0TreeLemur

First, you're not that old . Second, you'll be wearing different grades of magnifying glasses in the cockpit for the rest of your life. I have a JPI EDM900 installed to the right of the AI, and I can read it just fine. As long as I'm wearing +1.25 readers during the day or +1.75 readers at night.

I have one of these that my A&P removed from our J model in April. PM me if interested. I don't need it.

IIRC the vertical text is on the other side of that thin piece of plastic. Just flip it over for vertical installations.

Another vote for the JPI. When we sold our C that had a JPI EDM 900 and bought our J about one year ago, which came with an EI CGR30P (single), I gave it a go. Didn't take long to really miss the JPI. Our J now has a JPI, and we removed the MP, tach, and old gauge cluster. Everything related to engine performance on one screen, all the time.

I've been on a SI for the last 4 years for a treatable condition, where every-other year the FAA issues a 1 year extension to my 1-year AME approved class 3 medical. My medical is due in Nov. and I'm going to switch to basic med.

In the summer when DA is super high, Santa Fe is VFR >95% of the time. The mountain wave turbulence in that area from noon through late afternoon is ridiculous sometimes. IMC departures in that part of the world don't often coincide with high DA's.

I don't think of a J is marginal for high DA ops. It's a J at 8,000+ ft. It's not going to perform like it does closer to SL or an airplane with a turbo. Most high altitude runways are 6,000 ft long or more. It never felt unsafe. It still flies if it's going fast enough. It has the same limitations on the gross weight regardless of DA. Training and practice make high DA ops safe- not Turbo vs. non-Turbo. I've flown C210's at high DA. Rockin' it, dog. Practically jumps off the ground at gross weight- no problemo. But it burns close to 30 gph in the climb and 18-19 in cruise. All aircraft are tradeoffs.

Took off from Los Alamos, NM (LAM) twice a couple of weekends ago in our two-bladed J with a DA over 8k and no wind. Both of those takeoffs were 100-150 lb below gross weight. My observations: 1) acceleration on the ground at that DA is not impressive. It takes quite a while to get up to flying speed. We had 6000 ft of runway and I reckon we were off the ground in less than 2000 ft. 2) after liftoff, I leveled out to increase to 95 KIAS. After that climb rate was about 400 ft/min. 3) all departures from LAM are to the east, which has the runway 1.5% sloping downhill. Took off from SAF one mid-morning in July with gusty winds and turbulence loaded with two adults and full tanks. DA about 8,500 IIRC. Climb performance was muddling in the turbulence. It never created a situation, just took a while to get up to 10,500. A J can handle it just fine.

It seems well priced for what it looks like in the photos. More photos of other side of plane would be great. Seems to have had a recent(ish) paint job. Given sellers unwillingness to provide log books, I'd ask for a phone call to discuss its history. If the seller is unwilling to do that, then walk. If by phone, I'd be prepared to ask a lot of questions. Ownership time? Maintenance history? How often flown (hours/y) for the past five years? What year were tanks last re-sealed? Always hangared? Major work done in the last 10 years? If you get a good feeling after that, then pay to go see it. That's what I'd do. That relatively low time engine and new(ish) paint job is a big draw.

Ok, that was more strange that what happened on Air Alaska. I had not heard the story of FedEx 705. Gawd. Don't mess with Navy veterans.

Not being an airline pilot, this is one of the strangest things I've ever heard happening in an airline cockpit. He was going to force them to ditch? What kind of outcome is that?? https://abcnews.go.com/US/alaska-airlines-flight-diverted-after-credible-security-threat/story?id=104223059

In 2019 in cruise at 7500' I passed a drone about 30 miles east of Little Rock. Here's the link with details of my comms with the FAA.

I recently bought a pair of Foster Grant bifocal aviator sunglasses that have the transition line that falls just right at the top of the instruments. I found them at CVS on the rack. The left temple has stamped on it: "NS1022 FGSR1903 DGN" My distance vision is perfect with +1.25. I wish I could find bifocals that are 1.25 over 1.5 or 1.75.

I would like to do the same in my J. I asked my A&P to do it and after working on it for a while, he said that it would require rebuilding the entire panel because (1) the KFC-150 autopilot and EA-100 box that connect the autopilot to the Aspen both have a ton of wires in the center stack, and (2) the radio racks are super well riveted in place. He removed the rack for the ADF that I had him take out and it took him six hours and showered the area with aluminum shavings. Do you have the 201-style windshield? If not, then maybe the access through the instrument bay panels will help. Maybe if your racks don't have eight rivets in them and if you don't have an autopilot and its accoutrements in the way it won't be too bad. Seek professional help.

Last spring I bought two off the shelf from Maxwell for our J.

Had the airspeed indicator in our J and a replacement AI overhauled by Rudy Instruments in Arkansas. They give overhaul price as: $225 here: https://rudyaircraftinstruments.com/overhaul-prices They've overhauled several instruments for me over the years. Quality work, I've ever had a problem. I recommend them.

We took our son and his girlfriend for a ride around the Valles Caldera in north-central New Mexico. The view landing at Los Alamos is pretty darn cool.

According to NOAA's Aviation Weather Center, their new web site goes live Monday. Here's a beta version that I found referenced on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction www page: https://beta.aviationweather.gov/ Tonite I used it to help plan a flight from Alabama to New Mexico tomorrow. Big improvement over the old pages! Check it out.

Great info. I'll have them check that during annual in Dec.!

My '83J has fold down rear seats.

Two years ago I built a battery test rig using an electric dryer heating coil, fan, old Mooney shunt, and data logger. It drew 13 A. Not spec, but a fun experiment that I don't need to do again.

You're welcome. Those things are rare as hen's teeth. Work is keeping me super busy this week and I have a trip over the weekend. Probably won't get to dig through the box until next week.

A good read for you @Andrei Caldararu https://www.avweb.com/ownership/the-savvy-aviator-59-egt-cht-and-leaning/

I have a box of spare Brittain parts left over from when we owned a C model. I think I might have one of those. I'll PM if I do.

Sorry, but I'm still waiting on the STC on the Acme Turbo-Encabulator.