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SantosDumont

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Everything posted by SantosDumont

  1. LOL I log into Mooneyspace for the first time in a year and of course the top post is about building a RV-14. I started mine January 2020 and sold my 67F since I didn't have anywhere to fly to until COVID is over. I'm about done with my elevators, then moving on to the fuselage. Got the wings on order, expecting them in about 7 months. If you want to see me stumble through it, I've been posting video to youtube. https://www.youtube.com/c/joshsinclair
  2. Yup just do the Alpha belt. I bought it after the second time I completely ripped my finger apart on final. I was tired of the adventure of trying to land with a mangled hand. It sucks that it's $400 but better than bleeding out while trying to land an airplane one handed.
  3. I live in the west and I've filed and used my IR only a handful of times, mostly to pop through layers. The MEAs are so high here that if I'm flying through visible moisture I probably need to worry about icing. Also why climb to 12k when I can get through the pass just fine at 6.5k? I greatly prefer VFR flying and if weather is bad I'll just ride SouthWest and let them deal with it.
  4. There's more than one of us. I'm also leaving my M20F for a RV-14, but the F will always have a special place in my heart.
  5. Santos Dumont is basically the Brazilian version of the Wright brothers. In fact if you ask any Brazilian who the first person was that achieved heavier than air flight they will say that it was Santos Dumont and then launch into a diatribe about the US campaign to alter history.
  6. That shell is worth negative dollars if it’s not flying. Even scrapping it for parts would cost someone time and money to cut it up. Maybe offer $1k for it. Otherwise put your money towards something that can actually fly.
  7. I finally found a mechanic that I like in Vegas! He got furloughed from Maverick due to COVID and sent out a really professional letter with his resume offering his services as an IA to all the plane owners in the valley that he could find in the database. Judging by the effort he put into the letter it seemed like he had a great work ethic, and I needed an annual, so I figured why not try him? Got the annual done in my hangar in 3 days at a very fair price. Very happy to refer him to anyone that needs a mechanic in Vegas.
  8. Well, you might want to consider an F. It's not going to be that much slower than a J, but definitely will cost less. I do wish I would have bought an A36 instead, but that's just because I have 3 kids and they don't fit in the Mooney. I bought the plane for me and with a wet PPL I never thought I would want to put my whole family in it. But after owning for 4 years I've decided my "fun" plane is going to be a RV because 99% of the time I'm by myself, so I don't need 4 seats, and the Mooney can't fly upside down.
  9. I have a 12,10, and 8 year old... I couldn't imagine giving them LESS space back there.
  10. Well I got my PPL in Tehachapi, I just thought that was what flying is supposed to be!
  11. Because he said he had two kids that are going to double in size very quickly.
  12. I used to be based in Tehachapi and would run up to SJC or down to SAN for work. My dispatch rate in the winter was about 50%. Unless you like having an O2 hose in your nose, there's not really any need for the K. If weather is that bad that you need to go high, you're gonna need FIKI to come down through it, and then you might as well just fly SWA. I'd choose the J.
  13. I bought my F with a wet PPL and 90 hours total time. A vintage Mooney is a great platform to use for your instrument rating.
  14. I was wondering what happened. I figured I did something wrong and needed to clear the cookies in my browser.
  15. It doesn't have WAAS though. I thought about getting a Garmin 375 last year when I did ADS-B, but then Tailbeacon came available and it made a lot more sense to just spend $2k on that and be done with the install in 10 minutes, then spend $12k installing the 375 and be down for weeks. Well, it made sense at the time... then of course a few months later COVID hit. Weighing heavily into the decision was that the few times I have flown the ILS to minimums made me really not ever want to do that again, just because I do it so infrequently that it required a huge amount of concentration that approached my task saturation limit... so I was fine with the limitations of non-precision approaches.
  16. People have really strong opinions about the flames. I bought the plane because it was the first plane I found with the equipment that met my mission profile that wasn't snatched up before I could actually see it in person. A few Mooneys I got a call back on with an appointment to see the plane on the weekend saying sorry someone already bought it. So I think the flames actually helped me a bit there and scared off some potential buyers. At first I was a bit embarrassed by them, but as I flew the plane around more, people would notice it on the ramp, and kids would always point with a big smile on their face as I taxied by. I grew to be a little bit proud of them as part of the personality of the plane.
  17. Yeah anywhere there are crocodiles Ima nope out of. Same reason I won't go to FL.
  18. I'm really intrigued by his comment about Africa. It seems like a great thinking outside of the box solution to the labor problem and something that would add needed value and jobs. Africa seems like it has so much untapped potential.
  19. I don’t really see it as letting it go as much as passing the torch. Although I’m sure I’ll get a case of the feels when I hand the keys over to the next owner. I actually credit Steve from Flight Chops with inspiring me to start my own RV-14 build... I figured if he could do it, why not me?! Our stories in Aviation really do come full circle sometimes.
  20. Hey guys, I've decided to list N221HP for sale with Las Vegas Aircraft Sales. With COVID my flying mission has disappeared. I used to fly 2-3 times per week and now the average since March has been close to 0. All of my work has moved online, no customers actually want me to physically show up... it doesn't look like that will change until there is a vaccine. I'm building a RV-14 in the garage and had planned to keep the Mooney until the build was complete, but without a mission, it really doesn't make sense to pay for the airplane to just sit in the hangar, when I could redirect those funds into making more progress on the RV-14. This plane is a ModWorks Trophy 221... which has pretty much all the mods to be a J, and a 210 HP TCM IO-360-ES. The logbooks are complete since manufacture. I will say that my favorite feature of this plane besides the Johnson bar has been the 93 GAL tanks, which give you a lot of options when you can hold 10 hours of fuel. This is a great plane for anyone with a serious XC mission. On that note it is unique in that it's traveled from the US to South America and from the US to Europe to Australia and back. For all the details of the mods, logbooks, pictures, etc call Chris Benham at the number below or click the Las Vegas Aircraft Sales link above. Christopher Benham Las Vegas Aircraft Sales, LLC 702-540-5478
  21. Sure, I've been recording the build on video. Follow along. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVZ6dv27KUJsicTmoMuLhlg I haven't done anything in 6 months though. Really bad timing on my part. I had planned to pull some money out of my market funds in March to buy my next piece of the kit and then COVID happened.... which is frustrating because I have been sitting at home with nothing but time on my hands! My plan was to keep the Mooney until I completed the RV, but I haven't flown anywhere in 6 months... doesn't look likely that I'll go anywhere in at least the next 6 months... been thinking about selling the Mooney and putting the money I was spending on it towards finishing the RV.
  22. My Mooney was a great first plane, but I'm never owning a certified plane ever again. Way too much drama. At least with experimental most of the drama is self-inflicted. Currently building a RV-14 in the garage.
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