dkkim73

I think it might be the most under-appreciated (modern) platform in the AF, from the outsider's viewpoint. All single-seat, so I have no more direct knowledge as weight and balance type airman. But I loved watching them fly alongside (MH-47G) or in airshows. The wing and robust design and "skin in the game" mission were so compelling post-2001. Hats off to you for serving in one. The few warthog drivers I met were all-in. The Eagle is howeverthe best airplane *ever*, just to be clear, just in case you were thinking I was getting all soft and whatnot....

Lower frequency, longer propagation distance with LORAN, compared to VOR which is VHF and IIUC closer to line-of-sight in terms of distance (e.g. think about airway switchover, etc).

"Only" the 30mm cannon, bombs, and rockets. I just had to point out that's kind of funny.

Do I understand correctly you spray the externally-visible parts of the system (landing gear linkages, exposed ends of rods along ailerons and empennage) after routine TKS use? I'm getting some Tri-Flo soonest in any case. Spoke at length to my local A&P (new-ish to me). He was suspicious of something spraying internally and was wanting to test it under pressure with the panels off (going to get the plane at some point soon for other work) but your post makes me wonder if some of the fluid worked it's way back earlier. FWIW I have not run it in flight for a week and a half. Thanks for the info and operational tips (e.g. delaying gear in ice, etc). I've been impressed by my limited experience with TKS. We did go to high flow in a couple cases on the repo and training flights. I'm definitely going to cut a much wider margin in solo ops in a new region and being new to TKS. Hope you are enjoying Yellowstone! David

I had wondered about the output pressures, too, and would think they increase with altitude. Looking in the maintenance manual I found a reference to Scott/Avox CRA 895, and found a description online: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/32372252/895-series-cylinder-avox-systems-inc Please note this document covers a range of configurations, so please double-check things if you are relying on it... But it seems to imply the pressures should all be above the range of the inline reducing regulator made by Mountain High (their minimum is 15 psi during inhalation/flow). So I would think if it works down low it should be reasonable to expect it to function correctly higher. Of couse, any assumption needs to be ops-checked for obvious reasons.

@Fritz1, could you elaborate on how the fluid splahes into this area and where exactly the rubber seal strip might go? Is it from normal use or when it overflowed? The large panel I pulled (with what I think is a transponder antenna, ventrally-located) inserts under the panel in front of it, which I think might also be a removable belly panel. Forward of that is some more curved portions that relate to the cowl... is that the cowl boot? Would the strip go on the more-forward panel, forward edge? Or just somewhere on the more forward panel to prevent runback to the main belly panel? Sorry if this is basic, I am just trying to envision the flow ("think like a water droplet"). As for the test, I did run it earlier on the ground (in high) a couple days prior and saw pretty even wetting in short order (it had been used a lot in anger the week before). @GeeBee that approach makes sense, full or empty. I think the concern I have is knowing if I really am full given the #s and the possibity of a siphon effect. Thank you all, David

Hi All, To make a long story short, I just bought a Mountain High O2D2 system to make better use of oxygen in my planned flying. Read a lot here, including an experience where Don had issues in his Bravo. Spoke to MH support and they thought the system should work in the Acclaim with the Scott/Avox system, using there in-line reducing regulator. There is some conflicting info out there about problems with "altitude compensating regulators" but I am not finding any real technical details to verify pressures, etc. Any experience here with this combination? I can probably ops check basic function on the ground or down low, but curious if I will have to fly some higher profiles to verify basic suitability. Thanks, David

So, on Friday I went to the airport and looked at a few things (shared hangar so can't really leave anything apart): Dropped aft belly panel, thanks @GeeBee for the info. A bit dirtier and more grunt than I thought, but only because I didn't have jacks (not much clearance) and should've worn real work clothes . I didn't see anything obviously disconnected. I presume the TKS lines are the opaque poly-ish lines with the abrasion wrap in the following pics (I took a bunch but only include 1 or 2 as I didn't see anything obviously wrong, I think the black cylinder is the main TKS filter?). Looks like the TKS drain line comes from plastic "domes" that presumably are part of the TKS tank system (see pic), so I guess that allays my worries about collecting and reusing fluid that has run all over the inside of the belly... The whole belly was damper than I expected; I saw "sweat" everywhere. There was a film of something slippery (oil, protectant, not sure) that made it hard to figure out what might've been TKS fluid. But I think it was likely condensation (the line guy was away so I didn't have a history of exactly the plane was inside or outside, and it was cold in the hangar, too). So... I took a crack at the back seats. The seats and plastic pan came off reasonably well, with some carefully prodding and inspection. The left side had labels saying "TKS tank no drill" or something like that. I peeled back a couple of aluminum panels (with aluminum tape) and looked underneath. I believe that revealed the blank tops of tanks through lightening/inspection holes: I didn't see any vent holes, but really couldn't appreciate the entire outline of the tank, it's profile in level flight (plane nose-up in standard ground configuration), etc, to define the highest point. So I figured I'd get a lot more information before attempting to place any vent holes. But at least I could get a sense of the overall access. I didn't see where the sender unit would be accessed, and most of the tank was covered. Next, tried @Fritz1's suggestion of looking at the control box. Things were reachable from below, but the harnesses were zip-tied in place so I just settled for inspecting the connectors and hitting all sides with contact cleaner followed by canned air. The connectors did not appear obviously mis-seated though I will say the sender plug (3 wires in 6 pins) was looser in design than I would have thought. Powering on showed a reasonable-ish level. So, what to do? I figure I might try a slow empirical full fill when the drain pan and funnel (recommended above) get in, assuming I'd overfilled and created a siphon, and observe the indicated levels in use. Have some A&P work coming up so might ask him to dig further. Although I did not really reveal much in the above looks, I figured it might be worth posting what I saw and seeing if anyone else had further thoughts. Thanks, David

I would guess it helps average over vagaries in subtle algorithmic differences and whatnot. Reminds me of the line from Aliens, "take off and nuke it from orbit; it's the only way to be sure". Had that feeling doing some night pattern work and some yahoo was lasing a student pilot flight.

Besides dropping a bomb on them?

With the availability of repurpose-able technology (eg small wide bandwidth SDRs) and a certain hobbyist segment, it seems not unlikely that we might encounter some domestic use of jammers if not spoofers. Add a certain political vibe, eg anarchist accelerationists (like some of the odd arson of the last few years), or more familiar terrorist motivations (wait I'm sure it's all gone away) I do wonder if it's a more reasonable worry than 20 yrs ago. There was a presentation i read a while ago about eLORAN for tactical resiliency, very interesting. Disseminated poor man's RNAV like EricJ mentions would potentially have wide use.

As cool as the G1000 is (and I'm down on my knees thanking God for this "20 yr old technology" (which it is) since I got it) I had hoped it would also do some primitive VOR-VOR RNAV without GPS. I've asked a few people about adding DME and maybe ADF boxes back in... Which will integrate for basic use at least. They mostly think I'm cute for asking. Much harder to spoof every AM station in a region than a complex GPS signal I would think (PP thoughts only, not an EWO... Love @EricJ's SDR idea. Have read of a few cool little SDR projects recently. D

FWIW I flew the plane today (engine test runs, unrelated) and it read 5.3. Go figure. @GeeBee Thank you for the specific recs and fluid-saving tips. Just ordered those locally. @Danb I got a super-quick response from Jason Jennings. He said "I would also recommend inspecting the tanks (under the rear seats) to ensure that a vent hole is drilled in them. This should be located at the highest portion somewhere on the tank." and provided a troubleshooting sheet for the electricals (uploaded). @Fritz1 Belly pan. How difficult is it in general for a non-aircraft mechanic to get into things? You mention 1/4-turn fasteners, I'm thinking similar to the upper cowling. Is that all there is to it? I haven't disassembled anything yet. Does anyone know if removing the rear seats is very involved? Ie. does a person have to remove torqued-down rail bolts, etc, or is it simpler than that? For the command unit, can you simply reach behind, or unscrew it from the front? (trying to figure out if any panel disassembly would be required). Thank you all, David Fluid Quantity Indications.pdf

Thank you all for the quick and helpful responses, and the ref. to CAV systems. "Welcome to TKS!" indeed I will say it's a thing of beauty to observe in flight with icing... A siphon effect would explain the weird "overshoot" behavior, as would a stuck or leaky float. Do you all think re-using the leaked TKS fluid is a reasonable idea? (mentioned above, and by one of the line guys... a filter was mentioned above, and I bought some paint filters for filling) I'm wondering if it picked up particulates while draing along the belly pan. The surfaces pores are pretty small, but there is an upstream filter in the system, so maybe's it OK. Thanks, David

Hi All, The new Acclaim is home as of last week. Some interesting weather on the way up, great training with Sam from Mooney Pros. Getting some reps in now and working out some kinks. Really impressive machine! The TKS system was worked on at Mooney, overhauled tail proportioning unit and 2nd windshield pump. All checked out as expected at the end (including a low pressure light in warmer conditions, but they instrumented pressure sensors and talked to a former CAV engineer to verify all was as expected). System worked fine on the way up (was needed several times). The flow looked good and the level indications over time were as expected. One the last flight last week we used it down to 2.2, and I asked the FBO to add 4 gals. I found out a couple days ago that a lot came out the belly and they "saved some of it". It is unclear how much was retained in the aircraft, sounds like ~2 gals. I carefully added a jug, I think about 1.5gal (not labeled) and got only a tiny few drops. Tested the system on ground and the flow looked good, no leaks. It read 4.4 when I was done, so I figured they'd just filled it too fast, and let it sit for a day. When I went in today to check on several things, the meter read over 6 (I think like 6.4, which is more than nominaly full). I'd spoken to an A&P (Michael at Mooney) and he said the meters can be unreliable, but the way to know for sure is to fill until it comes out the belly tube. Stressed that it should be added slowly as there are vents and a standpipe that can overflow even if it's not full. So... I took another jug, and added I think about 1.3 gal or so, starting slowly. Everything was fine over about 3-5 min, until the last cup or so, when suddenly fluid started coming out of the belly. It ran for a while, over 10 min, actually put out over a gallon. So I thought perhaps it was already nearly full. Oddly, I watched the indicator during this time and saw it go down into the 5's, then 4's, 3's. I let it sit with the master off for a bit, rocked the plane on the wheels a bit (in case something might be stuck) and then when I turned on the master it was at 1.9 (!!). So, I'm not sure what is going on. Simplest explanation is a nearly full tank and a bad sender. I *think* given the dynamics a leak from the bottom of the tank is unlikely, but it's funny to have the level keep falling like that. Perhaps there is a long way for the fluid to go between the drain hole and the overflow vents/pipe in the tank? Figured I'd see if anyone had encountered similar behavior before. Also, how easy is it for a (handy but non A&P) lay owner to remove panels to look at all this? Thanks, David

Does anyone here have direct experience with the hearing equalization function in the Delta Zulu? That was the feature that most caught my eye. My hearing tests fine (and I've always tried to protect it) but I definitely feel I could use some help with "discrimination" in conversations esp. on noisy radio comms. Lightspeed was a great value brand early on, haven't tried their recent stuff (the modded David Clark keeps on ticking ...)

Thank you! That's definitely in the ballpark of what i was thinking. Also It's great that he puts his lists out there and articulates the rationale. Looks like pretty solid offerings. I would imagine an attack pilot is pretty tuned into land survival!

I meant to reply earlier. Perked up at the mention of a vest. I actually thought of this recently. It really was helpful in survival training. Among many other benefits, it provides you a way to carry things if you are forced down. Several examples in the real world involve people needing to move, rather than wait at the plane for the "instant helicopter" that is apparently not as common as imagined even in the 406MHz world. Other benefits are: familiar location of all basic equipment, organization, etc. Can work with it on (flashlight, knife, etc, accessible when starting fire, etc). Always have the signal mirror handy when the plane flies overhead. etc. Run out of pockets quickly otherwise. I am needing to put together kits over the next few months given a plan to do more flying over wilderness and mountains regularly. Thinking to use something like the above SERE vest as a core, with duffels or something containing sleeping bag, down coat, camp stove, etc. that I can vary by season. Want to keep it simple to load (so it comes with) but do the thinking ahead of time. David

The military has definitely been subjected to the social re-shaping (experimentation is not a bad word but it's more intentional than that) even more in the current administration. It was subtlely there under Obama but more brazen now. Many of the directions, as well as some of the mandates, have driven out or kept away a lot of people who would normally serve. Some of that is probably intentional. I've had some interesting conversations with former colleagues who chose to leave in the last few years. You also hint at another issue which is corrosive to the meritocracy, mirroring similar programs in the civilian world, about identity-based favoritism. Totally corrosive to good order and discipline. The generational things re: fitness, werewithal, baby wants his iPhone, etc, are all true, but they just affect the #s. The above things are more systemic and qualitative. I've definitely adopted more cautionary advice to my own children in the last few years about military service.

When I was plane-shopping, I came across this video by Martin Pauly about the 440/540 features from a Garmin viewpoint: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m_BSKxNhjJU I also thought it was a well conceived product line. Disclaimer: have not used Avidyne personally, tend to "think" Garmin, so in a way this was even more interesting. HTH, David

With a prolonged period on the ramp, perhaps a smaller, non human aircraft enthusiast got in somehow? I don't know enough to know where such an actor might set up shop. Just a thought...

I'm honestly curious (and maybe this is obvious to most here), but what exactly is the threshold for using an alternative part? I've read discussions here about AMOC (approval for alternative compliance) and also owner-produced parts (seems like it could be a wide range). Another thread involves people just re-relaying their electrical systems to make them simpler, all with sound rationale but different from spec and no mention of any approval. All of this seems more than "preventive maintenance". Is it essentially down to the judgment of the A&P and what he/she feels comfortable with bolting on? I have had several conversations with a conservative but very experienced Mooney IA, and he said, "well if it fails it's a blowtorch pointed at your firewall", also mentioned the non-welded clamps have a limited # of approved torquings to boot. A local A&P who I don't know as well yet but with lots of years commented to me he had potentially found an alternative clamp. From first principles, it would seem that there should be functionally-equivalent non-aviation parts, given all the turbos out there in the world (most not on airplanes). But... how might one tell what are the key criteria? Or is this possibly all much ado about nothing. Using unicorn hide when vinyl would do, or at least suede...

For blasting through real work in a lab or long physics academic tasks or projects, it was so much faster and more supple. Probably emblematic of how rote my quant work is these days that I only go aggressively digging every few months... I even bought a real HP12C once for some financial stuff but it falls flat on engineering. New modern 35S for general work and to teach my children, not quite the same heft all-in-all. The horizontal candybar form-factor/UX was killer even before the Nintendo era.

My reaction:

Now *that's* what I'm talking 'bout! Wish I could find mine. A more elegant weapon from a more civilized age...