M20F

Singles and twin prop/governors operate backwards of each other as a general rule. Singles use oil pressure to increase pitch while twins work opposite the oil pressure decreases pitch and it is the spring which increase pitch (big spring in the nose of the prop on a twin which you don't see on singles). Pins come out at an RPM threshold so it doesn't feather when you cut the power. End result is loss of oil pressure in a single means it goes to low pitch and in a twin it goes high pitch into feather which is what you want in both cases, thus the reverse design. I would think it would be reasonable/easy enough to adjust the pins so that the propellor couldn't feather in a single engine installation at loss of oil pressure. Somebody more mechanically inclined then me would have to comment though. I can definitely attest though that low/no oil pressure above RPM threshold will put a twin engine into feather having seen it first hand on a T-Bone with some intermittent oil pressure issues.

Send Dave on vacation!

Anyone replace their ignition key with magneto switches and a start button? I have nice Medco locks on the door/baggage and would really like to ditch the ignition key.

A tool box with a lot of stuff, spark plug, safety wire, tire, tube, and small jack plus some other misc stuff. If it is just me I usually toss in the generator as well. 1000+ useful load is nice. Only been stuck once and a rubber mallet to the starte got us going :-)

I am an S-Tec fan personally. They are fairly simple to use, generally bullet proof, and comparably cheap. The King auto-pilots especially the ones the feed a flight director seem to break a lot from reading these forums and are in general expensive.

My experience has been that there those who change their oil and those who never will. Mechanics price for the later because they know they can get it. If you have a filter and a quick drain it is about the fastest and easiest thing you can do on your own plane. If you don't want to, expect to pay accordingly. All good either way in my book.

They lost main power and couldn't loop the storm and got caught in it.

I forget the size of the hole but the best thing is to drill holes in the inspection panels and use the 90 degree bend to insert and spray. Much easier than removing a million inspection plates and also makes it fog better because of the enclosed environment. The Corrison X sprayer while a little pricey is still very cheap and it does a great job. Couple hundred bucks now versus a lot if you have a corrosion issue later.

Lots of places to fasten a spare key(s) to the airframe safely as well for future needs.

Just to clarify to the original poster (as I know what you are dying Midlife). If VFR you MUST hear those magic words before penetrating the B, it is a required implicit clearance. If they give you a heading towards the B and you don't hear those words don't enter it till you hear them.

I I personally like the idea of having both vacuum and electric. While I prefer electric if for whatever reason the main bus fried everything electrical having a couple vacuum gauges is reassuring.

One thing to add is watch the cylinder temps on climb out. If you got it a bit too lean they will heat up fairly rapidly, good cross check.

Not going to delve into the politics but his mom is dead so fairly certain he didn't bring her.

Have the Yahama version as well and reccomend it.

If ever there was a need for LOP ;-)

This is the problem with piston engines going high. While a jet can make TAS to overcome any headwind a piston is a lot of times going to see negative GS at higher altitudes because the gain in TAS just doesn't offset the wind. I really only use mine a couple of times a year planned and it is nice when weather pops to where a less then stellar GS is better than landing and waiting.

I carry a variety of things depending upon the terrain but as others have suggest a PLB is first and foremost. Clip it to you and use as needed, best piece of survival gear you can have. These days they can get to you fast if they can find you. Most of the bad incidents though are related to inability to find the plane or more importantly the passengers timely.

Tom Brady is the Anti-Christ and probably flies a Bonanza. Go Blackhawks!!!

I find hanger fairies do better work, but I am following you here :-)

http://www.deltaaviationllc.com/Nav%20Page/acclaim/acclaimAFM.pdf

My experience has been that if the one on the prop rots off or breaks the spare isn't in any better. You can also have an issue if for whatever reason the spare gets loose. Belts are cheap so it should be easy enough to inspect and replace as needed to prevent the issue of it breaking in the first place.

You see a lot of Cirrus's with tops as well. In my book it is engine management. If you use the right power settings, lean (ROP/LOP/PEAK) correctly, and ensure the cylinders don't get too hot or cold you don't have issues. Do it wrong and it is real easy to burn them up.

A more recent article where Mike Busch describes his oil choice, frequency, and reasoning. http://www.avweb.com/news/savvyaviator/savvy_aviator_52_thinking_about_oil_changes_196730-1.html

I have a Reiff Turbo XP with a pad on the oil cooler and a cowl cover. Whole set up including install was less than $1000 and in about 3hrs it has the entirety of the cowl at 70 degrees with cylinders and oil in triple digits. I park outside in North Dakota a couple of times each winter and even at -10 it warms right up. Nothing to carry but an extension cord. If you fly in the cold a lot it is going to be the best 1 AMU you spend.

Multigrade oil is not all synthetic. Phillips 20W50 is multigrade and not synthetic. The main issue with synthetics is they do not handle dirt as well as real oil does. Car engines run very clean. Airplane engines run very dirty and no matter how LOP you run you are shooting a lot of gas and other stuff into the oil. I encourage everyone to watch the Mike Busch presentation I linked it is quite informative and fact based.