FloridaMan

Looking at going with the SC gray in OEM thickness with oversized windows for both the pilot side and the door. Any experiences with these options and concerns? This is for the rocket. I always thought my m20f had clear windows, but holding the samples next to them, they appear to have slight tint like the SC windows.

Aside from sticking out a little in airflow for those trying to remove every touch of drag, the snaps don’t fit securely on my F with the LoPresti cowling. I don’t think it’s the cowling specifically. It’s just how the tabs on the end of the strap are loaded that they can pop off the snaps easily.

+1 for these guys. They’re awesome and will remain as my go-to. I went with their cheap cover for my rocket because I’m only occasionally covered and the lighter material takes up less weight and space in the baggage compartment. I like that their design doesn’t use snaps and the extra money for the door flap was well spent. It’s nice being about to access the inside of the plane without removing the cover, especially when it’s windy.

Cutting a panel is a nonissue.

Suppose the 10 inch screen will fit in the area available under the glare shield for a 67?

Oh that’s awesome. Seems like a no brainer.

If I can drive it with the 530, it looks like the G3X, maybe even the 10" can set me up for a "buy once, cry once" scenario that allows forward paths to other improvements.

My 530 is non-waas. I just assumed it wouldn't.

Except I'll need to go with a GNC355 to drive the G3X.

I've flown the plane for nearly a decade without much AP considering that wing leveler doesn't do much and I've only tested it a couple times to verify that it works. The reason for the path would be for the GFC-500 as a future install if I wanted it and to do it with the installed stack being "ready" to add in the autopilot.

My fuel pressure on my 67F does that. It's fucking asinine that when mounted remotely you get a blinking red engine light. For that reason, when I had my 900 installed in my Rocket, I made sure it didn't require the remote LED. You're not gonna get a mechanical fuel pump that delivers less than the original placarded 30psi from the original steam gauge, even though the engine/fuel servo max pressure is 45 psi. As far as I'm concerned, this presents a safety risk because a blinking red light results in two scenarios, neither are good: the first is that you become distracted during critical phases of flight, such as takeoff and landing to verify and suppress the message, or you become complacent with a blinking red engine light that could be red for something like oil pressure.

My 1967 M20F is due for some upgrades. The GNS530 still runs great and I don't want to touch it. The Narco 12D #2 radio is dead. The Dynon D1 backup AI is dead. The TC that drives the wing leveler has stuck a couple times with wings level. Here's what I'm thinking: * Dual G5s to replace the AI and HSI. Remove Vacuum pump, TC and servos in wings for wing leveler. * GDL-50 or GDL-50R * Garmin Aera 760 for weather, traffic and backup nav (my rocket included a 696 and I fucking love that thing. Unfortunately you can't get them new anymore and I don't trust used ones) * GTR-225 with data link cable so I can directly update frequencies from the Aera 760. If the 530 fails and needs to be replaced, the upgrade path will be to replace it with a GNC355 and use that to drive a G3X 7" PFD and move one of the G5s as a backup for the PFD. In fact, unless I'm missing something, what advantage does a 750Xi offer over the 355 plus the G3X. Notwithstanding plug-and-play swapping with a 530W, it seems that if you have installation labor that the 355 combined with the G3X provides better value.

I’ll add, and quoting Parker for validation on this as this was my experience six years ago when I landed in a field, the insurance adjuster said to me that “it’s only a claim if we write you a check”. I see that as: if the insurance company has to use their lawyers to write a letter to prevent a claim that it’s part of the benefit that having insurance gives you.

I would go to hawk and get Imron. My M20F was painted in Imron in 1995 and looks like it could have been painted last month, sans the standard abrasions and touching up, but the paint still reflects.

Clogged vents have killed capable pilots.

I just have my girlfriend do it for me.

It’s not practical for me to insist on not having my planes towed with the airports that I frequent. Many FBOs are operating unlawfully but nobody is enforcing shit. And unfortunately the employees that you deal with are not the people to fly off the handle with — Signature makes you sign a waiver, but waivers don’t absolve liability for gross negligence. I usually throw the line guy 10 bucks and hope they don’t fuck up my plane. The correct way to solve this is to withhold AIP grants when FBOs violate the sponsor’s grant assurances. Airport sponsors that allow Signature to operate as an FBO are in direct violation of 49 USC 50104.

I’m pretty sure you can take the data card from one 430 and put it in another and the cards are merely a flash chip that is easily copied. This also highlights issues with our H1B work visa issues. I have friends all over the world or are brilliant engineers and could make great money here, if they could get in. Somehow work visas end up going to a bunch of no-talent people from South Asia and the brilliant engineers that should be here remain in shit-hole countries using their skills for whatever they can find.

I've had two mag failures on my 67F's IO360-A1A. Both times it was the left mag. Go figure. I also ended up AOG three times because of alternator issues, the third time I landed in a field leaving the shop for either something random, or Occam's razor dictates that it was a maintenance induced engine failure. The reason I bring this up is if you use this time to upgrade to a Surefly and if you still have the original wires to your battery in the tail, replace the battery lines when you run the wire for the surefly.

We Florida Financial gave me 4.15% for 20 years on my Rocket. They'll go as low as 3.99% last I spoke with them. There's a dude named Alexander Martin who is awesome; they'll lend out of state.

Just signed in. New layout looks great. I got a popup toasted banner saying I have new content. Went to the top right to see the drop down and it’s not there. I’d like to efficiently check my “likes”, quotes and private messages and those should still have a badge for Luddites like myself.

Try putting a ferrite bead around the power leads to the landing lights. I had reception issues with my 430W after a lot of work was done and isolated it down to the landing light.

On the Rockets (TSIO520), everyone so far seems to have done the right mag. I tried the left; there wasn't enough room to fit the mag in the left and time it with the fuel flow transducer located just above the mag so I had to order the harness for the right side. The wire terminals are located on the "bottom" of the surefly when it's oriented for the left mag and will be more difficult to attach.

Damn. The fastest ground speed I've had is just a tad over 300kts.

Keep in mind you can finance for < 4.5% over 20 years. That’s likely why planes have gone up in price, along with the inflation that hasn’t rippled into consumer goods yet (and using the bank’s money right now is a very good idea because of this). Financing $80k of a $100k airplane would leave you with around $500/mo payment. You can also possibly work terms in to finance upgrades as well. With aircraft ownership it is generally a good idea to start off with enough cash reserves to cover something bad happening, like a major engine repair. After 1,000 hours, you will likely have spent more on fuel and maintenance than you paid for the airplane. Don’t be swayed by a few thousand dollars at the buy-in price as it’s almost always more expensive to add to your airplane than it is to get one that someone else has already put money into.