I received some marketing brouchures from one of the best selling "composite plane" on the market, with an invitation to take a ride. Well, I was tempted until I found out how high the Vso is. The plane goes in on final at 80 kts. Which means, 80 kias is the speed you use for...

Well, the 172 went into annual this Monday. Only 35 hours on the clock this year (criminal, I know). But I rationalized that number by figuring there wouldn't be any surprises this week. Hehe. Boy was I wrong. Yea, I knew going in that we'd have to pull the prop because our hub got caught...

Our Macauley prop was last overhauled (new blades) in 1991. It was re-sealed and checked by a prop shop in 1997. It has approximately 2400 hours on it. It's still in spec, doesn't leak, works fine. Our A&P owned a prop shop in the 1990s, and is very knowledgeable about these things -- but...

I'm trying to figure out what portable device to buy to provide in- flight weather, as well as terrain info. Electronic approach plates and enroute charts, as well as flight planning capability, would also be a plus, but not essential. I fly a Cessna 172 that is already equipped with a Garmin...

I have received the Garmin GPSMAP 396 that I ordered at OSH and am now trying to figure out how to mount it securely in the airplane (Piper Arrow) 1 I want to be able to use it out of the airplane occasionally. 2 Experimenting with it at home, it appears to me that the font size on both screen...

Apparently, installation of the Airgizmo panel dock is quite the touchy subject up here in the Northeast. I know this has been a subject of a number of threads but I figured I'd relay my experience so far. Since I would like it integrated with my Garmin 430 and 340 audio panel (for the audio out),...

Another thread made me think about using the portable propane heater I use in my garage to preheat my airplane. It's the standard metal tube type with the fan from Home Depot or Lowes. I've seen people simply attach a flex duct to the end of this type heater and blow the hot air into the...

I just got off the phone with Jay Honeck. The group that had left KIOW this morning arrived at OSH after several holds and an accident on 9/27. Rumors are that a Cherokee pilot perished in an air to ground crash. No other details. For those that are going to the Rec.Aviation.*.* party...

Hi everyone! L O N G time lurker, infrequent poster here. I have a question about what must legally be carried in the airplane for the pilot operating handbook. But first, let me share with you a little bit of my experience buying an airplane...You may remember a few months ago I was looking at...

So I've been looking to buy a C-172 and came across this Sundowner. I've heard all the "Slowdowner" stories and did a side-by-side from the published specs: Cruise speed and roc: Sundowner slightly better Payload: Sundowner slightly better Runway required: C-172 slightly better.

Has anyone read the new flying magazine? There is an article in it about a guy in a bonanza who crashed doing an instrument approach using a hand held non-aviation GPS, but whats worse is his maint. on his airplane, putting tape over the gas tank when he lost his gas cap and so on. I wonder if...

my first airplane. cessna 172C. this group, along with a couple of others, has given me the best information as i've progressed. by way of payback, i intend to tell some about the process i went thru for the benefit of others who may be planning; hoping. why a 172-c?? well, a couple of reasons....

This evening, I noticed a problem with the nav/instrument lighting and panel intercom in my Cherokee that I haven't noticed before. The nav lights and internal instrument lights (I have KX170Bs, KMA20 audio panel, etc.) work just fine. The problem is that when I turn the rheostat up so that the...

All day long heard private plane noise, couldn't have my usual barbaque outside, drove me crazy. Had to go inside, cook ribs inside with loud music playing to drown out the plane noise.

So, the annual is done, and I came out easy (again!) -- just two tires and a brake hose. (Knock on wood. They're still installing the landing lights, so I s'pose they could still find something else...) Although I'm replacing both tires, really only the right tire was bad. It had five bald...

The KX155 in my "new" airplane (Helio Courier) seems to have bitten the dust. It looks like an old POS and I am trying to figure out what to do. What are the functional differences between the KX155, KX165 and the KX155A and KX165A? The airplane has a Garmin 300XL as #1 and a switching relay...

Is it worth the bother? We're coming up on our annual inspection in May, and there are at least four antennas on our bird that do nothing. I'll bet there's a few feet of cable going to each one, too. Does removing an antenna net you any extra speed, or is it mainly a weight reduction...

Is it just me, or is it that AOPA is starting to ignore the Spam-can pilot? I've been a member for about 5 years now and each year, the airplane they give away becomes more impractical. They claim the Waco is worth $200k but it is a day VFR only aircraft. How useful is that? Now, next year,...

http://alexisparkinn.com/fly-in_aviation_museums.htm I think this list of fly-in museums is by far the most useful I've found -- thanks for helping to create it, folks! Please check it over for accuracy, and submit any additions/corrections you may find to me at I have...

I cancelled my previous order for their TPAS 100 after I heard the terrible reviews from the newsgroups and some aviation publications. Through a Google search I was only able to find one guy's review which was positive. Anyone care to share what they heard or experienced with the...