flyguy241

I'm with you on the single Comanche. My uncle flew a 180 for 20 years and got a long with it great. I put about 100 hours on it myself and credit it with the easy transition to the Mooney I fly now. The twin Comanche, I don't know. Two O-320's. That's then engine my Cherokee had and it struggled on hot days in Amarillo (3600 ft). I believe two of the accidents that I referenced were where they lost one engine on takeoff and tried to get back to the airport, which goes back to your point on pilot error rather than the airplanes fault.

There was an accident in Amarillo this morning involving a Piper PA-30 in which the pilot and sole occupant was killed. The reason I started this thread was to point out in the last ~three years, that that makes three Twin Comanches whose flight originated in the Amarillo area that ended up killing the occupant(s). I'm not necessarily indicting the make and type, but it does make you think. http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-07-25/plane-crashes-home-s-mirror-st

I will bet the insurance cost on the 177 RG is higher than a Mooney due to the Cessna retract issues. I had an insurance agent tell me to steer away from anything Cessna with retracts because it will be much more expensive to insure. I'm sure the newer aircraft do not have the problems the earlier ones had, but deserved or not, that is the stigma.

Quote: smccray We have this trip on our short list as well due to proximity to Dallas. As a low time pilot with zero mountain experience, my plan (on paper- no further investigation) is to land at las Vegas, NM and drive up to Angel Fire. It's only 60 away miles and it keeps me east of the Rockies.

DP

I have taken our J model into both airports. If the weather is nice and there is no ice on the runway, try Angle Fire. It is a very pretty area and a fun approach. Land to the South and take off to the North and you should be fine. If weather is an issue, go into Taos. It's a nice big flat area, the runway aligns with the prevailing winds and you will feel really safe going in and out. Taos is also about 1300 feet lower. I have been flying into Taos more often than Angle Fire. It always seems like Angle Fire has it's own little weather system and we have been stuck under a fog bank while everywhere else in the world is severe VFR. Angle Fire will almost always have a crosswind and if the runway is icy, it could get challenging. When flying into Taos, if it is very windy we will fly over Sante Fe and then go North to Taos. If it is nice and calm and early in the morning, you can shoot straight across from the East. I climb to about 12,000 and feel comfortable at that altitude. Be sure to avoid the Taos Pueblo nature conservancy area if you go that route. Pack light and be cautious, mountain flying can be pretty unforgiving.

Quote: DaV8or I use the 1300 RPM shut down method. When you know there is going to be a hot start, set the throttle to 1300 RPM, then lean cut off. When you want to start up again, make sure there is fuel pressure, so boost pump on until the pressure's up, then off. After that, don't touch anything except the starter switch. When the motor starts to fire, push the mixture in followed by pulling the throttle back. Works every time for me and starts just as easy, if not better than cold.

I have the bad elf and it seems to work pretty well. It agrees with my 496 every time I check the two. I don't like how the bad elf sticks out from the IPAD, I always think I'm going to knock it off. I took a long cross country a couple of weeks ago and after shutting down it takes a while to find itself again. Don't know if that is the IPAD (IPAD1) or the GPS and I just wonder if the bluetooth GPS would not have that problem since it would stay on even though you shut down the IPAD. Regardless, the IPAD with Foreflight and a 496 with weather are a pretty good combination.

Quote: jetdriven curious why would you major an engine for a cracked cylinder? You can just replace one.

For the guys that have had Aero Comfort install an interior and have posted pictures, could you tell me which package you had installed. I requested a price list from Aero Comfort and they came back with three options: Economy, Standard and Executive. Just wondering what you chose. They all look gorgeous!

Weatherford (Stafford) is pretty close OJA, they have a pretty nice museum on the field and the cheapest fuel I have found anywhere.

Or you could just pay cash and tell those guys to stick it.

Quote: pilot716 why the J? bigger engine I assume, since all the bodies were the same? what were the "best years" for either?

Quote: Parker_Woodruff Yes, but if you can afford the M20J, get one.

Actually, I find the real airplane easier to fly than MSFS. I also have the Carendo M20J MSFS add on. When I decided to finish my instrument rating, I just flew instrument approach after another on MSFS, when my instructor and I finally went to fly an ILS approach (in the real airplane) I nailed it the first time. I think it is good for keeping your instrument scan current, but nothing can really replace practice approaches in the real airplane.