I am still flying and you should, too

[Ted]

Ahhh.. Did you find the aviation department at the local AutoZone?

Actually no (although that would've been cheaper still). I bought some of this:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/squeezeoutdoorseal.php

I bought the kit with the -01 and -02 seal. My door is bad enough that I definitely need both. On the first flight, it's sealed the door virtually air tight. I've only found two areas that need some more attention (both in logical places). The end result has been a significant decrease in noise, plus the fact that the cabin stays warmer is a big plus.

A future goal of mine would be to reduce cabin noise further, which just makes the whole experience more enjoyable and less tiring. Plus keeping more heat in the cabin is more better! Thicker windows and some noise insulation have both come to mind, the latter probably being a significantly cheaper project.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Having looked over the DiamondAire products for the PA23, I've not seen anything really worth buying.

Well, that's 'cuz you already have an Aztec and not a wannabe Aztec (Apache).

As far as I can tell, nobody's tried to make any mods that actually improve aerodynamics of the PA23.

Maybe because it's beyond help.

I really can't see sinking the money into an Apache nowadays. In fact, I think part of the reason the Miller mods haven't reappeared for the Twin Comanches is that they would probably be fairly cost-prohibitive when compared with the overall value of the airplane... Maybe. They are in demand - Prior to the economy tanking last year, I never saw a Miller-mod Twin Comanche on the market for more than three DAYS. They got snapped up in a hurry no matter what the price was. Now they, like everything else, are hardly selling at all.

So, *maybe* the mods would be worth it - But I'm guessing not, unfortunately. The one that would be worth it would be the R/STOL kit that I think is also unavailable now.

 

[Bob Bement]

You ain't kiddin' - I have 42.4 hours so far this year, and I think that SUCKS.

2005: 119.2
2006: 129.4
2007: 168.0
2008: 154.4
2009: 42.4

Kent, It sounds like you are due for another flight west. Let me know and I will get the old 182 warmed up. I always need an excuse ( actually I don't) to go flying. Bob

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent, It sounds like you are due for another flight west. Let me know and I will get the old 182 warmed up. I always need an excuse ( actually I don't) to go flying. Bob

Ooohhh... Don't tempt me.

Actually, ever since then, I keep thinking how nice it would be to live, say, somewhere in eastern Oregon or northern Idaho...

 

[spiderweb]

This thread became something completely exceeding my expectations. I love this board!

 

[bbchien]

This thread became something completely exceeding my expectations. I love this board!

....and you expected?

 

[SCCutler]

This thread became something completely exceeding my expectations. I love this board!

Ben, you are the artist...

...an artist inspires!

Thanks! :smile:

 

[Ted]

Well, that's 'cuz you already have an Aztec and not a wannabe Aztec (Apache).

I think from Piper's perspective it went the other way. They started out with the Apache, and then someone there (probably an ancestor of mine) said "You know what would make this battleship even better? More power!" Someone (an ancestor of Tim Allen) started grunting, and the Aztec was born.

Still, I don't really see anything on there that's worth buying for the price.

Maybe because it's beyond help.

Admittedly you're starting out with a flying brick, and trying to make a brick more aerodynamic is challenging. However, it seems there are always a few speed mods you can do that might be worth a couple knots. I'd really like to be able to get from my standard 155-160 to 165 or so, and I think that'd be reasonable. Trying to get to 180 so I can at least be where Lance was with his Baron prior to upgrades would be better, but probably unlikely.

I really can't see sinking the money into an Apache nowadays. In fact, I think part of the reason the Miller mods haven't reappeared for the Twin Comanches is that they would probably be fairly cost-prohibitive when compared with the overall value of the airplane... Maybe. They are in demand - Prior to the economy tanking last year, I never saw a Miller-mod Twin Comanche on the market for more than three DAYS. They got snapped up in a hurry no matter what the price was. Now they, like everything else, are hardly selling at all.

So, *maybe* the mods would be worth it - But I'm guessing not, unfortunately. The one that would be worth it would be the R/STOL kit that I think is also unavailable now.

That is one of the problems with these old planes. You have to decide that it's alright to put a lot of money into something that you'll never recoup, which really means you're committing yourself to either lose money or keep the plane for a long time (which in essence means losing money).

The thing is, given the lack of anything new that I'd want to buy, I'm pretty much locked into flying old planes. If I'm going to do that, I may as well make it the way I want it.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Unfortunately, there is no N2321 on the registry. Double-unfortunately, I just looked up N232Y and it has a certificate issue date of... Two weeks ago. So, presumably that means it's sold and I'll have to try again some other decade. There can't be a whole lot of Miller+Turbo+STOL Twinkies in the world, and none of those mods are available any more.

Hmmm. She's for sale again, with a MUCH higher asking price (last asking price before the sale in November was $119K, now asking $155K):

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=1168539

It seems that maybe this guy, and a couple others too, had the money to buy airplanes when the market was really in the tank and now they're trying to quickly turn them around for a huge profit. I don't think the economy has improved THAT much!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Ugh. I have to stop. That other Swift sold, but I *really* like this one:

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=1169180

It has just the right mods - Skylights, sticks, 180hp/CS prop, lots of extra fuel capacity, and MAN what a purty bird!

 

[SCCutler]

(Cue sound of violins....)

 

[wabower]

Bob, we try to avoid any use of the term "fly west" here.

Kent, It sounds like you are due for another flight west. Let me know and I will get the old 182 warmed up. I always need an excuse ( actually I don't) to go flying. Bob