John Pleisse

Quote: JimR For what it's worth, I didn't cherry pick IFR accidents. I simply spoke to all of the accidents that I could think of that have been discussed over the past year or so here on this website or on the various Mooney chat lists, including a non-fatal accident by a non-instrument rated student pilot. But following your post I decided to pull up all of the fatal Mooney accidents for the past year on the NTSB website to see if your claims had merit. The link to the NTSB's website is below, but you'll have to resubmit the Mooney query. What you'll find is that with the exception of one mid-air collision involving a Mooney in the UK and a guy with no ratings at all that managed to kill himself here in the States last year in a Mooney, every single fatal Mooney accident in the past year, largely consisting of the accidents that I cited, was operating on an instrument flight plan, presumably by an instrument-rated pilot. The preliminary reports don't provide pilot rating information. I stand by my previous assertion that you are doubling down when you file an instrument flight plan, and you better be fully up to the task at hand. Jim http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/index.aspx

Quote: aerobat95 Hey guys, quick question reguarding these products. If you were to get both would that eliminate the requirement for backup instruments? Anyone know rough ballpark for having a 1000 Pro PFD installed?

Pointing to IFR accidents to suggest one is not safer with the rating is misinformed. Statistically, it is proven to be the opposite. The truth is if you fly VFR most or all of the time with the intrument rating, your chances of an accident go down by 50%. Stunning, irrefutable odds. Flying an airplane is one of the only places on earth, where you...yourself, can mitigate nearly 100% of your risk. Hedge your bets.

I think the intent of this thread was to create an ad hoc VFR chat room, led by Scott from Iowa. Before his retirement in 2008, Richard Collins wrote an article for "Flying". While he was thoughtful, even handed and based his analysis on data, he suggested the Mooney type had kind of gone down hill. That Mooney pilots had become more of the less experienced ilk. He also suggested Mooney owners had fallen from grace maintaining their aircraft and pointed to changes in accident data. I read it 3 or 4 years ago and have looked everywhere for it (anyone have it?). It kind of ticked me off. Point being, if every one of us had an instrument ticket (or trained for one) and worked hard to be proficient, we, as a type, would be the safest in the sky. So why not focus energies in a more constructive way?

Quote: jetdriven They could have iced up and stalled, vacuum system failure, or gyro failure. Seeing as how they were instrument rated, spatial disorientation may be unlikely without equipment failure.

Weather.

Quote: JimR I grew up in a Mooney flying family. Soloed at 19 over the summer of my Freshman year in college over 20 years ago and got my private two summers later. I've owned three airplanes now, have high performance and complex endorsements, and have had the opportunity to receive training that many private pilots probably never get, like aircraft ditching school and basic aerobatic instruction. Like many of you, I'm an aviation addict through and through. I've had the opportunity to fly right seat for many hours IFR. And until maybe five years ago I felt that I would eventually pursue my instrument rating. Many of the pilots that I was flying with were instrument rated, and that seemed to be a rite of passage that was expected of me. I bought and studied both the King and the Sporty's IFR courses, and even decided to attend a week long instrument proficiency course at a premier sim school to see if it was for me. Of course, besides the excellent instruction, all that I came away from the course with was a flight review. But I did as well on the academics side of things as the other pilots did in the course, and I felt good about my 6 hours of airwork in the simulator. What I have come to realize, though, just in the last five years or so is that I don't enjoy flying IFR. I enjoy the precision flying that is required, as I am somewhat of a perfectionist. But I don't enjoy operating in the system and being told all of the time what to do and where to go. Yes, I understand that the PIC is in charge, and not the controllers, but it doesn't always feel that way to me when flying IFR. I enjoy looking out the window and making those decisions on my own, every time. As one of your signature lines states, I fly because it frees me from the tyrany of petty thoughts. I love that quote. I rode motorcycles for the same reason when I was younger before I got my pilots license. Another factor for me is that I really couldn't afford to own a 201 that is properly equipped for IFR flight. I would want an autopilot with altitude hold and a proper approach certified GPS, for instance. Probably 20 grand minimum. These are my personal IFR equipment minimums, although I know that many do fine with much less. I could have afforded to equip my old Cherokee 180 this way, but it barely met my mission requirements. A large percentage of my flying is relatively long distance cross country, and the Cherokee just didn't have the legs for that. I love my Mooney. The efficiency that it offers and it's mission capabilities. I've learned to depart very early in the morning, especially in the summer, to avoid the worst of the weather. VFR cross country in the Mooney is a wonderful combination for me. Of course, I don't have anywhere that I have to go in the airplane. If the weather isn't good, I don't go. If it's not good when it's time to come home, I stick around for another day. No big deal when you're flying for fun if you plan ahead for it. Another factor is that, although I used to fly more, now I'm only flying maybe 60 hours a year. I think, as many of you have stated, that this just isn't enough to be a safe IFR pilot. In short I think that flying in IMC is a good way to get you killed if you aren't totally current and proficient. So for you guys who can afford it, enjoy it, and need to be there on a schedule, I applaud you for your accomplishment in obtaining your instrument rating. I in no way feel that competent and perfection seeking non-instrument rated pilots are in any way "half" pilots. But there is no question that we can not do much with our airplanes that instrument rated pilots can. Jim

Tort reform......not to get political..........GA would survive, meidcal insurance would survive...everything would be better off. A new GA aircraft costs twice its intended price for fear of product liability. Don't get me wrong, lawyers deserve to make a good living, but the trial lawyers association is out of hand. GA has been phasing itself out for 30 years directly the result of legal laibility. Funny, the one legal avenue designed to protect everybody equally, is the one that will be our demise. It's our tort system.

Quote: jonnyjetprop

OK...a rabbi, a priest and Sammy Davis Jr. all walk into a strip club.............

Quote: Becca So, the latest (reviving the thread again), apparently there are no more M20J ailerons, elevators, or flaps at the factory and no plans to build more. Thoughts on how to repair hail damage in this brave new world of no factory support?

Rsmith....there are several nice lowtime 201's out there. There are also (I know you may not want to go here, but......) a few nicely refurbished pre J's out there with fresh everything that have sat for a while....especially a few nice C models. For a J, I would take your high time engine idea a step further. The avionics, engine, prop, and cosmetic refurbishment options are so good these days, if you have the biz cash flow to dress up an old girl...even with down time considered, I'd do it. Airframe $60k wholesale...improvements to $150k...sec 179 most of it.

Quote: vasco This is a very interesting thread. i am reminded that at the party to celebrate me pasing the PP check ride, my instructor burst my baloon and said, "...now when you get your IFR ticket, you will become a real pilot....". Well i proceeded to get my IFR over the next 10 months and i am happy with that decision. While i love flying, when i fly, i am going somewhere. i use my O3 almost exclusively for business. The O3 provides outstanding utility and would she not get much excercise from me if i could only "go somewhere" on VFR days. i think it just depends on your mission. i know a lot of very happy VFR pilots. Different strokes....

It's a great accomplishement anyone can and should achieve, especially if you like to clip along in excess of 150KTs, some of us 190KTS. It is also a statistical fact that one's chances of a fatal go down by 50% overall, down 65% night VFR with an instrument rating. Not getting it isn't lazy or downtrodden; it's not hedging your bets.

Quote: allsmiles Mine's been perfect from day 1. I really believe the installer has a lot to do with it.

Quote: allsmiles Somehow or other everywhere I look for info someone has experienced a failure of the Aspen. I'm sure there are issues with th Garmin G5/600 as well but not nearly as much it seems. I just got the GTN 750 installed and will most likely get the 650 as well. I view the 750 and to a lesser degree the 650 as GPS/Nav/Comm/MFD units. Point being the MFD portion of the G500 is really a redundancy. I see the G500 advertised ~13K and change, installed ~15K. It seems to me the next logical step for Garmin would be to offer a PFD only unit to complement the GTN. This would most certainly slash the price of the G500 in half or there about. Garmin needed the MFD portion of the G500 because the 530 is not much of an MFD. But now with the GTN there is no real need for another MFD. If they are moving in this direction they truly will dominate the market and drive prices down. 13 grand for an Aspen PFD only seems a lot of money to me. So I am waiting!!

I was told by my shop that most light powder corrosion (surface) happens within a few years of new, then stops and presents no structural or functional concerns. I fog mine every other annual anyway. Scott is dead on, get it done six mos before paint...just look at Scott's paint job....I don't see Corrosion X oozing from any rivets...just a real nice paint job!!!

Quote: jax88 I did it! I finally made a decision on a new aircraft last night. After a couple of months of studying the market, looking at several sets of logs, considering all my flight profiles and future needs, I pulled the trigger. My new aircraft will likely NOT be any faster than my current aircraft. You see, I decided last night that I would keep my 75F and invest in new avionics, interior, and mods. A complete avionics upgrade is scheduled to begin June 20 at McKee in San Marcos. While the avionics are being done I am going to get SWTA to add flap gap seals (shame they can't get the glass for the 201 windshield mod) and overhaul my fuel senders. I will likely have the interior completely redone at the same time so the co-pilot will quit nagging me about needing a headrest AND so I can get those unsightly cracks in the plastics covered/replaced. Not the sexiest alternative, and probably not the smartest financial decision (I'll never get even a third of what I'm about to spend back if I decide to sell later), but I've yet to have a trip in my 75F that I didn't enjoy and feel completely safe about.

This is beautiful: http://slashdot.org/story/11/05/23/0335244/Google-Founders-Jets-Caught-On-WSJs-Radar

Oh...congrats...you are no longer half a pilot!!