Eduleo

Hi All, I am the proud owner of a 87' J with a nicely upgraded panel that I intend to keep until I either am told I can no longer fly by an AME, or I can no longer afford to maintain her. Mistresses are expensive! I fly about 250 hours yearly, mostly commuting for work, so I fly IFR, and at night. There are tow airports I can keep her, and I can't figure out which one is best. Can you please help me?! Gettysburg PA (W05) 10 minute drive from home on local road cheaper gas communal hangar, $25/month cheaper than individual hangar at second option, with rusty doors that take 20 minutes to open and close plane gets pushed in and out to accommodate other planes uncontrolled part time FBO only shorter single runway (24/06, 2,500 w/ displaced threshold) circling approach only, NA at night rwy 24 NA at night (usually the one with the prevailing winds) Hagerstown (KHGR) 40 minute drive on busy interstate with heavy truck traffic pricier gas (by .65 per gallon) individual clean hangar ($25/month more expensive than communal hangar at W05), with nice electric door no one else touches her class D several A&P's and one large FBO long runways with ILS and LPV approaches no approach restrictions Where would you park your plane? Is it worth the extra hour driving each time you fly and the more expensive gas/hangar rental to keep it in a place you know nobody else is touching her, and where you can come in and out whenever you want?

I'm in NJ often, usually once a week. Linden, Caldwell, and Morristown are all good, cheaper options to Teterboro, and all within a 30 minute drive from Liberty International. If going to TEB I always use Meridian FBO. Good service for us little guys, much cheaper than Signature. They helped me a few times when I needed it, cleaning a fowled spark plug on a Sunday night, and letting me use a crew car for an extended period of time when my rental didn't show up. TEB used to be $21 landing fee + $57 a day to park outside by Meridian. CDW is a $10 landing fee, a $25 ramp fee, and $20 a night. I was there yesterday.

Please add me to the list. I'm in KCDW almost every week.

That's a lot better than what I paid last week at Rider Jet in KHGR ($83!)

Thanks for looking into this, Cody. I can't quite tell if it is oil or grease on the blade since it was dry when I touched it. Couldn't tell if it gel-like or oil-like. Is there any other way to tell? Would that determine if it is prop grease vs. crankcase seal? I assumed it to be grease since it only shows in one blade. There is a good shop on the field and I'll ask them to take a look at it tomorrow when I am not so busy at work. I'll let you know what they say.

Found this upon landing in Western Massachusetts today, after a two-hour hard IMC flight. Only one blade, the other was clean. Only on the front side, nothing on the back. I couldn't remove it with my finger or a cloth. I am assuming it's prop governor grease, but this is the first time that stuff like this shows up on my prop. What should I do next? a) fly another 10 hours until the next oil change at an MSC b) call local mechanic to look at it for reassurance that it's not something serious enough to ground the plane before next visit to my favorite MSC (looks like the best option to me). c) this is much more serious and I'm lucky nothing worse happened, and I'm definitely grounded. Thanks for your insight.

https://kymkemp.com/2021/07/15/airplane-crash-at-dinsmore-airport-fire-spreading/?fbclid=IwAR0RkNmxZywMy_d7CGVuFb33lIB-YNaoWLDCKSHD5POg8XYdBnx-7vDOnPg This looks like a worst case scenario. A J with passengers crashed after departure from Dinsmore Airport (D63), California, and caught fire. Very sad for all involved.

They handed me a new Tesla at the FBO at KISP last week. Couldn't even feel guilty for not filling up the tank before bringing her back.

My jpi900 has tach time showing on the main screen at the top left corner. Maybe that's an optional setting yours too?

I thought those were ground speeds. Since I seem to always have a headwind, mine are probably even slower.

Grew up next to a commuter airport downtown Sao Paulo, and went to watch airplanes land most weeknights after dinner with my dad (electras, 727's, etc). Best buddy age 7-11's father was a 707 captain for Varig. I was reading PPL textbooks by age 10. The week I got my first full time job (20 years later, in the US, in a career that has nothing to do with flying), I drove to the local airport and had my first lesson. The best memory I have of my dad, the last time I saw him before he passed a month later, was his expression when I told him I was learning to fly and was about to have my checkride.

Hi Robert, I like the extra little bit of situational awareness that this thing gives me at a critical phase of flight. I, for one, have the annoying tendency of flaring one foot too high. Not enough to embarrass me in front of my passengers, but given enough landings like that I start to wonder how long it's going to be before a tank reseal. I also fly often at night to airports with different, sometimes tricky lighting configurations (try Caldwell NJ just after dusk, everything around the airport is better lit than the field). I do land without the unit sometimes so it doesn't become a crutch, but in general my landings have become better (i've been flying for 22 years, but this is only my third in the Mooney), most of the times with a nice touchdown, less flat than before, and with just a second of stall warning. The other day I was coming back home early evening, after 2 hours of IMC in strong winds all the way down to rwy 27, staring down at the sun as it set. Gear down warning and call outs all the way down to the runway were a welcoming aid for sure. Personally I think that the "functionality vs. unit price+install time" equation justify the expense. Definitely not a gizmo to impress passengers, though my girlfriend seem to like it. Cheers Eduardo

I've been doing ok with a 9.7" iPad on a small Ram yoke mount without a cover, so the it gets plenty of cooling on the back. Another iPad mini on a large velcro attached to a similar Ram mount on the empty spot on the right panel both connected to the 2 GNS430W's via FS210, and both plugged in to USB chargers. So when I load a flight plan on the iPad in on the yoke it gets transferred to the mini, including approaches. If both go I still have the iPhone on my side pocket. If all of that fails I probably have other, more pressing problems to deal with . I do have an old VFR chart of my home base on the rear seat pocket.

Love having a solid IFR platform. Low overcast layer, mild winds, warm OATs. George (the AP) flying while I manage systems, comms, and weather. And i swear it's the Empire State building right there!

Quick PIREP. Love this thing! I got mine installed yesterday at an MSC in PA, and it took them about 5 hours to do everything, including testing and setup. We did use the panel behind the wheel faring on the pilot side as recommended, and after removing the pilot seat and one side panel, the wiring was relatively easy (at least it looked that way). They did install a fuse so I didn't have the danger of a shorted circuit right behind a fuel tank. I had two landings afterwards, one in KTEB and another in KHGR, both at night. The system announced all altitudes from 70 down, including the "check gear" warning, and the sound was clear and loud from the ADF input on a Garmin 340. Both landings were made easier and touch downs more predictable. You hear the cadence of the altitude callouts and adjust your rate of descent accordingly. Of course you can land without it, but after a long day of flying and landing at night with strong winds, this was a welcome aid.