What are you flying?

NealRomeoGolf said:
What's the compartment on the bottom? Extra baggage compartment?
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Yeah, a belly pod. We carry our dog in the aft baggage so having the belly pod allows for an extra 169 pounds (you’ll bulk out before getting to that number, but we’ve had 100 pounds down there before).
 
Earlier this year I sold the '78 172N that had been in the family since 1988, and bought a 1978 PA-32-300. It's no speed demon, but it hauls a huge load (volume and weight) and is the most comfortable airplane I've ever flown. Thirty years ago I rented Saratogas for business and vacation trips, and ever since then Mrs. P and I have wanted a PA-32 with club seating. And here it is.



 
Pilawt said:
Earlier this year I sold the '78 172N that had been in the family since 1988, and bought a 1978 PA-32-300. It's no speed demon, but it hauls a huge load (volume and weight) and is the most comfortable airplane I've ever flown. Thirty years ago I rented Saratogas for business and vacation trips, and ever since then Mrs. P and I have wanted a PA-32 with club seating. And here it is.



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I probably know why you stayed out of retract. I would assume you get 145 knots? 155+ with our retract version. Super agree on the comfort and mine even need snow seats. Will be even better once I do that.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I probably know why you stayed out of retract. I would assume you get 145 knots? 155+ with our retract version. Super agree on the comfort and mine even need snow seats. Will be even better once I do that.
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Yep. 145 KTAS at 65%, avg 14.25 gph. The big '78-style wheel fairings help a lot.

I priced insurance when I was shopping. I hit 70 this year, so I figured I better compare premiums for a fixed-gear Six vs. a Lance. I have over 4,500 hours, almost 1,000 of them retract (including 150 in PA-32R-301), IR, and a 50-year-plus clean record. Assuming equal hull values the rates were double for the Lance compared to the Six, and some companies wouldn't even quote me in the Lance. Since geezers like me forget to turn off the left-turn blinker on the freeway, they figure we'll forget the gear, too.
 
Pilawt said:
Earlier this year I sold the '78 172N that had been in the family since 1988, and bought a 1978 PA-32-300. It's no speed demon, but it hauls a huge load (volume and weight) and is the most comfortable airplane I've ever flown. Thirty years ago I rented Saratogas for business and vacation trips, and ever since then Mrs. P and I have wanted a PA-32 with club seating. And here it is.



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There was a time when I was sitting around the office with a bunch of similarly young warriors who flew pointy nosed Mach machines, and we all decided your plane would be the ultimate GA machine for moving the family around. Well done! (although your insurance experience gives me pause, I am not ready to face that).
 
I've always wondered - is it disorienting for a passenger to sit backwards in the club seat? Motion sickness?

I'm headed to retirement, but I've been informed by the CEO that hauling grandchildren trumps affordable, practical, etc. Hadn't thought of it before, but given the prices of a 182 I was planning on, the 6 might be a better option.
 
WDD said:
I've always wondered - is it disorienting for a passenger to sit backwards in the club seat? Motion sickness?
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Not at all. When we had the A36 my wife preferred the rear-facing seats. There, she couldn't see the weather ahead. Seriously, those seats are quite comfortable and with only two people in the four rear seats, they can sit diagonally from each other, put their feet up, and really get comfortable.
 
WDD said:
I've always wondered - is it disorienting for a passenger to sit backwards in the club seat? Motion sickness?

I'm headed to retirement, but I've been informed by the CEO that hauling grandchildren trumps affordable, practical, etc. Hadn't thought of it before, but given the prices of a 182 I was planning on, the 6 might be a better option.
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The prices of Sixes might make your eyes water. They've risen about 50% this year....like everything else.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
The prices of Sixes might make your eyes water. They've risen about 50% this year....like everything else.
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Insurance is bad enough at the hull value I paid for mine... I'm scared to raise it to what it would cost to replace her. Have you raised yours?
 
WDD said:
I've always wondered - is it disorienting for a passenger to sit backwards in the club seat? Motion sickness?

I'm headed to retirement, but I've been informed by the CEO that hauling grandchildren trumps affordable, practical, etc. Hadn't thought of it before, but given the prices of a 182 I was planning on, the 6 might be a better option.
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I had occasion to transport granddaughter and her classmate back from Phoenix to their college in San Diego at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. My youngest granddaughter and my son came along as well, for a total of five on board. What this trip taught me about college freshman coeds is that for a four-day weekend home from school they travel with steamer trunks filled with what must be depleted plutonium ingots. :confused: We were about 30 pounds under MGW but the airplane handled the load easily.



A friend of mine had a nice Turbo Aztec. Then his wife had hip surgery and could no longer get in and out of that airplane. So he sold the Aztec and bought a Cherokee Six. The wife now boards easily through the back door and does the Queen Elizabeth wave from Seat 3A while he recreates Morgan Freeman's role in "Driving Miss Daisy" up front. :D

 
Down to one club and the Archer for now. A year from now when we've moved and retired the list of possibles continues to grow.

This was last week down at Manatee airfield (48X) near Apollo beach FL - 3K of nice sod and a very active little field with $4.55 AVGAS. Flew it down to see my parents and to get an Avidyne 450 put in as phase one of the shift to the Dynon HDX and a functioning autopilot from Saint Aviation up at X35. The install happens in early Feb and expected to be done by early Mar.

Between flying the folks, the trip down and back and the install/test flight flew almost 19 hours in it last week. The Archer isn't a lot of things (like fast) but it's sure an honest flying plane that trims out nicely and I attribute ours having a decent roll rate with the gap seals our has.

Resized the pics - sorry for their hugeness

sH8ib9f.jpg


sH8ib9f.jpg


And with the new 540 in place.

WtMZyo5.jpg
 
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WDD said:
I've always wondered - is it disorienting for a passenger to sit backwards in the club seat? Motion sickness?

I'm headed to retirement, but I've been informed by the CEO that hauling grandchildren trumps affordable, practical, etc. Hadn't thought of it before, but given the prices of a 182 I was planning on, the 6 might be a better option.
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DoubleD said:
Not at all. When we had the A36 my wife preferred the rear-facing seats. There, she couldn't see the weather ahead. Seriously, those seats are quite comfortable and with only two people in the four rear seats, they can sit diagonally from each other, put their feet up, and really get comfortable.
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I flew a Baron 58 for a while. No one complained about it. I doubt my wife would have liked it, but she's a little motion sensitive. She usually sat up front with me. The two flights I remember her in the back she faced forward. She doesn't like to sit backwards in a train. The kids and I don't even notice.
 
Gmonnig said:
Cool, I graduated 05. Now a controller at KC Center.
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Ah, I just missed you then. I started in fall of 05. I was offered an interview for KC Center about 10 years ago, but for some stupid reason I turned it down. I had just moved out to Denver to work for Jeppesen at the time. At least I have managed to turn it into a pretty nice career with Boeing, but I still wonder what it would have been like if I took the ATC job.
 
DoubleD said:
Not at all. When we had the A36 my wife preferred the rear-facing seats. There, she couldn't see the weather ahead. Seriously, those seats are quite comfortable and with only two people in the four rear seats, they can sit diagonally from each other, put their feet up, and really get comfortable.
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My wife finds it comfortable and she's 5'10"
IMG_1616.jpeg
 
I've got an Archer. Just put dual G5's and a GFC-500 on it and it's like my own little airliner (albeit a bit of a slow one). My dream plane is a either a Malibu or Bonanza G36. Leaning toward the Malibu since it is pressurized but I probably won't have to worry about it in this lifetime. :dunno:
 
Archer Jack said:
I've got an Archer. Just put dual G5's and a GFC-500 on it and it's like my own little airliner (albeit a bit of a slow one). My dream plane is a either a Malibu or Bonanza G36. Leaning toward the Malibu since it is pressurized but I probably won't have to worry about it in this lifetime. :dunno:
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I got a similar set up as you. I like flying and hence I don’t want to fly fast.


That’s my story, I am sticking to it
 
jbDC9 said:
What am I flying... that depends. A work day? B-737. On days off, could be my RV-8 (owned) or T-28D (own 1/5 share). Could also be a T-6/SNJ. Maybe a Twin Beech. Or a C-47. B-17G perhaps. And I'm pretty new to flying the SB2C Helldiver. Nope, I don't own those, just lucky to be able to fly 'em. The hardest part of keeping all that straight is when I key the mic to call ground for taxi... WTF airplane and tail number is this??
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Thats why its a bold label on the dash . :)
 
TopDollar said:
Haven't been flying in a while, but fairly certain I've seen your T6 at CPK a couple times when I was doing my PPL training there. Gorgeous airplane.
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If it’s the blue one pained like a Dauntless, then yes it’s mine. Thanks. It’s definitely a fun airline to fly.
 
The good ‘ol Boeing 757 for work and my 2012 Cessna 182T for personal flying and enjoyment!
 
jordane93 said:
When are you coming to NY and giving me a ride:D
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I used to come to NYC all the time and even lived there for a decade but these days, it's not quite as often. My east coast trips tend to be to FL. But I have a sister who lives in NYC and I'm overdue for a visit at some point so I'll let you know.
 
Dave Anderson said:
Trained in a Pipistrel Sinus and Virus, fun planes.
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I bet, just terrible nomenclature. The whole time I'm picturing a Sinus infection due to a cold Virus, none of which parlay well coming back down in altitude lol. Been there, done that, don't want the T-shirt. :D
 
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