dkkim73

Cody is a good stop even if it looks a bit geographically boring (ok, boring) from the air (or the road). Friendly place in general, good airport and solid FBOs (Choice has been there for a while, good school + mx op, Ascension bought the FBO side, plus Beacon opened a much smaller satellite FBO operation last year). Anyhow. good GA support. Good restaurants. A major gateway to Yellowstone NP. The museum is a hidden gem. It's actually a Smithsonian museum, comprised of several different sub-museums including a museum of the Plains Indian as well as a Wild West museum (Buffalo Bill Center of The West?) and the most extensive firearms museum in the country. Also a great western art museum. Good restaurants. @Fritz1 knows KWYS and environs better than I do. Good stop.

Yes! Put this in my original reply which somehow was overwritten.

Someone here mentioned dynamic prop balancing and I was thinking about doing that again. Got it done when I got the plane, but have had cylinder work since then.

That doesn't sound too unreasonable. Sometimes the frictional addition of time lengthens the day. Ie. a quick 1 hr jaunt takes the afternoon, etc. And 1.5 hrs is easier than 2.5 hrs. But sometimes it just flies by and everyone's fine. I imagine that if you avoid the feeling of pressure (other than what the wx and physiological limitations impose) and (all of you) enjoy the process, you'll have a good time. I remember being forced down coming from KOGD back across WY by area lightning (I think we stopped in Bridger?) and we stayed at a rental vacation cabin. I remember playing with my toddler son in a small town playground, getting burgers, and it was sunny by late afternoon. Easy flight the next day to make up the time. Given we met at the MPPP I know a bit more about your background. I imagine your wife is not a fainting flower.

It is very smooth and beautiful. I think of Cut Bank as being in "cold country", as well as pretty much all of your province I'd like to get back up to Alberta this year or next. Haven't been there since the 1990's (working in St. Mary, we had 9 inches of snow in August). I've always thought it humorous that, freezing in the middle of nowhere in the northern US, I was still south of a major Canadian metro area with lots of amenities and its own major sports team (Calgary, and really probably Edmonton, too). I did that, worked great. My mechanic fabricated a plate for me as I couldn't find an official plate from Continental or Mooney (apparently there was one). My main restriction in the deep winter is carrying a bunch of survival gear: a vest with year-round stuff (hat tip @Rick Junkin for some sourcing ideas), and an A-bag with arctic coat, camp stove, mil sleep system incl. GoreTex bivvy, etc. Also usually fly in comms (for me it's IFR even in severe clear, and I like learning the local flow and knowing who's out there, e.g. fractional, majors, local operators). I've "been meaning" to make more contacts in the local scene doing SAR etc. (MT aeronautics does a yearly winter survival course, very affordable) and get a better sense of what the response and coverage are. And volunteer, at some point. Winter is also a wonderful chance to just watch nature and scenery. Plane performance is also killer.

Hi Max, I can speak to the portions I know. For KBIL SABAT KIDA you will fly over some fantastic scenery (the Beartooth-Absaroka and also pass over Yellowstone). I did this KBIL KWYS during a cylinder break-in period ( (sorry some of my write up got deleted, summarizing:) Years ago I did KRST-KFSD-KRAP-KBIL-KWYS-KOGD in a normally-aspirated C182 without O2. Stayed low and had to do the last two legs via charts and hand-plotted waypoints along low terrain. Looked for waypoint files but I can't find them. From what I understand , your Ovation can do the MEAs along the relevant routes though they are high enough to notice (14900G) on T331 below which is nearly the route you describe. The eastern side of MT is not a challenge altitude-wise. Scenery-wise, I don't see a big advantage to the northern route except maybe for seeing Glacier Park. But Kalispell (KGPI) is less than an hour north of Missoula by Mooney so you could come across east-to-west on the southern side and "pop up" to add this. KWYS is a very nice little airport. It's a tourist town, like KCOD so if you're doing this in the summer book ahead a bit. KCOD is very GA-friendly as well. Teton scenery is spectacular, I've barely scratched the surface and will let someone more knowledgeable comment. Went to Driggs as it was less congested than Jackson Hole. Definitely definitely definitely O2. The MH O2D2 is (pardon the trite phrase) a "game changer". Bottle will last seemingly forever (no on-trip fill ups), your noses won't feel nearly so dry, and you won't have to fiddle with needle valves. I was skeptical because it seemed complicated and battery-powered, but I'm 100% satisfied. Call them and get a rec on setup (IIUC and you have the Scott setup you will also need a small inline pressure reducer to get everything to work, which isn't obvious). Summer tends to be bumpy, flying early is smart. You could also do evening when terrain is not an issue but AM seems to hit all the main desiderata. Fair bit of convection in the spring, doesn't completely go away in summer. NV, UT, AZ, eastern CA I look forward to exploring more (I am salivating based on my early car adventures) and will leave to others. HTH... don't hesitate to reach out for any specific info.

Sound like a reasonable target. Are they obvious in terms of their relationship to the GIA's? Ie. in terms of which ones to disassemble and treat? Are these accessible by unlocking the hex screws and just pulling the GDU's forward? Thank you!

Yup. I cleaned and inspected the connections and reseated both GIAs yesterday. Almost 4 hrs and no glitches.

Two long test flights today, no issues at all. If it comes back I'll try the swap first and then maybe prioritize getting it to an avionics shop if it looks needed. Hopefully going to annual in a couple months with an avionics expert. Really appreciate all the helpful replies!

Went to pick my daughter up in Billings, who was visiting friends home from college, and checking in with the FBO folks there. Happy to fly well above the gusty winds across multiple passes along the way had I driven...

Thank you! The local shop had Deoxit so I used that and reseated both. Pulled logs first without any real obvious entry. Going to keep an eye on it. Savvy said the configuration is in the backshell (rings a bell) so I could swap them. Also said SW reinstall might well fix it, if this doesn't. Will plan to test tomorrow since no recurrence with several power cycles.

Online LLM-assisted search finds recs for things like Zip-Chem's Sur-Prep 5672/5673 or LPS NoFlash 2.0, as "they are fast-drying, safe on plastics, and have high dielectric strength". Looking at Spruce and other sites, there's quite a landscape. If anyone knows a good Garmin spec, LMK.

Just got off the phone with Garmin. They're loathe to do anything except have me go through the dealer for a G1000 issue. Including download logs. I'll work the phones a bit on that. It would seem reasonable to try re-seating the connectors as an end user.

Another thought: How often would this be a bad circuit breaker? If it were a static fault I could test for power at the rack I suppose. As an intermittent, harder to do.

I had a copy of G1000 SYSTEM MAINTENANCE MANUAL STANDARD PISTON/TURBOPROP AIRCRAFT 190-00907-00 September 2008 Revision B Which includes: 6.4 GIA REPLACEMENT To remove: Loosen the Phillips screw to unlock unit handle. Pull the GIA lever up towards the top of the unit. This disengages the locking stud with the dogleg slot. To install: Inspect connector(s) for damaged pins. Gently push unit into the rack to engage the connectors. Push the GIA lever down towards the bottom of the unit, avoiding the use of excessive force. Lock the handle into the GIA body and tighten the Phillips screw. and: 6.2 GDU REPLACEMENT To remove: Use a 3/32” hex drive tool to turn each of the four locking sockets 1⁄4 turn counterclockwise until they reach their stops. Disconnect Backshell assembly from unit. Remove and save Terrain SD Card. To install: Inspect connector(s) for damaged pins. Connect Backshell assembly to unit. Hold unit flush with the instrument panel, ensuring locking stud alignment marks are in the vertical position. Use a 3/32” hex drive tool to turn each of the four locking sockets 1⁄4 turn clockwise (this may require applying a small amount of forward pressure to engage the 1⁄4 turn sockets). so that makes it sounds like it's just a few screws to access the backside. @exM20K I cannot recall if I got Failed Data Path or not. It sounds as if the GIA side is more likely to have a problem. I do use TKS (as if it is going out of style) but have never seen fluid ingress into the area around the rack. It was found in the tail, so I suppose I might be missing some subtle mist. If anyone has the spec/link for appropriate contact cleaner, please LMK. Otherwise I will keep looking around... Thanks!

Is this something Garmin support would likely help me do? (find cleaner and advise) Or would they say take it to a shop? My regional Garmin expert got back to me with "The first thing I'D try, is rebooting the #1 GIA with a s/w reload, and reconfiguration, as if I'd replaced the unit. If it STILL was giving me fits, yes-I would most certainly R/R the unit with a another GIA-63W." Odd he didn't mention the connector issue. @MatthiasArnold From the Left av bay panel , I can see the whole rack. From the Right av bay panel, which is offset aft, I can barely see any of it. So I assume you mean pull the unit out from the "front" (which would be the left side of the airplane) and inspect both sides of the D-sub connectors with the unit out, looking from the Left of the plane. Do the LRUs release from the front screws only? (there are a lot of screws around the cage). Also, there appear to be some RF connections. Do these mate to a pass-through, or do I reach around behind them and unscrew? I'll look for some service instructions, but any tips appreciated. TY both for the quick replies!

We tend to forget this. It's really a neat thing. Ever now and then over the last couple years I've paused to think just how enabling and empowering my commute was. It's easy to get distracted by worries, externalities, inconveniences. But there is an aspect of adventure/engagement/bracing challenge that really motivates some people more than others. E.g. backpacking in somewhat challenging conditions, practicing navigation, field expedients, carrying a heavy pack, and "roughing it" followed by a hot cup of soup around the stove at night invigorates some people (I would say most if you get them at the right time in their lives) but sounds insane to others.

Well I think Beacon is in the top ranks. They can do the white glove jet thing, the business partnerships, on-site A&Ps, etc, but the enterprise is owned and hands-on managed by a real aviation guy who believes you can never leave out GA (not as universal as it used to be). They do events, organize rides for kids, etc. Also the FBO across the field (Edwards) is also very good, so there's some virtuous competition

Vance's response was really thought-provoking. I must say he's right. What's a fun challenge for us can be annoying for pax. Though we have some good memories from shared adventure. In our neck of the woods the point about summer flying in the early AM due to bumps is a good one. We did some nice night flying early on when flying together, peaceful, but there is risk to be managed in the hills that I would factor in now. Eg I flew my daughter a few hours last week but came back alone in the dark. Starting short might be good.. Build up experience with the pax flow, comfort with noise and bumps, copilot assistance etc.

Hi all, I was on the ground getting ready for a short low IFR flight and saw red "X"s across my COM1 and NAV2 indicators. The system status page showed GIA1, GMU1, GRS1, and GTX1 offline (I think there might have been more on a second page but didn't record it). This resolved with cycling GIA1 and COM1 circuit breakers but came back a minute later and then wouldn't resolve again with several more cycles or dropping both MASTER and ALT switches (all power off except engine + mags). I aborted the flight and taxied back. Later I opened the avionics bay doors and looked for anything obvious. I couldn't directly see the back and connectors of the GIA1 and GIA2 without a borescope or removing them. Feeling back there blindly didn't reveal any obvious loose connector but I think that doesn't mean much. A while later in the hangar when powering on, everything came back. But I'm a bit suspicious now. What to do? What's likely wrong? I've heard it's helpful to periodically "re-seat" these connectors somehow. Thoughts: -bad breakers? -bad connectors? -bad GIA1? (I would imagine the logs would need to be looked at) I'm on the ground at KHRF (home). Checked the "kinds of operation" list and I can't launch IFR without 2 GPS receivers even if hand-flying. Also the AP is inop with GIA1 out which isn't ideal. So I'm kind of AOG...lite? ish. I had been planning to launch Sat to bring home a family member a few hrs away. Maybe it will be VFR. We have a local shop that does some avionics but is not a Garmin dealer. There is an avionics shop Aerotronics in Missoula 1 hr north but the real Garmin expertise is in their shop in Billings. I put a Savvy ticket in for additional brainpower. Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks, DK

This could be the site subheader.

This was my experience, though it did not surprise some of the knowledgeable people I asked. Early on I would go full rich and run at low power for minutes in the descent and approach to landing (the plane is slick and holds on to energy, hence the speed brakes, but you learn to plan ahead and it's a feature later on as you can come blistering in at 200KTAS for not much fuel until near the IAF). Anyhow, it would be low power and rich for several minutes coming in for landing and then I would goose it after a bounce and it was quiet for longer than I liked. The net assessment is that it was just too full of fuel. Now I just go comfortably Rich of Peak in the descent (earlier or later depending on how cold it is outside, to keep cylinder temps up a bit) and run a depliberate ROP (but not full rich) setting based on power/TIT or empirically around 1450F TIT during the approach or maneuvering phases and only go full rich on roll-out. The throttle is adequately responsive in this scenario if I need to finesse it in ground effect or go around. The TSIO-550G seems to favor adding power more gradually in this regime, and part-throttle is plenty to stop descending, so I go throttle-mix-throttle if I am truly going around. Sounds more complicated than it is. And I am not a CFI and may not be describing it in its exact essentials. But you can learn all of this quickly. Not sure if this applies to the slightly smaller Continentals, though I think there are conceptual commonalities in the injection systems. Above very low power the engine is entirely intuitive in response as most are. The engine "flows" well. Continental runs better LOP on the average than Lycoming based on PIREPs here, which is a huge plus for me (efficiency difference is significant, I was looking at 208KTAS at 23ishgph vs 195KTAS at 17-18ishgph a few days ago... [from memory], less cylinder stress, etc). Lycoming has other advantages (different valve problems). It is a broader Ford-v-Chevy decision that is not Mooney-specific. There are capabilities resulting from the net match up (there is a chart of different Mooney models that reflects engine + some airframe specifics). E.g. climb rate and top speeds higher in the Acclaim. That said many very knowledgeable people consciously choose the Bravo for engine reasons. Hope this is not too much of a detour for your original set of questions. D

It's important to review authoritative documentary material on this:

If you're shorter you can stand on your knees on the seat and then put the forward foot on the strip, then stand up.

Thank you, makes sense. Of course can't switch totally outside without specified visual references legally or by common sense. I am more thinking of technique in terms of scan, altitude callouts etc. Since it takes attention to re orient, if you leave the needles too long and then look back it can take a second etc. A meta point I suppose is that you shouldn't be too much in a hurry to leave a stabilized situation just because you are somewhat visual.