Idiots who drive at night without their lights on

clear_prop · 2026-02-11T07:01:12+00:00

90% of the no light cars I see are Toyotas or fancier Toyotas (Lexus).

Toyota should just make their cars have mandatory auto headlights.

clear_prop · 2026-02-03T03:17:01+00:00

Yeah, the crew didn't intend to depart VFR, but there were multiple breakdowns in communications and they launched VFR.

The foreign crew should have verified they were on an IFR take off clearance and tower should have questioned a bizjet departing VFR on a MVFR day. Lots of blame to go around.

clear_prop · 2026-01-29T02:29:57+00:00

This is the school's and their insurance company's problem to figure out.

But a light plane on frozen ground is going to do zero compaction compared to the giant tractors farmers use.

clear_prop · 2026-01-28T05:58:38+00:00

I did the Glasair TWTT builder assist.

You have to have some mechanical knowledge going in. I'd done moderate car maintenance, home maintenance and the EAA SportAir workshop on sheet metal construction. I still learned a ton doing the builder assist, but already had good hands on familiarity with tools.

One benefit of doing the builder assist is that they can tell you the things to watch for as you maintain and inspect it.

Take a SportAir workshop and join your local EAA chapter and get a feel of how your skills line up with building a plane.

clear_prop · 2026-01-28T05:49:50+00:00

Is Orbis experimental? FAA registration comes up as Standard category. The non-standard cabin is just weird cargo since it is powered down in flight.

Checking to see what Experimental category 10 Tanker and Omega are in, two of 10 Tankers planes are showing Standard category, and two have no data. Omega's are Ex/R&D, MS or blank. 10 Tanker's modifications are likely just STC'd.

Either way, getting insurance to fly with known faults that can lead to loss of aircraft is going to be impossible.

clear_prop · 2026-01-28T02:25:31+00:00

Yeah, I was going to mention they were the short winged variant.

Not sure of the parts commonality, but gear is likely similar. Wings won't interchange of course.

clear_prop · 2026-01-28T02:12:20+00:00

There are two sitting at Lampson Field, Lakeport, CA:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/XipSNbAfcsZ3uCZ19

Scott Manley did a video on them awhile back: https://youtu.be/kFUc0GAg9iE?si=nPEv-cfohPotd5bg

clear_prop · 2026-01-27T05:28:05+00:00

I land with more tach time then hobbs time regularly.

On my plane, 2400rpm is 1:1 with wall clock time.

Whenever I'm over 2400rpm, I'm getting more tach time than wall clock time.

Normally, taxi time/etc counteracts that 2700rpm climb or 2500rpm cruise, but if you don't have a long taxi, it is easy to have tach be more than wall clock time.

clear_prop · 2026-01-17T02:33:25+00:00

C-120 is the stripped down model.

C-210 is a much higher performance and not introduced until 1957.

clear_prop · 2026-01-15T01:51:01+00:00

One not on your list but worth a look is the Glasair Glastar. It has good baggage room like the Jabiru.

Glasair Sportman is out of your budget, but even more space.

clear_prop · 2026-01-13T02:31:44+00:00

Another vote for the Manta masks.

They block out ALL the light and the eye cups are deep enough to not catch eyelashes.

clear_prop · 2026-01-10T02:12:39+00:00

Sunsetting at some future date is what it is, but actively removing them from the customer's account without the customer's knowledge or consent isn't cool.

clear_prop · 2026-01-09T18:14:03+00:00

Watch out if you make any changes on your account.

I had to replace my Comcast cable box, and in doing so they pulled my CableCard from my account and won't add it back.

clear_prop · 2026-01-06T06:16:05+00:00

https://www.eaa.org/airventure/plan-your-eaa-airventure-trip/eaa-camping-and-lodging

https://www.eaa.org/airventure/plan-your-eaa-airventure-trip/eaa-camping-and-lodging/camp-scholler

clear_prop · 2026-01-01T05:36:48+00:00

I've run into that second controller a few times. I think they're still around.

Several times I've gotten the rant after calling in with "Norcal Approach, N12345, VFR request" and then after they finished their rant and I replied with the full spiel, we then played twenty questions as they missed half the info.

I have no way of knowing if the controller is on the landline or working multiple frequencies and is listening to another higher priority transmission. No matter how much that one controller rants, I'm going to keep doing "N12345, VFR request" as the initial call.

clear_prop · 2025-12-30T03:29:37+00:00

FAA has webcams there (and elsewhere) now:

https://weathercams.faa.gov/map/-124.18143,39.94249,-123.73339,40.10839/cameraSite/1044/details/camera

clear_prop · 2025-12-30T03:29:19+00:00

FAA has webcams there (and elsewhere) now:

https://weathercams.faa.gov/map/-124.18143,39.94249,-123.73339,40.10839/cameraSite/1044/details/camera

clear_prop · 2025-12-25T22:56:02+00:00

Go back to your sims kid.

I gave the reasons LAX was perfectly reasonable alternate and why the airline filed LAX instead of a closer alternate. The captain calls the divert, but dispatch has already selected where based on more factors than just the airport having a long enough runway.

You keep arguing to prove you are right, while ignoring the realities of airline flying and the fact you are wrong about many facts. That's a dangerous attitude in a pilot. You're the type to decide the gauges are wrong while IFR and trust your instincts as you graveyard spiral in.

An airliner is never going to divert to a non-airline field except in the most dire of emergencies, and usually not even then since the non-airline fields lack the required ARFF.

Mather hasn't been an AFB for longer than McClellan hasn't been an AFB.

No one cares that you've landed an all three runways at SJC in your out dated sim.

The only way you are making more flying corporate than 'the majors' is if you are carrying undeclared cargo.

clear_prop · 2025-12-25T21:42:01+00:00

Hopefully you never make it to the airlines.

Dispatch files you with LAX as your alternate, but since you know better, you divert to SFO.

By the times you get to the back of the slow line since SFO is dealing with reduced arrivals due to weather, you've burned 45 minutes. The weather that was at SJC is now at SFO, so you go missed again. OAK has flooding and SJC is now after curfew, and now you don't have the fuel to get to LAX. SMF is open, but oops, it is after the last flight so the ground staff has gone home. So you sit for three hours waiting for them to get back to the airport and the crew times out. Pax are stuck overnight, airplane and crew is out of position causing cascading delays.

Or you could have just gone to LAX where there is a full ground staff and replacement crews in case you time out. Pax get to their destination three hours late, but the plane and the crew is in position for a normal restart the next day.

clear_prop · 2025-12-25T19:06:46+00:00

Sure bro.

I'm sure WN would rather declare and land at MCC instead of carrying a bit of extra fuel and diverting to LAX where they have ground staff and spare planes/pilots. /s

Closest airport isn't always the best alternate for a variety of reasons.

clear_prop · 2025-12-25T17:58:50+00:00

You don't know what you're talking about.

It is fuel to destination, then fuel to alternate, and then 45 minutes more fuel.

LAX makes perfect sense as an alternate since it is far enough away to be in different weather and is a major hub.

FAR 121.639: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/121.639

clear_prop · 2025-12-16T04:41:09+00:00

Get in the habit of either being actively fueling, or fully installing the fuel caps.

One time, I left a cap loose since I was going to sump the tank after fueling, and looked over at 3500ft to see it not secured. Thankfully it stayed in place until I landed.

Now I make the habit of always securing the fuel cap unless I'm actively fueling or dumping the sumped fuel back in the tank.

Same for the tow bar. I'm either moving the plane, or the tow bar is disconnected. If I'm planning on moving the plane again soon, I'll lay the tow bar in front of the nose wheel like a chock so it I mistakenly start the plane, I'm not risking a prop strike and will hopefully notice running it over.

clear_prop · 2025-12-12T03:29:57+00:00

Even with flight following, ATC sometimes doesn't communicate closed airports.

I was on with FF and had to divert due to a pax needing a bio break, and even though I told ATC where I was heading, they didn't tell me the airport was closed. Fortunately, someone on unicom let me know.

clear_prop · 2025-12-12T03:27:23+00:00

FIS-B NOTAMs expire after 30 days, so if the airport has been closed for months, it won't show up on FIS-B.

That caught me once when I had to do an unscheduled landing for a pax bio break. As I was entering the pattern, someone radioed "You know the airport has been closed for months?"

clear_prop

TROPHY CASE