donkaye, MCFI

On BeechTalk, there is a box beside where you post that if checked will sent you an email if a topic that you have been following has been added to. This would be useful here, too. People like Trek Lawler would be more likely to follow up if he were notified. How does one contact the moderator to ask for that function?

As a flight instructor, even with the legacy instruments and sitting in the right seat, I can take in the whole six pack in one overview. Anything that changes can be instantly seen. Sitting in the left seat, that is a little more difficult, since the instruments appear a little more spread out due to their closeness, however it it still possible to take them in peripherally and notice any change in any one of them immediately with experience. So with experience even the legacy instrument's information can be taken in quickly in one overview if you know each instrument's function so well that almost no thought is required in their interpretation. All that was said above applies much more easily to the glass panels because, once the new tapes presentation is fully absorbed, the compact presentation of the six pack makes taking in the whole situation at a glance much easier than with the legacy instruments in my opinion.

I had my KI 256 OH'd numerous times. You could almost set your watch to the number of hours you could count on it before it was OH time. And even with a reputable overhauler I would get it back, and sure enough, roll out on final from a left turn and you could count on a 6° left bank indication when level. You could count on the T&B getting noisy at 400 hours and it was cheaper to replace than to OH. Once I got the Castleberry that expense went away. The display indicators on most of the 1990ish King Radios (KX 196, KNS 81, KX 155/165, KR 87 and on and on) would need periodic replacement as the digits would go bad. They were expensive. Aside from maintenance of most mechanical legacy instruments, what about security of flight? While instrument failures are rare, when they do happen they can be catastrophic in instrument conditions. The usual culprit; the mechanical vacuum pump or the Attitude indicator. Nowdays most serious instrument flyers do have a backup AI, but I fly with a lot of people who don't. Glass vs legacy; glass wins in this department. I used to have to spend 8 to 10 hours with a new instrument student in phase 1 of instrument training; basic attitude flying skills; less with younger pilots than older ones. With the Aspen or Garmin glass panels that time has been cut down to a couple of hours with less difference between young and older. Scanning has become a snap in that you don't have to; everything is right in front of your eyes with no eye movement. Actually its easier with the Aspen than the G1000 because of the size difference. And rather than a detriment, the backup instrument requirements of glass panels are a plus as opposed to the no backup requirement for legacy instruments. To me the glass revolution is a huge step forward, and one that should be on everyone's wish list.

Agree, target EGTs are for NA engines only. An article was written in Flying back in 1992 regarding leaning in the climb for the TLS. At that time max recommended TIT in the climb was 1450. I never lean beyond that. I also don't reduce power below that to make the boost pump turn off until at altitude; Bob Krommer's recommendation. I'm on my second engine with the first one having gone to 2,300 hours before I voluntarily bought a reman because I fly instruments a lot.

Regarding oil consumption. I change oil religiously at 25 hours or sooner. 9 quarts. It usually takes 2 quarts between oil changes.

You're running too high a power setting in my opinion (85%). TIT is OK. Your chances of making TBO at that setting... not good.

What do you mean? Garmin IS the engineering department of BK when BK rejected going into the GPS field many years ago.

My Castleberry was still going strong after I'm not sure how many years before it was removed for my panel upgrade. Top Gun has it and would probably give you a good deal on it.

Trek, It's nice to see you have signed up for this list. I'm sure as people find out how knowledgeable you are about all the Garmin products you will be getting as many questions over here as on the Beechtalk list. Welcome aboard!

I sold mine to Top Gun when I upgraded. Their number is : 209-983-8082.

Not a poor choice of words. If I understand you correctly, you are doing exactly what you said--a no no to my way of thinking. Notwithstanding a dangerous way to descend, you would be in such a high nose attitude so as not to be able to see ahead of you and thereby create a "hazardous attitude" in more ways that one. Also, to get in that situation there had to be very poor descent planning. There are much, much better ways to descend in an emergency or otherwise.

My friend, you are playing with fire that can get you into BIG trouble if you are doing that in a Mooney. Please, nobody on this list should EVER consider doing that. The laminar flow wing has a much higher slope on the backside of the power curve than the non laminar flow airplanes and your rate of descent can quickly get out of control.

You've got to be kidding! The backside of the power curve on laminar flow wings such as the Mooney is much steeper than those of the non laminar flow variety. Small changes in pitch can have a large effect on descent rate. The correct approach airspeed in my airplane, a Bravo, can vary as much as 10 knots on final depending on weight. Because of the above, I always calculate my landing weight on approach for "proper" airspeed, but having an AOA would be a much simpler and more accurate way of determining what is "proper" for best performance for all landing configurations if the AOA is configured properly. I expect to buy one from Alpha Systems when their new units become available sometime later this month.

On the website: "A New Fleet of AOAs are Coming Soon".

I was going to get one installed during my current upgrade, but Mark from Alpha Systems said to wait until later this month as they are coming out with a whole new group of indicators. Go look at their website for a teaser... Home | Alpha Systems - AOA

Read it all. Thinking about giving up flying IMC after reading the article by Cliff Biggs. ;-). Phil, what would it take to be listed for Mooney Specific Instruction, as you know I have been instructing primarily in Mooneys for the past 20 years and in 9,685 hours of total time have 5,370 hours teaching of which 4,180 have been in all models of Mooneys from the A to the TN? My website? http://www.donkaye.com

I personally retract them at gear speed because the airplane can be slowed to flap and approach speed comfortably without them, and it would not be as efficient an approach having them deployed to touchdown because more power would be required during the approach. I do "pop" them on touchdown, just like the Commercial Airliners do with their spoilers. They are effective until about half the touchdown speed from my experience, so why not use them. Besides they look "cool".

I'm currently upgrading my panel and am putting in the Garmin GTX 330ES. My installer is configuring it to be controlled by either the 750 or 650 or the unit itself. So the answer is yes.

I love the iPad, but if I'm flying IFR on a challenging day, there's no way I would trade that easy to use $15,000 aviation dedicated and certified GPS for an iPad.

My airplane has been in the avionics shop for the past 4 months so my total for 2013 was quite a bit less than usual. Total for 2013 was 293.7 hours.

Actually, you're right. They would be much more valuable on the models with the lower gear speeds. I have to say, though, that after hearing groans from airline pilots on the radio when told that they will be following a Mooney in on final to San Jose, its sort of fun to key the mike and say, "C'mon now, 170 knots on final isn't going to slow you down", and hear not a word for the rest of the final. I'll slow down to 160 at 5 miles, hit the speed brakes, slow within a couple of seconds to 140, lower the gear, a couple of seconds later at 110 go to full flaps and touch down like the airliners at the 1,000 foot stripe.

I did a writeup on speed brake usage some time ago, that may be of interest. http://www.donkaye.com/donkaye.com/Use_of_Speed_Brakes.html

Same plug type, I didn't change them, RHB37E

If you're getting the G500, then having the second GPS IS worthwhile, since if the 1st one goes out the second one will feed the G500 in its place. If spending this much money on a new panel, I would go ALL IN and get EVERYTHING you could possibly want $$$ be damned.

By far the Advanced Pilot Training Course was one of the most valuable courses I have ever taken. There just isn't enough basic engine management training in the usual curriculum of pilot training. The TIO540AF1B engine now costs $61,000 for a reman. While LOP operations are great for the Continental and even the non turbocharged Lycomings, I am not going to spend any more time trying to figure out how it might be done on my engine after the amount of time I spent on it in the past. No one including the GAMi folks have a good handle on it. It could be the pressurized Slick Mags with their lousy plastic gears creating the issue. Anyway, yes, I do believe in the physics of it. Right now I'm waiting patiently to get my airplane back from the avionics shop where it has been for the past loooong 4 months. Luckily, I've still been doing a lot of cross country flying helping people who have recently purchased Mooneys learn to fly them. There finally seems to be an uptick in the number of people buying these airplanes.