201er

Actually I like the idea BUT IF and ONLY IF that means I get to opt out of paying for everyone else's stuff that I have absolutely no use for or interest in. If I get substantial tax break, I'll support user fees. But as long as the govt wants to stick its nose in every avenue of public life, they can pay the tab for our atc system.

Because if you're past 12 years and not a high time engine, then the plane isn't really being flown that regularly.

Yeah but you can't measure that. POH has power settings of the same MP/RPM listed with same speed. Yet because the mixture is best economy vs best power, actual power will be different. Example from POH: 4000ft, 23.2", 2700RPM, 75% Power, 12.5GPH at best power yields 161KTAS 4000ft, 23.2", 2700RPM, 75% Power, 10.8GPH at best economy yields 161KTAS This is why I said the POH isn't credible. In reality one of these is more than 75% (or one is less) but the POH doesn't account for this.

So IFR in class G is allowed but it's considered careless and reckless??? That's just great. So like the pilot said, why bother allowing IFR in class G then? Why have uncontrolled airspace at all? Perhaps VFR flight in class G is careless and reckless despite being legal cause no one is controlling it? What if above mentioned pilot had TCAS onboard? Or even just TIS-B? Would that still be careless for flying IFR in class G? How about flying VFR in class G with 1 mile vis and clear of clouds in a fast airplane? At Mooney cruising speeds, that's 25 seconds to "see and avoid." In a TBM, that might be closer to 10 seconds. What about flying through an arrivals corridor VFR unaware of it? Is that going to be careless and reckless too? This is a bit scary that law abiding pilots can still be charged for breaking rules they don't know about...

Doc, no one ever suggested taking off LOP! It's only in question in the climb once comfortable. Byron, how do you know what your peak EGT is at full power? I'm too chicken to do a proper "mixture leaning" above 75% to find peak because of detonation threat. When you pull quickly, EGTs never fully reach peak.

POH is known to be wickedly wrong when it comes to speed or power figures. For example, the POH would suggest that flying at economy cruise vs best power yields the exact same cruise speed. This is obviously preposterous or why would anyone ever want to fly at best power?

Ok, well what's more efficient and/or faster? 6000ft 2500RPM 75% power 8000ft 2700RPM 75% power Those are ballpark numbers but sound about right to me. Throttle is always WOT obviously. Above example is most likely ROP. What about an LOP example, what's going to be better? 4000ft 2500RPM 75% power 6000ft 2700ROM 75% power

Who here cruises at 2700RPM? What about at higher altitudes? Does 2700RPM cruise really put more wear on the prop/engine (aside from tach time)? How is operating at 2700 at altitude different than at sea level? Is it equally inefficient or because of TAS at DA, does it work differently higher? I've stayed away from 2700 in cruise for now but sometimes wish I could actually make 75% power (especially when LOP) at higher altitudes. I'm wondering how much efficiency using 2700RPM specifically loses. How's cruising LOP at 2700RPM? For example, at 6000ft is it better to make 75% by going 2700RPM or to be at 2500RPM and go ROP or whatever gets you 75%?

Is there any good reason to stick to a constant target EGT once above 5000ft (or power is below 85%)? Is there anything wrong with being 100ROP in a climb once power is below 75% (as long as CHTs are ok)? Under the presumption that detonation threat diminished as you approach 75%, I've been flying target EGT until my EDM830 shows below 85%. Then I slowly allow EGT to increase toward Target+100 until I reach 75%. Might go something like this: SL 100% 1260 2000ft 90% 1260 3000ft 87% 1260 4000ft 85% 1260 5000ft 83% 1290 6000ft 80% 1310 7000ft 77% 1340 8000ft 75% 1360 9000ft 72% 1360 My reasoning for doing this is that it saves a little fuel while giving a little more power. By being less over-rich and closer to best power, I'm giving myself a little more power back for climb at higher altitude when the climb/power is already diminishing. Now I want to check with you guys to make sure that the same logic that would apply toward leaning in cross above 75% will apply the same in climb.

Doesn't peak EGT vary depending on altitude, temperature, and pressure?

Like your way of thinking. But then again there are planes faster and cheaper than a Mooney that I wouldn't set foot in,

Then what is "We have an IFR inbound, hold for release?" If you're taking off from an airport in class G, ATC can still make you hold and not give you a clearance. So they do have control over uncontrolled fields? So based on this IFR in class G stuff.... does that mean that any instrument rated pilot caught breaking VFR wx minimums in class G airspace can always get away with saying he was IFR without a flight plan? Basically any instrument rated pilot can fly IFR in class G at any time? What is IFR anyway? I don't think it's clearly defined anywhere. Part 91 basically just talks about fuel minimums, approach minimums, takeoff minimums, cruising altitudes/headings, and communications. It doesn't ever define instrument flight rules or what "IFR conditions" are. First we need a clear definition of what instrument flight rules are before we can determine if they can be flown in uncontrolled airspace.

What do you mean? Isn't Louie that guy who's always hanging around the airport cafe?

In a recent Flying article, I read that you don't have to be squawkin and talkin when IFR in class G. Obviously this is uncontrolled airspace... but what's to keep planes from knockin into one another? Mainly I think of class G as that low airspace over an airport, but ATC will lockdown the airport for IFR departures when one is in/outbound so safe on that end. VFR has to stay clear of clouds. But what about broader areas of class G? How is IFR flight permissible and possible in that airspace?

Cool. From where you're based, you can reach anywhere in the continental US within the same day?

Dude, with a Mooney like that, that's all you've done???

Yeah, it's really not that hard. Leave the black one in all the way, pull the blue one back a lil, and then use the red one to control power.

Good point, but isn't all that tied to just a single electric bus/master?

I feel like we are in circles again. Its like ground hog day around here. I'll sum it up for you... It's safer to run a tank dry when it is expected in cruise than it is to have it happen unexpectedly on approach or go around because you are trying to manage the remaining unknown 5-10 gallons in each tank!

But aren't most ham handhelds FM while the aviation stuff is AM?

Yes, my Vertex does that. I got it with the same line of thinking as you mention here and then never used it for Ham, figures. I'd say don't bother, just get something simple and make sure it can take AA batteries. After all, it's only a backup. Also don't worry about nav capability on the handheld. We all carry like 5 backup handheld GPSes of all sorts anyway so unless the entire GPS infrastructure and all your batteries decide to die at the same time as your electrical system, I think you'll be just fine!

On my first night cross country (with instructor), the alternator was on its way out (unknown to me and apparently to the incompetent instructor). We were having trouble with the electrics but managed to make it back to our uncontrolled airport. At the moment of touchdown everything went dark. For a moment I thought we crashed. Then I realized all the lights and radios went out. The alternator had died a while back, we had been running off the battery most of the flight and it coincidentally died right as I landed. The thing it made me realize was that if the battery died just a few minutes sooner, we would not have had the radio available to turn on the pilot controlled lighting. I didn't have a handheld but the incompetent instructor didn't either. That was when I went ahead and bought a handheld that I always take. I'm far less concerned about loss of comms, there are procedures for that and frankly at that point it's someone else's problem much more than mine. It's more for lights, an accident, or just to monitor a freq when I'm out of the plane. Another valuable lesson I learned was that the Lithium Ion rechargeable battery the radio comes with needs to be exercised. It won't just be discharged if it sits a long time, it won't even be capable of recharging. So if you have a handheld you don't use, be sure to use it some and then recharge it. After that happened and I had to buy a new battery, I also bought the AA adapter for it. I keep those Energizer Lithium Ion batteries that are good for 10+ years in the AA adapter as a fall back. Last thing I need is to have the radio and then realize it's a dead battery. Never had to use it, and would like to keep it that way!

What good is redundancy when you are at a heightened risk of running it dry at the most demanding moments when you may be depending on that reserve? If we all accept the importance of having a fuel reserve available, then why is it so difficult to accept ensuring it is in one easy to access place rather than split across two? If you arrive with 10 gallons remaining (well above VFR minimum reserve), but it's split between 2 tanks, should you be forced to use it, you will end up with an engine burn out somewhere near the 5 gallon remaining point +/- a couple gallons. Or you will play chicken again and switch before you run out and leave behind a good 2-5 gallons in the other tank. Now you're looking at another risk of killing the engine should you have to land with just 2 gallons remaining. On the flipside, if all 10 are in one tank... whether you land with 10, 8, or 2 gallons you will continue running without switching a tank again. I don't think anyone is suggesting a regular habit of tapping into that reserve. However, in order to make that reserve actually useful should it be required, having it available in one place must be not only the easiest but safest measure.

I'm curious what IFR flying Mooney pilots personal IFR minimums are. If you are not instrument rated, not instrument current (unless briefly but you do fly a lot of IFR), are instrument rated and current but don't actually fly IFR, or are a cheater and fly in the soup without an IFR clearance, then you are not flying IFR so please mark the first option and not what you think your minimums would have been. Let's discuss our personal minimums, what they are based on, how they change, and whether or not they are safe.

Please don't do it on my account, but do think about it. Trying to guess when you have 1 gallon left isn't simple. For all you know there could be 3... that could put you 2 more gallons away from catastrophe should you need it. Running the other tank dry and coming back for the other 2 is more nuts then switching early. Let me share a few very important tips I learned about restarting after running a tank dry: 1) Fuel pump on, switch tanks, and be patient 2) Leave all the levers as they were 3) No matter what, don't switch back! You already know the other one is dry. 4) Continue flying the plane5 5) If you're LOP, it may not start back up properly so enrich the mixture till it's running smooth and then relean That last pointer I had to discover on my own when it went out on me and wouldn't fire back up because it was too lean. I can't explain why that happens, perhaps someone else understands it better. Enrich the mixture slowly though, don't just push it in to full rich because at altitude that won't work either. Somewhere near where you were originally but slightly richer is the way to go.