richardheitzman

Wind loads on the gear will increase the needed amperage to the motor. All comments above are correct. Clean, lube, inspect. CB do go bad and it might be a combination of increased load with a bad CB.

best lawyer I ever met........my last divorce lawyer. Still send him Christmas cards. Back on topic. 1. don't fall in love with the airplane or the deal. 2. give a little, get a little in my book. Seller does not want to fly 300 miles for the PPE. Can you not find something closer? 3. Perfect advice already given on the Broker and the log books. No more need said on that subject. 4. Don't get buck fever and make a mistake you will regret. Your gut is telling you something and you need to listen. Sometimes it is not the overt actions that are the clue, but the covert actions that ring the loudest. With all that being said, I personally would have tried to go to the airplane instead of bringing the airplane to me. Tell the guy you will buy dinner and take him out for a beer or something. Just don't get so wound up. If he is not keeping his word on the verbal agreements, then that does say something about his character. I know a lot of airplane owners that I would not be friends with.

interesting. Is Steve Sherman still working there?

I don't know if I received an email from you, but I checked I do not have a PM from you. I was in Phoenix all last week and very busy. What is your email address and I will check my work emails. R

Thank you David. R

Hopefully it will take off. The price point is an issue that needs to be overcome. I will continue to work on that internally R

Ouch, sorry about your grandfather. Thank you for your comments.

Thank you for your reply. R

I would if I knew how

Please see my answers below in italics.

Thank you very much for your comments. Considering that it is your first post to the Mooney forums I am proud that your first post is about AmSafe airbags. R

Hi Brian, Thank you for your comments. I will make sure to pass them on to my customer service manager for follow up and review. Richard

Thank you all. Very good comments. The reason why I come to the forum is that I get to hear the good, bad or indifferent. The people in this forum are a cross section of owners across America. I have work with polling before. The questions need to be work up, reviewed, reworked, formatted, listed tested and then the poll is sent out and people ignore it. It is very static and I am not a fan. So I would rather come in here daily and have a discussion with as many owners as I can. So again, the installation comments. I have never said an A&P mechanic will not have the skills to complete the installation. I listed some reasons why we only sell and install at authorized service centers. If having to take your aircraft to one of over 800 service centers world wide to have the installation completed is going to keep you from purchasing the system then there is nothing I can do for you. AmSafe will not sell direct and we will not support a owner installed or non authorized service center installation scenario. So let me go back to the question about what does the airbag system do. I really appreciate that question as it reminds me that as usual I jump in the middle instead of starting at the beginning. Airbags are designed to prevent head and torso trauma in what would be considered a survivable aircraft accident. 80% (or close enough for this discussion) of all general aviation accidents happen in close proximity of the airport, and most of those occur in slow flight or at speeds that are survivable. The number one injury and number one fatality is head and torso trauma from the vehicle occupant striking the interior of the aircraft despite using the aircraft seatbelt. The NTSB and the FAA have reviewed the operation and effectiveness of the airbag system and have provided substantial data to show that they operate as intended. Here is a link to the latest report http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/safetystudies/ss1101.pdf Here is one from the FAA http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afs/divisions/alaskan_region/media/FSI_Report_AK.pdf The system has an electronic module (EMA) with an on-board battery pack. The system does not interface with aircraft power. The seatbelt airbag system is contained in the lap belt portion of the harness. The EMA has two position sensors that is looking for force (greater than 9gs) and time (45ms or longer) and both force and time have to be seen before it triggers the system. The signal is sent to the inflator bottle (7000psi helium argon, non toxic, non flammable, deploys at room temperature) and deploys the charge. The charge travels down the inflator hose and fills the airbag. The airbag fills the area in front of the seat occupant and the occupant moves into the airbag , which prevents the focal point of impact and mitigating the head or torso trauma. The total deployment scenario is about 50ms, and the bag stays inflated for 3 - 5 seconds before self deflating. http://www.amsafe.com/videos/ to see some testimonials and to see videos of the airbag system in operation. I hope that sheds some light on why we make this system. Richard

Hi Brian, Mooney Space is not my official communication channel. You are more than welcome to email me at my work email which is rheitzman@amsafe.com. I don't even recall the last time I checked the email on the Mooney.com website. Half the time I am here I don't even sign in. So for the sake of this conversation, I do not feel that your comments are justified saying that I provided inadequate customer service. I will ask internally in my customer service department if they received any message from you. If they had, they might have forwarded it to technical support or to engineering. Either way, I am glad someone took care of you, even if it was my competitor. R

I appreciate the feedback. Installation is a key issue and price point is a key issue. There are a number of reasons why you need to go to an authorized service center. 1. STC installation which requires an IA sign off and 337 submitted to the FAA 2. System test with test set to certify the installation once it is complete 3. Inflator bottles are considered Hazmat (compressed non toxic device) so the kit must be shipped to a business address and not a residential. Testing on an annual basis can happen at any time, and basically any where you are, at a facility that has the tool . It takes less that a minute to complete. Pricing will have to be discussed. R

Good Morning, AmSafe is once again considering developing seatbelt airbag systems for the early model Mooney aircraft. With that being said the last time I came on to the forums with this information we received very lukewarm support and interest. It is very hard for me to justify internally with my management the cost of the program when only a couple dozen or so owners step up and say they are interested. So consider this a grass roots initiative. This process is simple. Talk to your buddies, talk to your friends, talk with everyone you know who owns a Mooney and might be interested in Airbags on their aircraft similar to the ones installed on the current production Mooney aircraft. Come on to this forum and basically say "yes I am interested". I will keep this going for a couple weeks and tally up the response. I am also going to send this same message over to the Mooney Ambassador Facebook page. Pricing is still up in the air, you can expect anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000 for the kit which includes everything for the pilot and co pilot seats. ordering and installation can only be done at a authorized service center. No exceptions to that rule. No new service centers will be brought into the network to complete an order for a customer. Labor to install is usually 8 hours. I will check on this forum once a day and answer questions. Be nice and please do not flood my email with questions, ask them here and I will answer, that way everyone has the same information. So thank you for your interest and I look forward to seeing everyone out at EAA Oshkosh. With Kindest Regards, Richard

That really bugs me that has happened to you. I always wonder why owners are so hesitant to put a deposit down on a program, and your example has shown a light on the issue. Who is going to put up thousands of dollars in deposits to see it melt away when a company fails. I am sure they knew they were going to close up shop. That is never a surprise. How unethical they must be. That is so frustrating and sad. To do business like that causes the rest of us to have a harder time of it. I really hope it works out for you. I hope you have the ability to absorb the loss and move on.

I'm not flying right now either, so I went crazy and bought a motorcycle. It has curbed the itch for flying and let's me get some time to myself. One more semester and I will finish my degree, than the summer is free to return my life to normal. I feel your pain. But there are times in our lives that flying is just not in the cards. Maybe a couple years from now you and I can buy a airplane and enjoy it.

Please visit our website at amsafe.com. Also you can read the reports released by the FAA and the NTSB. The most recent was the one from the NTSB on seatbelts which included a section on the airbags, and how they save lives.

Hello again, Sorry I didn't see the replies and questions on the forum. Jose, each kit is for TWO SEATS. Labor time is from 8 - 12 hours I would say that this system is PRICE WORTHY. I understand that for most aircraft owners in the C-F category the value of the aircraft ($40k - 65k) means that the investment of $5k must be considered carefully. You are spending money on a system that is designed to save your life and prevent injury. Head and Torso trauma is the number one killer and the number one injury in aviation accidents, irregardless of the type of seatbelt you are wearing. So, anytime you are in a accident that results in a G load of 9G's or greater, at 45ms time or greater, you have enough energy to move you into the instrument panel. Mooney aircraft are designed to withstand a high G load than that without structure failure. If you are making purchase decisions strictly based upon ROI, than there is no amount of information that I can provide you other than to say, what is the value of your life. visit our website at www.amsafe.com to see survivor testimonials. So, as a community I am offering you the chance to move forward into a development program. I suggest, that as a community, this is a opportunity that should not be passed up, especially for the legacy aircraft. As you all know, I am a Mooney guy for many years. I am using my position in my company to bring you a product that I personally think you need. I have to make a business case in order to push the development. You all need to discuss this and make up your minds what you want to do. The price is what it is. I will be able to come up with a "program offer" that will drop it probably $500 - $700. I will need no less than 40 owners who come together with no less than 50% deposit. That will fund the engineering time to change the drawing. This will fund the cost to resubmit the paperwork to the FAA to change the AML STC. This will fund the cost to conduct the static and dynamic deployment of the system in aircraft mock up sled tests. Thanks R

Dave is great as well, didn't mean to leave him out. He is also good at fixing avionics / electrical issues.

Since this is a discussion about Dugosh, and not ALL service centers in the network, as some other posters want to have, I will share my opinion on Dugosh. I ran the network for a number of years, and I have actually had my tool box at Dugosh working on aircraft (in my spare time) and one of these days I hope to buy it from Ronnie if he ever gets ready to retire. Vanette and the guys in the shop have 20 - 30+ years (each) working specifically on Mooney aircraft. Steve is (in my opinion) the best Mooney mechanic in the network. His sheet metal skills, engine skills are amazing. I have seen him repair crash damage aircraft that I personally would have pushed off into the weeds. Issues/comment that I have personally seen or heard from customers: Not receiving a itemized estimate of needed repairs. Once the inspection is completed you need to make sure that Vanette gives you a list of needed repairs. You need to make sure you approve (in writing with confirmation) on the repairs you are wiling to pay for, and make sure you understand the cost of said repair. The final bill should be within 10% of the written approved repair cost. Late deliveries: Sometimes they (as with all Mooney service centers) have issues with getting parts from Mooney. IF you have some type of damage that requires a Mooney specific part, your delivery date might get pushed out while waiting for the part. BUT, Dugosh and Vanette specifically has a knack for finding spares. Over booked: They are very popular. Sometimes they get overbooked and that turns into a late delivery. Ronnie has a hard time saying "NO" to customers, especially his long term customers that "drop in" for an oil change or needed repair. High repair costs: Surprise, you never had your Mooney in for an inspection at a "real" Mooney service center, and the inspection and repairs are much higher than your previous inspection. Surprise! You last mechanic might be a good mechanic, but he is not a good Mooney mechanic, or he wants to keep your business so he deferred the non airworthy issues (or didn't write them up, saving them for next year). Ronnie and the boys write up EVERYTHING they find. So be ready for a shock. Ronnie does not like talking with people about BAD NEWS, so be ready to talk with the mechanics or Vanette. If you ask to talk with Ronnie on the phone, you are going to get frustrated. That is his personality so be ready. He loves airplanes, not conflicts with customers. Ronnie is a nice guy and a fantastic mechanic. He just does not like delivering bad news or information that he thinks will upset the customers. Engine; Ronnie and Steve are perfectionist on the Engine, they will set up your engine to run perfectly. Therefore if they find an issue they will make sure you know about it (IE over 500 hours on mags, fuel setup not right, not generating the right RPM, leaking prop seal, oil pan gaskets, push rod tunes and on and on and on.). This can get expensive. Flight controls and Gear Rigging: Be ready. If you allowed someone else to rig your gear or flight controls, they will fix it. Steve is VERY good at rigging. He has spent many hours walking me through it. That's all I can think of right now. Good choice in service center. R

I rent cars at least 20+ times a year. I always use National (when they are availalbe) and on my last trip I was forced to pick another rental company and enterprise was the only one that had cars. So I make the reservation and when I arrive the counter girl was very nice, handed me the key and when I went out to pick up the car it was a disaster. This was the second time this has happened to me with enterprise. The car was filthy, scratched up, dented and had only 15K miles on it. National cars I have never had one with more than 10K. Anyway I went back to the counter to the same girl, and told her the car was unacceptable, and she became very rude and aggresivly told me that there was nothing else. I handed her the keys, cancled my reservation and walked away. Alamo had a car that had just been returned and cleaned. I will never , ever rent from Enterprise.

Thanks for the comments here in the forum. Jose the price does not include installation. Installation time is expected to be 8 - 10 hours labor. R

yes it must be attached. Inside aircraft / outside aircraft statc pressure are not the same especially when climb / decent / maintain alltitude.