Skates97

I bought my plane with LED's in it. The previous owner had them in for years. He also gave me a small box with the original bulbs in it "just in case."

I know I've seen you and I think others mention that before, something like a "Vintage Status." Not only would it allow the owner to do more work on the plane, that would also allow owners to install the experimental stuff which in most cases is going to make the plane better/safer than the old stuff that is already in there. Sure, they could put in the certified stuff but most people with 30-50+ year old planes don't want to drop that kind of money into them. Instead they continue to fly around with aging equipment that is refurbished and patched together which is what the regulatory world demands. As with most things, when the government tries to improve safety through regulation it goes overboard and hurts safety in the process.

I think that is most likely the case. I also think that most of those owners are also aware of the vast fleet of "experimental aircraft" flying around in the same airspace with parts that are legal for "experimentals" and can be installed by hangar fairies (actually the fairies don't show up because the owner can just do it), but they can't use those parts on their own plane (even if the parts are better than what is "legal"), nor install something themselves because it hasn't been given the blessing of the government. I wonder how many vintage planes would be flying if there was an audit done on every plane out there and if a hangar fairy had done work on it then it would be grounded... Personally I would feel more comfortable getting in a plane which had a competent owner who regularly had the cowling off, poked around, tightened things, (God forbid replaced a leaky gasket or something themselves), etc... than one where the owner never checked things themselves, only opened the door to check the oil level and just trusted that nothing is wrong because their A&P had looked it over 25-40 flight hours ago when they did the oil change. But what am I thinking, everyone knows nothing changes under the cowling between oil changes and annuals...

To take advantage of an Oshkosh discount do you have to be there or do they run an online promo code of sorts?

This is just another tangent to the great outcome of Erik's flight, the camaraderie shared among not only those who fly but those at ATC watching out for them as well as the people on the ground associated with them. Airport manager who dropped what he was doing to return to the airport. ATC making a follow up phone call to check up on him. A pilot who heard, the situation on the radio and searched online to find that all was well. I remember as a kid living on the Air Force Academy and singing the Air Force Song at the top of my 5-7yo voice. From the 3rd verse: "Here's a toast to the host Of those who love the vastness of the sky, To a friend we send a message of his brother men who fly."

I'm looking forward to following your journey.

Thanks for sharing the story and as the others have said I'm so glad that you are all right.

I have had them divert me on multiple occasions to different headings, different altitudes, restricted at altitudes on climbs and descents, etc... for converging traffic. I always appreciate the extra set of eyes looking out for me.

At the risk of starting up a VFR vs IFR debate, here goes... I'm not IFR so I can't say how much more relaxing it might be, but VFR with flight following is easier and more relaxing than VFR on your own. I use flight following all the time on cross country trips and enjoy the help ATC provides. They will clear me through the Bravo in Vegas and Phoenix quite often, I don't worry about Charlie or Delta space as they take care of it and hand me off when needed, they warn of traffic conflicts, etc... "Some" of the benefits of IFR, just not all of them.

Yep, make sure you check the laws before going, and even if you have been there before check them every time as they often change... Even here in the People's Republic you shouldn't have a problem as long as everything is locked up like it is supposed to be. I know the OP isn't talking about commercial travel, but I've flown commercial out of John Wayne (SNA) before with my handgun without issues. It has to be in a locked case, you tell the ticket counter you have a firearm to declare, they give you a form to fill out, and it goes in the checked luggage. If you are flying your own plane that makes it easier and shouldn't have any issues walking through an FBO and out onto the ramp with a gun case.

This was who I bought mine from. In the pics that he sent there was the tail of another Mooney in his hangar so I asked about it. That turned out to be the reason he was selling, his response was "My brother in law upgraded to a Meridian so I got his old throw away plane which happens to be a 2003 Ovation II, or an M20R." He had been flying the plane I bought on a regular basis. The paint was old but it was still in great shape as a result of living in a hangar since at least the late 80's which was when they had bought it. It had some mods done to it, tanks resealed recently by Wetwingologists (right tank does leak a little if I put over 20 gallons in it but they they would fix under warranty if I flew it to them), the panel had been updated some (although only VFR), the interior had been redone and was nice, etc... The engine had about 1,400 hours on it but was running regularly, not making metal, good compression. The price we agreed upon was more than what the bank valued it at so I had to put extra down on it above the 15% minimum that they required, but I felt it was worth what I was paying for it. Since I bought it the only money I "had" to put into it was plugs/wires, a generator (123 hours after purchase), and the 500 hour mag inspection that I knew was coming due when I bought it (they were at 437 hours when I bought it). I've also done some other things to it but none of them were required to keep it in the air. I should find some wood to knock on but 16 months later and a little over 170 hours I haven't had any major issues.

I was a 58 hour PPL with no complex time when I got my Mooney. Insurance required 10 dual and 5 solo before flying passengers. My CFI signed my complex after our first flight in the Mooney. By about 8 hours I was comfortable in the plane so at 10 hours I felt good going up in it myself. By the time I finished the dual and the 5 solo I was at 25 landings and feeling okay about them although I am still learning after 170 hours and 181 landings in the Mooney. Just last Saturday I had one "ok" landing and one "nice" landing.

When I lived in Alaska as a kid we took a trail through the woods to get to the elementary school. The highest spot on the trail was right about the midway point so we actually did walk uphill both ways through the snow...

If I was just watching the ground marks it would be more difficult as you say. I use the ground marks to get lined up initially for the side to side clearance and then keep the mark in the back of the hangar lined up with the tail as it goes in to make sure I am going in straight.

My old hangar was plenty wide, my new one is virtually the same width as yours, 39'. A previous resident painted a with mark at the rear/top of the hangar where the center is. I have tape on the floor and painted lines out the front to line it up just after I moved in. I don't know if the airport there will let you but if you can it sure makes it a lot easier to push it back in. Edit: Looks like you were posting right as I did, nice to see you have the lines already.

Took a friend flying yesterday along with his daughter. She had never flown in a plane of any kind before. After some coastal flightseeing we had lunch in French Valley. After we had lunch I put her in the right seat and she got some time flying us around. If anyone is looking for a great time, find someone who hasn't flown GA before, or if you are lucky someone who has never flown before and take them up! Her First Flight

I sing too. Just got finished in a production of The Music Man and was part of the barbershop quartet. Good to know, I thought about that afterwards, but by the time I thought about it I had already put it back in and didn't feel like taking it out again just to get a new picture. I think they were these $19 ones from Lowes, but it looks like you can get the same ones for $16 at Home Depot. https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-Tools-Instruments-3-in-Digital-Caliper/3138565 https://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-3-in-Carbon-Fiber-Digital-Caliper-1433/300383994

It is 8x32 and is just under an inch from top of head to end.

When I put my seals on they came with a little tube of silicone to lubricate them. That has long since been used up. I have a tube of Dow Corning DC-4 that is no longer needed for the oil filter with the new gaskets they have. It says that it is silicone, was considering using it on the door seals periodically. Thoughts?

Asking price?

I'll be out there tomorrow and get you a size.

Who was the underwriter?

Oceano is fun, we're hoping to get there May 12th. Be on your target speed and it was plenty long for my plane. With brakes we could have made the first turn off but chose to roll out instead. (Jump ahead to 2:50) I agree. A couple of my better landings were my first and only times at Harris Ranch with it's 30' wide runway and Oceano with it's short runway and clouds off the coast eliminating a go-around unless I was going to take my non-IFR equipped plane and myself (a non-IFR pilot) into the marine layer. Those things had me very focused on airspeed, vertical speed, and alignment resulting in good landings. Some of my worst ones are at fields that I am very familiar with.

Very true, I was just comparing that it was similar that Global came in much lower on this renewal when my original Starr was the best quote.

It's been entertaining each time I had a kid start working and they get their first paycheck only to find out that a good chunk of the money is missing... It has the effect of starting some conversations about the government.