marksires

When I'm looking at planes, if I see sloshed sealant in the tanks or in the logs, I am unlikely to purchase that plane.  It WILL, eventually, start peeling.  When it does, it will clog your fuel lines/filters, and you'll have an off airport landing.
If I did purchase a plane with sloshed tanks, I'd have priced  it with replacing the tanks subtracted, because I would do that immediately before the first flight.
Mark
 

Sounds like you need some trained ants... :-)
Mark
 

Joey,
Just remember you aren't seeing all the traffic that could affect you if you aren't ADS-B out equipped yet.  And yes, having flown with both out and in for the last 4 years, it is amazing and scary how many airplanes are around you at any given time.  Especially here in Florida!  One thing that it has taught me is the guys saying 'see and avoid is better' are wrong.  Even knowing exactly where to look, in most cases another small plane is invisible until about 2nm.  Sometimes I can pick them up at 3-4, if the sun is just right, or they have white plane, flying over dark ground and I'm above them.  On a converging path, 2nm, even if both planes are flying at 85mph like ours do, is still 170mph closure, which gives about a minute to see and avoid. 
Mark

I hope you are right, but the one company that tried it is now imploding because to get the price down they tried to shortcut some of the regs and got caught.
The FAA has some new policies (NORSEE) for certified airplanes that are allowing non-TSO'd equipment to be approved for installation.  The policy was developed from their prior approval of angle of attack systems.  So far Dynon (D10A, D100), and Garmin (G5) have taken advantage of it.  Trio and Tru Track are working through the process to get their autopilots approved.  However, transponders and radios are not on the list of equipment that will be eligible for this approval track.
The costs of certification (both of the ADS-B transmitter, and the WAAS GPS source) far exceed the cost to actually develop the equipment.  If you've never dealt with it before, it is easy to underestimate it.  Some of my work involves FDA approval of medical devices and pharmaceuticals.  Some days I wonder how anything ever gets to market.
Mark
 

Thanks for the pics, and for your service!
Mark
 

Not.
The FAA will never certify a portable system.  They are planning to decommission most of the radar sites eventually, and will be relying entirely on the position/altitude information provided by the ADS-B out system to separate large aluminum tubes full of voters from each other and our silly little airplanes.  They, and all those voters in the aluminum tubes, don't give a rat's *ss if it costs you money to comply.  Have you seen any portable mode C transponders?  Yeah, me neither....
Mark
 

Just stay out of the airspace where it is required, and you won't have a problem.  Is Zephyrhills inside the Tampa 30nm Mode C ring?

Yes, it is fun to watch the rush in Lake City when the forecast something.  If WE get hurricane force winds here, the rest of the state is toast........
Of course, it isn't as bad as when I lived in Dallas, and they'd forecast ice or snow.  There wasn't a loaf of bread, or a gallon of milk in any store an hour after that forecast!
Mark
 

In is hardly $6000.  Combine a Stratux (about $150), an android tablet ($100-$200), and one of the free flight apps for android, and you're done.  That gets you weather, and 'air to air' traffic, and if you are close to an ADS-B out equipped plane, most all the traffic.
I am ADS-B out equipped in my Cherokee.  I have a GDL-39 (about $700), Garmin Pilot ($100 a year - gets all the VFR charts, always up to date.  I run the IFR version for about $75 more a year which adds all the approach plates also.), and an Android tablet (see above) and an old iPad (free since I bought it for other reasons).  That is a 'cadillac' ADS-B in system.  ADS-B out was more, but I was redoing that panel anyway, the ADS-B out only cost me about $1500 more since I was getting a GTN-650 and new transponder anyway.  But that is an IFR traveling plane, not a fly around the patch fun plane.  For my Avid, if I wasn't so close to Orlando and Jacksonville I wouldn't worry about ADS-B out.
Mark
 

When I lived in St. Petersburg in the 90's, that kind of weather was a normal event at least once a year.  The relatively quiet hurricane seasons since then have lulled you into a false sense of security.  Just like the lack of a big earthquake in CA has them......  A 1906 event would be very ugly today.
Mark

I don't see why not.  As long as you aren't flying in airspace where Mode C is required now, ADS-B is not required.  If and when they actually start decommissioning radar in favor of ADS-B, that might change, but as long as radar is still the primary ATC position source, flight following should be available with a mode C transponder.
Mark
 

I know the people stuck in the NavWorx situation hope it works out, but personally I'd say they are toast.  Picking a fight with a Grizzzly bear (FAA) usually doesn't end well for an unarmed 90lb weakling (NavWorx).
The expensive part of the ADS-B install isn't the ADS-B transmitter, it is that a WAAS GPS source is required.  There are options now that include a WAAS GPS in the transponder or UAT box, like the Appareo Stratus transponder, Garmins GTX-335, Lynx.  If your transponder is older and not solid state, I would recommend replacing it with a one of those.  If it is newer and solid state, I'd look for a UAT box that will work with it, unless a new transponder turned out to be cheaper.  The UAT's were supposed to be less expensive, but that hasn't worked out to be the case so far.
One thing to watch out for, there are still some companies trying to sell portable ADS-B boxes, and claiming they are compliant.  They are not, and they never will be.  The FAA is using ADS-B to replace radar, and will rely on it to keep our little planes separated from the big aluminum tubes full of voters.  They will never approve a portable device to do that.  Caveat Emptor, and if it sounds to good to be true, it is.
Until recently, my advice was to wait, more stuff would be coming out, and the costs will go down.  I think most everything that will be available is now, and the prices are not going to drop until after the rush to comply before 2020 is over.  Plus the FAA is offering a $500 rebate right now after you get it installed and pass a test flight.
I've been ADS-B equipped for over 2 years now in my Cherokee.  I use an iPad with Garmin pilot to get the traffic and weather services.  I love it.  I probably would not fly without it any more.  Here in Florida, the skies are remarkably full on good flying days.  One thing it has taught me is that another small plane is invisible until it about 2nm away, even when I know exactly where it is I can't find it.  And it is Florida, I pretty much assume the guy in the other plane is about 90, blind, and flying an LSA......
Mark

I've put it in my library of things to read.  I'm busy right now working through the plans for my new hangar.  Lots of new words to learn.  I think I have all the 4 letter ones I need once I actually start in my vocabulary already though.
 
Mark
 

That will probably fix it. For uploading to web sites I usually use MS Paint (under Windows Accessories usually) to resize to 25% - put 25% in one dimension and the other dimension changes to 25% also automatically.  You can do them different if you want a squished or stretched picture in one dimension, but unless you're doing posters for the circus I don't see much value in that.  Maybe they'll take that option out since this is the last year for the circus.
 

Purty!

Jim Irwin asked me to post his latest response.  He is reaching out to Kenneth to try to resolve his issue as well.  If anyone wants his email address, PM me and I'll send it to you.  I don't like posting email addresses on public forums.  To many 'Russian' hackers out there :-)
Jim Irwin
1:49 PM (27 minutes ago) to me     Mark, If you want to post something on the forum that you have been in contact with me and that I welcome comments from anyone who has had any concerns with freight costs, that would be great. The other option is for me to post something saying the same thing. Either way, we would like them to let us address their concerns and make any changes that are necessary in our packing of orders or the way our system quotes freight. Thanks, Jim

As my midwest farmer friend said when I offered to help him clean out a shed after we couldn't get a piece of equipment back into it.  'Nope, it's time to build another shed.  It's the kids and auctioneers job to clean them out after I die'
Mark

I took my own advice, printed this thread to a PDF and sent it to Jim Irwin (I have his email address from some past issues, but try not to abuse it).  I got an almost immediate response from him that he was unaware and will be looking in to it.  Don't know if it will get fixed, but they can't say they don't know about it now.
Mark
 

I'd send this thread to Jim Irwin at ACS.  He is generally very responsive, and may not be aware this has gotten out of hand.
Mark
 

Shipping costs on everything from everywhere have gone up a lot in the last year.  While they were all getting the local stores closed with their online sales, they subsidized shipping to keep it cheaper than buying local.  Now that local stores have mostly dried up, they aren't subsidizing the shipping any more.  That, plus the increased demand for shipping all the online sales generates has raised shipping prices for everyone, especially if you aren't Amazon, etc. and have special pricing that all the other shippers end up paying for.  Companies like ACS, and Wicks, that have always been a phone/online sales company are just as much victims as the rest of us.
Go take a package and ship it via the post office the cheapest way you can - the 12"x12"x5"  box is $19.  If you package isn't a 'standard' size, you will pay through the nose.
Mark

The crash was around 6pm, the fog rolled in about 5pm.  LifeFlight helicopters were grounded during this time.  Spruce Creek does have an FAA approved instrument approach, but it isn't published, you have to get it from the homeowners association.  I would be surprised if it was a precision approach, and the weather was way below a non precision approach limits.
Sad, he could have easily gone to Orlando, rented a car, driven an hour, and been there....  Pushing weather seldom turns out well.  I figured that out before I took my first lesson.  I subscribed to an accident newsletter.  Didn't take long to figure out that if I didn't run out of gas, fly in weather I shouldn't, and didn't buzz my friends house, I'd be pretty safe.
Mark
 

Just make sure you have a good layer of resin between the carbon and the aluminum - if they touch it will corrode very quickly.
Mark
 

This one happened yesterday also - 182, sounds like CFIT.  No flight plan so they had to be VFR.  In the mountains.  With low ceilings/fog.
 
http://wlos.com/news/local/recovery-operation-begins-after-plane-crashes-in-smokies