AndyFromCB

Global was a pleasure to deal with when I had a $10,000 claim on my Arrow related to hail. As I just switched coverage from Chartis to Global 2 months before and just noticed the hail and had no idea when it happened, both Chartis and Global were involved, asked me to give them a list of all the times the aircraft was tied down outside, looked at their hail maps and Global accepted responsibility and cut me a check, no questions asked. Really great.

So essentially everyone who can afford and purchases a new BMW or a new Cirrus, is doing it because of "cans". Yeah. That's a great line of thinking. I know life is tough sometimes, but can we all get past out high school prejudice. I get it, not everyone got laid. You get a set of "cans" because you have a set of "balls". Because you have a set of balls, eventually, if that's you goal, you can buy a new Cirrus. And sometimes, because you have a set of balls, you die in one. This entire argument is getting funny and out of control. We are all "driving" death traps. The GA safety record, is equivalent to riding a 1960s Triumph with a set of drum brakes on a wet gravel road. And no, it doesn't have jack shit with what's between our ears, it has to do with equipment. I know, most of you think you're superior pilots, but I hate to break it to you, you're no Bob Hover. When your engine covers your windshield with oil for a third time in your flying career, talk to me about balls or useless safety equipment. Accept it, when it comes to living a long life, we're all doing about the dumbest thing we possible can. Give me 3 smart kids, a C++ compiler, an autopilot with servo redundancy, and I'll eliminate 99.9999% of GA deaths by eliminating the yoke/stick and the throttle quadrant the same way it has more or less been eliminated in real airplanes with 3 channel autopilot, auto throttles, big jet engines and two dummies sitting up front looking pretty. All airlines crashes that happened in last 10 years could have been prevented by simply eliminating the yoke. I'm looking forward to sipping my coffee without a yoke in the way. Give me a touch screen to pick a destination. I got lucky a few weeks ago, high enough, within a gliding distance of a field I knew as well as the back of my hand, and put the aircraft down. Had it been a few weeks earlier, I'd be dead. None of this would be an issue if I was flying a Part 25 twin jet. Yes, equipment makes all the difference in the world. Tools give you options. By the way, my set of "cans" hates my Ducatis, my BMWs (don't have any), my Nissan GTR (have one), or my Aston Martin (have one of those too, somehow), none of them leased, BTW. She does however, loves the little Fiat 500 convertible (leased). She also hates the Mooney too. I don't think her "cans" or the pencil skirt would be too impressed by a Cirrus either. She does love the PC-12 or a King Air 300 we charter for business though. You know why? They have a bathroom. Want tits? Get a plane with a bathroom. "Cans" don't find sacks filled with kitty litter too appealing. Still working hard to match my partner's set of "balls" and if you'd see his type A personality drop in a couloir on a pair of skis at age of 50, you'd realize that even flying GA "death traps" doesn't even remotely means you have a pair. It's not a about a fear of death, it's about choosing your poison. He doesn't fly anything with propellers or less than two motors because as he tells me, he is not dumb like me. And yet, he still checks the weather himself and makes the go/no go decision for the two dummies up front. In any case Byron, if you think that your or mine CAR 3 aircraft is superior of a FAR 23 certified one, being a big government liberal, then I can finally see why you're inviting tea party Scott into the conversation because cognitive dissonance makes for strange bed fellows. And on this note, I'll repeat myself. World is changing, Mooney is dead, Beech is dead, long live Cirrus and Cessna or whatever else will follow. How does it feel to be grumpy old men? One day Garmin will make G10000 where you're only option will be clicking on the destination. Can't wait.

I've got the GTS-800 and while the specs say 12nm for range, at least did when I got it, it displays traffic well past twice that range plus as a combo with GTX-33/ES no need for GDL88 unless you want the "free" weather. I'll keep on paying for my XM as my understanding is when the bandwith becomes overwhelmed, ADS-B transmit stations will cut out weather tranmissions, probably when you need it the most as they have 40 aircraft in holdings paterns due to weather. And yes, Garmin is most costly to install, but there is a reason for that. First, dual directional antennas, second, certified equal length cables plus then the entire system is fine tuned with a PC software program.

Chute is good from 400AGL on G1-G3, 600AGL on G5. Still not much that can be done for power failure on take off. Cirrus needs a solid fuel, one time rocket for that ;-) and it would be a perfect aircraft.

Byron, Actually, the useful load of a non-turbo SR22 is 1340lb. And you'll never see 1400lb in a TAT TNA36 unless we are talking about a very old airframe. All airframes I have looked at that were of the later vintage (2006 on) end up being about 1150 useful load after TKS and TAT. Their empty weights are pushing 2850lb. As to being slower than other aircraft, I concur, but after sitting in a Cirrus for 4 hours, I feel like a human. After sitting in my Bravo for 4 hours I feel like I exited the proverbial turkish prison. The cabin is so much bigger, so much better insulated. Also, I'd like to see a A-36 do 175knots on 16gph. An A36 is a 165knot aircraft. Cirrus POH has actual FAA certified numbers that can be repeated. A Bo POH is a bit optimistic to say the least. As is a M20M manual when it comes to fuel flows. Andy

ESP is only available on the latest G3 generation. I've played with it, it's really hard to auger one in. It's like a stick pusher but if you really fight it, you will "win".

Maintenance costs being double have nothing to do with composite contruction but new certification standards. Please explain to me exactly what kind of maintenance one performs on "airframe". None on Cirrus, every couple of years of corrosion X on an Al airframe. The rest of the parts are bearings, motors, tracts, etc are identical between Mooney and Cirrus. My MSC chargers only few hundred bucks more for a Cirrus annual than my Bravo. $2800 vs $2500. As to damage I agree but how much different is it than a Mooney. I wouldn't want my mechanic bending Al to make replacement parts any more than I'd like my mechanic fixing a carbon spar. In boths cases you buy parts from factory. Difference being, Cirrus can most likely make you a part tomorrow. Mooney, maybe today, maybe next month, maybe never. As to major damage repair, isn't that what insurance is for? It's funny, but owners of C, B and P aircraft always say the same thing about Mooneys: talk to the guy that has to fix them. On a lighter note, anything else I need to know about 50 years from now? Any stock market advice? As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that I'm sure will be flying 50 years from now is insects. I'm not betting on anything else.

No "regular" car has a carbon fiber frame. The following road legal supercars are carbon fiber monocoque: Lamborhini Aventador LP 700-4 All Pagani cars McLaren MP-4 Mercedes Benz SLR And I'm sure a bunch of others. The McLaren MP-4 is kind of the coolest because it's a single piece mono-cell.

Actually, funny, earlier post I said that there are carbon fiber supercars but then I forgot about BMW. More and more of there models are slowly becoming more and more carbon fiber. Both M3 and M6 have carbon fiber front and rear bumpers, a carbon roof, and carbon beams and internal structures. And let's not forget the 'vette. Glass from the very start. Here is a great article. Resin injection will be a game changer. Cars will get lighter, more fuel efficient (because of the new 2025 55mpg standard) and still be as safe if not safer than now. http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130318/NEWS/130319922/higher-volume-cars-get-carbon-fiber#

Actually, almost all supercars are "plastic". The problem is price, not the material. As the material applications widen, so will the price and eventually, all cars will be plastic as well. I hate to break it you, but this is the way things are going. All luxury cars are now going aluminum riveted/glued construction, carbon fiber will be next. Yes, cirrus is all gimmickry. Seriously? Go fly one. Quiet, amazing avionics (much better than G1000 it's based on), climate control rivaling that of my Volvo. Doors that fit. Paint work that Mooney factory could only dream off. Amazing level of fit and finish. The best and strongest has prevailed. All that Mooney has ever been able to pull off was go faster on less fuel and Beech folks seemed to only be interested in increasing their aircraft's empty weight over the years. If it wasn't for Cirrus, there would have been no advancement in GA what so ever. I love my Mooney but the second I cash out of the venture I'm working on now, I'll be getting what ever is the latest and greatest from Cirrus. Can you provide any information to your statement "still not lighter or stronger" because I can point to you quite a few different websites listing material strengths but instead how about go look up Extra 300 and tell me how you'd build that spar out of Al. Just like all supercars anymore are carbon fiber so are all "super aircraft" where the lightest weight and highest strength is desired and sitka spruce is not an option. The reason for carbon fiber spar is preciselly opposite of what you stating. Aluminum develops fatigue at these force levels and gets "brittle" with use, not carbon fiber. As to Cirrus safety features being all hype, tell that to all who died doing a stall/spin on base to final (can't do with ESP), all who died during a forced landing into wrong kind of terrain, all who died because their oxygen malfunctioned at 25,000 (Perspective will gently lower to aircraft to 14,000 in case of pilot incapacitation), etc, etc, etc. These safety features are real and have and will save lives.

Byron, While I hold your opinion on most subjects to be of high value, I will have to disagree here. I would much rather be surrounded by a carbon fiber tub than a steel one. Look at formula 1 cars. No amount of steel can ever provide the protection and energy absorption of properly designed carbon fiber tub. As to strength, my road bicycle begs to differ (11lbs total weight). Ultimate strength of carbon fiber in laminate form is 1600 megapascals, aluminum is about 400. Now, with the latest advanced from MIT in nano tube coatings it will be even stronger. If cirrus was designed to same safety standard as mooney, it would be considerably lighter (look at Lancair IV). The cirrus is designed to the latest Part 23 standards and still has an empty weight lower than my M20M. That's with multiple spars, 26g seats, airbags, parachute, two doors, an interior that doesn't look like it came from Model T, dual ADHARs, TKS and airconditioning. Even with all these options, it's still a bit lighter than my bare bones M20M. Plus the cabin size has no comparison. There are technical issues with carbon fiber when used on smaller scale GA aircraft which don't allow for full advantage and don't translate to much greater weight reductions like they do on something the size of 787 unless the GA aircraft is pressurized where composites just shine in weight reduction vs aluminum. One that comes to mind is the need for at least two plies on non structural parts for "ding" control and the need to finish both sides of the substrate. The other is the need for at least one layer of fiberglass anywhere there will be contact with steel/al parts to prevent galvanic corrosion or use of copper instead. Andy

Both, now with GTS800 installed, I "see" a lot of traffic that I've never seen before. See and avoid is total bullshit with closing speeds of 400knots, and mostly white aircraft against white cloudy sky. See and avoid is also useless IFR and after you get a traffic system, you'll be amazed how many times you'll "see" traffic in less than VFR weather on approach.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One, not plastic, but fiberglass and carbon fiber. And I assure you, in about 20 more years, there will not be a single new aircraft, large or small, built out of anything but composite materials. They are stronger, they are lighter, etc, etc, etc. I have this strange feeling a Mooney with its wet wings would start burning as well if involved in a midair. Actually, quite a few have after an off airport landing: As to balistic parachutes, I wish I had one few weeks ago. I was lucky, engine dumped the oil within gliding distance of my field. Still landing with no visibility is no fun either. Three engine problems in 14 years of flying, only one bent airplane. All during daytime, lucky me. Yeah. My next airplane will have a chute or two engines and it won't be a Mooney. The new Cirrus has an almost 1400lb useful load. Had this happened two weeks earlier when the weather between here and Fargo was 0/0 for 300miles in every direction but great at both departure and destination, I would have been most likely dead.

i wonder how long the tail will stay attached if that roll turns into a split S. Once, in my younger, more stupid days, I rolled a rental arrow and ended up doing a split S. That vne sure comes up fast. An it's so hard not to pull up hard when you see the ground in the windshield. I'm still here, the pair of undies I wore that they are not. Yes, the arrow held up about 20knots past vne.

Apparently, the Gem brought in about $5000 a night in 1880 dollars. If Al was alive today, he'd be flying a G650.

Like that ;-)

True, unless you're at an uncontrolled airfield with a 15 aircraft busy flight school like me at KCBF right below charlie airspace where frequency change happens 2 miles away from the field. My GTS800 makes me sleep well at night.

Correct, until 2020 but if you'd like to receive ADS-B traffic, you do. I understand the frustration but technology and the world doesn't stand still, it moves forward. I think the show "Deadwood" put it the best: "change ain't looking for no friends, it plays the tune we all dance to"

Once again, the problem is ADS-B presents a customized solution for each aircraft. Can't send out traffic every XX seconds because what are you sending it relative to?

You're not blocked, if you have a non-certified ADS-B receiver like garmin 696 and GDL39 combo, you would receive the traffic but only if you're piggy back onto another aircraft with ADS-B out. If no other aircraft are within 15 mile radius of you that are requesting a traffic picture, the ground station simply doesn't send anything out. There is no blocking involved,simply no transmissions from ground stations. Remember, every transmission is tailored to the receiving aircraft in order to minimize bandwidth that is already at a premium on 1090 and getting there on 978.

The traffic is not blocked, exactly. You just need to invest in a GTX330ES. The ADS-B picture created by ground stations on 978mhz is aircraft specific. As in ground station receives your location from transponder and based on that location creates a specific traffic picture for your receiver. It's a "smart" transmission, meant to be received by only your aircraft. The "parasite" traffic you receive when in proximity to another ADS-B aircraft is exactly that. Not meant for you and not reliable. The air to air traffic is a different story. Not a conspiracy by FAA to get everyone to buy ADS-B Out, just a simple technical limitation.

GTS-800 rocks and is about 13,000 installed. I am amazed at the amount of traffic I have missed over the years.

How come nobody showed this to me before I spent millions on developing a single wheel STC for M20 aircraft to increase the useful load ;-)

The truly scary accidents do not happen on a nice, warm day without a cloud in sight for 300 miles and 5knot wind. They happen in challenging weather and equipment failure problems. Having a second person there, who is a pilot makes all the difference in the world then. One person can concentrate on flying while the other person can concentrate on trouble shooting, route finding, etc, etc, etc. I am generally not one to panic, or develop a tunnel vision. Had engine problems 3 times in my 14 years of flying, put the airplane down every time. But I know what tunnel vision looks and feels like. I've been dumb enough to climb up a mountain without a rope to a point of no ability to come back down without rappelling and to a point where no reasonable person would continue without protection. I just sat there for a few minutes and literally mentally "froze" for a few minutes. I can see how a single pilot literally flips out after a second missed approach or continues into a thunderstorm or icing without a second person to help along. A second pilot a lot of times allows you to focus on a decision making. Hard to "think" and fly at the same time. Another reason why I consider IFR without an autopilot to be suicidal. I know many here fly IFR by hand and so do I, for practice, but I would never launch into the soup without uncle Otto.

Because my vRef between fully loaded and almost empty is about 5knots, I do not see any value what so ever in an AOA. Unless flying into a runway less than 3500feet, if I simply use 80knots on final, I'm set. What is an AOA going to do for me? Stormscope on the other hand has saved my bacon more than once. AOA makes sense in 'real' airplanes where the vRef can be all over depending on the weight.