kortopates

With a private party seller, I used an escrow service and would again. Buying from a very reputable broker you may not feel the the need to use an escrow service. I didn't and just transfered the funds when I was happy with the airplane and ready to take possession.

+1 for upgrading the GNS-430 to the WAAS version. It'll include terrain, if your non-waas box did not (terrain was available as an extra add on prior to the waas verison when it became standard) plus it will provide all the approaches with vertical guidance. These days with so many VNAV approach options all over the US including LPV that go down to 200', why limit yourself to only LNAV (and ILS)? You'll be buying a Jepp subscription to keep your box IFR legal - might as well swallow the extra $3k to get the full capabilities of waas now. As for the Apollo MX20, just get yourself a one time update or new card for $100-$150 - I only update my GMX200 every few years and mostly just to pick up IFR airways changes. Personally, I'd pull the GNC-250XL out and sell it on ebay to get whatever you could to put towards your waas upgrade. The user interface is very difficult for most to master and offers zero capability over the 430. At least till your 430 screen dies or similar malfunction; in which case you can use an ipad or portable gps for backup.

I went with the Tempest pump some years ago because of what I felt were superior features. They introduced a wear indication port on the rear of the port that you can monitor, as Byron suggested above on the new Rapco. But with the tempest you don't need to open a port to measure with a pin/gauge - just look at the port windows (perhaps with a mirror). They have some other nice features including the LRT gasket you can read about in their owners/install manual http://www.aeroaccessories.com/manualsandserviceletters/NewDAPUserManual011508.pdf That said, it appears that Rapco pumps are catching up with Tempest. Also highly recommend installing an air cooling shroud on your vacuum pump to improve pump longevity, regardless of which manufacturer you choose. Their inexpensive, but both makes have their own STC's which require some paperwork.

Quote: sreid ... But asking me what I would do if I was "completely" lost implies that I am so incompetent as to not even know from where I departed, how long I have been flying, and the general direction that I've been flying since takeoff. If you think I am that incompetent, why would you even consider attempting to give me a flight review!

Quote: The-sky-captain I think it's a legit question considering that there are pilots that probably hop in their plane going cross country and they don't make any plan other than pushing a go direct button on their GPS.

Quote: 201er I'm very interested in this as well. Someone told me that you have to depart from an international airport in the US when going to Canada. So if leaving from a small uncontrolled field, that you have to land in a US based international airport before going to Canada. However, the AOPA article doesn't mention this. What's the story with outbound procedures?

Great story on the importance of when something is not right, don't put it off and get to the bottom of it!

AOPA addresses this in detail at http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/intl/canada/index.html - or - from the home page click Flight Planning -> International flights -> Canada. Don't be put off by what seems an onerous amount of information - just go through it step by step. Recognize too after you get the border crossing procedures down you need to read up on differences between our regs and Canada so that you know about mandatory frequencies and controlled VFR to name just a few as well as learn about NavCanada for weather info etc. There are no gotcha's as long as you review and plan accordingly and its actually a breaze crossing into Canada compared to coming back into the US. You might want to start right away on order your US CBP sticker for the airplane and getting an eAPIS account. You won't need a FCC radio license - no one will care or ask for it.

BTW, remember DF steer of pre-historic and pre-GPS days - we used to have the option to call up any flight service and ask for a DF Steer. It's still mentioned in the AIM under DF Guidance, but I assume since the consolidation of local flight service stations about the only chance of getting one now is from a military approach facility with DF equipement.

I am stunned because all of these comments assume you have no GPS on board (or don't understand how to use it). Hard to beleive these days there are Mooney's flying x-country without an onboard GPS, regardless of portable or in the panel. Let's use it! In which case the nearest pages gives us location relative to airports, VORs, fixes including nearest frequencies for a facility to talk too; such as Center, FSS etc. It may not tell us the proper sector frequency for a TRACON sector we're in but a center controller should be able to pass you on to a TRACON frequency quick enough.

yes, what are you looking for?

Attached is scanned copy of the Mooney passenger briefing card. Scanned in B&W unfortunately. The emergency side uses a red font, while the other side uses black. Sorry- couldn't attach the PDF, so attached a jpeg screen capture of it.

Horrific! But a landing airplane is whole different scenario than a spinning prop. The article says "... the pensioner died instantly after being sliced in half by the plane’s left wing" ... while trying to cross the runway. Not that we can rely on the accuracy of journalist. My heart goes out to the survivors including the pilot and any pax that will need to cope.

Contact any Mooney MSC and order yourself the current manuals on a USB drive. It'll include Maintenance Manual, IPC, and POH's.

Quote: jlunseth (d) Each person operating an aircraft that has an experimental certificate shall— (2) Operate under VFR, day only, unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Administrator; and 91.319 (d)(2) would be a problem for me.

CFI-II in the San Diego area. I am also a past MAPA instructor and will be instructing at the MAPA Tucson PPP this weekend. Be happy to help out anyone in the SOCAL area.

Quote: Hank

Quote: 201er ...I think it is possible to hand over PIC after the flight has begun FAR 1.1: Pilot in command means the person who: (1) Has final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety of the flight; (2) Has been designated as pilot in command before or during the flight; and (3) Holds the appropriate category, class, and type rating, if appropriate, for the conduct of the flight. ....

Mike and Dan have it exactly right - to log PIC there must be an agreement between the two pilots who is acting as PIC, i.e., who's Captain – or the final authority before the flight begins. The Yodice’s, aviation attorney’s working with AOPA, have written and spoken much on this topic emphasizing the need to have an agreement up front in order to legally log PIC before starting the flight. Without that agreement it’s assumed that the safety pilot is not acting as PIC and therefore can only log SIC. In the specific example listed by the OP here, the logable time clearly was only SIC time since the owner was the Captain of the flight – the one making decisions and who had final authority if the two pilots didn’t necessarily agree. I could not quickly find a good reference from the Kathy or John Yodice but came across this from AOPA that summarizes it very well: Safety Pilot A safety pilot is required by FAR 91.109( when the other pilot is "under the hood." The safety pilot requirements: · Must be at least a private pilot. (FAR 91.109[1]) · Must hold the category and class ratings (airplane, single-engine land) for the aircraft flown. (FAR 91.109[1]) · As a required flight crewmember, the safety pilot must have a current medical certificate. (FAR 61.3[c]) · Must occupy the other control seat (normally, although not required, the right or "copilot's" seat). (FAR 91.109[1]) Safety pilot logging: · Pilot-in-command time may be logged if acting as PIC. o The two pilots must agree that the safety pilot is the acting PIC. o PIC time may be logged only while the other pilot is "under-the-hood." o PIC time may be logged because FAR 61.51(e)(1)(iii) allows certificated pilots to log PIC when acting as PIC of an aircraft on which more than one pilot is required by the regulations (91.109) under which the flight is conducted. A safety pilot is required for "hood work." · Second-in-command time may be logged if not acting as PIC. o Usually the case if the safety pilot cannot act as PIC. An example might be when the safety pilot is not endorsed for the particular airplane (such as in a high-performance aircraft). o SIC time may be logged because FAR 61.51(f)(2) allows a pilot to log all flight time during which he acts as second in command of an aircraft under which more than one pilot is required by the regulations (91.109) under which the flight is conducted.

I don't believe Medical coverage is intended to replace your personal Health/Medical coverage but to pay for medical expenses you might incur for immediate medical treatment at the time of an accident - including things that may not be covered by normal health insurance like the ambulance ride to the hospital. Surely you don't fly without everyday health insurance.

Gina and I flew to Big Bend for New Years week. We usually ski then, but the snow was atrocious, so we opted to fly to Big Bend to mountain bike and see the national park. Since it was our first trip there, we really wanted a rental car. The closest airport with rental cars was Alpine – about 100 miles north. So we folded the rear seat down in the Mooney and put our two 29” mountain bikes into the rear of the plane, much like someone on the folding bikes thread described using BBQ bags. Yet Gina found some perfectly sized light “storage” bags with zippers that the bike frames would fit into (with wheels and seats removed) and some light xmas reef bags that the wheels fit into. We used bubble wrap for padding. I was sure the bubble wrap would start popping by the time we climbed up to 17-18K – but never a single pop. I would definitely recommend the rental car approach for a first time visit. There is no other way to see the main sights and there is so much to see in the National Park as well as the scenic drive west of the State park that is described as “one of the most scenic highways in America” as it winds along the Rio Grande/Bravo. (Very scenic - but I wouldn't go that far) If mountain biking is something that interest you, the Lajitas Resort (http://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/) has a very impressive MTB trail system of many miles of excellent single track surrounding the airport. Their trail system covers all abilities. It is so well manicured that you’ll feel like you’re riding in Disneyland! Across the other side of the hiway is the State Park that also has many excellent riding trails. All these trails are currently well maintained by the local bicyclist and shop in town. We only briefly considered flying into the resort since it offers a nice paved runway, but we dropped that due to the $200+ a night lodging and lack of rental cars. However, if we ever go back just to MTB I’d be more interested in staying there since we’d forgo the car and be at the center of the good biking. We also checked out the dirt strip at the Terlingua Ranch – but way too rough for a Mooney. WRT to accommodations I share Byron’s taste myself and put my nose up at anything without w-fi J Capt Gina though would entirely agree with you and continually gives me a hard time. (Although I’ve been known to spend many nights “camping” on Yosemite walls while rock climbing there when I was younger – so I am no stranger to the outdoors.) You also might consider Chisos Mountain Lodge while touring the park. You also have many choices of very affordable places in Terlingua while touring outside of the park. Our favorite place for dinner was the Starlight Theatre in the Terlingua Ghost Town. Have fun!

I assume your "After shut down self test" is with the engine running (or Stanby vacuum on) with attritude indicator showing erect and correctly and the electric trim on? Can't tell you about your specific trim switch parts, but if you need A/P or Servo service I'd recommend an A/P specialist with a good reputation such as AutoPilots Central in Tulsa OK http://autopilotcentral.com/

I've been a Stormscope and satellite weather user ever since Satellite wx has been available. I've found it so helpful I wouldn't want to fly a long x-ctry's with possible weather without it. I also still love my spherics device for the additional advantages and capabilities it provides over and above satellite wx. First of all, the lightning strikes that XM provides are almost worthless because they only show air-to-ground strikes characteristic of a mature t-cell. By the time ground strikes appear, you should also see precipt on the nexrad. My WX-500 is modern spheric sensor that is connected to MFD GMX200 (& GNS430's) - so its displaying strikes on my primary map display along with my satellite wx for improved situational awareness. But its real advantages are three fold. Firstly it's real time as opposed to your satellite wx and secondly shows cloud-to-cloud strikes which begin to occur as the t-cell is building and well before you'll see any signs of precipt. Thirdly spherics devices in strike mode can also indicate a false positive from very strong turbulence in building cu. Although a false positive, its still pointing to a condition very worth avoiding. Fourthly, its all I have when flying out of range of satellite nexrad which is always the case when I am enjoying my Mooney on an international adventure. Although Canada is an exception, Nexrad is still very limited; especially in western Canada and non-existent in Mexico, Bahamas’ and Caribbean. So I would never toss mine out and as mentioned it doesn’t take up any extra panel space either. I am doubtful I’ll be giving up XM for ADS-B weather anytime soon just because XM provides so many more useful products – plus I am hooked on having XM radio for those x-ctry’s too.

Mitch, I assume Maggie's big brother 1MJ has a matching red dust cover too?!?!

I didn't read the Flying mag article but did read the NTSB report. Its hard to imagine a more obvious example of anti-authority/arrogance based on the statemenets made by the pilot's wife's and other reported details. But there is Last night I attended the latest AOPA Air Safety Institute seminar that came to my local neigborhood. Their most classic example of anti-authority from 2009 that they discussed was documented in this report: http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20090131X25145&key=1 The differences being the Seneca pilot took off in VMC heading for an area of widespread IMC while being 300+ lbs over weight and 3.4" beyond the aft CG limit and without a wx breifing - after witnesses advised him to re-do his weight and balance calculations and get a wx briefing. Result: 6 fatalities. Just seems criminal when it involves innocent passengers.