Scott Ashton

BTW Obviously I was wrong about the whole proxy thing regarding voting for directors. The bylaws are not totally clear, but we now see that we can transfer our proxy, and do direct voting, etc, so I wanted to correct what I said above…. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think that is the best we can do. I will say that I think a strong AOPA is in all of our best interests. And that means hanging in there while this works its way out. It might not be perfect, but no one has the clout they have in DC when the chips are down. Just today I got three emails from Stacey Heaton from AOPA about legislation that is working its way through the Florida legislature to ban the use of ADSB for collecting user fees - this will be the model for legislation for around the country. No other organization (Sorry Alex!) has communicated about this. So while all of the drama is going on at HQ, there is important work to be done.

We need to be really clear about the legal governance issues surrounding AOPA and what rights we as members have - and don't have. AOPA is a trustee-led 501C3 corporation - it is not a member-managed organization with a board of directors, like EAA. As a member of AOPA, we have zero governance oversight. Our proxies are not used for voting. They are only for quorum purposes. Witholding your proxy is meaningless. There are no rights associated with it and we cant just give our proxy to someone else not on the Board of Trustees, because that doesnt exist as a thing. As "members" we get the right to be customers - and that is it. We get the magazine, the legal services plan access, lapel wings, and other benefits, including representation. We have NO governance authority at all as members, and no say in how the Corporation is run. Think of it like being a member of Costco..... The more serious long term issue is that AOPA could be diminished in its clout in Congress as a result of all of this. You can criticize them for not acting on this issue or that, but I have been to many AOPA events where there were one or more congressmen in attendance - that kind of attention doesnt come easily. if we lose that kind of power, that is not good for anyone. Our industry needs a strong AOPA. Every 10 years there is an existential threat and if AOPA isnt there, the tanks roll through the fence - look at things like privatization, and GARA - infrequent threats or opportunities, but you have one shot to get it right or bad stuff happens. I don't know how this resolves itself, but the outcomes and long term unintended consequences are scary.

on my 85 J model with the IO360, I have been seeing some oil accumulating on the bottom of the intake tube for #4 so I pulled the cowl and took some photos with my borescope - I am seeing oil leaking where the intake goes into the head and around some of the fins in the area. I didn't see any obvious cracks, but is it new cylinder time? Any thoughts on where to look? Thanks Scott

You probably have an altitude compensating regulator in your system (if you look on the regulator it looks like a silver hockey puck). So the regulator is also adjusting the flow as altitude changes a bit. You should adjust the needle valve every few thousand feet and then depending on your SPO2 you may need to increase or can decrease based on that, If you have any questions email me at scott@aerox.com

What do you have left?

I have a Bruces Cover and it has been very durable. There are two snaps at the front on either side above the gear doors, which holds the cover snug without having a strap tight across the gear doors. The other thing I got with the airplane is a tail cover for the empennage to keep birds, etc out of the tail mechanism and that helped a lot too. For better or worse, you can definitely tell where the cover was and was not because the paint is remarkably different. The cover did a great job protecting the cabin area even if it was a pain to install and remove... I see a lot of planes out on the ramp without a cabin cover and I just couldn't do that!

My right one went to the low side - reading maybe 5 gallons when there was 20. So it did come off the peg when power was supplied, so it was getting some power. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I got my outboard sender overhauled and it solved the problem…unfortunately we send the gage in for repair first, but regardless, it’s now fixed…. Scott

I’m going to resurrect the switch cover thread here…I’m looking for a fuel boost pump switch cover for an 85 201 if anyone has a spare…. thanks

Does anyone have an outboard fuel sender they aren't using? I'm chasing an intermittent fuel issue and now they think it's the outboard sender... Thanks Scott

I actually had to swap out my encoding altimeter for a different PN to use when I installed my KAS298 preselect…I have the old one in my office and can check the PN for you in the morning and let you know…what SN is your J? Mine is an 85 and I have 1533….

A 3HT cylinder is tested every three years with a 24 year life and a 3AA cylinder is five years with an unlimited life. Kevlar wrapped cylinders are a five year hydro interval with a 15 year life limit. Life limits are taken from the DOM, not the date of install…. Scott

Contact Paul Lange, pal@lopal.com; His firm specializes in aviation, transactions, enforcement, litigation, etc. www.lopal.com. I’ve been using him for decades for all of my aviation matters and transactions. Scott

Dry ice is haz mat and dangerous goods, and is higHly regulated for transport. I wouldn’t mess with it…. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-173/subpart-E/section-173.217?OR=OfficeMobile