Took the plunge today...

That's pretty wild - I did a double take when I saw the picture. I was just reading his column about "what to do" yesterday. I almost choked when I read what he said he makes. $19k and he owns an airplane? Yikes. Not anymore I guess.

IIRC, that plane has a pretty nice set of avionics. Plus what's not to like about the Cardinal (other than the leaks and that flimsy door thing)?

Enjoy!!!!!!!
 
Well, a few comments in no particular order...
The paint is, umm, errr, 'unusual'...Yeah, that's it, unusual...
But do get rid of the cattle brand on the door - minimal cost, maximal improvement...

You got a heck of a deal, a well equipped bird with a spanking fresh engine...
Tom gave himself an unnecessary beating... The 320/360 bottom ends - non turbo - have a well deserved reputation for being bullet proof and if flown regularly (no dry starts) will run for 3500 hours without blinking... The running rough was a valve(s) sticking... I would have dropped a new set of cylinders on the engine for roughly 7 grand and flown the additional thousand hours before doing the bottom ($7 an hour)...

On the subscription thingies in the plane - I have a rule of thumb, never buy any gadget that requires you to give hard earned money away to some troll every month - in my planes, boats, cars, house, business, I do not feed the trolls...
I can carry an MP3 if I want music...
I can use the weather machine at virtually every airport for flight planning, plus DUATS, plus the Weather Channel, plus Flight Service, and not one of these requires me to chuck dollar bills into the slot... I have done it this way for five decades and flown over much of the country and have not felt less safe or less informed than the guy with a bunch of subscription service gadgets...

Fly up the Harry Browne at Saginaw some Sat or Sun morning... The usual reprobates will be on hand and we even spring for the coffee and donuts...

denny-o
 
Dr. O said:
You got a heck of a deal, a well equipped bird with a spanking fresh engine...
Tom gave himself an unnecessary beating... The 320/360 bottom ends - non turbo - have a well deserved reputation for being bullet proof and if flown regularly (no dry starts) will run for 3500 hours without blinking... The running rough was a valve(s) sticking... I would have dropped a new set of cylinders on the engine for roughly 7 grand and flown the additional thousand hours before doing the bottom ($7 an hour)...
Click to expand...
Okay, I don't recall for sure (haven't gone through the early logs in that much detail), but I thought his previous engine was on its second time around? If it's the original engine, it made it to 4267 hours which is pretty good by your standard.

I think (well, from my standpoint!) he did the right thing. He also didn't just get another A1B6D engine but got the non-D, dual drive version. (Okay, I kinda wish he'd sprung for the new 210 HP STC'd upgrade, but I'm not complaining.)

On the subscription thingies in the plane - I have a rule of thumb, never buy any gadget that requires you to give hard earned money away to some troll every month - in my planes, boats, cars, house, business, I do not feed the trolls...
I can carry an MP3 if I want music...
I can use the weather machine at virtually every airport for flight planning, plus DUATS, plus the Weather Channel, plus Flight Service, and not one of these requires me to chuck dollar bills into the slot... I have done it this way for five decades and flown over much of the country and have not felt less safe or less informed than the guy with a bunch of subscription service gadgets...
Click to expand...
Well the plane has a GDL 90 UAT, and a GMX-200, so theoretically it has FIS-B. The ADS-B does work around Detroit, I have traffic. I don't know how far out line of sight to a GBT goes today, but it's only going to get better in the next few years. So theoretically, I should have onboard weather without subscribing to XM. That said, Tom couldn't get it to work, he said the UAT FIS page duplicates the XM page. It's probably a configuration issue but it might have been set up that way at installation. I might have to have Bill McKelvey at PHN look at it.

It seems that worst case, I'll only need XM for onboard weather temporarily. But I haven't activated it yet as I'm trying to decide what to do.

For IFR GPS, I don't see any way around "feeding the trolls". The database has to be current or you're not legal to fly approaches (at least, not sure about enroute) under IFR. Now Tom kept the CNX-80 as well as the Trimble databases current, plus the nav data in the MFD and also the Jeppesen e-charts. I'll probably have to subscribe to the CNX-80 and nav data DBs, but IMO the Trimble is overkill and JeppView is a luxury I can do without. Paper plates aren't THAT much of a hassle.

Fly up the Harry Browne at Saginaw some Sat or Sun morning... The usual reprobates will be on hand and we even spring for the coffee and donuts...

denny-o
Click to expand...
Hey, I'll do that some weekend. :smile:
 
I agree we shouldn't be too eager to toss money at subscriptions, but until XM is free, it seems worth it flying IFR. The biggest threat in summer IMC is embedded cells, and so far XM has provided enough information to help avoid them (and no, I don't pick my way through).

The eyeballs work VFR -- IMC, not so much.
 
In response to leaning on the ground...

The RV-7A my dad and I built 6 years ago has the same engine as the 177RG (IO-360-A1B6). Ever since we started flying it, we have both been leaning aggressively on the ground - enough that we can't take off without adjusting the mixture rich. We got hit with a Lycoming crank shaft AD after about 2 years (200ish hrs) of flying. When they tore the engine down to replace the crank, they said everything looked pristine inside as far as they could tell.

We have around 700 hrs on the engine now, and compressions are still coming in at 77-78/80 on every cylinder. We also never have problems with fouled plugs during run-up. The plugs are rotated regularly and we usually have a hard time figuring out which were on top and which were on bottom.
 
azure said:
They're painted. I wonder whether vinyl on the exterior would even be allowed without an STC?

Yeah, the cattle brands are strange. I'm almost tempted to just paint them over, but I doubt it could be made to match. I'd probably have to paint the whole airplane then, and it's not worth it. The paint is showing its age a little, but it's still okay.
Click to expand...

Take one of the access panels to a paint shop that specializes in doing auto paints - they can probably give you a near perfect color match. I did that a couple of years ago when I repainted my nose cowling and I was able to get a perfect match for Cessna's 1974 Tiger Yellow.
 
dmccormack said:
The eyeballs work VFR -- IMC, not so much.
Click to expand...
Even VFR, the eyeballs only keep you out of weather 30-40 miles ahead. Sometimes it's easy to get boxed in unless you can see the big picture. Michigan in summer is a breeding ground for t'storms that tend to form in lines and clusters. Down low, you can't see how they're organized and you can't really tell what's ahead until you're almost on top of it. I've made a number of trips where I really wished I'd had onboard weather to plan my way around the bad stuff. This bird does have a Stormscope which is a big plus, but according to Tom it's so sensitive it tends to show the discharges in ordinary turbulent air. I've noticed that before in the other Cardinal I flew which also had a Stormscope. So I'll probably spring for the XM in a month or two and keep it until ADS-B coverage is good enough that I can rely on FIS-B.
 
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If any portion of the airplane has been painted (or touched-up) the replacement paint may be a different color than the removed panel and have been skillfully blended by a painter. It's not unusual to have four colors of white on one airplane.

If you use the panel-match method, tape the panel to the airplane in several places where you intend to paint to be sure it's the "correct" shade of matterhorn white or whatever.

Yellowbird said:
Take one of the access panels to a paint shop that specializes in doing auto paints - they can probably give you a near perfect color match. I did that a couple of years ago when I repainted my nose cowling and I was able to get a perfect match for Cessna's 1974 Tiger Yellow.
Click to expand...
 
steingar said:
How could you even think of changing something on the Sooper Yankee!
Click to expand...

Well... It's tough; but, I've got a part that needs to be replaced. The replacement part needs (ought) to be painted to match. So, there you have it.

(And, while I'm at it, I might finally get around to replacing the ill-fitting, non-matching, plastic h-stab tips with the swanky fiberglass tips the previous owner left me. And, then, maybe we'll paint the non-matching spinner, too. And, then...)
 
JoeSelch said:
(And, while I'm at it, I might finally get around to replacing the ill-fitting, non-matching, plastic h-stab tips with the swanky fiberglass tips the previous owner left me. And, then, maybe we'll paint the non-matching spinner, too. And, then...)
Click to expand...

And therein lies the road to financial ruin...while we're here we jus' well replace that...
 
Like pulling one thread in a sweater.
 
I'm gonna replace the windshield in my Cardinal. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna replace the door and vent windows too since they're badly hazed and spotting traffic off to the sides is an issue.

I thought about just replacing ALL the windows "while I'm at it", but I have to draw the line somewhere and the rear window and rear side windows are more expensive than the door windows, and I don't use them as much.

So where's the trap?
 
azure said:
I'm gonna replace the windshield in my Cardinal. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna replace the door and vent windows too since they're badly hazed and spotting traffic off to the sides is an issue.

I thought about just replacing ALL the windows "while I'm at it", but I have to draw the line somewhere and the rear window and rear side windows are more expensive than the door windows, and I don't use them as much.

So where's the trap?
Click to expand...
The trap is the inability to stop right there. It's like trying to get out of Sam's Club for less than $200....except denominated in AMUs.
 
bbchien said:
The trap is the inability to stop right there. It's like trying to get out of Sam's Club for less than $200....except denominated in AMUs.
Click to expand...

Costco today for only $183, so it's possible. :rofl:
 
azure said:
So where's the trap?
Click to expand...

When I did the engine, etc of my cherokee 140 back in 2002, I stopped
keeping track when the parts exceeded $23,500 (including the
engine overhaul, the 160hp STC, the prop "overhaul", the new
windshield, the new spinner, the ...)

I had a LOT of fun doing the work (it was owner-assisted), but
I learned to attack the guys stopping by and saying "ya know,
while you are at it..." (ok, I just threatened to attack them).
 
azure said:
I'm gonna replace the windshield in my Cardinal. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna replace the door and vent windows too since they're badly hazed and spotting traffic off to the sides is an issue.

I thought about just replacing ALL the windows "while I'm at it", but I have to draw the line somewhere and the rear window and rear side windows are more expensive than the door windows, and I don't use them as much.

So where's the trap?
Click to expand...

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

You will learn, Grasshopper. You will learn.
 
flyersfan31 said:
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

You will learn, Grasshopper. You will learn.
Click to expand...

Well, it does depend on your attitude. There are some things that it really does make sense to replace when you're doing similar jobs. Plane's down anyway and economies of scale and all that. A lot of such jobs save you money in the long run.

That's the attitude I take with my maintenance. There are certain things we do because it's a good idea. For the most part, we fix things that break and fix them so they'll be durable. Sometimes that means fixing a few additional things at the same time.

I've spent enough time and wasted enough money working on cars and fixing things "while I was there" that I've gotten it out of my system. That has probably saved me money on the airplane stuff overall. The only unnecessary "while I was there" thing I've done so far was install an engine monitor when I was changing the battery cables. While that may seem silly, I was getting free labor (A&P school) and you have to take apart all the same things to do the job. Plus I was going to put in an engine monitor anyway. I figure the engine monitor has probably saved me money, and had I installed it earlier would likely have saved me more money simply from being able to keep a closer watch on what's going on with my engine.
 
I always use my annual to do any major replacements or upgrades. This year the 172 will get a new windshield and wing tips. Last year was a 406 ELT and a new intercom. Since the employees get to use the airplane much of the labor is provided by them, this does extend the job. Regarding touch-up painting after the windshield install I use a local auto painter. This guy is amazing, he matched the 33 year old paint on the nose cowl and the new plastic perfectly.

This year I'm finally finishing the install of the Amsafe airbags in the Malibu at annual.

Kevin
 
azure said:
I'm gonna replace the windshield in my Cardinal. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna replace the door and vent windows too since they're badly hazed and spotting traffic off to the sides is an issue.

I thought about just replacing ALL the windows "while I'm at it", but I have to draw the line somewhere and the rear window and rear side windows are more expensive than the door windows, and I don't use them as much.

So where's the trap?
Click to expand...

If you can wait until OSH, see if LP Aero has a sale again this year. I ordered a couple of interior trim pieces from Vantage at OSH last year, but when I saw that they had a 35% discount on LP Aero windows, I splurged and got a complete set.
 
Check out the August 2010 issue of Flying- p. 82

I couldn't find a link at flying.com
 
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