cliffy

The problem with fire fighting out in the engine compartment is the volume of air moving through the cowl at flying speed. It disperses the fire fighting agent faster than the agent can work at denying the fire oxygen. That's all the agent does- deny oxygen to the fire long enough to have it cool down below ignition point. On a 757, if a certain engine door (6" X 6") is missing you can't put out an engine fire in flight, too much air flowing in the cowl. You can only stop a fire 3 ways Deny it fuel Deny it heat Deny it oxygen We fight the fire by denying it fuel- Shut off the main fuel valve. No fuel no fire. Oil is a problem if it catches fire out there. The days of separate oil tanks and hoses are gone for the most part (old Bonanzas the exception) We can't cool it below combustion point because we can't throw enough water on it to cool it (classic house fire fighting). We can't deny it O2 with our little dinky fire bottles as there is too much good air coming in the inlet. You have deny it O2 long enough to cool it below the burning temp point (take the heat away) Cabin fires are another story all together. Electrical, fuel and "trash' fires are all possible in the cabin. Trash can be from smoking in flight (yes some still do) and igniting charts or other "trash", the interior fabrics. Fuel could be from a primer line, FF gauge line or even oil pressure line breaking in the cabin and igniting (oil low risk, fuel higher risk) Biggest risk, electrical fire. We fight it by shutting down the electrical system but that doesn't stop the fire from continuing by burning the "trash", the wiring coatings themselves. That is why the specs for aircraft wire have changed since our older airplanes were built. That and toxic fumes from the burning wire. Fire in a confined space (our cabin) doubles in size every minute. second minute twice the size, third minute 4 times the size, 4th minute 8 times the size, See where i' going? You gotta put it out as you can't get on the ground fast enough. Fire in the cabin is a BIG deal if it happens but thankfully its not very common.

I suspect that your premise is wrong in checking your speed. I believe it's the power setting you chose You really need to check it with WOT, 2700 RPM and at 2500' full rich mixture before you do anything mechanical. Get a couple of data points at 5000' and 7500' also with WOT and 2700 RPM 50-100 rich of peak mixture. Also (IMO), IAS is worthless for this. You need to figure TAS Either do a 3 way GPS average or get out the old wiz wheel and figure it with that. Even using IAS instead of CAS will give you good data within a couple of MPH. Also your ASI may in fact be wrong making the GPS test even more applicable. Do it both ways and if large errors show up check your ASI out for accuracy.

As far as Canada goes- After reading all their government agency has to say, they are ADS-B in the Hudson Bay area only above FL290 AND right now, they have no plans to expand it to other airspace. If anyone can find anything else from their government, I'm listening.

Long range thinking from Asian countries? How long has Honda been working on the Honda Jet? :-) They must feel the investment is worth it. Just saw an article the other day where Mitsubishi is making a good looking commuter jet. Some more long range thinking by Asians.

Lots of folks can use a 3 seater as most of us use only two seats anyway. I wanna see performance figures and engine choice. This could be pretty good. How about 140 kts on 6 GPH.

So how can Avare give all the data and charts for free on a free app and the rest need a cash cow for updates?

In 14 years I've had 4 in my C 3 times for short flights. 99% of the time is just us 2. Taught the wife to pack light- 1 roller bag and a computer bag. Use the back seat for lunch box and drinks and maps. WOT, 2500 RPM ROP 8.5 GPH 9500 to 11500' 135 KTS up there. Down lower 130-140 KTS at 9.5 GPH. ALL speeds TAS NOT GS. Charlie Armstrong gear and flaps. The 180 HP engine is cheaper by far to overhaul as opposed to the 200 horse one. I'm 6'2" and the C fits me fine. Get one set up the way you want it. Far cheaper than trying to change things around after purchase. Make sure you get an autopilot with alt hold but don't discount the Brittain huff and puff A/Ps. They're good and they're cheap to fix for this vintage airplane. Any one you consider should have a panel mounted GPS of reasonable vintage. KLN 89B KLN 90, Garmin 155 TSO at the very least hooked up to the A/P.

You can remove any remaining "black scum" by using a soft towel and all purpose flour sprinkled on the spinner. Been doing that way for 40 years.

WOW What a cool panel layout. I'm green with envy! I'm saving a picture of it.

Let's hope all comes out fine. I got my Mooney through tom and company.

Forgot to add- I repo'd a 727 once without all the drama.

flyboy +1 I just can't watch it.

#1 Join AOPA and buy their Violation Insurance package. Talk with their lawyer about this. #2 There is a BIG difference between you having business for the company in another city and your co-workers also do, so you all fly in the same airplane as you are paid your normal wage- That verses- You have no business for the company in another city but your company will pay you your normal wages to fly your co-workers to that city so THEY can do their job. In the first you MIGHT be able to do it (get a good aviation legal opinion) in the second you will be visiting the FAA under oath for sure. A commercial license has nothing to do with it. It boils down to "offering to the public" charter flights without a 135 certificate. Just look at the recent FAA opinions on "sharing flights" and the companies that have been doing that. The FAA just hammered them .

Congrats!!!! There was a study done many years ago showing the risk of accidents to the hours flown and it went up steep until 1000 hrs topped out and started to drop after 1200 and went down slower than up after that. You're right at the hump but on your way down. Enjoy the ride. Fly safe.

Each type of battery (AGM, flooded cell, niCad, etc) has a specific charging voltage and method. It can be found on the paper work included with each battery when purchased. Batteries residing in the tail cone seem to have a longer life than those in the engine compartment (DUH, you think heat might be a problem?) Engine starting actually uses very little of the capacity of a good battery so if it won't start the engine it is really a DEAD battery and its CAPACITY when "charged" again is in doubt. The only way to really tell is to do a "Capacity Check" per the manf directions (also included with every aircraft battery when new). The more often you find your battery dead,the lower the capacity will be when recharged. If it dies in 2 weeks its time to replace it. It's a dead duck, not to be trusted, even if recharged. Think about this- You come out for a flight and the battery is "dead as a door nail" (Shakespeare) , you jump start the engine or a quick recharge to get enough to start and you go fly. What if you loose you alternator now? How long will that battery last? I've seen this many times over the years. Just thinkin'

Here is a link to the best explanation of ADS-B I've found. Several short videos by Free Flight Systems If you are still in the dark after seeing this ask away here http://adsbuniversity.com/ads-b-university

Had a friend (now gone-natural causes) that did Tucson to Columbus OH in his J in 8+20 Up high and low power.

From what I understand ( I'm not an aero engineer) you are correct in that flight control surfaces all have a certain resonant frequency that is found by doing ground flutter testing. In addition any "flutter encountered with a corresponding "looseness" in the control surface linkage will exasperate the flutter as there is no dampening by the mechanism at the inception of flutter. The original flutter though ( I feel) does have to originate with the surface itself. The point of the surface CG (with respect to the hinge line) has a determinate effect on the resonant frequency and severity of the magnitude. A postulation- If balance (CG position) was not very important why is there such an import placed on surface balance on every airplane made? Why would it be required to be checked after every paint job? Bonanzas are particularly effected by a very tight balance tolerance as even one coat of paint extra while painting will throw them beyond limits. Control surface "imbalance" that effects the heavy stick forces may be caused by "aerodynamic" imbalance. Not enough area ahead of the hinge line to off set the amount of area behind the hinge line for control force or "aerodynamic" balance. Early airplanes had no surface area ahead of the hinge line and as speeds increased it was found that by extending "movable" surface area ahead of the hinge line a resultant force counter to the "heavy" stick could be achieved. Too much forward area and stick forces become non-existant- a very dangerous world indeed. Here is an abstract of a paper written for a conference on mass, vibration and flutter studies in 1999- Mass properties' engineers often are concentrating on creating and maintaining the most accurate and current weight database possible on our aircraft or system. They tend to lose sight of why accurate weight data is important. While having accurate weight data is intrinsically valuable, it can have a major impact on design decisions and even on the viability of a design. Some systems are more sensitive to changes in weight and center of gravity than others. One of the critical elements in the design of aircraft is "flutter modes". Every moving body has vibration frequencies. It is important to avoid coupling frequency modes in the airplane components. This can have catastrophic results, including loss of property and lives. Excessive vibration can result in metal fatigue, even without catastrophic failure. It is important that accurate weight and balance data be available to design engineers early in a program. Many problems can be avoided if a potential flutter situation is identified early in a program. An important way the mass properties' engineer can assist in preventing flutter is by working closely with loads and flutter engineers to optimize the control surface balance. Parametric studies are run by loads and flutter engineers to determine the optimal balance weight and location to achieve no coupling of vibration modes. The mass properties' engineer needs to assure that the mass properties' data provided for future analyses reflects this optimal value and the system balance about its hinge line is within the limits established. As can be seen, "surface balance" is concomitant with and paramount in application to avoid flutter in the surface.

Used to pull out the ol' CR-3 wiz wheel in the 757 and the F/O would say "What RU doing? Did it just to screw with him :-) After 1400 hrs in my M20D/C I'm confident in 135 kts TAS, variation due to day, weather, phase of the moon, gravitational pull of Venus, my attention span, plus or minus 4 kts at @ 8gph, usually 9500' to 12,500 MSL, FT, 2500 RPM. Now I know this is not an F BUT you guys don't have me by much. Also only 727 era steam gauges and a non-precision GPS tied to a rudimentary wing leveler. I love the two fancy panels but they're worth more than my entire airplane. But OH are they nice! Aspens remind me of the 757 panel

Folks, Flutter and flutter testing is a BIG deal! Here's a video showing flutter on a Twin Comanche. Any flight surface can flutter if not balanced correctly (balanced means the correct CG vs. the hinge line) This is why there are specialists in flutter dynamics in aviation. Mooney uses a flutter specialist on their airplanes. They start with ground flutter tests with oscillating weights to find the resonant frequencies and go from there. Flutter margins is why Mooney will not allow any repairs to a flight control surface other than complete factory designed parts being replaced. NO PATCHES. Flutter issues are why the control surfaces have to be rebalanced after ANY repaint of them. Even replacing a tail light bulb with another "FAA Approved" bulb (yes I said it has to be an FAA Approved bulb, not the original incandescent bulb but an LED one as LED bulbs are not standard parts by definition and need specific FAA approval for installation) needs a rebalance. The faster you go toward red line the closer you are to flutter. That is the purpose of the flutter margins. If the plane inadvertently exceeds Vmo you wouldn't want it to flutter apart. When doing flight testing for flutter, airspeeds are gradually increased to see if flutter is anywhere near. The mechanic is absolutely correct in requiring a rebalance check after replacing the entire tail light assembly. No honest mechanic would sign off the change without a rebalance UNLESS there was approved documentation from the manufacture specifically saying that a rebalance was not needed (as in an STC).

Well I always liked the 308 but it was a little beyond my means then. Paying to have the lobster shop open up at midnight in Bangor Maine and boiling a dozen of the critters on the way across the USA- priceless!

Movable flight surfaces are very sensitive to weight as far as their specified balance goes. The actual removal and replacement of your rudder is not too difficult or time consuming. There is a certain part of the Maintenance Manual for your airplane that shows the specific procedure for checking its balance. It must be followed to the letter. This is something you do not want to short cut. I had a talk with Bill Wheat this summer and he noted that when he did flight testing for flutter, when he hit a spot where flutter started it was sudden and dramatic. On some airplanes even one extra coat of paint can put the surface out of balance. A quarter pound of weight at the far end of the rudder arm is a LOT of weight out there. The difference between what is removed and what is installed will determine if you can stay in balance. It must be checked and not just calculated.

Balogna Italy to Van Nuys CA 1 stop/1 day 22hrs duty time Pt 91 B727 w/ 9.5 hrs range :-) KLAS to KMKC 1 stop 1 day M20D/C longest leg 5.3 hrs. Longest Mooney day 9.5 hrs in 1 day 3 legs. Longest flight ever KATL to JNB South Africa 17 hrs nonstop as passenger only :-) :-)

GSX- How come you weren't on the runway center line when you touched down? :-) :-) :-)

Were you in altitude hold on autopilot when this happened? If so you could have been in a down draft and the nose was pulled up to maintain altitude losing airspeed. Not knowing all your conditions at the time makes diagnosis difficult.