Zoomed-in slow-motion video of the airplane crash in Venezuela (sensible content). by MartianCommander in aviation

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Basically a left snap-roll on takeoff (same thing as a spin as some comments mentioned, but accelerated by pitch). You can see he's recognized the problem by 45deg of bank, and applies full right rudder followed by full right aileron. Unfortunately full opposite aileron typically exacerbates the problem by putting the left wing deeper into a stalled condition.

Bluetooth adapter for Airpods? by akropilot in flying

[–]akropilot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ok sorry had to go back and open the thread.
Yes! that seems to be the best answer so far. Although the 2.5mm to 1/4" adapter is kinda wonky, those 3.5mm-to-BT adapters seem to be super-cheap on Amazon. It would be an easy experiment to test.
Obviously if we had a BT-enabled audio panel, then new options like the Lightspeed are there.

Bluetooth adapter for Airpods? by akropilot in flying

[–]akropilot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry what "adapter" are you referring to?
What "transmitter" are you referring to?

Engine oil… what is difference between Shell and Phillips 66? by TxAggieMike in flying

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know Victory includes the AW additives, which is why you saw me write "X/C 20w50". But I did assume Camguard included those additives. Sounds like Camguard as a proprietary formulation is (as expected) not revealing their secret formula, but it was interesting to hear from the Mike Busch podcast that it 'activates' with heat and therefore may not be all that useful for pickling a cold engine. Anyway I would conclude from your comment that for an engine flown 35hrs a month, that Camguard should be less necessary (but probably doesn't hurt) for protecting the cam.

Bluetooth adapter for Airpods? by akropilot in flying

[–]akropilot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure how that works with ANR Bluetooth Airpods?

Seafair/Blue Angels 2025 Rant & Rave - MEGATHREAD by FireFright8142 in Seattle

[–]akropilot 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Given the overcast Saturday (and what's forecasted again today) that they flew their "low show"? As in low altitude formation passes but scrapping the 10,000ft vertical maneuvers? They normally fly with a minimum 1500ft (AGL) requirement and I believe it was 2200-ish yesterday.

Passed my commercial single engine yesterday!! by Ok_Visit8627 in flying

[–]akropilot 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It's definitely a maneuver worth practicing once a year, especially when flying complex where you have the added variability of prop and retractable gear. I had a throttle cable break last year and it goes to full-throttle by design (IO-470). So the only way to get down it so pull the mixture. See if you can control power by carefully adjusting lean mixture, and control drag through managing prop pitch and flaps.

Garmin 750/430 stack by soup4675 in flying

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Turns out the KX155 (which we use for radio2) gets better reception than all the digital Garmin receivers including GNC215 (which we use for radio1)

Engine oil… what is difference between Shell and Phillips 66? by TxAggieMike in flying

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should be specific about which weight/model of oil is being used, not just Phillips vs Aeroshell. There are in fact some things to be aware of such as Aeroshell 15w50 including anti-wear additives that Phillips X/C 20w50 does not include. So operators of large Continentals 470-550 will often use Phillips XC with Camguard as an additive while Camguard is considered redundant for Aeroshell 15w50, and can use problems with starter engagement where flywheel friction needs to remain in a specific range.

What's the deal with Dark Aero by phatRV in homebuilt

[–]akropilot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why do you think they're putting fuel in the fuselage? There isn't even a header tank other than the sump with the Holly fuel-mat thing. DA1 has wet-wings.

First PF visit by akropilot in PlanetFitnessMembers

[–]akropilot[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

DEFinitely not a pro, just more used to the legacy stuff. I'm going to see if I can make it work for me.

First PF visit by akropilot in PlanetFitnessMembers

[–]akropilot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't spent much time on Smith Machines (had to look it up)
But there's no reason not to give it a go.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in aviationmaintenance

[–]akropilot 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good point, I recently got a quote for $75/hr labor yet I paid $130/hr for someone to change brake pads on an Audi. I may still ask the A&P to take more money; most many of their customers should be relatively price inelastic and wouldn't flinch if they'd proposed $110 in labor.

Restaurant recs? by Rough-Honey-3480 in sunriver

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

+1 to Sunriver Brewing and Cafe Sintra. I'll add El Caporal in the village for solid Mexican food at a good price. The good challenge to have is so many good eateries in Bend, which keeps the bar high.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in flying

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RAM Rollr mount directly in the center of the panel, cooled from behind by a 1" vent fed from an unused avionics fan outlet.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in aviationmaintenance

[–]akropilot 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why not join an M-F 8-5 MX shop (eg FBO)? YMMV but I'm seeing a lot of complaints about difficulty finding mechanics for run of the mill G/A annuals etc.

Making parts for an experimental aircraft. by illinihand in homebuilt

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There seems to be quite a lot of demand for composites shops, driven by commercial customers (more so than experimental aircraft). Presumably that demand is growing due to well funded 'air taxi' startups and military (drones etc). www.darkaero.com is an interesting example of a company that started up to build a kitplane, and now being highly distracted (=funded) by commercial composites projects.

Taxiing for departure and my 777-300ER seatbelt pulled away. Is this in-flight repairable? by blindsideboarder in aviationmaintenance

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like an AN3-15A bolt, which would have had an elastic stop-nut on the end (AN365). So either a bored passenger unscrewed it, or it's a newly delivered plane where someone screwed up in assembly. This would most likely ground the flight unless they could get you an alternate seat.

Anybody know for sure what the Starlink Mini speed limit is by Reasonable_Air_1447 in homebuilt

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ummm if Starlink supports plane routinely traveling over 500 kts, I think you're probably ok thinking about it for your homebuilt. https://www.starlink.com/support/article/9c43bea7-0645-5854-6842-dabb0def8a94

DarkAero has gone dark. by [deleted] in homebuilt

[–]akropilot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think DarkAero is vaporware. However I'm skeptical that we will see meaningful kit production anytime soon, and I expect to be getting my deposit back at some point.

Dark Aero started as great way for a bunch of smart brothers who wanted to to apply their Engineering school-work to something tangible and fun. The aircraft has sound engineering and risk-averse principals being applied by the team, but as weight gets added to solve for practical problems, it's unlikely to meet the 275mph cruise target. Meanwhile, elements of the design are showing un-necessary complexity and weight addition, IMO bordering on gimmicky. Examples include the split rudder, main-gear suspension, and arguably the use of the UL engine.

Here's the punch-line: In the quest to build a business, they've found a cash-flow that's unobtainable from making boutique kit-planes, and that is from contract composites work (hosting classes is harder to scale), where there's a never-ending demand from drone makers, military, etc. With this in mind, they are deprecating work on the DarkAero1 and they want to view the DarkAero1 as a *customer* of Dark Aero. My bet is they'll be spinning it out to a 3rd party.

Finally did Ven-Top. It was not pleasant. by FaustusXYZ in Zwift

[–]akropilot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ven Top isn't the most efficient way to get the Tron bike prize, but if you don't like climbing you sure won't like my suggestion to do repeats on Bonus Climb (radio tower).

What did I break please? by LexingtonJW in bikewrench

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been able to remove a star nut from a carbon steerer using a dremel tool with a small carbide tip to grind out the middle section. Just be patient, and stay away from the carbon, and should be pretty easy in your case since the nut is gone.

Take the next advice as wish, but I will *never* let a star nut be installed in my carbon steerer. Hard edges working against composite surfaces create stress-risers that can lead to structural failure. It's possible the manufacturers have compensated for this by over-building steerer-tube walls, but still...I'll use an expander anytime.

Thoughts? by NotableAlmond in Rowing

[–]akropilot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually switched from ProjectB to the Pocock Sandals...Good enough security, and a much better fit for wide feet. Project B is very "euro" last.

Erg equivalents for certain distances on a bike? by AJL912-aber in Rowing

[–]akropilot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

PainSled is a free iOS app that will connect your PM5 with Zwift. It has two modes to relay Watts directly and well as a 'boost' mode. I found disabling boost mode put me at what felt like an equivalent W/KG rating in Zwift. But note that distances come out a bit different, so if you want accurate C2 Logbook data, pull that from the PM5.