EricJ

I think one of the ATDs I used during my instrument training was based on X-Plane. I preferred it to the Redbird that we also used.

I don't see how it qualifies as a major modification or alteration, so I wouldn't think a 337 would be needed. Should be a minor mod, I'd think. And landing lights are probably the most liberalized lighting item in the "preventive maintenance" list, since the owner/operator can even redo the wiring for one without an A&P signoff.

Flight suits and race suits are very different. I know this partly because once in a while somebody tries to (or at least asks about) using a nomex flight suit for a race. They don't meet the requirements, and race suits generally aren't very comfortable when worn for long periods (e.g., they're kinda hot). They also don't have very many pockets, which most flight suits do. You don't write a lot of stuff down or dig out a chart during a race.

There may be a balun in there somewhere, but whatever it is needs to be replaced.

I'm a bit surprised there's still any GSM stuff out there, but this sort of thing is probably why, if there are a lot of controls out there using it. Also, this is still my fave cheapie generator. HF sidewalk sale for $88, and even though it's a two-stroke it's actually very quiet. I've never run a heater with it, but seems to do fine with lots of tool, even continuous-use stuff like big weed-whackers, etc. https://www.harborfreight.com/900-max-starting700-running-watts-2-hp-63cc-2-cycle-gas-generator-epacarb-63025.html

Durp. I'm guessing that's the "splitter" for the nav/gs? Will be good to get that out of there.

Apparently he's figured out to not show his panel during approach and landing any more.

I'm hearing that both P&W and RR are having a lot of trouble with these, though.

This list shows the various maintainers, etc., at DVT, with contact information. https://deervalleyairport.com/AirportAmenitiesAndCommunity/OtherAviationBusinesses

They had a shop at Scottsdale where my initial installation was done, but they closed that and moved to the PHX location. They did some warranty work at the Sky Harbor location for me.

These guys will come to your hangar, and I've seen them around DVT a lot, but I have no personal experience with them. https://www.valleyjetstars.com/ Cutter does avionics as well and are on the south side of DVT. No personal experience with them, either. I went to EAM, now at Sky Harbor, and did not have a great experience. They have a good reputation, but didn't live up to it with me. I'm still finding stuff that's not right.

I was getting frequent fouling in one of the bottom massive plugs, so switched all of the bottoms out for Tempest fine wires. I had one of the fine wires foul once since then and it burned off easily on a runup. Totally worth it.

Fundamentally a splitter (which is not quite the same as an n-plexer), is just a transformer that allows distribution (or combination) of rf signals. Since nothing is perfect, there are often a few other components in there on a little circuit board to help control impedance, frequency response, etc., etc. Corrosion on the connections or circuit board, cracked solder due to thermal cycles, etc., may happen that occasionally make them go bad or change characteristics. So even though theoretically there's nothing active or very age-dependant in there, things can happen to them. Here's a typical cable splitter with a porn shot of the unit. This one has two transformers, labelled T1 and T2: https://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=at-705 Edit: This one has a few extra components because it passes DC to power a unit (typically an amplifier) on the far end. Here's a pic of a transformer-only cheapie. They're usually potted to keep stuff together:

It's kind of a misnomer. It's sort of a hybrid between a splitter and a diplexer. It's not really a "triplexer" since it doesn't isolate three bands, only two (assuming it even does that and isn't just operating as a splitter). In addition to replacing the "triplexer" with a barrel connector, you could replace the "triplexer" with a regular three-port splitter (a cable splitter would work) and just drop one of the receiving devices, e.g., connect both VORs but not the glideslope. If performance comes back for both VORs, it was probably the "triplexer". If the antenna is in mechanically good condition, i.e., nothing loose, broken, or bent, the most likely problem with it might be corrosion of the connection to the ground plane at the base or in the connector. If the cable is the original from the factory it may well be the problem. Sagging over time, chafing or fraying of the shield, kinks or bends, or corrosion in the connectors can all cause issues. If a pinhole or larger leak developed anywhere in the cover, the shield and center conductor may be corroded or even shorted. The run is long enough that there may be connector(s) along the way to facilitate assembly/disassembly such that it is not a single piece. If so, those connector(s) are also potential problem areas for corrosion, etc.. The "combiner" could be replaced with a barrel connector (male-male BNC connector) to just use the VOR antenna for testing if the "triplexer" is ruled out. If the "triplexer" and combiner are eliminated as candidates, the cable may be the most likely culprit. How old are the VOR receivers? Are they the same type?

I've been trying to sort out why there'd be a triplexer in there...?

I've always liked Ginsberg's Theorem (after poet Alan Ginsberg) paraphrasing the three laws and including the zeroth. I've always found them easy to remember this way. The three, actually four, laws of thermodynamics: 0. The game exists. (Thermal Equilibrium) 1. You can't win. (Conservation of Energy) 2. You can't break even. (Entropy) 3. You can't get out of the game. (Ultimate Equilibrium)

Writing something short and informative doesn't hurt, but don't put it in the logs. Just keep it with the airplane paperwork to give to whoever you sell the airplane to. I don't think this will detract from the aircraft value at all. Maintaining something should be a good thing, and finding and replacing a faulty part is not a negative. I don't think there's any way to blame the issues on anything that would still be affecting the airplane when you sell it, once the replacement prop is on.

I had an ACK E-01 in my airplane when I bought it, and have since replaced it with an ACK E-04. The E-01 went off in turbulence once. I didn't think the turbulence was even all that bad, although it was rough, but it set off the ELT. The E-04 went off totally randomly once during takeoff. I noticed it while climbing out and reset it on crosswind before a downwind departure. I told the tower it had gone off and I'd reset it in case they cared. Now I make it a habit to look at the little blinky light once in a while just to see whether it decided to turn on or not. No idea what was up in either case, but they can do it sometimes.

I learned CIGARS and CIFFTRS as a teenager (a, ahem, few years ago), and for some reason CIFFTRS just always stuck in my head...and is still there many decades later. Controls Instruments - altimeter set and correct, hdg bug set, anything configured that needs to be. Fuel - quantities, proper tank, pump status. Flaps - takeoff setting Trim - the order here is good to do the flaps and trim together in the mooney since the indicators are together. Can also add the T for transponder here if desired. Runup (and/or radios) Seatbelts If you look at them, CIGARS and CIFFTRS do the same things in pretty much the same order, they're just different mnemonics to get there. I stuck a bunch of checklists in my IFD540 but haven't used them much yet. My printed pre-start and CIFFTRS checklists cover nearly everything to get me going, but I'm always trying to sort out how to improve flow/reliability.

Stopped there once to take a leak while driving back from LasVegas. It's been abandoned for many years. There's essentially Nothing there.

Also, see if there's a Parker Store in your area. They usually make hoses for anything, including aircraft.

BTW, that's also how LEDs work: electrons are bumped up to valence orbits by applied voltage, and the materials used have energy gaps that produce photons in the visible light range when the electrons pop back down to a lower orbit. Red LEDs are easy to make, so are green, then yellow got figured out. White LEDs are very tricky because you need enough light from all the visible frequencies to make it white, which a single material can't do. There are all kinds of crazy tricks that are done to achieve this, but it's why good white LEDs haven't been around for all that long and are still being improved.

I wanna know where you got the plastic eyeball vent for the console. My flapper thingie disintegrated and I just have a gaping hole there right now.

Automotive fuel pumps generate a lot more pressure than the IO-360 fuel injection needs. Typical auto fuel injection systems are anywhere from 40-80psi, and are the only pump that supplies pressure. There is no engine-driven pump on most cars, (the newer direct-injection systems are an exception as they require *much* higher pressures). The system pressure on my airplane (IO-360) seems to run around 22psi or so. Automotive pumps flow a lot more, too, when they're feeding something making 300-500hp as compared to 200hp or so. On the other hand, most auto pumps are the sole pump rather than boost pumps, so they don't have to be have pull-through capability so that a mechanical pump can draw through them. But I am generally in agreement that the technology in most airplanes has been progress-inhibited by excessive qualification standards and a smaller market. Both forces have conspired to keep much of GA at a technology reliability level that was state-of-the-art 30+ years ago. We don't get the benefits of many modern advancements that would likely improve both costs and reliability.

We were stuck under a low layer of crap pretty much all day. Would've liked to have made it out otherwise.