Went to the Dark Side

NealRomeoGolf

NealRomeoGolf

Final Approach
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Apr 12, 2016
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Illinois
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NRG
You can call me Darth Neal now I guess. I bought a twin. See the "thinking about it" thread here: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/talk-me-out-of-a-cirrus.148454/

1975 Seneca II with CR engines, FIKI, G500 Txi with a 750 and 650 combo. It also has onboard weather (GWX 70) and some other goodies like long range tanks.

I'm still not sure I made the right move, but here we are. I got @Ted 's opinion on the move but I never got his full blessing so I did it wrong. :cool: I closed on the plane on Friday and flew it home from South Carolina yesterday. First flight was mostly uneventful. There appears to be some squawks to work out. I also caught a maintenance issue on Friday that they missed and they knocked the price down so I could fix it. Next step is getting to know the new plane and getting my insurance hours in. Oh yeah, and finish my multi rating. Ha! I've done most of the training. Just need to do the checkride after brushing up on the maneuvers.

Getting the new plane in the hangar was a challenge. It barely fits. So that will be fun. People will ask my reasons for going multi: FIKI was the main reason. Being able to cross the Great Lakes and the Rockies was another (yes I know the engine doesn't know it's over a big lake).

Here are some pics:

20240920_162211.jpg20240920_162223.jpg20240920_162231.jpg20240921_120422.jpg
 
Color me jealous! The Multi is definitely the most fun rating I’ve done thus far, you’ll enjoy it!

Btw, what’s VMC and why do I care? ;)
 
That is one sleek, beautiful-looking bird! Congrats!
 
Congrats! You coming to Gaston's then?
 
Wow that's a gorgeous aircraft. And it's very generous of you to say that any of the PoA community can come by and fly it any time we like!
 
Congrats!!! Pipers arent my cup of tea (eventhough I got my Multi in a clapped out seminole). . but getting a new plane (to you) is an awesome feeling. And Ive exclusively been flying twins since. . . But congrats - and thats an awesome looking one.

And definitely not the "dark side" - outside of the color scheme. lol. I would say that you have seen the light!!!
 
fwiw - I especially like the picture in the air
 
You've upgraded to a twin, you have my blessing. ;)

That's a beautiful machine, and while the Seneca is not my favorite twin (Piper or otherwise), there is also no doubt to me that it hits the market well in many ways.

FIKI really does a great deal for turning piston GA into a useful mode of transport. Of course it has limitations, as you will learn. Keep the boost shiny and prepped, learn how to use Skew-Ts to help you build more complicated plans in winter than you may have needed before. Now's a good time to find and buy yourself an O2 system, whether you go the DIY route (which I did) or the pre-packaged route (available from any aviation retailer), and also buy a pulse-ox, whether it's a finger-based one off of Amazon or a wrist-based one (Garmin includes it in several watches, but they're more sensitive to movement to get a reading).

You have some really fun learning ahead of you with this plane. Congrats and enjoy the experience!

Oh, and get some good training in icing with someone who's got experience with it.
 
On the downside, that hangar looks like it could use some work. Is it really fair to keep such a beauty in a rundown shack? She might become resentful.

Maybe you could spruce up with some wallpaper, new flooring, furniture, a nice bar,.....

:biggrin:
 
Alright, so now for the modification ideas in no particular order.

- Replace the TSIO-360s with parallel valve TIO-540s, rated at around 260 HP a side. 3-bladed props are fine.
- Seneca V nose bowls (or maybe they started earlier? I forget), less drag
- Reduce drag. Remove the tail beacon (and I assume there's a belly strobe as well), replace with Whelen Orions. I did this on the 310, was worth several knots
- Very strong look over the baffles to maximize their performance. Less drag + better cooling
- Make sure the engines are timed correctly - the gravity needle is often wrong

I'm big on drag reduction, since it amounts to free speed and efficiency.
 
Ted said:
I'm big on drag reduction, since it amounts to free speed and efficiency.
Click to expand...

The same applies to race cars (hint hint). HP costs money and adds weight and only helps in acceleration. Reducing drag and weight helps everywhere - acceleration, braking, and cornering, and usually costs little or nothing.
 
Half Fast said:
On the downside, that hangar looks like it could use some work. Is it really fair to keep such a beauty in a rundown shack? She might become resentful.

Maybe you could spruce up with some wallpaper, new flooring, furniture, a nice bar,.....

:biggrin:
Click to expand...
Not my hangar. I wish I had that much room.
 
Jim K said:
Got to go see it today. It's pointy. The interior is gorgeous. It has friggin radar. I kinda love it.
.
Click to expand...

Real radar is awesome, but it does have a learning curve. Unless it’s one of them new fangled units with auto scanning and stuff.

Also, while the techniques are the same, not all radars are created equal.
 
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