BlueSky247

I'm planning to get a few acres before I retire and would really like to get something that could host a modest runway and hangars. My area of the country still has a few decent sized tracts come up from time to time without developer prices. What's the smallest reasonable acreage I should look for? I'm not planning to bring a citation in, so something to fit a 4,000' strip aligned with prevailing winds should be plenty. Without resorting to a freakish long rectangle tract, something like a 40 acre square should work. Right? Curious to hear what people are able to make work for these planes.

Recent purchaser of the zulu 3 here. Really enjoy it for normal ops. I don’t use the bluetooth functions or the phone app. Because it doesn’t work. I just wanted to warn anyone that is thinking of getting these and using the phone app features - don’t. Unfortunately, their QC on the software side is awol and the app is largely inop. Scanning through the app store reviews, you’ll find they have a very low overall rating and many unhappy customers. So I just use mine as a regular ANC that performs well at a great price. I would not coin up for the Deltas and their fancier app possibilities until they fix the software.

New guy here learning tons from this thread. OP, I sure hate how things worked out but glad your family wasn’t hurt. I’ve never been to Osh but always wanted to. This thread has convinced me not to fly there and keep an eye peeled for flying lawn chairs.

Wow. Lots of options for more intensive ifr training. Thanks guys! I used gold seal for the ppl ground and really liked them. Planning to continue on with their ifr ground school.

Ahh. Thanks for the head’s up. I knew I’d have to do some work before, including passing the written. Didn’t know it was that much. I’m certainly not trying to rush. Just hoping to move a little quicker than the roughly five hours a week my current arrangement has been limited to.

Thanks Guys. Dkkim's post led me to the IFR6 people, who just happen to be not far from me. That would be an awesome option to knock that rating out quickly.

Long time motorsports guy here weighing in with a few datapoints.... I've seen cheap ratchet straps used in an emergency as literal engine/vehicle hoists. I've seen them used to secure all sorts of unsafe loads travelling long distances. I would have no problem using a decent set of beefy straps on a plane. Like any other aircraft system, I'd look them over carefully each time and I'd plan on replacing them every year or two depending on how often they are used. My thought in all of this is that in a real storm situation, you are a lot more likely to have something blown into your plane than your plane breaking free.

Much appreciated all. I should mention that I am currently driving an hour from home to get to the nearest decent school. And sometimes the plane and/or cfi are not available for a couple of days each week, so that has slowed down my planned training frequency. My home field is less than ten minutes away and once I have the ppl, I figured I can go with an independent cfi with more availability for the ifr.

The market sure is weird these days. People asking a fortune for rusty old panels and midtime engines. Or in this case, a nicely upgraded plane has been timed out. Hard to fathom paying nearly 80k for a plane older than me where the interior looks like it’s been parked outside with missing windows.

Thanks Everyone! Really appreciate all the advice and pointers. There’s a nice looking 62 on trade a plane nearby in ATL, but it’s at 2200 smoh. Ooof.

Thanks Guys. I'm picking things up pretty well and actually just pulled off a near greaser in a stiff crosswind yesterday. I've had a lot of time in high performance cars and bikes, so I'm sure that helps. I'm just trying to be cautious as I know these are not as forgiving on the landings and I'd be mortified if I porpoised it and caused a prop strike. Where I live, it is often very windy and gusty so that is something I have to factor in.

Hey Guys, Single guy in my 50's here in the SE US working through the PPL in an archer and planning to go straight into IFR. I'll be flying for fun and cross-country trips. Also plan on adding MEL, complex, high performance, etc. down the road. I'm tired of lighting money on fire via the school's rental fleet and looking to get a decent IFR-capable bird once I finish the PPL. I've decided on the M20C long term but I know that's too much plane for a new pilot. So I am thinking of something like a musketeer or grumman for the first year while I get the ifr rating, build time for the better insurance rates and search for the right mooney. What planes would you guys recommend that could be kind of a bridge between a trainer and the mooney? Thanks!