Hank

Should be more Ovation 2 / 3 owners who can report performance. That would be thenplane to compare to the NA Ultra, M20-U. Some O owners here have done the 310hp upgrade. My opinion as a well-read C owner is several factors are responsible for the Ultra speeds (which I think are the same as the last pre-Ultra models): More hp (310 vs. 280) Higher RPM Aerodynamic tweaking Different propellor This should be similar to the Acclaim vs. Acclaim Ultra, too. How much speed increase is there?

I found a good spreadsheet that someone else made, complete with a loading graph and color-coding for both weight and CG. Just had to put in my empty weight and CG, and verify the seat stations listed in the TCDS. Just do some searches on the internet and see what you find.

So I've done good to get 16 years from mine?

Many of our Owners Manuals / POHs only list a single Flap Speed. It seems some pilots try to justify a higher speed than listed for partial flap extension. Until this thread, I had nomidea . . . . Until I'm below the (only) Flap speed mentioned in my Owners Manual, I don't touch the flap switch.

For God's sake, don't buy the cheap drug store 50/50 IPA! Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) rapidly absorbs water, so it should be great for removing water from the system. Word to the wise: IPA always has a percentage on the label. Common ones are 50% (cheap), 70% (common) and 98% (pricey, and not found at walmart). The rest if what's in the bottle is water. Leave a bottle of 98% open in an Alabama summer, it won't stay 98% very long, as it will absorb water from the humid air. Use the highest concentration you can find.

The devil is in the details--speaker type, ear plug design, sound tube material, etc. To say nothing of Dr. Phil The Audiologist's superior customer service! Love, love, love my Halos!!!! They taught me that I wasn't having low oxygen headaches after flying, I was having headset-clamp-pressure headaches. Maybe the good doctor should issue a Cease and Desist order to CQ?

The Vortex is coming to the Deep South, too. Forecasters can't decide if we're gonna get snow or not, but Atlanta and Birmingham are both bracing for some. I'm in annual so flying is not an option. @Fred₂O check your heat box on the muffler and condition of the hoses. I flew my C through 7 winters in OH and WV and couldn't run Full Cabin Heat for very long before pushing it halfway in and pulling some Cabin Air to cool it off. Too hard taking off a coat while flying, but it was unzipped with scarf and gloves removed.

So no change from my 1970 Owners Manual other than higher speed. (Hah! Just did the math--Ultra Flap speed is 110 KIAS [ = 126.5 mph]; electric C Flap speed is 125 mph, so not much change at all. Just easy-to-see speeds.) Thanks for the clarification, Mike!

Only two come to mind: Time in the shop Money

Sure, I see it! NOT!! Electrons don't make sense, because I can't visualize pushing them around with my hands. How do you push 'em through a capacitor? But they do something. Don't get me started on current coming out of the positive terminal when analyzing circuits on paper, but out of the negative terminal when you're actually doing something. My most recent attempts at "coding" were far enough back that it was still called "programming."

Now you're getting ugly . . . Note that AUO only has a temporary tower for home football games. The university now has 20 Cessnas, so watch for traffic in the pattern when you come. I squoze in as #2 between a 172 turning downwind and one making a touch-and-go, while two planes waited to depart (one each at the hold short line, left and right of 36). The newish FBO is a very nice building. So are the brand new Delta Airlines aviation education building and the new maintenance hangar across the field, which replaced the old pre-war structures. My plane is there for my first "no-owner-participation" annual ever . . . . As far as the lemonade, it's good for what ails you. It can, of course, be stiffened up on those occasions when your need for medication outweighs your need to fly. We need more restaurants at airports around here, or within easy walking distance like in Eufala.

It's mine too! Fly over, I'll drive you downtown for lemonade at Toomer Drugs. War Eagle!! Hey!

I think what David @Sabremech is saying is that a previous owner could have dislodged the Jbar from the floor (wheels up, Jbar down) in flight; when the Jbar slams into the uplock (wheels down, Jbar up), it can put a very slight bend in the Jbar, making it difficult to lock into the wheels up, Jbar down position. Also, small wrinkles in the carpet have been known to have this effect, too. But my C has electric gear so I have no personal knowledge. It just sounds like unclear communication is happening here--at least one of the three of us has static on the line, and it could easily be me.

But formation is only the last 30 minutes into Osh. Hiw about the other 675 nm to get there, then all 700 nm home???

The final stages of freezing to death are said to be quite warm and comfortable, too. I'm a Southern boy, I don't even like looking in the freezer for very long, and I'm not inside it, either! After 5 years in Ohio and 9 more in WV, I'm DONE with snow (except it snowed twice last winter here in Lower Alabama, and they're expecting more on Tuesday. The world must be ending.).

Ahh, Verhoyansk!! A bullet would be so merciful in comparison . . . . .

Whatever it costs, you will be happy tomhave paid double if it resukts in a quick rescue after you've gone down somewhere inhospitable. What would Steve Fosset have paid to be found even the day after his accident, instead of hikers finding his remains two years later? Or those folks whose Mooney went down a couple of winters back near Banff, a place I'd really rather not camp in December?

You're durn straight! Ain't nothing but a vacuum pump gonna run my PC, AccuTrak and AccuFlight, to say nothing of the DG they require and my AI. Sure, for over half the value of the plane, they can be replaced. But not right now . . . . .

Let us know! Springtime is getting busy already.

You're a brave man. Bob! Having been based at an obstructed 3000' field, the 2400 wouldn't bother me; I've visited a 2000' grass strip obstructed on one end many times, and did a simulated engine out during MAPA PPP to 2400 x 30, full stop. But that tailwind . . . . I've made two [poor] landings with tailwinds reported after the fact. The first one, FSS recommended a runway and as a new pilot I used it. Lots of floating, moving sideways, tail swinging out, finally touched down. The next plane took off on the crosswind runway. The other time Tower at FXE switched me from GPS 27 to Visual 31 about 2 miles out, because "it aligned better with the wind." My landing was similar except even longer with poor directional control during the several-thousand-foot float [at the proper IAS!]. The next plane was instructed to land on 13.

Just put my plane in for annual, and my new IA says I need new fuel & oil lines. They were replaced during overhaul in 2002 by the previous owner, no idea what brand and it's an hour's drive to find out. But they are reported to be rock hard. I'd rather replace them before they start to crack. Any leads on good prices for fire-sleeved lines would be appreciated. In stock would be nice, but I can wait a few days if the price is right. I took my Sevice Manual with the plane, but do have a digital copy of both Service and Parts. Guess I need to start looking up part numbers for reference. Thanks! This annual is the other reason that I missed the Alabama Lunch on Saturday . . . . . Hope to be back in the air soon!

That's good work! Almost looks like a large enough cup. I keep this one at work . . . . . it's 3½" wide and 4½" tall. It, too, was a gift.

@Ned Gravel, the Owners Manual for my 1970 C is similar: So there is only one Gear Speed and only one Flap Speed. Makes it easy to remember! The Flap Speed = 125 mph also matches the white stripe on the Airspeed Indicator.

Yeah, Auburn just has a piddly little 5250 x 100 runway with ILS for the University and corporate jets. And a 4000 x 75 crosswind runway. And two large ramps (saw Friday the signs say RAMP to the east and APRON to the west). Full and self-service fuel. Major repairs. Half mile to the interstate, two miles to major shopping and hotels . . . . But LA is nowhere near as scenic as WNC. If I can get everything done, I'll try to make training in Hickory. But just started annual with a freshly-wonky vacuum pump . . . . Next year may be the year for me instead. Seems like I've said that before.

Lots of places to eat in Auburn, but nothing at the airport. It's a whole 15 minute flight fir me, let me know when you're coming and I'll meet you there.