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Marauder

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Everything posted by Marauder

  1. You definitely made the right call on this flight. I’m familiar with the weather northwest PA can throw at you and stacking the odds in your favor will keep you from becoming a lawn ornament. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  2. I’m not sure there are documented studies but from my personal experience, having everything in one location in front of me really has improved my “scan”. Especially when you consider the Nav (CDI) information is laid over the primary instruments. With the Aspens, you also have additional useful information like time and distance to a waypoint, winds aloft and reminders like minimums for an approach. Plus, in the configuration I have, I can have two approaches overlaid to use as a cross check. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  3. I’ve flown behind Aspens for a decade now. I have also had the opportunity to fly in planes with everything from G5s through the G3X. The 275’s screen is pretty clear and the information is definitely there but it is really packed in there, especially for the HSI with the moving map and CDIs active. I find the Aspen display has everything I need in plain view. With a planned GFC500, you’ll need a Garmin product to interface it with. I would try to find some owners nearby who have both and see them in action for real. Using them in real life adds a different twist to the evaluation over pushing the buttons at the avionics shop. Quite honestly, a lot of this glass stuff is overkill for what we are doing. Yeah, it’s cool and does provide more situational awareness. But then I fly with a friend with his 6 pack and an iPad with ForeFlight and I realize how much overkill it is. People ask me why I have a 650 instead of a 750 in my panel. For me, everything I need is on the Aspens and the 650 is nothing more than data input device and a com radio. Even that role has diminished now that I use Garmin Pilot to push flight plans and changes to the 650. Spend some time looking at all the options and make your decision based on which user interface works for you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  4. Much of what we are seeing in GA mimics what is going on in many trade industries. My generation was pushed to “get a college education” and there just aren’t as many people entering trades. That leads to higher prices, less availability and unfortunately worse quality. For me, what is troubling is the quality of some of these shops. My last 2 MSC visits both resulted in after annual repairs because they messed something up. And I’m not talking about forgetting to put inspection panels back on or stripping half of the belly screws (they did that too). Rather genuine “holy crap” stuff. And when I tracked it back to the originator of the problem, it was the new guy who wasn’t being supervised. The same stuff happened when going to avionics shops. I think this environment is one of the reasons the RV business has been solid. The guys I know who have built, are doing a much better job of maintaining their aircraft than the certified shops. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  5. I buy into this theory. The night time denominator is pretty low in my area. The only single in my neck of the woods tonight is a Caravan. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  6. Does this mean I should put Davey Crocie up for adoption? He sure helps keep the kids off of my lawn. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  7. Since he was originally planning on the RNAV-A, I wonder if he treated the RNAV 14’s DA as an MDA. Could explain the sudden altitude movement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  8. That’s good news! Maybe Moody insurance rates will go up and not ours. [emoji6] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  9. I’m one of those guys who did experience a mechanical issue while over LIFR. I had an engine analyzer (one of the original Insight GEMs). It did give me a warning - about 2 minutes before the issue physically became apparent and certainly not enough time to do anything about it. That event changed my thoughts about flying extended distances over low conditions in a single engine aircraft. I’ll still fly over short distances of LIFR but I want the majority of the route to be at least 1,000 AGL and preferably without mountain obscurations. You can help mitigate the risks by doing as much as you can to make sure the aircraft is mechanically sound. And don’t forget the pilot needs to be in top working condition as well… Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  10. Another interesting thing was on that audio from ATC. There was a plane that the controller called out at being at 2,300 with an altimeter setting at 29.44. The pilot responded that he was at 3,000. Can a strange atmospheric condition exist where barometric pressure can be different in a small geographical area? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  11. I’m not so sure I would use the word “lucky” to describe him. Unless there was a mechanical reason for him tangling with the tower, the fact the controller called him out twice for low altitude suggests something else is going on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  12. Pilot and passenger identified. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/27/us/maryland-small-plane-crash-power-lines/index.html Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  13. Please do! None of the usual sources (Mouser, etc.) seem to be carrying them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  14. I should visit more often. I miss out on all these opportunities to lay out a few overly obese challenges to Hank’s eyes. As a long time Mooney owner, I have had to cross this chasm a number of times. By definition, an OPP is a part or component that is no longer commercially available from the manufacturer or PMA provider. I have always used the same approach to obtain these parts. 1) I verify that the component in question is no longer commercially available. This means that OEM doesn’t make or source them anymore. Sometimes this means finding an MSC who has old stock of something that the OEM no longer manufactures or sources. In the worst case scenario, it means, heaven forbid, digging one up at a salvage yard. 2) If option 1 is or isn’t available and a PMA equivalent is available, I look for the component through the PMA environment. Especially when the OEM charges way more than the PMA equivalent. This is where it can get challenging. There may be an updated version of something that is different enough in design and function but still fills the functional need of the original OEM design. This is when I engage the IA input on whether or not they feel it is compatible. 3) If the component is no longer commercially available through the OEM & PMA network, I then engage the OPP process. An old time IA helped me by saying that to comply, I needed to be the one directing the engagement of a provider to have the part made to my specification. He also said that it is important that owner documentation is provided to the manufacturer of the part to satisfy that I am directing and authorizing the manufacturing. And to this day I follow the same recipe. > If the part can be sent to someone to be duplicated, I send it with my specific instruction to manufacture it to the exact specification of the item I sent. At times, the part needs to be made of an alternative material. An example is a component made of Bakelite. It is up to me and my IA to determine if the new material is acceptable for use and I provide a document to the manufacturer authorizing the OPP. > If the part cannot be sent, I photo it, take measurements and call out anything specific (ex. material it is made of) and my authorization to make it. Where things have gotten interesting is with the newer technologies like 3D printing. As someone who has worked with government agencies on a regular basis, it is all about the paper trail. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  15. And be sitting down when you see the price for those fuses (if you can find them). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  16. I don’t know if the fuse location changed on the 78 models from where they were on the 77 Js. They went from a quadrant to vernier control and may have moved it. They were located directly under the radio stack on a metal plate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  17. Not to mention how many pilots would have given up flying completely or hid a condition out of fear that it would ground them. BasicMed for me is a no brainer. I don’t do flight levels, have had medical issues in the past and my PCP says BasicMed to him is less risk than doing a DOT medical for a truck driver. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  18. This is the tracer I have. There are a number of manufacturers including Klein and Fluke. I’m sure there are others. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  19. Coolest or most useful? Coolest is the wire tracer that allows you to follow the path of a wire through its meandering path in our planes. The most useful is a gyroscopic screwdriver for the 9,124 screws they used on my plane. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  20. Pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer/radio operator and 2 “mechanics”. Texas Raider performed some single main gear flybys with smoke. In addition to ground handling, I suspect the “mechanics” were there to assist in emergency gear extension, fuel transfers if required, etc. Juan did a nice summary of what they know so far. Altitude separation is an open question at this point. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  21. This is one half of what a Cannon connector looks like. It should be made of black plastic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  22. Has the plane sat in the rain before this happened? If so, check the Cannon connector on the pilot side. It is in the cavity near the wing root (almost directly below the vent window). If your window seal is leaking, it will let water in and soak that connector. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  23. That look like someone added that. On some late model Fs, I have seen a switch that changes the glareshield lights from white to red. Maybe that is a fix for that switch having broke? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  24. I agree 8k to 10k is the sweet spot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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