N9453V

JFK was a much better choice than LGA. Too bad you didn't get to do the VOR/DME 13L/R, that's a fun approach!

Renewal this year as about an 11% increase due to market factors. I'm currently paying about $1100 for $100K hull value M20G with $1MM liability. I have about 1400 Mooney hours and an ATP. I've used Cliff with Falcon for the past 9 years as my broker and I insure with Global.

I just realized I will be free on Monday night and would like to come if it's not too late. I enjoyed this event last year. It'd be myself + 1. Thanks, -Andrew (N9453V)

I've been slacking on posting on MooneySpace lately, but I will be at OSH this year and would like to attend. A friend's flying in with me, so it'll be me + 1. He's a Cherokee-owner so everyone can feel free to make fun of him. Thanks!

I'll be there; flying in on Friday night from PAE. 15 minute flight. -Andrew

Done this trip many times... 2 routes I usually take... 1) North to Montana then west to Seattle. Usually stopping at AMA, CYS and GTF. Fairly low IFR altitudes till you leave GTF, then 12k to get to the Seattle area... 2) West to Bakersfield then north to Seattle. Longer, but usually is the best bet to stay clear of icing in the colder months. Usually stopping at ELP, CGZ, BFL and EUG. -Andrew

What type of mags and how long since the last mag inspection? I had a new slick mag that failed on about 50 hours short of the first 500 hour inspection? -Andrew

Wow... I was unaware of a correlation between genital size and aviation experience, thanks for the info, jkhirsch. My posts on here are often fairly short because I'm busy, but I enjoy being able to help others and share my experiences. If you wanted to understand why I was recommending 500 hours as a level where many pilots could likely begin to feel ready using an aircraft for regular transportation in a wide array of weather, you could have politely asked... Believe or not, you might be able to learn things from people on here if you are willing to adjust your attitude, but it appears you already have everything figured out with your private pilot certificate and several HUNDRED hours... -Andrew

I'd strongly recommend getting your Commercial... I did mine 4 years ago in the Mooney and I know it made me a better pilot and comfortable flying the airplane through a much larger envelope. I found the power-off 180's the hardest to do. I got all the requirements and the written done (well twice, since the first time, work got in the way for almost 2 years) and completed it over a week working with an experience instructor. -Andrew

jkhirsch, both the FAA and insurance companies use 500 hours and an instrument rating as a level of competence where the risk goes down substantially (see 91.146). The reality is there is no substitute for experience. My experience is as a 1500 hour commercial pilot who has operated piston and turbine aircraft in all weather from south of Miami to the west coast of Alaska and through most of Canada. I've flown hundreds of hours along the very route the op is posting about commuting year round. While many pilots on this forum have more experience than me, I believe my experience is both relevant and sufficient to provide my opinion as to the viability of the op's plan. Since you feel we are all wrong, I'd appreciate if you'd post your experience and qualifications to make that assessment. -Andrew

Yep, a FIKI airplane, an instrument rating and 500+ hours of experience can get you close, but if you need airline-level dispatch reliability in that environment, you need turbines and a professional pilot. -Andrew

I've frequently commuted between the Seattle area and the SF Bay Area, often with a fuel stop at EUG. I would not recommend a new private pilot purchase an aircraft with the expectation to be able to use it for commuting along this route. I've dealt with ice along this route from September through May. An instrument rating and FIKI are both essential for dispatch reliability. There's really 2 ways to do it... the most direct is on V23 over FJS (at or above 11k south, 10k north) but you can deal with icing there most of the year and severe turbulence is possible in the mountains, the other is V27 along the coast (at or above 7k south, 8k north)... I usually fly this route, it's longer, but the lower MEA's tend to keep you free of ice, but be aware that most of the airports around that route are coastal airports and if you have to divert, you may have to deal with high winds and fog (I've landed at CEC with almost 50 knots on the nose at short final and also seen it below ILS mins). The weather in the bay area is usually pretty benign, but EUG to STS is NOT a good route for a low time private pilot to have an expectation to fly regularly. -Andrew

I did my commercial in 2012 in an accelerated program with the flight school (ProMark Aviation) in Burnet, TX. I already met all the requirements, so it was just a matter of getting the maneuvers down. I found the power-off 180's the most challenging; my instructor helped by getting me to fly the pattern entirely by feel (all instruments except engine RPM and MP were covered). I probably did 100 practice landings to ensure I could always hit my mark (-0, + 200). The check ride was uneventful; I'd over-prepared and everything was within PTS standards except I let my airspeed increase a bit on the steep spiral and quickly corrected. For the oral, my DPE knew I'd studied the ASA book cover to cover, so most of the questions were more ADM, aircraft performance, charts and weather using scenarios (e.g. having to fly customers out of a short high elevation strip on a hot day)... -Andrew

Pat, for the 330ES and 335, you need a WAAS GPS position source like the GNS 430W. -Andrew

SurfAir can operate either VFR or IFR under Part 135. They just have to operate in accordance with their SOP's... if it requires them to keep the IFR to the ground and get the clearance before departure even in VMC conditions, that can and should be changed and approved by the FAA. I used to be based at SQL and remember what a pain it was waiting for an IFR release on the ground. Not really. 135 covers most non-scheduled charter operators and non-jet scheduled commuters with up to 9 passengers seats. Good examples of this are Southern Airways Express which operates 208's and Sun Air Express (just purchased by Southern) that operates PA31's. -Andrew