a waste unless you can't manage to schedule the time yourself. You won't have trouble finding an instructor willing to fly a Mooney; find one who has flown a Mooney before. 4. I wouldn't think that logistics in retrieving the plane are a worry at all (unless it's in another country or, perhaps, if it's in California and retrieving it would be a multi-day flight). 5. I used a Bruce's custom cover. Other brands of cover will do. Fly the plane regularly. You'll want to do that, anyway, or you wouldn't be buying a plane. The plane you've identified has not flown all that much since its overhaul in 2020. 125 hours in (at least) three years is not great. I'd be curious what the logs show about how those hours were distributed between annuals. The plane you've identified has not flown all that much since it was built. 1800 hours in almost 40 years. Again, I'd be interested in what the logs show. (Not a huge concern, perhaps, for years before the latest engine and prop overhauls. DC is a great place to fly. Keep posting as you progress in your search and after you buy. You'll find plenty of suggestions here about how to use your Mooney once you have it. (Hints: Tangier Island, the Hudson River, Toronto Downtown Island Airport . . .)
  8. This is what I did in 2014. I think it was $4000 cheaper to get an A3B6 than an A3B6D in exchange for my A3B6D core. One of the differences is the oil filter; my A3B6 uses an oil filter with a male attachment; the A3B6D used a female.
  9. There have been times I would have liked to have something that could climb higher/go faster than my M20J, but it has gotten me everywhere I have wanted to go so far in 24 years of ownership, to every state but Hawaii and to 20 countries. It is an excellent IFR platform, especially with a good autopilot to relieve workload. Your mission profile seems like a very good fit for an M20J's strengths, with the possible exception of carrying four adults from Texas to Florida, which even with small adults might be a bit of a squeeze for a trip of that duration. (Disclaimers: I have carried four adults for short trips. I have never sat in the back seat of my plane when it was in the air.)
  10. Glad my thread was helpful. I have a new starter, which solved my problem. No more smoking. I'm happy for you that you saved the substantial cost of a new starter.
  11. Thanks, @A64Pilot. I did know that and use that, but I'm sure there's someone reading this who didn't know it but does now, thanks to you. It's an excellent tool.
  12. I should have added that the Hampton Inn, Montrose, Colorado is directly behind the FBO.
  13. With a hat tip to @Deb for pointing this out, BeechTalk had this discussion six years ago. Here is a list they put together there, with my recent suggestions of hotels that are not on-field but still walkable added: State, City, Code, Name, Hotel, Latitude, Longitude, Distance, Restaurant, Turf AR, Lakeview, 3M0, Gastons Airport, Gaston's White River Resort, , , , , t AZ, Page, KPGA, Hyatt Place AZ, Sedona, KSEZ, Sedona Airport, Sky Ranch Lodge, 34.8485833, -111.7884444, , , AZ, Window Rock, KRQE, Quality Inn CA, Coalinga, 3O8, Harris Ranch Airport, Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, 36.2481111, -120.2384722, , r, CA, Concord, KCCR, Buchanan Field Airport, Crowne Plaza, 37.9896667, -122.0568889, , , CA, Imperial, KIPL, Imperial County Airport, Rodeway Inn Imperial, 32.8342222, -115.57875, , , CA, Mojave, KMHV, Mojave Air and Space Port, , 35.0589444, -118.1506111, walking, , CA, Van Nuys, KVNY, Van Nuys Airport, Airtel Plaza, 34.2098056, -118.4899722, , , FL, Boca Raton, KBCT, Boca Raton Airport, Fairfield Inn & Suites, 26.3785, -80.1076944, , , FL, Fort Lauderdale, KFXE, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Courtyard Marriott, 26.1972794 / -80.1707063, , , , FL, Lakeland, KLAL, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Hilton Garden Inn, 27.9889167, -82.0185556, , , FL, Sebring, KSEF, Sebring Regional Airport, , 27.4563889, -81.3423889, , , GA, Brunswick, KSSI, McKinnon St Simons Island Airport, , 31.1519722, -81.3910556, , r, KS, Beaumont, 07S, Beaumont Hotel Airport, Beaumont Hotel, , , , , t KS, Wichita, KICT, Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport, , 37.6499444, -97.4330556, , , KY, Cadiz, 1M9, Lake Barkley State Park Airport, , 36.8178014, -87.9075167, state park, , KY, Gilbertsville, M34, Kentucky Dam State Park Airport, , 37.0096944, -88.2993333, state park, , LA, Alexandria, KAEX, Alexandria International Airport, , 31.3273717, -92.5485561, , , ME, Bangor, KBGR, Bangor International Airport, Four Points Sheraton, 44.8074444, -68.8281389, , , OK, Oklahoma City, KOKC, Will Rogers World Airport, , 35.393074, -97.6007617, , , OR, Albany, S12, Albany Municipal Airport, , 44.6378056, -123.0594444, , , PA, Farmington, PA88, Nemacolin Airport, Nemacolin Resort, 39.8056314, -79.54893, , , PA, Pittsburgh, KAGC, Allegheny County Airport, , 40.3544376, -79.9290467, , , TN, Knoxville, KTYS, Mc Ghee Tyson Airport, Hilton, 35.8093739, -83.9953214, , , TX, Arlington, KGKY, Hampton Inn TX, Austin, KAUS, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Hilton & Hyatt Place, 30.1945278, -97.6698889, , , TX, Fredricksburg, T82, Gillespie County Airport, Hanger Hotel, 30.24325, -98.9091944, , , TX, Lajitas, 89TE, Lajitas International Airport, , 29.2779167, -103.6876389, resort, , TX, Marble Falls, 86TA, Slaughter Ranch Airport, Horseshoe Bay Resort, , , , , t TX, Presidio, 3T9, Big Bend Ranch State Park Airport, bunkhouse, 29.4710833, -103.9364167, , tarantulas, TX, Taylor, T74, Taylor Municipal Airport, Best Western , 30.5726389, -97.4431944, , r, VA, Moneta, W91, Smith Mountain Lake Airport, Bedford Landings B&B, 37.1077222, -79.5924722, , , VA, Saluda, W75, Hummel Field, , 37.6022708, -76.4467292, , , VA, Tangier, KTGI, Tangier Island Airport, , 37.8258653, -75.9976625, , , VT, Vergennes, B06, Basin Harbor Airport, , , , , , t WA, Auburn, S50, Auburn Municipal Airport, , 47.3276844, -122.2266547, walking from S parking, , WA, Bellingham, KBLI, Bellingham International Airport, Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 48.7926944, -122.5375278, , , WA, Roche Harbor, WA09, Roche Harbor Airport, , 48.6123217, -123.13852, , , WI, Green Bay, KGRB, Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport, Windgate by Wyndham, 44.4846389, -88.1297222, , , WI, Oshkosh, KOSH, Wittman Regional Airport, Hilton Garden Inn, 43.9844911, -88.5569349, , r, WV, Davis, WV62, Windwood Fly-In Resort Airport, Amelia's Motel, 39.0551086, -79.4314386, , r, WY, Alpine, 46U, Alpine Airport, VRBO, 43.1817736, -111.0385236, , , zNova Scotia, Fox Harbor, CFH4, Fox Harbour Airport, Fox Harb'r Resort, , , , ,
  14. From Wednesday night 12/7 to Wednesday afternoon 12/14, I flew from the Bay Area to Jacksonville, ran a marathon, and flew back. Total nautical miles if I had flown direct between each airport: 4,177. Actual routing: 4,343. My routing, affected by where friends live, where weather was, fuel prices, and when I had to land to take work calls: SQL-RQE-BRG-TDW-AXS-HKS-CRG-VLD-EDN-GKY-TDW-PGA-SQL. One thing I found difficult in planning my route was doing searches for fields with someplace to stay within a walkable distance. Four of my flights ended in the middle of the night. So I'll share some info in hope that the community will pool its knowledge and help those taking future trips. Walkable hotels were in Window Rock (no fuel on field, but otherwise good overnight) with a five-minute walk to the Quality Inn; Arlington, Texas, a 15-minute walk to the Hampton Inn; Page, Arizona, a 15-minute walk to the Hyatt Place. I walked to the Hampton Inn in Altus, Oklahoma, but it wasn't a good move. The road from the airport to the hotel is a highway with no sidewalk. A sheriff pulled over with flashing lights to ask me what the hell I was doing. Fredericksburg (T82) would have been good if it had been closer to my route. Please share your favorite airport/walkable hotel pairings. By the way, the views from the Page airport are phenomenal, even though you're looking away from the Grand Canyon.
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