BlueSky247

@LANCECASPER Thank you. That is very sharp way to put it.

Well, at this point, you guys have me thinking just drive up there and camp in the back of the truck. It's "only" a 14 hour drive.

You are absolutely right, and that does work very well. I should have been more clear - I'm referring to things like this log book goldmine. There's entire areas or topics some might not even know to search for. I was thinking that having an index "best of" would be a great way to pick up great tips. Maybe the AI's will sort all that out in the next year or two.

You guys are a motherlode of great pointers. (Referring to the logbooks thread as well.). Sure would be cool if there could be an index of all those awesome nuggets of wisdom.

Great points. I wouldn’t even consider going over 10k without a bio monitor going. Would be interesting to see what options are out there to have a fast backup tank in the loop as well.

Oh, I agree. Realistically, this one is way outside of my current price range between that and the panel. Emotional attraction was done for when I found out the service celing on it. I have been playing around in foreflight with that one and winds aloft. Dang it can cover some ground!

Okay, you guys have got me very curious on the logs thing. @LANCECASPER do you do that to prevent shifty business, damage, loss or them being held hostage? Or what’s the reasoning? OP, sorry you are getting that.

Swung by and had another look at it today. Might as well share a pic so you guys can see what I’m talking about. I tried to get one of the nice panel in it but the windows were too dirty. Sure hope he gets it back in the air soon.

Wow. That sounds amazing. Thank you!

I have always wanted to go but never have. This year, I am determined to make the trip. Even if I have to fly commercially. I don't know if I'll have the PPL done by then, but know I don't want to fly into there directly. Any advice for a first timer? Recommended hotels nearby to stay at? Anyone passing through North Georgia on the way up want to swing by 18A for a 180lb expense share?

DIBS! I'll put some marvel mystery oil in the crankcase and fly er home to Georgia. Yeeeehii! No worries on that paint job since it'll be ready for aluminum polish by the time I get here. On a serious note, what a damned shame. That one should have been saved long ago.

Hey Gang, Mystery solved. I tracked down the owner and had a nice chat with them today. Turns out they had a medical event after bringing the plane here and that is why it has sat. They are just now getting back to 100% and looking forward to getting back up there. They are not interested in selling it. It was nice to meet them and we left it at "hope to see each other out on the ramp sometime". I'll be keeping an eye on it and if it still hasn't moved in a couple of months, I'll follow back up - assuming I don't find another by then. Fwiw, this one is a 252 model and had tks installed at some point. Between that, the panel and that prop, I'd bet they paid a premium for it. Absolutely baffling why they didn't even put a cover on it or even tend to it any since then.

Thanks! 252 would be just the ticket for these 6,000 foot mountains just north of me.

Oh man. That is awful. That’s not far from here howdy neighbor!

Good eye! Unless I’m confused, that’s also a turbo engine. A turbo that has sat like this should be a big warning as well.

Fwiw, I did find a sticker on the prop that said it was new as of 12-22. Grabbed a pic of it:

@LANCECASPER I just read through that thread you linked. Thank you. I’m not in the habit of ignoring the advice of those that have gone before, and especially experiences with big dollar signs behind them. I’m still going to try to talk with the owner just to find out the story. The plane does have a unique paint job that has something of an ironic personal connection for me. So I do tend to listen to little signs like that. I would love to share a pic and more details but don’t want to risk there being a lurker weasel scooping the plane if it is actually worth getting.

Nicely done! That’s pro level committment there. Reading and hearing how long it takes the average homebuilder to install their systems is a real eye-opener. It’s true they have to do a lot more fab and figuring work, but either way, these are major projects!

That’s true. Plus there really is no telling what the situation is with the owner. Since they bought it late in 2022, they could be stuck with a huge note. I didn’t look too closely at the panel but it was not factory by any stretch. I’d be really concerned of thieves just leaving it out like that.

Thanks all. It’s not so much me hoping for a steal of a price as it is seeing this as an opportunity to save something that isn’t too far on the neglect scale yet. And not pay a crackhead price like you see online for old birds with steam gauges and timed out engines.

Would appreciate y’alls advice on this one. I stumbled across a K model marooned in the tie downs at a nearby strip. Flightaware says it landed there a year ago and hasn’t moved since. The plane has no covers and one tie down has come away. It clearly is not being looked after. It’s an 88 and peeking inside shows an upgraded panel and things appear in decent shape visually other than a low tire. I searched the registration and think I found the owner’s business. I also see it looks like they bought the plane 11 months prior to that last flight. So I’m going to swing by and see what the story is, see if they want to sell. Obviously, it would need that pre-buy, and I already have a local A&P that will help me out with that. So my question for you guys is this. What kind of ballpark offer would be reasonable, contingent on the inspection? (Assuming the engine isn’t timed out, etc)

Wow! Thanks for the pointer. I’ll have to swing by and check it out. Google street view seems to show it still active, even shows the windsock.

Man, threads like these are why I really gotta start a bucket list of fields to visit. Great pointers!

@Skates97 that's awesome! I've made a couple of local A&P contacts that seem to be casual so I will hopefully be able to replicate your experience. I had formal electronics schooling back in the day and my career is in network engineering, so certainly no stranger to being very careful and thorough. But I am a super noob at all of the options available these days. If I wanted to make a really good IFR-capable autopilot part of the build, would that limit me to the G gear as far as things approved for these planes? I sure do like the dynon skyview but it's much less appealing if I have to run an entire seperate stack for the AP.

Thanks everyone for the continued education. Much appreciated! It seems like an F, J or K would fit what I'm looking for. I would like to be able to do Angel flights later on, so I will for sure need to pay attention to useful load and range.