BillG
Pre-takeoff checklist
I didn't want to hijack the other thread but I'm always happy to talk about myself (just ask anyone around me). My new Tiger has been great. It took about an hour of pattern work a couple of weeks ago to finally get the landings figured out - it's quite a bit different than my Skyhawk of course! I'm now the fastest plane around which I'm still getting used to (the other Skyhawks and Pipers are behind me now when we fly out to lunch instead of me being at the back of the pack!) Opening the canopy is WAY cool but I have a static leak that I haven't tracked down yet, so with the canopy open I pretty much lose my airspeed and altitude. With the canopy closed it's definitely hotter in there than the Skyhawk, which my kids don't like (and they're reluctant flyers anyway). I love the low panel - I don't feel like a little kid sitting in a grownup vehicle any more (I'm only 5'6"). The Tiger is much more responsive than the Skyhawk, which has its pros and cons. You feel the bumps more in the Tiger (my girlfriend is NOT loving that) and it takes a bit more work to maintain heading and altitude. But it's more fun to fly than the Skyhawk of course. I haven't actually gone anywhere yet, but I did get a couple of mountain bikes in the back and plan on going to Cape Cod, the islands, Block Island, etc, with the bikes - being able to lower the backseats to make the plane a mini-SUV is such a great design!
The new engine and propeller have been great and the old propeller looks very cool hanging above the fireplace in my living room.
My tie-down neighbor, Jeff Simon, yesterday ripped out most of my old interior and gave me some rather disgusting red/brown seats in return. I can live with those for a few weeks though, because when he comes back he's bringing my old seats completely redone in a very nice light gray leather. I need to order new carpeting from Airtex to go along with the new seats and side panels.
On Monday I'm bringing the plane into The Radio Shop in Worcester to have a Garmin 430 and PS Engineering PMA 7000 installed, replacing the current Narco 120, 121, and Apollo loran. The Narco Mark 12D will remain as my #2 Nav/Com.
Whew - I think that's about it. That's certainly all the money that's left!
Over the winter I'll be painting my plane, too, and changing the N-number if I can figure out a good new number with my initials in it (WG).
The new engine and propeller have been great and the old propeller looks very cool hanging above the fireplace in my living room.
My tie-down neighbor, Jeff Simon, yesterday ripped out most of my old interior and gave me some rather disgusting red/brown seats in return. I can live with those for a few weeks though, because when he comes back he's bringing my old seats completely redone in a very nice light gray leather. I need to order new carpeting from Airtex to go along with the new seats and side panels.
On Monday I'm bringing the plane into The Radio Shop in Worcester to have a Garmin 430 and PS Engineering PMA 7000 installed, replacing the current Narco 120, 121, and Apollo loran. The Narco Mark 12D will remain as my #2 Nav/Com.
Whew - I think that's about it. That's certainly all the money that's left!
Over the winter I'll be painting my plane, too, and changing the N-number if I can figure out a good new number with my initials in it (WG).
