Sue Bon

Ours is CHF 11.53 ($12.43), down from CHF 13.80 ($14.90). CHF/USD conversions at today's rate, but they haven't varied too much over the past few years.

Dude. Seriously. All the work on my new panel, which is nowhere near the one in the photo, will end up costing me 80% of the purchase price of my plane.

Alright. I'll rethink my rethink

This time last year I agonised over the decision to upgrade my Mooney or my panel. I landed on upgrading my panel because it would be about half the cost and I know that I can afford my J ... even though it prevents me from upgrading my bathrooms and my kitchen. Regarding watching your retirement plan evaporate before your eyes, I've invested in the stock market twice. Once in 2008 about 10 minutes before the crash and then again this past January. The next time I plan to invest, I'll post it here so you all will know to sell!

Whatever route you choose to take, my advice is to plan, plan, plan. Make a clear budget for yourself. Maybe even a backup budget in case something unexpected comes up. Airplane ownership is amazing, but it can turn around and bite you. I am planning to spend my last Franc on my last day, but I'm budgeting for a long life.

I don't know if this was rhetorical or not, but just in case, the answer is a hard no. Obviously, I have no idea what it's like to fly in the US, but you definitely have a lot more space than we do! Thanks for your explanation. Watching your video has made me rethink my ambition of flying in the US.

Wow. We do not have that over here, thank goodness. I've only been given one waypoint not on my flight plan (although it happens somewhat regularly) and that happens in the Zurich airspace where I know almost all the waypoints by heart. After that one new waypoint, I get a direct to a waypoint on my flight plan. I think there was a thread about this happening during climb. That would be next to impossible for me in single pilot operation, especially in IMC. Maybe with the new GFC 500 that's currently being installed I could do it, but still... Plus it blocks the frequency for so long that it's hard to imagine how it's ultimately beneficial for everyone.

The pilot was in an extremely high stress situation and most probably had get-there-itis. He had a lot of wind from the southeast at altitude, less on the ground, including wind shears. He was in hard IMC (not sure about icing) and doesn't seem to have had the right approach loaded. It seems he descended below the OVC 002 ceiling and started looking for the airport. As @Ibra mentioned, the shopping mall lights were probably very attractive. He had been pushing the frequency button to light the runway (not sure if it worked). The pilot has over 30 years experience. I wonder if that was a factor in boosting his confidence. I share the sentiment of @ilovecornfields in that I'm more prone to cancel than to go if there is ever a question of safety. I've stayed on the ground more often than I'd like to admit on flyable days because the weather seemed a bit iffy and I wasn't sure. I know a few pilots with over 30 years experience that look at the same situation and say, "It should be ok." Should isn't enough for me, but I've only been in the IFR game for three years.

Well.... Moody does accurately describe how I feel when I don't get to fly....

I love Peanut. I love Snoop Dog. I need a dog....

My trim CB is here, next to the yoke. No searching necessary in case of a runaway...

Hearing that first "okay" from Maggie brought tears to my eyes.

Fun fact: George Jetson's birthday (actual date of birth) was either July or August of this year! https://www.npr.org/2022/07/31/1114759037/happy-birthday-george-jetson I can't find the German Wikipedia page that put it at August 27, 2022. He may be flying it yet!

Last adventure for the year. Prague First pic is the airport falcon that brought its handler a dead rabbit. You can see its white cotton tail on the ground behind the vehicle. Poor bunny... Now it's just one or two CHF 300.- bratwurst(s) for me until another 4 weeks on the ground for a panel upgrade and annual. It's been an amazing year

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be invited to the Ferrari test track in Maranello. We got to go around the track with one or both of the test "pilots" and then we could go by ourselves. My first lap with the German "pilot," Thomas, went as I expected it to. Then it was my turn (embarrassing); then I went with the guy that's been driving that track for over 30 years. Every time I thought, "ok, he needs to brake now" was exactly when he floored it. It was the strangest experience! We spun out once, but he just rode it through and went to the next turn like nothing happened.

I love this thread

So, so good!!

A lot of the recent speed restrictions in Germany are because there is just more traffic on the highways than there used to be. There are also a lot more tourists that wreak havoc on the traditional German style of driving. They either want to drive 250 kph or are not comfortable going above 80. Or the worst offenders: people from countries that I won't mention here that don't drive at home, purchase a driver's license before their vacation and don't know anything about driving in Europe. They have been known to stop on the highways to look at their maps. Flash to pass is certainly a thing. Also here in Switzerland. I flashed one of the above mentioned tourists once on a highway (he was almost stopped) and when I passed, he tried to run me off the road. Luckily no one was coming the other direction and I could swerve into the other lane.

Is the plane usually towed with a tow bar (and help by pulling on the propeller) or with a little tractor? The '79 J in my hangar just broke its nose wheel bolt and they suspect it's due to being towed with a little tractor over the bumps where the hangar doors slide back and forth.

I'm so glad you answered the "ask me how I know" question. I was wondering!

Do you need a special certification to do this? We do over here... It looks so fun!

I've flown with a friend of mine that's in a wheelchair. He has full use of his upper body and partial use of one leg. He manoeuvred himself from his wheelchair onto the wing (flaps side - maybe we'll use leading edge next time), used his semi-good leg to hook under the disabled leg and swung both legs onto the wing, then scooched himself into the passenger seat backwards. Reverse for disembarking. It worked perfectly. He got in and out better any of my overweight passengers.

So pretty!!!

Too bad they don't have them in Europe. I checked to see if I could attend one in the US, but the registration form said to bring your airplane, so that is out