GeeBee

I am a huge fan of the SIRS compass. It does not leak because it has a brass bellows rather than rubber. Also easier to swing as it has 4 compensating magnets.

The procedure is outlined in Section III of the AFM. Basically approach speed of 80 KIAS, flatter approach, attempt smooth touch down. Allow 600 feet extra over a 50 ft obstacle. Then conduct Gear and Tire Servicing inspection as outlined in Section VIII of the AFM.

It would seem as so until Wickard v Filburn a SCOTUS decision 1942. Roscoe Filburn raised wheat on his own farm to feed to his own animals. The government said he violated the limits on wheat production. The court held that his raising of wheat, even for his own use had an affect upon Interstate Commerce and expanded that most anything affects Interstate Commerce and thus is subject to the regulations Congress propounds upon it. As you may remember aviation was originally regulated by the Commerce Department for this very reason. While most Americans, myself included would be sympathetic to your point of view, the fact is, in aviation they got us under the law of Interstate Commerce.

It would be a cargo flight under Part 135 and would require a 135 operating certificate. The pilot would need to complete a 135 proficiency check as well as the airplane added to the operating certificate.

The real issue is the manufacturer is required to track to whom it issues STC and sometimes, the aircraft S/N and registration. For the shop to do the job they would have to go to the STC holder and request issuance of the STC to that aircraft. Then the appropriate AFM supplements (as revised) and ICA have to be delivered. It is not as simple as just slapping it in the airplane because it is approved for another aircraft even if it is the same make and model.

If you really want a remote filter......for me it is Airwolf or it is nothing. Done several airplanes and I can tell you don't waste your money on anything else.

Depends on the winds. IF you have to depart South, you have to usually do the "Golf Course Climb Out" where you shuttle climb over the golf course. I'll take a pretty significant tail wind to avoid that, but sometimes the numbers don't work. You basically have to land south, takeoff north. When landing south, pre plan the go around carefully. You should have several plans for go around at different points because at several points you have hills you cannot out climb in landing configuration or. accelerating there from. If it all goes to poop, go around straight ahead and climb over the golf course. If you decide to fly the IFR approach check your missed approach climb gradient. KTRK IMHO is a little easier because you got 4 pretty good runways to choose from. It sits down in a bowl, but a big enough one that you can shuttle climb. The instrument approach into KTRK is a little wild because you have cumulus granite on both sides as you let down and the FAF on the RNAV 20 only has 1100 feet ground clearance due to a hill. Make sure you pay attention to cold weather altitude corrections as required as well as circling limitations. If you have not been up there you might want to engage an instructor for a "High Altitude Checkout". I think Don Kaye lives near you. Might give him a call.

I know, but the user has to under go annual training and carry a card.

I would be hard pressed to second guess the manufacturer's instruction after all the hours on the test stand with all the instrumentation that is attached.

No but I suspect the fire Marshalls are going to have something to say about self serve LNG.

You did not answer the second and third question.

These questions Do you think you could certify that design under FAR 23? Do you think you could have self serve LNG refueling at midnight in Barstow, CA? Why is it if I have a 100,000 tons of gasoline I can bring the ship right into port and offload it. But if I have 100,000 tons of LNG I am offloading 3 miles offshore to a floating platform?

These highly efficient engines run very lean and coaxing them into sustained running often requires the FADEC to manipulate fuel, stator vanes and sometimes even ignition to get them up. As an example, the P&W 4000 series generally take 90 seconds from engine start to idle. Whereas the GE CF-6 its competitor will be up and running in 36 seconds. The difference is the GE varies the stator vanes during start whereas the 4000 requires the engine at idle before stator vanes will start articulating. With the LEAP engine running a slower N1 compressor you will have reduced airflow which makes lighting off without over temp a more difficult proposition. Already its predecessor would 45 to 50 seconds to start so I am not surprised it is slow to start. Now how do I know how long it takes to start these engines? One of the things expected of line pilots is efficiency. You are expected on push back not to start early....or late. The company wants the engine reach idle and after start check completed right as you receive a wave off from the ground crew. Equally so, if you perform single engine taxi, you don't want to be holding short, holding up the line behind you while you wait for the required ground idle warm up time. So you calculate carefully to being applying takeoff power just as the warm up. time is met.

Now come on. You never know when there will be a need for a mercy flight to haul some rubber dog doo-doo out of Hong Kong in an L-1011.

But you have a volume and weight problem. To obtain the same BTU you need 50% larger tank for LNG. So you have larger and heavier tanks. Look at the GGE tables for gasoline versus LNG. Gasoline has a about 114K btu/gal vs 75K btu/gal for LNG. We have not even discussed the weight of the tank. A wet wing like a Mooney is a pretty efficient way to store BTU's because it is an integral structure. LNG would require a separate tank and a fairly robust one at that to deal with the pressures.

It takes huge tanks. LNG requires 70% higher volume tank than a diesel tank for the same amount of range. As for Propane, huge fire risks and even worse detonation risk. My neighbor who used to be commander of the Miami-Dade bomb squad calls it "poor man's dynamite". It is a ubiquitous fuel but has very high energy content that is difficult to control when it leaks. The Santa Clara County transit system first bought propane powered busses. Within a month, 3 of them burned to axles. In aerial vehicles, the use of flammable gas? Well Hindenburg comes to mind.

Yeah, I was coming in to KTRK in a Cheyenne 400. Winds were howling over Squaw and I slowed to. Va, but I when I hit the lee side, despite a shoulder harness, the overhead took a gouge out of my scalp, the guy in the back had his knee turn the fold out table into kindling wood. 4 stitches for me. A Mooney wing is a comfort in those conditions. I know of at least two inflight structural breakups on inbounds to Truckee.

SJC-PSP is not really a FIKI problem but as Larryb points out TRK most certainly is a problem (My corporate operation had a daily run between SJC and TRK in the early 80's). I can tell you one night I cleaned both ADF antennas off the bottom of a King Air out of Truckee when the ice finally broke free. Next to Nor Easters in New England, Truckee is some of the worst icing I have ever encountered. I consider a FIKI Mooney with a full tank of TKS fluid a two place airplane. By the time you add bags and IFR reserves you are pretty much at the wall.

By next summer it should be open!

If that includes evening cocktails at the Cattleman's Lounge at the Paso Robles Inn, count me in!

Turn 30. 30,000 hours that is. Should be able to do it in 2021 unless I die, health fails or aliens abduct me. I pinch myself everyday at the aviation career I have had and that I own a beautiful M20R.

Not a good idea, the only thing worse would be propane.

I had forgotten that Mooney was the original marketeer for the MooTwo. I used to fly a J model. It is a remarkable airplane, although the fact that it lifted off was always a surprise! Plus when you looked at the airfoil on the horizontal stab, you thought, "that's some serious down force".

They do, but in aviation you have a lean octane number and a rich octane number. While they still use R+M to obtain an index they also do so rich and lean. In reality, 100LL is 100 lean, 130 full rich.

LOL! Let me guess. Was it a Trabant?