Marauder

Surprisingly they are in the same price range as Goodyear run flats and the rest of them -- aka expensive. With the number of miles I am putting on my Vette each year, the originals will go quite a while...

I use Stan's on my mountain bike and I forget the stuff in my road bike (both tubeless wheel sets). Both work, but do they leave a mess inside the rim. If you ever need to put a tube back in, it is a job cleaning it all out again. When you consider a road bike is using 120 psi and it can stop the leak, it is pretty impressive.

There is. You can run conventional tires and find a way to store a spare. I like the run flats simply because you won't be stranded. You can do 50 mph until you find a place to have it repaired. Not sure about the older Vettes, but the new ones run a smaller tire upfront. I have a 19" on the front and 20" on the rear. BTW Jim... With my last avionics upgrade, the financial officer told me to sell my Vette. If you are looking for a 2004, Lemans Blue limited edition with 6,900 original miles and which has NEVER seen rain, let me know. I haven't advertised it yet, but will need to move it this summer.

According to my mechanic, McCreary has improved their tires and offer a high end line comparable to the Flight Customs -- but at a lower price. Call me Guinea Pig, oink oink. I told him to put them on. I will PIREP them once I see how they work out. oink oink.

Tell me about it! $1,600 for all 4 corners on my Vette.

Speaking of Bill Wheat, anyone hear an update on him?

I pulled the 400 BTU unit as an example. I know there are higher BTU units that are available in DC configurations. If 5000 BTU is required to cool a cabin, it probably won't work. I think you start hitting the 20 amp power threshold around the 1500 BTU units and the weight starts becoming a factor. I have these Peltier devices in the heated/cooled seats of my F350. With them running in "cool" mode, I need to raise the temp on the A/C to stop becoming an ice cube. I wonder if building them into the seats might not be a solution or at least part of it. Quite honestly, the only time I suffer in the heat is when I am preparing to fly or taxiing back.

I have run flats on my Vette and I wonder how hard the landings in an airplane would become. Between the donuts and the give in a tubed tire, there is some cushioning. The reason run flats work is because the side walls are capable of supporting the vehicle without air. Considering the size of an airplane tire relative to a 19" or 20" car tire, I'm willing to bet my dentures would fall out on a hard landing... (where are my teeth) Since we are speaking about tires. I had been using Goodyears Flight Customs for years. My mechanic suggested a high end McCreary tire this time around. He said he has had good success with them. Anyone else running McCreary's? My only experience was with them on flight school planes! (Sorry for the hijack!).

Phillip -- I apologize for not reading the whole thread. Have you calculated the required BTU? If so and it is reasonable, have you considered a Peltier driven unit for a next generation of product? There are commercially available DC units. They will be more expensive obviously but offer a great alternative to lugging ice around. I for one would be interested in that option. Here is a 400 BTU unit that runs on 28VDC at a 5 amp draw: http://www.eicsolutions.com/400btu-dc-thermoelectric-air-conditioner.php

Good easy fix! Were you able to see the precip that was shown?

Censored... Took one for Scott.

I would begin doing oil analysis on a regular basis. Trends in metal wear begin showing up often (but not always) before fragments begin forming. Some use Blackstone, other WearCheck and I'm sure there are others.

I just saw a Mooney (G version) that my mechanic says has over 11,000 hours on it! It was cleaner looking both inside and out than mine (I got to look into all the nooks and crannies since it was in for an annual). I got to think that if you address issues, the airframe can go quite a few hours.

Thought I remember reading that somewhere. Hopefully this time around may it rest in piece or pieces...

Again? I hope he never got into trouble at all! I miss all the good stuff around here. And since you and Doc haven't been going at it, well, it's getting down right boring around here.

Was the plane he was flying the one that was rebuilt after a significant amount of damage?

Sounds like a cloak and dagger situation!

Are you suggesting I am supporting this? Hell no! My uncontrolled airport is badly in need of resurfacing. This means those monies are being diverted!

When you look at the compensation of their executives in comparison to their revenues, you need to ask who do they represent? I agree with Byron, I don't care to hear about multi-million dollar airplanes most of us will never own. Read this: http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Inside_Look_At_AOPA_203782-1.html BTW -- if the executives at my company were paid at an equivalent rate based on revenues, there would be riots.

So sorry to hear about this. It's rough to lose a pilot, even worse when that pilot is your friend...

Still doesn't explain the significant oil loss. Quart per hourish.

I remember reading somewhere AOPA hired a specialist to run their membership department. Looks like the guy came from a telemarketing background. I was getting the same crap. Which resulted in me canceling my 21 year membership this month. :-)

Sorry to hear that things are still not resolved. Do you ever encountered fouled plugs? If it ain't leaking out, it has to be burning it.keep us posted!

Landing on grass can tear things up more if catch clumps of dirt are hit. Power on. If the prop does stop, the odds of you being able to bump the starter to get it horizontal while doing your best for a soft landing would be tough.

Tony -- sorry to hear about this path you are looking to take. I always thought insurance would have covered all aspects of getting the plane repaired. To think you could get saddled with recovery and movement costs to get it repaired makes me wonder what we do get for the money we pay for insurance. Based on your comments, it sounds like your accident was more involved. It also sounds like your life is pretty busy and complicated now as well. You obviously need to make a decision and not any easy one. The problem with flying is that it gets in your blood and clouds your thinking. I would evaluate carefully where flying fits into your life today and approach it from that angle. At a minimum, even if you don't immediately go back into active flying or ownership, you will want to resolve your license status. If you leave that unresolved, it will be difficult to it get back after you are away from it a while. Good luck and we're here to support you regardless of which direction you take.