Recent content by BigBadLou

Thank you for the advice. I will have to try it on Monday when I'm going to the hangar. Out of curiosity, is it normal that Garmin requires recalibration after a simple FW update? What about pilots who don't know that a "safe" upgrade can kill them in IMC?

Our local avionics shop performed a free upgrade of the firmware on our 530 because it was "for safety". We were stupid enough to agree to it. (you never ever allow upgrades unless something is broken) Well, now we have a brand new problem. The 530 drives the HSI in the panel and while it shows...

I had the same problem when the wife wanted me to transfer some stuff to her iPad. Same exact problem. crApple's SW didn't work. Not surprised here. Get away from that pile of sh*t asap. I myself have a $40 Android phone and have no trouble connecting it to any PC. Anyway, I second the...

Been saying for over a decade that I dread the day when dumb thieves find out that most small GA airports are unsecured and airplanes are easy to unlock or kick a window out. The ROI for buying a X/Y" hex wrench for this job is nearly astronomical. Now the news will spread the information to...

Do you study at your QTH? :) Most kids nowadays have no effin' clue what Q-codes are. Heck, those poor clueless schmucks have no idea what Morse code is. When I fly with pilots who have to look at a sectional at the "squiggles" next to a VOR to identify it audibly, I laugh. I hear "dit dah dah...

I have never seen a checklist with a brake check before landing. But you said "school checklists", Mike, which I have truly never seen (had a private CFI). It is not a bad idea to check brakes before landing. I will make a mental note in my head to do it during GUMPS check, once the gear is...

If only we could pay the shop in the same amount of time it took them to do the job. Wouldn't you agree that the mechanics would pick up the pace and not drag their feet?

FWIW, I am not an artist either but pulled it off nonetheless with some basic rudimentary engineering skills. Had I not half-assed it and done more prep work, it could have come out looking better. Not that I cared much. I just didn't want to do plain circles in the sky like a retard on a...

UPDATE: To my (pleasant) surprise, the FAA got back to me within 24 hours. They reviewed the track manually, agreed that the overpriced useless box performed flawlessly and complimented me on the shape in the sky. I finished the process with the last step and the rebate check is supposedly on...

Thank you, sir. I used the link from the email they sent me. If that's the wrong link, it would not surprise me. Afterall, we are dealing with a government entity here. :) I received both reports, the PAPR and GAIRS. GAIRS was the one that showed some red, due me not being in the rule airspace...

I took the airplane with the new ADS-B box out for a spin last night. Even drew a nice shape for the FAA (no, NOT an erected middle finger or another body part). Requested the performance report and failed due to "not for 30 minutes in Rule Airspace". (I had 0.0% failures, btw) That was expected...

I fly PnP (Pilots'n'Paws). Started flying while still a student pilot. FAA has no rules against canine passengers. :) Good excuse to fly and you rack up hours fast, get to fly into airports you would never think to fly into. And you gain a lot of go/no-go experience. And of course you help save...

I visited our local class D tower on NYE before I did my ADS-B test flight. Asked them how they will see me on radar with or without ADS-B Out. Both controllers shrugged. I inquired about any safety benefits for their line of work, they just looked at each other and said nothing. They don't go...

Even worse, they are allowed to vote and breed!

Oops, did I forget to mention his wife is a sub-contractor?? My bad.