jax88

A lack of rental aircraft in the SAT area was one of the reasons I purchased. Between the management at the big airport trying to free up lease space for larger operations and the closing of the big flight school over a contract dispute, the choices are pretty much nil now.

Time to plan another trip. Looks like Cabo this time. Can anyone share what they know about the airport at Cabo San Lucas (MMSL)? What are their landing fees, overnight fees, do they have tie downs, etc. Any information would be appreciated.

Go around letting the air out of the tires on all the "C" branded aircraft?

Last year I took my '75F to one of the "big name" MSCs and was pleased with the results and the service received. However, as I sit here this morning contemplating a need to take the aircraft in for annaul AND needing to have my avionics shop troubleshoot the one remaining glitch in the recent avionics upgrade, I can't help but think it would be nice if my MSC and my avionics shop were on the same field. Well, it turns out my avionics shop is only a couple of hangars down the tarmac from SWTA, whom I've had do some minor work while getting the avionics upgrade done. How do you all feel about SWTA, the service they provide, the work they do, the timeliness of their work, etc. Some would argue that having the "big name" all over the log books helps retain a certain amount of value should I ever decide to sell. Will using SWTA negate that percieved value of having one of the "big name" shops doing my annual? (pm me if you prefer not to post your opinions in public) Thanks

The Cardinal RG was my second choice. The biggest problem I had was finding one that was as good a value for the dollar as the M20F I purchased. Seemed that most sellers were in love with the Cessna name and wanted me to pay for it. The examples of Cardinals I was seeing in the $60k arena all needed work of some sort.

I took my Century AP problems to McKee Avionics in San Marcos. However, I believe most of the repairs were eventually done by Century Flight Systems in Mineral Wells.

Took my 75F there for annual last yer, taking her back again next month. Ronnie and Vannette have both been very helpful and responsive with information, questions, and concerns. During last year's annual we added shoulder harnesses and LED landing light and they took care of all the required paperwork. The aircraft hasn't skipped a beat (knock on wood) this year.

Flew to Baytown (east side of Houston) yesterday and discovered that KHPY now has two rental aircraft, one of which is a Mooney M20C. Could be a good opportunity for the aspiring Mooney owner or training pilot to get some time in a, albeit older, Mooney. As always, fuel prices at KHPY were good.

In that case, I suggest Gill Aviation.

Never been to HOU. Depending upon what part of the city I'm ultimately going to I choose either KHPY or KDWH. Be sure to let us know how HOU works out for you.

I have opened it a handful of times above 10,000ft, but I only notice just less than an inch of manifold pressure increase.

Any recommendations for an airport/fbo in the Biloxi area?

Dropped in to the fly-in at the new RedBird Skyport at KHYI (San Marcos, TX). Impressive facilities they have there, all kinds of simulators, nice pilot's lounge, restaurant, and more.

Me too, once positive rate of climb is established I back off the prop to get it away from redline, then leave it alone until I reach my altitude.

Yep, the wife confirmed that it was Angel we spoke with at Dona Ana. I loved the look of your Ovation then, and still do. Now if I could just convince myself to take the step up from the F . . . I have only used San Antonio Aviation at KSSF and Landmark's north terminal at KSAT. No complaints about either. Landmark has much nicer facilities, but some don't like flying GA into larger international/commercial airports and the higher fuel prices that go with them. Seems the city is trying to run all of GA out of KSAT. I currently keep 6949V at KSSF, but I have been contemplating moving her up to KSAT to get her closer to the house. Couldn't convince the wife to move out to Kestrel, but I also contemplated moving the aircraft there or Boerne Stage. Traffic at Boerne Stage always gives me reason for pause.

Rick, Dona Ana is my fuel stop when flying from San Antonio to Las Vegas. Love the red burritos they keep in the freezer! While stopped there once I spotted a beautiful Mooney on the ramp and briefly chatted with the pilot, though if I recall correctly the pilot stated that the Mooney was not his. Randy

Have I seen this aircraft out at Dona Ana before?

I've got a '75 F and routinely make longer trips (Texas to Las Vegas, Texas to North Carolina, Texas to Florida - ironically enough they all work out to around 1,200 NM) with the wife. We have discovered that aside from fuel, our biggest limitation is biology, not spacial comfort. If you're a restless person, you will be restless in any aircraft.

I've been noticing a 100rpm - 125rpm drop in my left mag on runup but only about 75rmp drop in the right mag. No roughness yet, but enough of a drop to get my attention. The other day I was left seat in a Cessna 172SP and when the left mag was dropping 300+rpms on runup the instructor in the right seat tried to "burn it off". He started leaning and running the throttle up to 2000rpm, fiddled with the mixture a bit, let it run, and so on. What he was doing didn't work on the Cessna, but it got me wondering. . . Do any of you have a procedure on your vintage Mooney IO-360 that you use to "clean up" a mag?

I used to have random problems with my annunciators not working when tested. I'd pull the bulb, reseat it, try again, and so on until I finally got them seated just right. When I had my panel redone, the shop built a new face for the center stack, including the annunciators. This new face provides a much more stable base for the bulbs and the switch. Now I don't have any issues with testing the annunciators. Perhaps having the portion of your panel that supports the annunciators rebuilt would eliminate your problem also?

I tried updating my GTN 650 databases today and when I turned on the avionics with the SD card in the gps, the gps had no trouble seeing the new databases, but it could not update them. I tried twice and got an error both times. Has anyone got any ideas on what I may be doing wrong?

I planned (never made it) a trip from San Antonio to Puerto Vallarta for Summer 2010. It is my understanding that you are required to make your FIRST stop in Mexico at an airport with customs facilities/personel. Your return trip will certainly require a stop in a designated facility. I'm not sure about overflying Mexican airspace, but I would assume you will HAVE to land somewhere in Mexico for fuel. Also, as I understood the law in Mexico, there is NO such thing as VFR at NIGHT, double check on that. Also, you have to have a flight plan while flying in Mexico. When crossing the U.S./Mexico border from the U.S. side, you MUST be on a flight plan (see ADIZ rules). Also, as a U.S. citizen/aircraft owner I was required to purchase a customs stamp and a radio station license for my aircraft. There are also some rules about making customs declarations online, or something to that effect, be sure and check and see if this is the case for your return trip if you intend to land in U.S. territory. Be aware, there are large areas of remote desert with no aircraft facilities. There are also some tall mountains, plan accordingly. I think if you hug the Gulf of Mexico coastline you will have more choices for landings and fewer mountains. Have a look at this page, it is where I got most of my information: http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/intl/mexico/ Have fun, and plan thoroughly.

Ditto GeorgePerry's reply. I was having a heck of a time with a nose vibration when landing my '75F. It was discovered at annual that there was a very small part missing from just above the biscuits. I was told that it may be that the aircraft left the factory without the part, as the mechanic had seen the problem before.

As expressed, it would depend upon the cost. I recently added traffic to my cockpit, but as previously mentioned, I like having every tool available when flying, and flight following would still be desirable.

If I'm doing anything other than just practicing, I use flight following. Just one more tool in the box.