WardHolbrook

Quote: aerobat95 Do you have a link to this? I would like to hear it. I have been lucky in that I have had training to learn the signs of hypoxia for me. In each individual it is different and it is really valuable to know your signs. So many factors can affect when and how hopoxia impacts you. For us pilots its valuable to not smoke and to be in good cardiovascular shape.

Since no one has replied to your question, I'll take a stab at it. First of all, let me state that I have absolutely ZERO time behind a Garmin G1000 so that will tell you how much credence you should attach to what I'm going to say. However, I do have close to 10,000 hours behind Collins and Honeywell systems and they both require you to input you're desired emergency and abnormal checklists. I think this is done for liability reasons - there are variations between the manufacturers' and the training providers. My guess it that Garmin (and Collins and Honeywell) just wants you to pick who/what you're going to use and input yourself. That way, if there's ever an issue, the monkey is on your back and not theirs.

Quote: Parker_Woodruff it's a long story. No, really - it is.

Quote: KLRDMD The really weird thing is, at least with the SDL FSDO, the Inspector refuses to write a word in your logbook upon successful completion of a CFI ride. After all of these previous check rides with DPEs (private, instrument, commercial, multi commercial with instrument), then no signature from a FSDO Inspector for the initial instructor ride.

Congratulations! That's a serious accomplishment. I'll make the same recommendation to you as I've made to all of my instrument students... You now need to spend some quality time reading Weather Flying by Robert N Buck and Instrument Flying by Richard Taylor. [You can get them from about $6 each (used) on Amazon.] These two books will go a long way towards filling in the gaps in your training and help you learn how to use "the system" in the real world and how to actually fly weather. They are both excellent books and reading them cover to cover a few times would probably be worth a couple of hundred hours of actual instrument time - at least. Captain Buck outlines a step-by-step method to teach yourself how to fly weather. It's worth the investment of both your time and your money.

Quote: ehscott That was my quote that I read somewhere and I think it overstates the case. The point being that flying, despite being enjoyable and challenging, is many hours of monitoring, adjusting, looking, playing with stuff, etc. And then there are those moments when something goes really wrong and those routine hours come off as both tedious and boring in comparison...

Quote: DaV8or

Quote: DaV8or

Quote: 1970m20e ...I've asked my mechanic to see if he could look at these numbers and see about swapping injectors around to try and swap the richest with the leanest and see if that helps balance the fuel flow to a closer GAMI spread. He doesn't believe in LOP operations or any of this information... Taking advice on LOP operations from most A&Ps is a little like having a concert pianist take advice on how to play the piano from the piano tuner.

Quote: mooneyman I have been through the same issue with my wife. When I completed my private four years ago, she had fear of small planes and my piloting skills. I convinced her to take a pinch hitter course and to go up with an instructor along. As her understanding of the airplane increased, some of her fear began to fade away. I then planned some short flights to visit her family and some fun day trips possible only through general aviation. Gradually we began doing some weekend trips and going a little farther. I completed my instrument rating several months ago. She saw how hard I worked to obtain that rating and her confidence in me has increased. She still has some fear and I know that she does not love GA like I do, but she has come a long way. Fortunately, I do not have that problem, my wife of 39 years loves to fly. However, I echo your suggestion to have her take a pinch hitter course or perferably some flying lessons. I've known several cases of that having done the trick. However, it also caused another problem in a couple of cases - mama ended up wanting to get her license too. So they ended up buying an airplane and always were fighting over who got to fly which leg.

Years ago, one of our hangar partners found a small bucking bar in the wing of his Turbo Commander. He kept hearing some bangs and couldn't figure out where they were coming from. One day he was in some "pretty good" turbulence and after the flight noticed a few new dents in the wing skin and started poking around. No idea how long it had been there, probably since manufacture. I've found many tools after maintenance, but the most dangerous thing we ever ran into was a shop towel that was plugging a jetpump on a brand new Gulfstream G100 that we had just taken delivery of. We couldn't figure out why we would occassionally have fuel pressure issues. It was left in there when they were building the wing. One of my friends was on the new aircraft delivery team of one of the majors. He told me that the most dangerous flying they ever did was the acceptance flights for their newly delivered airliners and the fist flight after maintenance. It wasn't a matter of if something would go wrong, but when. Personally, the vast majority of my "issues" have occurred during those times as well. Don't assume anything. Remember, one way to tell how good your mechanic is is by counting the number of parts left over when he is finished.

How much will this "new" service cost?

Where is the "none of the above" option?

I flew into Victorville CA (VCV) this morning and saw my first Predator UAVs flying around the area. There were a couple out flying around, followed by some sort of single-engine Cessna chase plane. We were about 30 miles out descending into the airport and were being vectored around them. Later on, there was another one (without a chase plane) shooting touch and goes in the pattern. The last time we flew in there there was a pilotless helicopter flying around the airport. Perhaps our days of being needed are drawing to an end.

Quote: jax88 Is there a limit to the number of overhauls you are comfortable with? At some point, do you just replace an engine because of total hours?

I'll second what Jim posted. However, if you frequently fly long distances, the best "speed mod" you could get for your airplane might very well be long range tanks - it takes a VERY fast airplane to make up for a 30 minute fuel stop.

Regarless of who you buy from you should involve "in an independant Mooney expert" (read: an experienced Mooney mechanic) who has YOUR best interests at heart. Educate yourself on his "tricks of the trade" and go play hardball with him. The airplane is only worth what someone will pay for it, not what any particular broker is asking. If you find out it's a solid airplane and you can get it at a reasonable price (in today's market) then go for it. Don't let your emotions overrule your common sense. There are plenty of nice airplanes out there if this one doesn't work out.

The insurance company will insure to the least qualified guy. I'd ask your insurance guy what they're going to require then set your minimums appropriately. I'd also try to arrange your partnership agreement to "encourage" utilization and recurrent training. Low-time guys that fly often and receive appropriate recurrent training along the way won't be a problem. An guy who flys 50 hours a year and gets an hour dual with a CFI every couple of years probably isn't going to be someone you'd want flying your new Mooney. That being said, if you sell 75% of the airplane you'll just have one vote out of four. Choose your partners wisely and have an exit strategy in your agreement.

Quote: rogerl As with supernatural beings, you choose what you want to believe. I think the thousands of engines experience, design -level knowlege of the metallurgical minutiae, and conservative attitude slightly outweigh opinions of such mechanics who may have owned a few lycomings, seen perhaps scores of them through periods greater than five years, and maybe even have worked on hundreds in passing. Personally, I choose to take greater stock in the former with regards to the one lycoming I depend upon and maintain. Wives' tales indeed!

Quote: rogerl There seem to be some good points, both common sense observations as well as references from other researchers in this discussion. The fact remains, however, that Lycoming themselves recommend guarding against "shock cooling". My reference is "Lycoming Flyer Key Reprints" part "Avoid Sudden Cooling of Your Engine" that begins with: "Sudden cooling is detrimental to the good health of the piston aircraft engine. Textron Lycoming Service Instruction 1094D recommends a maximum temperature change of 50° F per minute to avoid shock cooling of the cylinders." The article continues on to describe the various engine conditions that may result from exceeding these guidelines, procedures to avoid etc. I'll keep a copy of the reprints for a few days here

Check out some of article on engine operation by John Deakin and others on avweb.com. http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182883-1.html http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/183094-1.html Not saying or implying anything, just some food for thought.

Question for you guys who have installed HID... Do they "play well" with pulse light systems?

Have you checked your airframe logbooks for the paint codes?

Quote: sleepingsquirrel ...Which leads to my next question: Will putting VGs on the bottom of the Mooney wing improve its inverted flight performance? Right now it's pretty bad, so I don't see how it could hurt.

I appreciate what you are saying. However, historically, I'd guess that more pilots have died in certified aircraft as a result of lack of skill and proficiency than have died as a result of dieing in "unsafe" airplanes. Things like VGs are great and have their place, but they can't compensate for lack of skill or discipline in the cockpit. History has shown time and time again, that training enhances safety more than "things". Take for example the greatest two current examples: The MU-2 and the Cirrus. The MU-2 went from having the worst safety record of all the turboprops to having the best. The only change they made was to change training requirement to fly the thing. Compare that with the safety record of the parachute-equipted Cirrus. That chute hasn't helped much has it? Things like tail-dragger, aerobatic and glider training introduce and reinforce skills that transfer directly into all areas of your flying and will do more to enhance safety than any aerodynamic band-aids that you glue to your wing. As always, this is just my opinion and of course, YMMV.