Piloto

Unexpected airbag burst in a B777 killed a man on the ground. https://www.stritmatter.com/cases/otto-v-boeing-company-transdigm-group-inc-amsafe-inc/

The average human head weights 11 pounds. The average man weight is 200 pounds. When a man is hanged it is the equivalent of imposing 18 g's on his neck in a crash. A 214 G-force will flatten your skeleton.

At a 28g's crash your eyeballs will come out and for sure a broken neck or decapitated. But no need to worry because the airbag deployed.

Thanks for your comments. My concern for unexpected deployment in-flight is while in turbulence particularly in wind shear events. Some of these events can have wind shift speeds of 40kts with high decelerations. These events are survivable by small planes. I was involved in the development and testing of predictive wind shear radar in a CV580 turboprop N580AS and can tell you that these events can feel like crashing multiple times at less than 500ft AGL. Here in Florida there is a lot turbulence activity and a high g activated balloon is not my preference to have. José

I would rather go for the four point harness. After all this is what the airline and military pilot uses. The Takata airbag recall was due to the bags exploding causing deaths. And these incidents were at sea level. Now imagine the bags exploding at 20,000ft due to turbulence. The bursting force would be more than twice than at sea level. This would kill the pilot immediately and push the yoke fully forward. Now imagine the airbag bursting on a B747 pilot carrying 500 passengers. Is the risk of having the airbag worth the teeth of the pilot. José

My C31 was having pitch oscillations. I raised the vacuum from 4.5"Hg to 5.5"Hg by adjusting the vac regulator and problem solved. Steady as rock now. José

Standard seat belts (when worn) has proven to save lives many times. And in those instances were there is fire (likely) AmSafe belts is not going to keep you from burning. The impact kinetic energy on a GA plane crash is 9 times that of a car. And AmSafe does not pay for damage to your plane, limbs and lawsuits but an insurance will do. Avoid the embarrassment, get the piss tube, it will keep you dry after the crash. José

A clogged injector will always peak first before the others. Try swapping the probe. José

Any time I am landing on a wet or icy runway or strong crosswinds I raise the flaps completely just 3ft before touchdown. This ensure a positive contact with the runway and avoid a slippery or weathervane condition. José

Just get an ADS-B transponder like the GTX 345 with WX and traffic. I would also replace the compass with a Vertical Card Compass. José

On my way to find a low cost solution for anti-ice I found a speed enhancer. To reduce the possibility of ice formation on the wings I applied Rain-X water repellent to the wings leading edge and top surface. To my surprise I found 160kts TAS at 10,000ft/2400rpm on my way to KAGC before it would be 155kts. I checked the static alternate air but it was closed as it should be. The speed reading was consistent all the time and cross checked with the ground speed and winds aloft. The only thing I did different was the application of Rain-X. Never got ice but temps were well below 0C. Try it and let us know. José

I have a new gray tinted windshield that provides a much better and bigger picture than any of the synthetic $50K displays.

When you need to go none of these electronic gadgets will get you there quicker than a pilot relief tube. For less than $50 you can have the comfort of the airlines and the cup holders. Best mod I had. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php?s=PILOT+RELIEF+TUBE&x=31&y=15 https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9411339/00165 José

Back in the 80's the B757 and B767 were equipped with scanning DMEs feeding the FMS for position determination. It had a position accuracy of better than 0.1nm. The DMEs updated the FMS position solution until the oceanic environment were the FMS would use the IRS/INS. A very expensive system ($100k for each FMS/IRS+10K for DME) and there would be three of these on each plane. And you complain about your GPS price. José

There is no Lat/Long indicated on approach plates. But in the old days of Delco Carousel everything was entered in Lat/Long, including your initial position.

For ILS Cat II, III approaches DME, RA and ILS are required. There is no GPS approach for CAT II, III approved.

Before replacing the airspeed switch try sucking on it by mouth and then blowing on it. Sometimes the bellow get stuck. José

Check the ground return connections. Pull out CBs to find a culprit. All the ground returns should be through the aluminum airframe but if any is connected to the tubular structure (specially at the engine mount) it will create a magnetic field on the tubing when energized

I replaced the old EGT/OAT gauge and replaced with the UBG-16 EGT/CHT/FF/OAT/VDC. I kept the old steam gauges because they were easy to read, reliable and in my front view. José

Vertical Card Compass works very well on the M20J and later models because the tube where the compass is attached is non ferrous magnetic. On earlier Mooney models the tubing is ferro magnetic. The vertical compass has stronger magnet that makes it susceptible to nearby ferrous metals. I had no problem with mine on my M20J. I can easily steer with it in bumpy weather. A good backup for the DG.

For TAS indicators the OAT temp/alt widow is in centigrade. I have a UBG-16 and can switch OAT F to C on the fly for setting the TAS. José

How good this AOA is in icing conditions, since on icing is where you need it most, specially when landing with ice on the wings. José

If you have access to the maintenance manual you can get the pressure transducer part number. Search by the p/n on the internet. Digi-Key has a bunch of these transducers that may fit. José

Check the panel shock mounts. If they are broken the panel may vibrate causing the attitude gyro to cause the autopilot to change pitch. José

On normal operation ALT light will not light up just after power up until the transducer is warm enough for operation. The manual says to perform the test function before flight. I never do it and it works fine but try it to see if it makes a difference.