marksires

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Everything posted by marksires



  1. marksires added a topic in Avid Model C   

    Avid finally in Florida
    I used the Thanksgiving weekend to get my last load from Illinois to Florida, which consisted of my Avid, the floats I bought from Jim, and the tools I still had there so I could get it loaded.
    My trailer is only 8ft wide, with a 70 something inch opening, to narrow for a fully assembled Avid, which needs an opening wider then 94 inches.
    I have to take of one wing, and the horizontal stabilizer off  to get it into the trailer.  Since it needs some repairs, and a full recover, that wasn't a big deal anyway.
    Here is what it looks like loaded if anyone is interested.


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  2. marksires added a post in a topic First trip out after deployment   

    Welcome home, and thanks for your service!
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  3. marksires added a post in a topic I've got it covered......   

    I think you need to get busier then! 
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  4. marksires added a post in a topic HKS Avid   

    That is a great picture, but Google is kind of scary isn't it?
    Mark
     
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  5. marksires added a post in a topic c model heavy hauler for sale   

    Take the 'X' out - they aren't included in the N number on the FAA registry.
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  6. marksires added a post in a topic Stay Away From Nosedraggers   

    I fully understood it was a tongue in cheek comment.  No offense to me!  Mine was more a sad statement of the obvious than a complaint!
    Mark
     
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  7. marksires added a post in a topic Stay Away From Nosedraggers   

    Unfortunately you don't get to make changes to a certified airplane, then put an 'Experimental' sticker on it.  If 51% of it wasn't built by an amateur builder, it doesn't get a experimental airworthiness certificate.  The only time you get to do that is if you are using a certified plane as a test aircraft for STC modifications, which involves a couple of forklifts worth of documentation.
    If it was that easy their would be a lot of 'experimental' airplanes flying around with Dynon's in the panel instead of $13,000 Aspen's....
    Mark
     
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  8. marksires added a post in a topic Stay Away From Nosedraggers   

    Cirrus has taken the title of 'Dr. and Lawyer Killer' now.  As long as people with ego's and bank accounts larger than their piloting skills fly, some airplane will have that title.  Even a airframe parachute has only slowed the rate of attrition.....
    Mark
     
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  9. marksires added a post in a topic Stay Away From Nosedraggers   

    It was a very well done landing.  And the problem wasn't a nose wheel, it was retractable gear.  If the nose wheel had been properly welded down, it wouldn't have been an issue at all.
    I was particularly impressed that he got the engine stopped, and the propellor stopped horizontal to the ground.  No prop strike means a little work on the cowl, get the gear issue fixed, and back in the air.  His insurance company should give him a bonus of 1/2 what the engine tear down would have cost if he hadn't gotten the prop out of the way!
     
    Mark
     
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  10. marksires added a post in a topic Model C ?   

    He isn't in the U.S.  For all our complaining about the FAA, they are the easiest aviation regulatory body to deal with in the world.  He has to dot every i perfectly, and cross every T with the cross correct to the nearest 1/1000 of a millimeter.
     
    Mark
     
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  11. marksires added a post in a topic I had some fun!...   

    Had to look that up, but yes, lomcovaks.  I loved it all, but the tail slide I'd need to experience a few more times before I became comfortable doing it.  Going backwards just felt all too wrong!.
    Sweet plane!  I need to get back to the Reno air races.  I've made it out there a couple of times, and it is always fun.  I have a client in the Sacramento area, so I could usually plan a trip to see them, then drive up I-80 to Reno for a couple of days.  The drive is enjoyable too!
     
    Mark
     
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  12. marksires added a post in a topic Nice knowing you...   

    I love the Defiant!  I have plans for a Cozy I'm going to build 'one of these days'. The Defiant is awesome, and what I'd build if the plans were still available.  I read a blog of a couple of guys that flew one to Australia and back from California.  Even with two engines (that will actually fly the airplane if one quits), that takes more stones than I've got.  They did get to spend time at various Pacific Islands on the way there and back, which would be fun.
    Mark
     
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  13. marksires added a post in a topic I had some fun!...   

    My stomach did fine on my aerobatic adventure.  I got to fly an aileron roll, barrel roll, loop, and a hammerhead.  I could have flown a tail slide, but after the demo, I said once was enough!  Then we did the tumble thing that is popular in airshows now, that wasn't as disturbing as the tail slide.  Going backwards in an airplane didn't work well for me!  Then we did some stall and spins, since I'd never done a spin, and don't really like stalls.  The spin wasn't bad, but somehow I think recovery in an Avid (or my Cherokee) wouldn't be quite the same as it was in an Extra 330.
    To finish we did a low level simulated 'bomb run'.  Doing 180knots about 5-10 feet off the ground was pretty exciting, but I wouldn't want to do it anywhere but the desert where we did it.
    Mark
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  14. marksires added a post in a topic TRANSPONDERS, MODE C or S needed?   

    I wonder if a paintball gun will take down a drone....
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  15. marksires added a post in a topic TRANSPONDERS, MODE C or S needed?   

    I wouldn't throw money after a used KT76A personally.  My Avid has a GTX327, but I found it used for a good price.
    I'd look at a KT74 (which has ADSB-out capabilities, but needs a GPS source), or the new L3-Lynx.  Appaero (Foreflight) has one that is ADS-B compliant in the works, supposed to be priced well.
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  16. marksires added a post in a topic TRANSPONDERS, MODE C or S needed?   

    Mode 'S' transponders are coded to your aircraft (check the faa registry, you'll see a mode S code in the registration info).
    Mode 'C' transponders are not coded to your aircraft.
    You don't need an 'encoding altimeter', they are expensive.  You need a blind encoder, which is a few hundred bucks.
    You can install a transponder and encoder in an experimental yourself, but it is subject to the same 2 year transponder check/certification that production aircraft are.  You also have to get it checked/certified before you turn it on in flight.  That check includes a check of you static system, so make sure it is good before you go to get that done.
    Mark
     
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  17. marksires added a post in a topic TRANSPONDERS, MODE C or S needed?   

    ADSB-Out will be required in 2020.  That will require either a transponder with an extended squitter (1090mhz) or a UAT (978mhz) transceiver.  The kicker is that either method requires a WAAS GPS source, and that is where the real expense is.  If I were you, I'd install a decent transponder antenna now (both mode c and mode s with es require the same antenna), and not buy the transponder until a month before I was ready to fly, and I'd buy a mode C then (with an altitude encoder also don't forget)  A lot will change between now and then.
    Unless you are going to fly above 18,000 feet, or in Europe a UAT transceiver is ok. In fact the FAA would prefer you use UAT since the 1090mhz frequency will be crowded with all the airlines using them.
    When it was close to the 2020 requirement, then I'd look for a UAT with a built in GPS option.  More of those are coming out, and the prices go down with every one that comes out.  With anything electronic, never buy it until you absolutely need it.  They get cheaper, smaller, and more reliable the longer you wait.
     
    Mark
     
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  18. marksires added a post in a topic Earth X Battery Warning!!!   

    Did you ever hear back from EarthX about this?
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  19. marksires added a post in a topic Lift Strut Threaded Rod Ends   

    I believe his point is that the material is rated at 125,000 lbs/sq inch, but to remember that is per square inch, and the point where the load is spread over the fewest square inches is where it will fail.  That would likely be at the threaded fastener if the load is carried by that fastener (as opposed to a fastener that just holds a part in position, but the load is not carried by the fastener - like the nut on the end of an axle).
    Sounds like an engineer, and you have to make allowances for them - they forget how to speak english after a period of time 
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  20. marksires added a post in a topic Playing at the new airport   

    Row crops/grains don't have much if any subsidies anywhere these days.  And the amount of BS you have to deal with has increased, but it has for everybody else too! 
    Don't get me started on unions!  They had a purpose when they formed and did some good things.  Now they are primarily to support the union big shots, and to protect the worthless P.O.S.'s that should be fired.
    Mark
     
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  21. marksires added a post in a topic Playing at the new airport   

    They still have subsidies, but they have pretty much quit paying folks to NOT farm at least.  Plant the right stuff, play in their 'experimental' grants like planting different cover crops with the row crops, etc, and otherwise play the game instead of farm and you can still do it.  I think dairy still has a pretty good subsidy to keep milk prices low as well.
    Mark
     
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  22. marksires added a post in a topic Amphibian project resurrection & modifications   

    Likewise, although moving that table is not something I'd want to undertake.  Must weigh at least a ton!
     
    Mark
     
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  23. marksires added a post in a topic Sunset over N FLA from FL360   

    Awful high for an Avid.  Hope you had oxygen (and a coat!) 
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  24. marksires added a topic in Hangar Talk   

    A little aerobatic experience
    Not Avid related, but a whole lotta fun!
     
     
    A better way to spend money in Vegas than leaving it at the blackjack table!
     
    Mark
     
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  25. marksires added a post in a topic Are you really a man?   

    She's getting those in the D also?  For what, to mount above the mantle?? 
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