Scudrunners

The beauty of the 'cockpit' magic is that it allows you to wander around in marginal weather - even in the mountains - with confidence.

The beauty of being an 'Olde Pharte' - and there's more than one here from the comments - is that we can easily transition to a map when the cockpit magic fails.

You'll see many RVs with outstanding magic in the panel; one of the reasons being that it's so cheap to do so...

Being from the last century, I went with Dynon Skyview for navigation but kept the round gauges for all else...

I'm happy to fly a biplane across the country with my phone for nav.
I like some external power, is all.




Not sure what all that stuff in the panel is for. I do like the data
logging engine monitors, though.



One of the best pilots I know, uses his GPS watch for nav.

I had my iPhone and iPad for Navigation that is it.

In retrospect all I needed was the iPhone and the battery packs I had.
However backup was nice. Did I mention no Electrics?
Battery for start only.

Radio is going in and the Transponder is already operational.

I know people don't think I'm very bright, but it worked ok.

all I needed was the iPhone and the battery packs

For homebuilt only (of course) get a +12V USB power adapter,
they're less than 10 bucks.



Those Lithium Iron battery packs are amazing, but it's a pain
to carry them back and forth from the airport to the hotel,
and find plugs in the room to charge them.

Ya it has a charging port on there but I was dealing with the unknown and wanted to persevere battery for starts. Of which I got 9 starts out of a full charge. Also the emergency fuel pump is electric, not that I was doing anything that might have required such but just in case

Ha ha, poor people alert. $60,000 won't even get you a fancy new car these days.

There is a 2015 Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP in Grande Prairie for sale right now..

USD $350,000

I guess it is probably nicer than the rental 172s I spend a few hours a year in but, that seems pricey to me.

preserve battery for starts

I think I've mentioned before that the perfect setup for a homebuilt Pitts
is a battery, lightweight starter and no alternator/regulator to save weight.

Get this battery for a homebuilt:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... -13926.php



Less than 5 pounds, and it will spin a 540.

Pulse Crank Amps (PCA) 840A (3 sec @ 25°C, voltage >9V
Cold Crank Amps (CCA) 400A (modified SAE test, 3 sec @ 0°F, volts > 7.2V)
Continuous Discharge Amps 150A

Next time my battery goes to shit, I’m throwing one in the Cessna. Weight saver indeed.

Just dropped of the 182 this morning. 2-3 weeks I’ll get her back with a face lift. This was the first morning of a Nor’t wind. Damn you Canadians for sending that cold wind this Wayne. It was -5 (I’m speaking Canadian) and blowing 25. Made for a cold bumpy ride.

The other really neat thing about those new batteries is that they
don't need a tender. They don't go flat, like a lead-acid battery, after
a month of inactivity.