AndyFromCB

I think the biggest issue is inability to certify autopilots with an AML. Each specific make/model has to be individually certified making it not worth it for Garmin at the moment. With different certification rules, who knows. I'm pretty positive that G500 can feed the GFC700 autopilot just fine as pretty much all of Garmin's gear runs on the same base software platform, which incidentally is why I would never use G5 to back up G500 or G1000. Software failure modes are probably fairly identical.

For the life of me, I do not understand how Avidyne has not managed to develop their own servo set yet. Their DFC90 autopilot is world class product, as good as Garmin GFC, but requires S-Tec servos to run so pretty much available only as a replacement for S-Tec 55X. Same thing with their R9 platform that just quietly went away after getting installed in a few Cirrus aircraft. It was quite amazing of a system. If they offered a 50K all in replacement of everything in the aircraft, they would have so many takers. It was a 3 box unit plus the DFC autopilot. But then it just kind of died. Would have been so much better than the G500 combo.

Here you go, how about reading this from another fellow named Peter, granted, considerably more knowledgeable on aviation topics: http://peter2000.co.uk/aviation/kfc225/index.html How is that KI300 coming along, Peter?

Spoken like somebody that has never dealt with BK technical support. There is a big difference between Garmin quoting you a fair price and returning the unit on time, working, with warranty vs BK accepting the unit, fucking around for 2 months, quoting you a price of $55K to fix a 4" CRT screen while at the same time refusing to provide a timeline or any sort of warranty. Yeah, that's BK for you. The issue is that that are spring chickens. There is not a single person at BK who even remotely knows what they are doing. All experienced personal either retired, died or went to work for Garmin. What's left is a barebones operation incapable of certifying a single new product on their own for last 20 years. I would never in my wildest dream fly behind an autopilot servo serviced by BK after my experience with them maintaining the EFIS 40 and the KFC325 autopilot. Glad I wasn't the one paying the bills. How about $15K for a pitch trim servo? And another two months turn around time.

I'm no so sure it works that way. Woke up with a mouse on my head more than once while sleeping outdoors without a tent and I assure you the entire camp was very liberally surrounded by fresh pee fed by multiple six packs. Woke up with a bear just sitting my side only once. I think he was as scared as I was when I let out what had to be a very girly noise. On an interesting note, few months ago had a coyote just casually walk up to camp and steal all the baked potatoes I had ready to go for breakfast. Serves me right not closing up the bear box. Maybe the "night guard" should not have drunk all them G&Ts.

Here is what I do, accidentally discovered when emptying my cooler A/C and leaving things on the hangar floor: -5 gallon bucket, bit of water on the bottom -a 1 inch clear tube, one end on the floor, the other end just taped over the edge of the bucket For some reason mice find any sort of opening irresistible. They just crawl inside the tube with no bait whatsoever. My hangar backs to a corn field, so I catch a dozen or more a week this way. By the time I find them, most are dead, but if not, push it under the water with a stick and it's dead in a few seconds. My wife still thinks this makes me a sociopath, but it works and it's not messy.

Here is what I have to add. I dealt with Mooney on some parts when I was restoring my old Bravo. While it took some sweet time to get them here, the parts were not expensive, at least not by aviation standards. I have also found that dealing with Piper on my Arrow. I cannot say that about Cessna. Dealing with them right now on a nose strut I dinged. I've come to the conclusion that if one were to built a 206 using the parts catalog, one would be better off buying a brand spanking new 737MAX, you'd get it built quicker and it would probably be cheaper. Unfortunately not too many landing gear pieces at salvage yards. Cessna is really proud of their parts. Hope Mooney stays in business and calls me for advice. I'd tell them to bump up the gross weight and put on a chute. They'd have a winner.

Not even a hot prop on this bird? Are you only expecting to fly VFR? Just wondering what your thoughts are here. I'd rather find a bird with TKS than the fancy panel, especially as you're saying you plan on using it for skiing trips.

As much as I like the 400, I fairly positive an Acclaim will blow by you. Did they ever make a turbo kit for the 400?

C ontrols I instruments G as/Gauges A attitude R unup/Radios Never failed me before. Always take off on the tank I landed on/started on. I don't think I've pulled a checklist off the dashboard since 2001 other than for check rides. I have manuals memorized before I ever fly any aircraft where I'm expected to act as PIC. Manuals/checklists are for crews, SP operations require them to be in your head.

Really? A chiropractor can now sign off on a medical? Someone must have been suffering from cranial subluxation at the FAA. On the other hand, I see a business opportunity here.

Didn't Warren Buffet say he would have shot Wilbur Wright out of the sky if given a chance? Would have saved a lot of investors a lot of money.

I don't disagree completely, like I said, if we're comparing apples to apples, business use, not flying as hobby. There is no way you're going to be all in at $50K for a TSIO550 and there is no way you will get to insure your $900K Acclaim for $5K a year, going rate for piston hull values is 1.5%, going rate for SETP values is 0.5%. If you're using your Acclaim for business, then you're not flying from a $4 AvGas airport to a $4 AvGas airport to hunt for cheap gas, you're going from Signature FBO to another because you're buying time. TSIO550 overhaul is about $65K from factory. Add another $5K for R&R. Add another $12K for a set of jugs at 1000hours. Add another $10K for a set of turbos, waste gates and exhaust work at 1000 hours. Add another $20K for oil changes over lifetime at $250 a pop every 25 hours. That's $112K there over 2000hours. Sure, you can change your oil but people who spend $900K on an aircraft tend not to be that involved. They are the throw the keys to the mechanic and call me when it's done types. My costs are not out of line at all. I'm just saying neither is really affordable for personal use and for business use, TBM is really not that far away if you've got the cash flow to cover the cost of financing. I sure don't right now.

About the same level of job security as #2 at ISIS. Granted, their exists always seem a tad more dramatic, but usually related to some sort of flying contraption as well.

Fuel bills, not so much if you really compare apples to apples. JetA can be had for $3 a gallon with a contract fuel card vs 6 dollar AvGas. Compare a TBM burning 60gph to an Acclaim burning 20gph, one doing 320knots vs 230knots, cost per nm is pretty close (56cents/nm for TBM, 52cents/nm for Acclaim). Maintenance will be a close to a wash in grand scheme of things between the two aircraft if you use a large repair station (which you will if you use the aircraft for business because you need it to be in the air and in my experience only large certified repair stations deliver anything on time, so think $15K a year for Acclaim, $30K a year for TBM, big difference will be parts availability, on newer TBMs anything can be had overnight, not my experience in piston world and prices can actually be more reasonable on turbine equipment, guess how much Cessna wants for a new 206 front strut). Insurance will be the same, might actually be lower for TBM at $3million vs Acclaim at $800K, both probably around $15K annually but with TBM, you'll get $5million smooth for that money and your engine will be insured against FOD. Engine reserves will be just over half on an Acclaim if you assume it makes TBO with one set of jugs, turbos and exhaust in the middle of life. I figure TSIO550 at around $120K over 2000 hours, so about $60 an hour, I figure a big block PT6 at about $125 an hour, most likely all at once, as opposed the piston, where $50K will be spent over the lifetime chasing things, then another $70K at TBO between overhaul and R&R. Avionics are identical between two aircraft, so cost is the same. I'm not saying the costs are identical, but the delta is not as steep as you think for business use. This is why they make no sense for business, so all that's left is enthusiasts with $800K burning in their pocket. Not that many people like that left anymore. Which is too bad, because they are magnificent machines.

Depends on the system. If it's the usual 3pm to 6pm mountain generated crud, they tend not to travel too far east, they just kind of die out. I wait them out in Akron, CO a lot of times. Cheap gas, free crew car and you know you've arrived at about 500FT when the smell of cowshit hits you. Then depart around 6 or 7pm for a 20min flight onto Denver.

Oh, it can get bumpy, very, very bumpy. Slow down and you'll be fine. Generally coming in from the east Denver approach drops you down into the bumps way too early. Sometime though you want to get dropped below the peaks as you can feel the wave 150 miles east. I would highly recommend arriving earlier in the morning before the winds and convective weather pick up strength. As to wind direction, it's a total guess due the the mountains blocking the prevailing western winds, so generally, they tend to come out of north or south on the ground level. I'd take the longer runway at LMO over BDU and land with some power until established in flare as density altitude can hit 10,000ft on regular basis and the bottom just drops out if you land by pulling all power over the threshold. KAPA is a fine choice as well.

Simply stunning. Love it.

One can only hope. GFC700 or the G3X are the best autopilots around. My assumption, probably correct, is that the software is identical between the two (why write separate code) and if GFC can drive around medium size jets, it sure can drive around a piston single/twin. GFC is simply amazing.

Except that compare it STEC55X not STEC30 and $7K, it is a third of the price for what is a digital autopilot hopefully much smoother at tracking then STEC can ever be. I've flown behind both STEC30 and STEC55 and they leave a lot to be desired. If it's as good as the KFC150 but considerably more reliable, $7K is a bargain. Only time will tell about reliability. You can spend $7K just to overhaul two STEC or King Servos.

rules are for little people

Apparently you missed the second video and many witness statements that prove otherwise, the passenger was on the phone, getting a second opinion about the situation when the cops just grabbed him, which they had no right to do whatsoever under the law. The "good" Dr will probably be flying NetJets after United and City of Chicago are done paying for this. More power to him, if you ask me. There is this pervasive myth among the white upper crust that good cops exist. Well, they don't and now they are starting to do to the middle crust what they have been doing for years for the lower crust of the society and now we have cameras. Can't wait till one day you get your ass thrown to the ground for a minor traffic infraction, only then will you realize what has been happening for years with the militarization of our police force and the "us vs them" training. I think there is a name for a system of government when police work directly for corporations. It escapes my mind, but I'm sure it starts with an F.

Is that a spider in the photo? That would make the plane automatic no-go according to my wife. Actually, she would probably require the entire airport get nuked.

Best thing that could happen to US airlines would be to allow foreign carriers to fly domestic. I have flown a US based carrier internationally once during last 10 years or so and it was a nightmare. I'll take Aeroflot and two drunk Russians behind the yokes over United or Delta. But I'd rather fly Lufthansa here in US. I don't see that happening anytime soon as the current administration just handed the US airlines more monopoly powers because of the laptop ban that makes zero sense as US airlines departing from same airports allow laptops onboard. For that alone, I could not care less if United/Delta go Tango Uniform, I actually hope they do.

And that's why I only sleep with hookers that take credit. I'm not really paying for sex, I'm only increasing my debt.