Recent content by dreyna14

N575ND did not have an autopilot. Either way, it won't keep you from smashing into a hillside while scud running.

This was a former UND plane and it did not have an autopilot that's I've ever seen since I've flown that tail number.

An autopilot is the one thing it didn't have.

Rented this plane many times. It was well equipped with a G1000 package easily able to get back into CMA with the conditions that existed. This, however, depends on whether the pilots is qualified and proficient which, according to a friend in the know, wasn't instrument rated.

I'm not concerned about what he might have done, or how far he could have gone. I'm referring to what he actually did. He opened a hatch, looked in, and closed it. Not....that....hard. It doesn't need a secret handshake or a decoder ring to operate properly. Sure, maybe he shouldn't have...

I see a lot of posts here that seem to be more, "Listen to me as I'm an authority," than any sort of, "Let's see what we can learn from this." Really, no one cares how long you worked for whom and on what. The OP found something, asked a question, and MX addressed it. If it was a case of the...

Wow! I've heard of big bug splats, but this really takes the cake!

I ordered two of the practice kits from Vans, today. Unfortunately, they are back ordered. I'll look into getting a few tools and items to assist with those kits. While I'm very mechanically inclined and qualify aircraft hydraulic components for a living, I won't dive into anything that could...

I've always been of the belief that time away is just as important as time together. That being said, building a plane amounts to a ****load of time away. Well, I spent a good amount of time researching this past weekend and informing the wife of what is involved and the commitment necessary...

My wife is a high school special ed teacher, part-time university professor, and site union rep. I can't rely on her to always be available to help as she has little energy after all of that. I need to be able to do 95% of the work with minimal assistance.

We had another talk this morning about building. I told her my estimate was one hour per day plus ten on the weekends would give approximately a two year build time. I also stated it would have to be a solid commitment. She is open, I just don't believe that it could be done. Lol. I'm...

I would love to build a -14. My wife has encouraged me to do so. I told her I won't because it would end our marriage if I worked on it enough to completed it in a reasonable amount of time.

I was up shooting approaches into KCMA and KOXR at that time. Took several pictures of the marine layer hugging local clouds and general conditions. Not difficult by any stretch of the imagination for a person prepared but yeah it was a lot worse than the ATIS reported. The last photo I took...

The idea of pulling is to convert your kinetic energy into potential energy. However, on climbout, by the time you go, "Huh, WTF?" the stall horn is buzzing in your ear so your only choice is to push.

New job prospects with hefty raise so I've been keeping my eye out, lately. C150s are being listed at crazy prices compared to last year. I had a nice opportunity on a Citabria late last year but balked on it as being "not at the right time." If I keep waiting it will never be the right time.