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I'm definitely not someone who's going to be put off by bad cosmetics. I've built an airplane (and part of another) and know the difference. I saw leaking seals on main gear struts, a bottomed-out nose gear strut that the mechanic didn't want to service at that moment (he was working on his car), an engine badly in need of new mounts (spinner at least 1.5 inches low in its cowling), seat tracks so worn that they wouldn't hold a position, badly synched throttle & prop controls (almost two inches apart at cruise config), etc. That's just off the top of my head at the moment; I'm sure I could recall more if I gave it any effort. The planes just don't seem cared for, and I don't mean cosmetics. The bare minimum is done to keep them flying and not one penny more.Originally Posted by jtramo
Specifically, what do you mean by "barely airworthy?" I mean a lot of people get caught up with cosmetics, I would define airworthyness issues as mechanical issues which arent easy to find with the naked eye. What about instrumentation? I wanted to do a lot of night flying anyway because the skies are too clear as it is during the day in Fla.
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N6638D.Originally Posted by skycowboy
Right so which aircraft in their fleet did you fly?
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Yes, thanks, that's my baby. I had to sell it a while ago (it's in HI now), but hope to be able to buy it back at some point. I really loved the reaction everyone had to it at SnF '04.Originally Posted by jtramo
and if thats your RV-8 then im a big fan. I have seen it at Sun N Fun the past few years....very very impressive.
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One:Night-MEL-PIC looks better than anything on a resume
Two:Night is best for getting approaches into many airports
Three:You can see the other guy 10 X's easier @ night
Four:Get to have interesting chat on 123.45 with all the freight guys!
Five:24hr FBO's with microwaved food in the vending machines, yum yum!
Six:Engine-out practice at night is well, freaky, but don't do it if you can't handle it in daylight, otherwise a great proficiency builder
Seven:Typically, the weather at night is much nicer, smoother, and clearer, just because the lack of convective action. Always the exception, but more likely than not. Then again, when weather strikes, you can see the lightning better at night
Eight:You pretty much rule the night, any request you make, will most likely be granted. Great time to get training done of any sorts.
Some good points about night flying, but the schedule just about killed me and I didn't appreciate not being told about it before arriving at the school. They told me to show up in the morning (it's about a 2.5 hour drive from my house), but didn't have me on the schedule until 5PM. I was not pleased about having to just sit around all day.Originally Posted by Ewfflyer
Flying at night is great........One:Night-MEL-PIC looks better than anything on a resume
Two:Night is best for getting approaches into many airports
Three:You can see the other guy 10 X's easier @ night
Four:Get to have interesting chat on 123.45 with all the freight guys!
Five:24hr FBO's with microwaved food in the vending machines, yum yum!
Six:Engine-out practice at night is well, freaky, but don't do it if you can't handle it in daylight, otherwise a great proficiency builder
Seven:Typically, the weather at night is much nicer, smoother, and clearer, just because the lack of convective action. Always the exception, but more likely than not. Then again, when weather strikes, you can see the lightning better at night
Eight:You pretty much rule the night, any request you make, will most likely be granted. Great time to get training done of any sorts.
As most of you probably know, half of the flight time there is safety pilot time. When I noticed that some of the other time builders were taking off into IMC, I asked my checkout instructor about how the second guy will be logging the time. He looked at me like I was crazy and said 'as safety pilot, of course'. I pointed out how that wasn't kosher in IMC (no safety pilot needed, obviously) and he just winked and blew it off. That seems indicative of their whole attitude down there. Definitely NOT my style.
Anyway, Ari-Ben is what it is. It's certainly one of the least expensive ways to get some multi time (even if half of it is safety pilot time), but it's not for everyone. Just another data point for people to consider.
Ken