Mark942

Thanks @Andy95W I think I will ask my AP/IA if I can install this drain this winter as a nice little Hanger project. Always thought it odd that I couldn't find a way to drain the line. Thanks for the clarification. -mark

Hi, I've owned my "E" for 6 years now and do almost all the maintenance TLC improvements myself with the help of a good AP/IA that looks over my shoulder. Having said that, I have an Alternate Static Air Valve under the panel installed by the avionics shop that did my panel upgrade. It is SO stiff that I can't turn it without a pair of pliers (another story about this horrible avionics shop in Fort Wayne), but I have never looked for the static drains. Does anyone have photos of where these drains are so I can start checking these. Thanks in advance.

I'm also interested in other people's experience with this. My E is probably overall in worse shape with paint than his. I've been upgrading and restoring my plane for 5 years and it flies Great and is becoming very mechanically sound, but the paint sucks. I really don't want to spend north of $20K to have it repainted, although I know that is what attracts a new buyer. I'm 73 so I won't be flying too many more years and will need to sell. I'm a DIY guy and have a very experienced and good AP/AI that helps me. Thank you "TheDude" for starting this thread.

Same here. Good tip on a place to buy glasses at a more reasonable price. Also really appreciate all the insight from all of you into what I should expect following my cataract surgery.

So this is Saturday and I am having my first eye done this coming Thursday, with the second eye scheduled for two weeks later. I went with the simpler Mono lens because my doctor said about 20% of people still end up needing glasses for either near or far and then there are sometimes complications with halo. I have been wearing serious coke bottles since I was 5 years old, so glasses seem natural and I have been assured that my vision will be far better even without the $7000 up-charge for the multi focal lens (rip off in my opinion). My question is how is your vision in between surgeries and then following. All my doctor told me was that my glasses prescription would be totally different than it is now. Do I take the lens out of one side for two weeks? Then when the second eye is done, how long until my eyes settle down enough to be tested for glasses? I've read on line you should wait 4 weeks. I asked that my vision be set for arm's length to correct my nearsightedness. The surgeon mentioned that they will provide a glasses prescription for $45. I should have asked if this is several weeks later after testing or based upon theoretical from the pre-op measurements they took? If it is based on theoretical, how accurate is that? Can anyone give me your experience regarding this.

IMHO if you collar too many CB's it just makes it confusing. KISS. I think about what can get me killed quick. Run away trim or run away autopilot. That's the two that have collars. I don't have speed breaks.

I agree with MikeOH. I used to own a small development and manufacturing company. We designed and built various industrial robotic and integrated systems. I found that when I went to the local NAPA parts store and asked for something, the first question they had was what make and model car was it for. I would then explain what I was going to use it for and the guy behind the counter would always tell me that won't work for what you want to do. REALLY ?? you have an engineering degree and have been working on this project for 6 months and can make that assessment? So, I learned to go in to a parts store and ask for a generic something. When asked what make and model car I would tell them it was for a Home Built House Boat. They would then happily work with me to figure out which part they had came closest to what I wanted. The fact that the part they sell might end up on an airplane is none of their business since they are not certifying it to any aviation standard or taking any responsibility. So, don't ask don't tell. Our responsibility is to meet FAA regulations as to Owner supplied parts or what ever standard we are working with.

Does anyone have the components of a real air conditioner (not ice water swamp cooler) for sale? Or better yet, if you have one installed and want to take it out for any reason. Would really prefer a R134 based system but will discuss an older R12 based system. I would be installing it on a M20E. - Thanks - mark

Does anyone know where the paint and interior were done. Very nice. I'm finally at the stage where I'm looking to get mine done. Do paint shops take care of the little things like stripped fasteners on and old E or do they just shoot paint??

Has anyone added a second alternator to an "E" model. I am continuing to upgrade my E and it concerns me that I am so dependent upon the single alternator, especially if in IMC. I am also playing with the idea of adding real air-conditioning (portable/removable) because I find the temperature inside the cabin in the summer insufferable. I'm definitely a winter person. Thanks in advance, -mark

Two Thumbs Up for Meigs. I used to fly VFR into Meigs in a C140 for business trips from Indiana. Great way to access Chicago. Really a great little airport on Lake Michigan and out of the way of all the heavy traffic. What a shame the "Pharoah of Chicago" didn't go to jail for that stunt. Now it is a very small little park that few people in Chicago even know that it exists. What a waste, but fond memories.

This is obviously not a consumable part, so I doubt that anyone will have them "in stock". I'd try a salvage yard such as Texas Air Salvage. You can find them and others on the web. Ask your AP/IA to inspect it. This should fall under pilot/owner supplied part or the new "Vintage Aircraft pre-1980" parts FAA interpretation I would think. I would not try to weld this back together. There will be a "heat affected zone" and unless you want to take it to a weld shop that can then heat treat it, I would expect it to fail due to these stresses and the vibration this part sees. Best of Luck. -mark

If this were my problem I would want to know what Savvy Aviation Maintenance service thought of this. It's a paid service, but unlike the CYA Lycoming rep they can give advice based on experience and science. -mark

I have an Avidyne IFD550 with a S-tec 60-2 that was already in the plane. Some serious installation problems that were very frustrating and expensive, but finally woke up and took the plane to a different installer and the problems were all resolved in one visit. I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT. The reason I went with Avidyne over Garmin was that the IFD is second generation to Garmin, so they could improve on additional features, but the biggest reason is that every function that can be done on the Touch Screen can be performed with dedicated push buttons and knobs. I seldom touch the screen. Just the way I learned to use it, and in any turbulence at all, I REALLY am glad I'm not trying to use the touch screen. I have an IPad with Foreflight on my yoke with charts. That's hard enough to deal with on a touch screen, let alone reaching out to a panel three feet away. Also, because of my install problems, I got to know the tech folks at Avidyne pretty well and there simply isn't enough space here for me to tell you how great they are and how they supported me, including providing me with a new unit after the warranty had expired to help resolve the problems and guiding me to a new installer that was able to trouble shoot all the wiring mistakes. They didn't have to give me a new unit, but they did. I didn't even ask, they offered. You measure a company's customer service AFTER the sale, not before. If I didn't already have the S-tec 60-2 with vertical speed and altitude I would have gone with the Garmin GFC500 autopilot. Since I already had a very capable AP I only needed to install a $900 S-tec GPSS steering module. Hope this helps, just my experience, YMMV. -mark

Congratulations! The E model really is a great plane, I bought my E about 4 years ago and have been restoring it to better than new ever since. It's a labor of love and makes flying it so much better than renting a plane that you don't know inside and out. Hope you enjoy your E as much as I have mine. My s/n is 143. Best of luck to you. -mark