kortopates

At first I didn’t think i liked all the airway waypoints either, but came to realize they were actually quite important in busy air space when the controller is trying to give a helpful shortcut direct to some waypoint ahead. When it happens to you, suggest looking ahead on your navigator or iPad for the waypoint before tying up the freq to ask to them spell it or for more clarification. I’ve never not had it be anything but a airway waypoint (or an approach waypoint if getting on the approach). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good logic but its more than that. As pilots/owner/operator we're responsible for the regs under part 91, that means we're responsible for ensuring we have all the paper work in order before flight, including ARROW + placards, log book entries for current annual inspection, AD compliance etc, and including the harder ones like in-op equipment that has to be placarded, rendered in-op/disabled or removed with a log book entry. But we're not responsible for the maintenance performed by a licensed mechanic. We just have have to have the return to service log book entry before we fly it. The FSDO is not going to go after the owner because the mechanic screwed up unless its brought to our attention and we chose to fly it knowing it wasn't right. So we have to make sure all the required inspections get done and signed off, but we're not responsible for ensuring the mechanic is doing it properly - that's the FSDO's oversight job.

But that is exactly what CDFA is all about as mentioned above by @midlifeflyer Its also the root of the FAA's original stabilized approach and the source for Garmin's +V. Its great to use +V on modern WAAS navigator, but not hard to do when the plate publishes a descent angle - where we can always look up the required FPM descent rate based on ground speed in the TPP Descent table to emulate what +V provides. Without a published descent angle it is significantly harder but still able to approximate as you well illustrate. I've always had at least some GPS with ETE to the next waypoint; which is much easier to judge something like I have 3 min to the next waypoint and 1800' to loose so I'll target at 600 FPM. These days its really easy with the moving map showing us exactly where the plane will be at next bugged altitude based on current descent rate.

Actually by ACS (or formerly PCS) standards, from when you got your instrument rating or do an IPC today, you have to maintain -0' to +100' descending from FAF to the MAWP, so I encourage all my instrument pilots to add 50' to the MDA; especially on every circling approach where its easy to descend below MDA before you've met the criteria from 91.175

is that what i know as the DDA, Derived Decision altitude for continuous descent down to MDA without busting it by adding 10% of descent rate to MDA to begin level off? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As stated above by, you really don’t want to follow those power settings for fuel flow. Running at 50F rich of peak is going to maximize CHT and greatly reduce cylinder longevity. You can get very near % power by adding MAP inches and RPM in 100’s - which is called a key number. So let say, for your common cruise level, that 46 gives you 65% power. you can use any approved combination of RPM and Map to total 46 to be real close to 65%. But then lean by ensuring your either ROP or LOP enough, (ROP based on leanest cyl, LOP based on richest cyl). But if you simply fly it below 65%, as most recommend, you’ll never have to worry about being ROP or LOP Enough! Just keep CHTs cool. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couldn’t agree more. And even legally, the owner/operator is entirely responsible for determining the airworthiness of the aircraft before every flight - not your mechanic. (91.403) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doesn’t sound like the avionics shop has anything to do with. Unless i am misinterpreting, they were just doing you a favor to get a referral for an A&P to do the mag work while they had the plane. With the A&P, it’s too late to do the right think in my opinion which would be call him back to correct his work, which should include replacing the one damaged lead on the harness - not a new harness. (leads can be replaced). In that circumstance, hopefully he would have been apologetic and eager to do it right for you. Maybe you didn’t discover it till the airplane was no longer local to the A&P, but that’s not his fault but unfortunately is on you. At this point i would still definitely suggest following up with him to show him the pict of the damaged wire and what your annual shop told you about installing the mags upside down. But I wouldn’t demand anything at this point, since you never gave him a chance to correct it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

that’s a bit confusing statement since the FAA database is updated daily monday-Friday? Kathryn’s report used to lead the FAA in reporting, but those days are over. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Over 20 yrs flying my Mooney all over and I find all I really need is a credit card and multi-screwdriver; basically just enough tools to de-cowl the engine to inspect. Even though I am licensed mechanic, I can't carry enough tools to do a proper job to do most anything but I can find a mechanic almost anywhere that has them and the ability to get parts over night. The one exception was flying to Cuba where I carried some very basic tools and a spare spark plug because there is not even fuel except at a couple airports. Much more importantly to me is the survival kit for longer flights away from home where the CC is useless after an off field landing far from civilization; especially with the possibility of injuries and being alone at least the first night. Before needing to rely on the survival pack I try to stack the odds in favor of a short event with 406 ELT, PLB and Garmin InReach to communicate my needs.

Sorry to read this, Would you mind mentioning the Underwriter and their age limit? I would assume given your not a young guy that you most likely had better coverage than what Avemco will provide with smooth limits; rather than per person. If so definitely should be seeing a discount.

You're right, for some reason I was thinking of UDP rather than ambient, but its pulling a differential against ambient. The system is really only designed to provide vacuum by the pilot initiating a low power descent and then once on the approach, unless its to Leadville, the pilot should have a large enough differential where its really needed. But its a very minimal system. thanks, I'll correct the above post.

I don't know if its safe. But if your going to diverge from aircraft cleaning products with so many safe ones to choose from, you really need to ensure its not alkali. Alkalis are not good for aluminum and should be avoided. My guess it it may well be safe, but likely very ineffective with exhaust soot too. A very effective belly cleaner available everywhere is Mineral Spirts/Stoddard Solvent.

Thanks Craig! TT working again.

Not all tachometers or engine monitors use 2 pickups - it depends entirely on what the the monitor uses. For example, E.I, for their RPM R1 and MVP 50 read directly off the p-lead at the ignition switch and tend to connect to both p-leads. While others like EDM, use the hall-effect sensor that screw into the vent of the Mag. They just use one sensor at the mag. A Surelfy installation with the hall-effect sensor is just a matter of moving the sensor to the remaining Mag if needed. But p-lead connection will need a change in isolators or the converter for the Surefly. Luckily Surefly has some options to get it to work, but often with some trial and error involved when the solution is finding the right isolator size.

The Bravo Lycoming engine fuel pump is turned on automatically at full throttle - but not any Continental installation.

We recommend cleaning them only on condition. Starting with a clean injector baseline of your mixture you'll be able to tell when they need cleaning by the presence of a lean outlier or any significant lean shift in an injector (i.e. change in ranking). 100LL is pretty good solvent and the truth is the mere act of opening the system at the injectors to clean them is far more likely to introduce dirt into the system causing a partial blockage just as Tom @ArtVandelay mentioned above from his experience. If your mixture distribution is good, (hasn't worsened) then don't touch them. You can't make it any better but you sure can make it worse easily.

Yes, two switches to one pump, run at different voltages for low or high. Its a Continental setup.

Many of the early K's didn't have electric standby vacuum from the factory. Some had the "poor man's" Precise SVS standby vacuum system that worked off of manifold pressure. On a turbo it works much worse than on a NA aircraft but still provides marginal capability when you start an immediate descent. The Savvy pilot creates a table of MAP required at different altitudes to know what to use when needed. (It was never meant to provide operation for cruise at altitude, the AFMS calls for commencing a descent when vacuum is lost.) But the easy way to tell which one you have from the cockpit is to check the control. The Precise SVS had a knob you pull out just left the yoke and a red light that comes on with low vacuum as you'll see at at minimum idle rpm. Whereas the electric standby vacuum pump has its own electrical CB Switch on the panel just like all the others electrics and thus works without the engine running. Starting with the '86 K, the 252, all K's had electric standby vacuum with most other options like speed brakes and O2. Both the electric and SVS should be tested on your checklist before takeoff. The Electric is best tested before starting the engine. The SVS is best tested right after startup before the gyro's have fully spun up. Just pull idle back to minimum, see the red light come on, pull the knob and see red light go out. Then push back in and add MAP to bring up to normal idle rpm.

note <200 hrs on factory rebuild

Really don't understand your comment but you may mean something different from my interpretation. But Vref, final approach speed, is too slow of speed to use on downwind and base; just on short final. So even with the runway assured on base, I wouldn't want to be at Vref on the base turn.

well i have a 60+ yo working on his PPL in a J. Maybe we ought to have them trade planes?!? lol’s

that’s more of a full blockage, luckily only temporary. Full blockage like these are very rare. in a 4 cyl engine like this they can create an overly rich mixture in the other 3. which of course can lead to more severe problems. Much more common to see a partial blockage leaning the cylinder rather than flaming it out.

i wondered if TT was a known issue or just me. i even tried in-installing and re-installing without improvement. i haven’t been able to access messages for a long time unless i could follow a notification link and as mentioned that’s spotty too. but i am suppose to be vacation and not MS so maybe it’s good timing!

it starts with the daily incident/accident reports and then goes into another FAA database accessible on the FAA.gov site. it will probably take a few months to be found but their investigations are much faster than the ntsb. they are not really tasked with finding fault as much as making recommendations checking off a half dozen different factors such as if a far was broken - but it seems they are mostly concerned with identifying if improper maintenance led to the incident. Things like pilot error are referred up to the operations inspector to follow up with the pilot and the FAASTeam program manager whom chooses what to do about it e.g. such as remedial training. I am one of instructors that gives remedial training and have been involved in a few of these.