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rtk

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Everything posted by rtk

  1. Awesome numbers, Dave! I think there are 600 or so Sportcruisers manufactured, so the forum count suggests that we have a very good percentage of those owners on this forum! šŸ˜€
  2. Congrats Gary and Chris on ELSA! šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ˜€ So glad to read that the conversion process was smooth! Shawn is a great asset to these forums. He too guided me on my E-LSA journey. And having the freedom to change all that I WANTED for MY SAFETY makes it absolutely worthwhile to go this route. Copying Shawn's panel, and taking advice from Dave (our forum Admin), I went with a GDL-82, GDL-39, and Aera 660 that really make a HUGE difference in improving the panel and information being presented to me, as well as SAFETY since I can now see traffic. Way better than just the "out" solution that the factory approved via a GTX-335.
  3. Congratulations Bryan! sorry to hear of the challenges with the DAR, but glad that it's done and YOUR Sportcruiser is home!! šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ™‚
  4. Thank you, Bryan! Very kind of you, but Iā€™m nowhere as knowledgeable as our forum administrator (DavePilot), Necco, Shawn, or many others. I just post my mistakes a lot more often, or the panels I that I blatantly copy! šŸ˜œ Congrats on getting your bid up in the air, Steven! Donā€™t worry about the pitch... about the 3rd flight or so, the pitch becomes second nature. But the views out the canopy never fails to amaze! Looking forward to hearing about more flights! šŸ™‚šŸ‘šŸ»
  5. Hi Bryan, I hope the weather cooperates soon so you can fly YOUR Sportcruiser home! the hardest part of converting to E-LSA was the vacillating I did weighing the pros and cons of converting. In the end, there really are no ā€œconsā€, just all sorts of positives to go E-LSA. Especially if youā€™re considering a panel change and better options for ADS-B compliance than the factory offers. Good luck!
  6. Hi Bryan, I too tried to stay S-LSA, but the factory did a great job to convince me otherwise. Especially as a legacy (2007 - 2009) Sportcruiser owner. They really want no part of us since we were manufactured under the older CZAW company, not CSA. So for your 3rd gen nose gear leg install, there should be a firewall bulk-up kit made up of a square aluminum plate that attaches to the vertical stiffeners on the firewall. Unfortunately for legacy aircraft, our vertical stiffenersā€™ ā€œlipsā€ bend the wrong way to have these attach properly. Good luck getting a solution from the factory to remedy that. Others have tried (including myself) and the only response was to ā€œreplace the firewall and vertical stiffeners.ā€ Youā€™ll see in another thread my frustration in trying to get any help from CSA on getting rivet sizes for the wing skin while I replace the wing tank and add a return line (which your 2009 wouldnā€™t have come with originally. It would require the current kit to fit that return line, or a new fuel tank.). The factory made my decision to go E-LSA very easy. And they prefer it that way as (in my opinion) they want nothing to do with legacy aircraft. Now that Iā€™m E-LSA, Iā€™ve had the freedom to do things to my aircraft that are sensible, such as add the GDL-82 instead of the GTX-335. Even adding the GTX-345 (which is, again in my opinion, a better solution since itā€™s ADS-B ā€œInā€ as well as ā€œOutā€ in one convenient package.) Good luck in the acquisition of the aircraft! And I truly do hope you have success with the LOAs as it would be a good turn for CSA and the owner community if they truly step up and issue LOAs.
  7. HI Dave, Thanks for keeping track of this list of improvements. I agree that these are all things that us Sportcruiser owners would enjoy as enhancements to our aircraft. I would respectfully add one more item to the list for our ownersā€™ consideration: A cowling vent much the one that The Aircraft Factory uses on their aircraft. This would allow airflow under the cowling, and still allow hot air to escape when taxiing or parked on the ramp (and maybe negate the need to open the oil filler flap (which acts like a chimney) to vent the hot air. (See image below) Iā€™d also think that, beyond restyled racing seats, that maybe introducing an alternative location to the headphone jacks (or even re-shaping the panel where the jacks are located) would help to prevent any interference of headphone cords against the canopy latch handle. Of course re-adjusting the latch itself (as Shawn has suggested) so that it latches more positively is a ā€œmust doā€ adjustment. But having something that secures that handle or isolates the handle from the headphone cords would be helpful. As for the Edge Performance engine, it is actually lighter than the 912 ULS and significantly lighter than the 915is. The Edge Performance EFI kit removes about 2kg of weight from the nose (where we Sportcruiser owners actually need the weight due to the aft CG limitation). I believe big bore kits (like the Zipper big bore) remove another 3 pounds (about 1.3 kg) of weight due to the lighter weight forged pistons and billet Aluminum, CNC milled cylinder bores. I believe Edge Performanceā€™s big bore kit provides the same weight savings. I doubt CSA would make this an option for their new S-LSA aircraft (just the E-LSA ones for a complete Edge Performance engine since they offer a (shorter) warranty on their complete engines), and I doubt an LOA would be issued for either the EFI kit or big bore kits. And apologies to all, but Iā€™m going to add one of my pet peeves. It would be great of CSA would create an ā€œOption 2ā€ for the Fuel Return Line kit. I just donā€™t like the epoxy barb on the fuel tank where itā€™s submerged by fuel 90% of the time. Itā€™s begging for a leak. Why not put together a kit using a current fuel tank with the welded barb along with cork strips, the fuel ā€œspiderā€ and restrictor, fuel line, and the required rivets? Yes itā€™s more expensive, but itā€™s safer and the wing has to come off anyway to do the job with the existing kit or to replace the fuel tank.
  8. Hi Bryan! Welcome! Which fuel lines did the mechanic replace? If it is a fuel return line, there should only be one (to the left tank.) Good luck with the LOA process. I don't know of anyone that has submitted to the new LOA process, so you may be the first. I hope it is smooth and not too spendy. Alternatively you could go Experimental. I know there may be strong opinions one way or another about converting to E-LSA, but it is an option. Good luck on the purchase of the 2009 Sportcruiser!
  9. Welcome Steven, and congratulations!! šŸ‘šŸ»šŸ˜ƒ We have all experienced Aviation Monetary Units (AMU, or $1,000 denominations). It just hurts (slightly) less to not write the zeros. šŸ˜‚ Lots of great members and knowledge on this forum! Welcome and ask any questions you have! šŸ™‚
  10. Welcome to the forum, Gary and Chris! Sounds like you're getting your new-to-you Piper Sport well sorted! We have some members here who are A&Ps with Sportcruiser experience (Necco, Mel, others) and maybe they might know someone close to Jacksonville. It would be great to meet the folks on this forum. I'm out on the West Coast, so not very close to the majority of Sportcruiser/Piper Sport owners, but if anyone ever flies out this direction, I'd be happy to meet up!
  11. Hi Stan! Good to see you here! (I saw your posts on another forum). Welcome and glad to have another West Coaster on the forum! šŸ™‚šŸ‘šŸ»
  12. Oh man, I donā€™t dare write down the all-in expenses, especially where my wife could find them. First Iā€™d cry, then my wife would make me cry again. šŸ˜œ The nose gear was spendy, as was the left (port) fuel tank replacement and fitting of the return fuel hose. But both of them collectively pale in comparison to annual hangar and insurance costs. šŸ˜³. Oooh, Iā€™m feels woozy and better sit down...
  13. I agree on both points... 1) Everything is negotiable, and 2) CoffeeJoe is no sucker. That 2015 Sportcruiser was probably $160K new (probably less, but letā€™s assume no negotiation.). Assuming 15% depreciation over 3 years (since the first few years have the fastest depreciation), Iā€™d say that aircraft is closer to $98K - $110K. Maybe $115K if it is already ADS-B compliant. $135K is retail pricing for that aircraft today per AOPAā€™s VREF (up to $147K for the low hours, but that makes no sense since a new aircraft is just a few thousand more with a warranty.) I would encourage looking at the Sling 2. Thatā€™s a beautiful aircraft as well, though the useful load is limited (since it was designed to be sturdy and a higher max gross weight.) If only you were on the West Coast, Necco! šŸ™‚
  14. CoffeeJoe, thatā€™s a very handsome aircraft and was sold (I believe) while Patrick Arnzen and US Sport Aircraft was the sole distributor for the US. Patrick knows the Sportcruiser inside and out, so Iā€™m confident that it was a solidly assembled aircraft on initial delivery. But in those 40 hours (especially with training) the advice by Velocity26 and others is great advice to take. I see this plane is in Maryland. Iā€™d suggest trying to find out how flexible they are in pricing since theyā€™re approaching a negotiated price on a new plane from Cruiser Aircraft. (I think the new ā€œtrainerā€ starts around $140K, and the asking price from CAI is around $160-170K. You may be able to see how flexible the ownerā€™s widow might be on the plane and that might help with the decision on whether to go forward with a pre-buy. I canā€™t speak for Necco, but since itā€™s on the eastern seaboard, and Necco IS intimately familiar with Sportcruisers... just saying... I will add that those vent windows in the canopy will help significantly for airflow. I know some have said that it gets in the way of a clear view out the side (especially if you like photography) but it beats sticking your elbow out to hold up the canopy during taxi. I donā€™t think it would be easy to add those afterwards (and the likelihood of cracking a $8,000 canopy is extremely high if you tried to add one afterwards.) And donā€™t forget that if you fly within a Mode C veil regularly, add in the cost of adding a Garmin GTX-335 and an avionics shop to install it, as youā€™ll need it before January 1, 2020.
  15. Excellent member count, Dave! 418 members! On the CAI website, they say that the built the 600th Sportcruiser in 2017. I know that not all members are Sportcruiser owners, but the majority probably are. Given that, this forum has membership of a majority of the Sportcruiser owners. Awesome!
  16. True about the pre-buy being close to an annual, but I think Skipper is saying that a pre-but should stop well short of an annual of major issues are found in just looking in the inspection panels. (This provided that nothing looks out-of -sorts with the logbook.) i once had a seller who offered to have the annual done as part of thenpurchase and I could review the notes in lieu of the pre-but inspection. I politely declined as I wanted someone I paid to be honest with me (I.e. someone like Necco) and give me the warning bells well before spending a lot of time, money, and effort. I agree with ShawnM about wishing sellers would be more forthright about a planeā€™s history. Someoneā€™s life could be depending on it! But like anything, there are sellers that wonā€™t disclose the true history, and thus, ā€œcaveat emptorā€
  17. LOL! I think you may want to see what your wife might want to bring, and then you can figure out how many pounds youā€™ve got left for your gear! šŸ˜œ I would think a pair of jeans, underwear, an extra T-shirt, a polo shirt (or button down shirt), pair of shorts, and maybe a light jacket, and maybe toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb would come in right around (or under) 10 pounds.
  18. Hi CoffeeJoe! Welcome to the forum! 855 pounds BEW + 210 pounds (you) + 110 pounds (wife) gives you 1,175 pounds. Legal total weight is 1,320 (600 kg is actually a bit more and your 1,323 pounds, but the FAA states 1,320 is the fully loaded limit.) That leaves you with 145 pounds for fuel and luggage (any combination up to that limit.). You could fill 20 gallons (120 pounds) and still have 25 pounds for luggage. 20 gallons will get you 3 hours flight tine with an hour reserve. Youā€™d probably want to stretch your legs after 3 hours anyway. Can a Sportscruiser handle more weight? Probably as Iā€™ve heard stories of people that have flown them over-gross weight, but you wouldnā€™t be able to do so legally. The Bristell is limited to LSA rules as well, so 1,320 pounds maximum gross weight. But because there are carbon fiber bits to that aircraft, it starts off with a lighter Bare Empty Weight (BEW). If you need more payload capacity, you could look at earlier Sportcruisers (pre 2010) as they were a little lighter. (e.g. My 2008 is 808.1 pounds BEW, without a BRS). Some of the earlier Flight Design CTsw had good payload weights, and the Remos is fairly light, but there isnā€™t much luggage room and youā€™re limited to 20 gallons (behind the right seat.)
  19. Welcome Scott! Iā€™m just down the coast from you in Fullerton! Hope to catch up sometime!
  20. Welcome aboard, Agis! Lots of great forum members here with broad knowledge on the Sportcruiser! I look forward to reading about your journey on the Light Aircraft Pilotā€™s License!
  21. Sheā€™s a beauty, Bob! Welcome aboard!
  22. LOL - I donā€™t know if I would advocate for anyone to move to California. Not because itā€™s not nice out here, but because itā€™s so expensive to do anything out here! AND aviation events are somewhat far and few between. Best opportunity for a more active aviation community is in Arizona (which holds a LOT of interest for me for retirement... though your friend and mine is trying to convince me that Florida is the place to be). šŸ˜‰
  23. Lots of aviation in Florida, no doubt. But not all of us are on the East Coast!
  24. Welcome JustinTC! Beautiful PS-28 Cruiser you have there! I have been an owner for just over 2 years now, and I'm perpetually asking silly questions! The folks on this forum are tremendous and provide a HUGE amount of assistance. I try to give back, but my knowledge and experiences are dwarfed by many others on this forum! šŸ™‚
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