Skyland

Genius example. Thanks for sharing your model.

I just completed my lower 48 last year as well. Looking at Alaska next. Appears Canada doesn't like our Basic Med. Anyone have any hopeful info. Suppose I could go get a third class before the trip.

Been following you. What an exciting adventure. Congratulations on a safe trip and welcome home.

Had to replace that shear pin on the same starter a few years ago. The starter would spin but wouldn't engage the ring gear. Don't recall anything abnormal that precipitated the event. It just sheared. There were two spares RTV'd under the base housing, like you're gonna need these some day. After getting the starter on the bench you'll need to drive the remains of the pin out of the shaft and gear, then press in a new pin. I got lucky that it occurred at my hangar before a pleasure flight, not away from home. Good luck.

Yes, scraping, heat gun, guitar picks. Be very careful not to bend the thin wing skins. Also, leave the screws in place backing them out a few turns. You can then apply pressure to the screw heads. I placed a board on the screw tops with bricks to apply a constant pressure, even overnight might help.

Here's a post I wrote up regarding a Dukes replacement gear failure some years ago when replacement gears became available. Apparently the gears received were not heat teated as later told to me by the shop who installed it.

Trying to troubleshoot my Coms. As stated in the title, when Com 1 (Garmin 430) is selected in the audio panel (KMA 20) and then Com 2 (old Apollo GX60, which works quite well as a Com) is monitored, the volume of Com 1 drops considerably. Conversely, Com 2 selected, then monitoring Com 1, the volume of Com 2 remains constant. Happens on all frequencies. Thought for sure it must be an issue in the KMA 20, so swapped in another KMA 20 and the problem is unchanged. Hum, could it be a wiring or grounding problem? Both radios transmit and receive clear and strong. Not a big issue but I like using the Garmin for Com 1 and like to monitor guard or weather on Com 2 without having to constantly adjust Com 1 volume. Ideas?

Thanks for the Pirep on the Death Valley airports. Seems the conditions haven't improved since I landed at Stove Pipe two years ago and drove to Furnace Creek and walked that runway a while back as well. The Park Service used to have a Cessna based at Furnace Creek years ago for patrolling the Park. Seems they're no longer interested in keeping up the airport. Too bad, both locations are well suited for fly in business. The hundreds of miles of paved roads in DV are generally in excellent condition, and they get repaired quickly after flood damage. Can't see why a mile of runway pavement is so difficult. There must be $$ available somewhere for some maintenance rather than just closing them. It's a huge Park, the size of Connecticut. The airports were there long before becoming a NP. Emergency usage comes to mind as well. Thanks again for the report.

@AndreiC So how's the Furnace Creek runway? It was closed last month for over a week and was hoping it was for surface reconditioning to improve the terrible bumps and pavement upheavals. I telephoned the Park for info but nobody returned the call. Looking to fly out there again this spring. Maybe a West Coast Mooney get-together?

I paid around 35 for the Jazzy motor/gearbox from eBay. Plenty of power and well built.

Search for Kobalt 24V battery adapter. I'm impressed by how much power that battery puts out. My original goal was to make a lightweight tug to bring along in the plane. This motor/gearbox is very well built and it all turned out to be a bit heavy and awkward with the protruding bits so it stays in the hangar. I really only use it when the ramp is wet and slippery. Otherwise I find it easier to push the plane the old fashioned way.

Here's my CB tug I cobbled together. Used a powered wheelchair motor and gearbox off eBay. Started out with a rubber capstan but it slipped too much on the tire when wet. Now use a HF abrasive sanding wheel that works well. The larger diameter of the new wheel raised the geometry so had to bend the handle for clearance. End of the handle is not in the picture but extends out like the hand tow bar. The switch plus fwd/rev is in the handle. All told only a little over a hundred bucks in the project and some home machine shop fun.

Any updates to gathering in Kerrville for the April 8 eclipse?

Antenna length is inversely proportional to frequency. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength, the shorter the antenna. That's why I can't understand why a 406 antenna can't be offered in a short version. A quarter wavelength 121.5 antenna computes to about 62cm (24"). Could be it's wire wound and can be 1/4 that length (as I understand it) which is probably the length of the antennas under the tail fin. All the 406 antennas I've seen are straight wire whips and computes to about 36cm (14") 1/2 wave. That seems to be about the length of those. Additionally, don't the new ELTs transmit both frequencies? Maybe the 121.5 antenna is in the base while the 406 antenna is the wire whip. Any antenna gurus in the group?

I'd like to replace my 121.5 ELT with a 406 but reluctant to install a long whip antenna outside the fuselage somewhere. I like that the old antenna is hidden underneath the fiberglass dorsal fin. Any solutions to this dilemma?